3 Tips For Your Next Presentation

When stepping up on the stage you want to make sure that you get everything you have to say across in the time allotted. With the pressure of connecting with the audience, it can be tempting to cram as much into your story as well as your slide deck. That can result in information overload and for your audience to walk away remembering nothing.

Tip 1: K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid)

When you cram paragraphs of text, images, and heavy data charts into a slide you lose your audience's attention. Not only are they trying to listen to what you have to say, they are trying to remember the information on the screen.

Don’t use three words when you can say it in one. Keep your story simple and focus on what you want your audience to walk away with. In a time when we are already overloaded, don't overload your audience with unnecessary data and facts. Use your slide deck to help them remember key points of the story.

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Tip 2: Are your slides visually interesting?

Put yourself into the seats of your audience. What would help them get the most out of the presentation? What would help them remember the story being told? Using images and high quality media can help them remember key parts of your presentation.

Images are a great way to help convey emotion and set a tone. When using images, make sure they are hi-res and fit your presentation. If you have a subscription to our site, which we highly recommend, you have access to thousands of images and illustrations. We even have images you can customize to fit your needs.

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When it comes to presenting data, don’t just throw a chart in and call it good. Take the time and ask yourself "What matters?" Sometimes the best way to display information is a chart, and that is fine. Just make sure that you are only showing what matters and grabs the audience's attention. (Hint: Google Infographics).

When it comes to type, don’t use paragraphs. Keep the text straight and to the point. I talk about guidelines when using type a couple weeks back in a different post.

Tip 3: Be Prepared

Alright, so you have this awesome presentation and you are ready to present. Now, hopefully, the person in charge has contacted you before-hand to let you know any tech specs or changes. Regardless if they did or not, things change. What happens if they don't have a widescreen projector, the right software, or just don’t have a computer?

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Spend a little money on different adaptors that will allow you to connect your computer to a projector. Get yourself an 8GB or bigger flash drive that is only used for presentations. On the flash drive load all necessary media, speech notes, and have different screen builds of your deck (Widescreen and Standard).

When it comes time for you to start preparing for your next presentation, just remember these 3 tips. Keeping things simple and interesting will help your audience walk away remembering you. Lastly, don't let a simple miscommunication or lack of information ruin your presentation, be prepared and think ahead.