How to give an awesome presentation: 5 steps
We have some good news for you - anyone can make an excellent presentation. And this is particularly important because in the conservation field, we have to regularly make presentations. Whether at a large conference, with donors, meeting community members, or gathering with our teams.
Here we share practical tips to make your next presentation your best one yet!
Tell a story, make it compelling
“Start with something compelling, end with something compelling. The first and last sentences matter more than any other. Craft them. Memorize them.” -Tip from Mulago, a Maliasili supporter and an organization that truly understands how to create awesome communications.
Storytelling is the best way to carry your message to your audience. Firstly, think clearly about the message you want to convey, and then map out your narrative arc. What happens in your story? Who are the people involved? Why does it matter, and most importantly, why should your audience care?
Mulago provides excellent advice on how to specifically think about that arc. Your story needs to persuade the audience you have:
A big important problem
An effective, scalable solution
An organization that can deliver it
And a compelling vision for the future.
People love stories. Start with a story, illustrate your solution with a story, with you and your organization as the heroes.
Keep it simple
How often do you attend a presentation full of acronyms, scientific or conservation jargon, and long, complex explanations? While it's easy to think that including 'heavy words' and complicated language makes you seem more knowledgeable, what it actually does is isolates your audience, and your message gets easily lost.
Practice your presentation out loud so you can hear yourself. If you think you sound complicated, then you are. Even better, practice your presentation in front of someone less familiar with your work and ask them for tough feedback.
Think about your visuals
We often start with the PowerPoint rather than the purpose of our presentations, which is wrong. Visuals, such as a PowerPoint, should add value to your words but should not replace them. So start with your purpose and then determine what visual tools will help you deliver your message even better, e.g., a video, a PowerPoint, photos, graphs, data, etc.
Presenters often lose their audiences with cluttered PowerPoint slides, long videos, too many unclear photos, blurry maps, and generally misaligned visuals. If you use slides to support your presentation, keep them simple. And remember, the visuals are there to amplify your message; they’re not the main message.
We love this other tip from Mulago:
“Visuals – slides – are wonderful, but they are only there to amplify what you have to say. They’re not the main show; you are. They may be cues, but they’re not your notes. Forget the academic or business protestations you may have done. Slides are simply a way to amplify and punch home the message you are talking about. Good slides are simple.”
[*Stay tuned for next month’s Reader with guidance on developing great PowerPoint presentations.]
Prepare, prepare, prepare
If you wish to deliver an effective presentation, preparation is vital. Even the most prolific public speakers take time to prepare for their talks to ensure clear and exciting delivery. During your preparation, make sure you do the following:
Rehearse as much as you can. Practice with friends, trusted colleagues and ask for honest feedback. Keep improving.
Time your presentation as you prepare to ensure that your delivery is within the allocated time. This will help you avoid the awkwardness of having to rush or be cut short during the actual presentation.
Test and listen to your tone of voice. Are you emphasizing the key points? Are you speaking clearly and at a pace that your audience can keep up with?
Do a tech test before. If you have slides, make sure they’re playing correctly. If speaking in front of an audience, check your microphone and other equipment. Don’t let any last-minute tech failures get in the way of delivering an excellent presentation.
Top tip - record yourself delivering your presentation as you would to your audience. This will help you understand where your message isn’t clear, if you’re rushing through the presentation, if you need to eliminate jargon, and more.
And finally, it’s okay to be nervous! Just make sure YOU show up
Even the most experienced speakers sometimes get nervous before delivering presentations. It’s okay to be nervous; it’s human. But being adequately prepared and understanding your content well helps calm the nerves and reduces the list of things that could go wrong.
Bring your authentic self, and your audience will connect with you.