3 Steps to a Presentation You’re Proud of 

Memo

1. Preparation

Write your script and prepare your slides carefully. Allow yourself plenty of time before the big day to ensure your content is both appealing and instructive for your audience. Always remember these elements:

• WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?) – your audience is asking themselves this question when they’re listening to you. So, when you’re preparing, always think about what expertise, knowledge and experience you want to share with your audience. Then ask yourself in what way it’ll be beneficial for them? Think about your content as a gift you’re offering them.
• Key Message – if there’s one thing you want your audience to remember, what is it? Everything else you talk about should be reinforce your key message.
• Storytelling – since the beginning of time human beings have loved listening to stories, it’s an intrinsic part of who we are. So, use storytelling techniques to make your content appealing and relevant to your audience.
• Structuring – make sure your presentation has a coherent structure (introduction, body and conclusion). Moreover, integrate plenty of transition phrases to make it easy for your audience to follow your train of thought the whole way through.

2. Rehearsal

Rehearse over and over again. Steve Jobs used to rehearse for hours and hours before a presentation, sometimes even walking around his house practicing out loud. Yet, he still managed to look totally natural when he got up to present on stage.

You can film yourself or stand in front of a mirror to check on the impact of your voice and body language. You can also practice in front of friends, family or colleagues who you can count on to give you positive and unbiased feedback.

3. Relaxation

Now that you’ve prepared and rehearsed your presentation, there’s one essential step left: have a positive mindset on the big day. Make sure you rest well the night before so that you have enough energy to present with conviction. Do some relaxation or meditation the evening before and ½ hour before getting up on stage. It’s essential to relax both your body and your mind.

To help you to give the best of yourself and to put the odds of success in your favor, I’m sharing with you my relaxation and confidence building recordings, in English and French. I intentionally made them short so that they’re easy and practical for you to listen to.

These tips are part of my public speaking programme and they’ll help you to enhance your communication skills.