The Secret to Giving Captivating Presentations

Everyone has to make a presentation at some point in their lives. If they aren't necessary for your career, education will require you to do them. Some people spend a lot of time crafting and giving presentations, such as motivational speakers. Others might only have to do it once a year when they present to their company's board of directors. However frequent your presentations are, you need people to listen to them. Making your presentation captivating can be hard. It's especially difficult if you're not a naturally charismatic speaker. Try these tips and tricks to give presentations that captivate and impress your audience.

Focus on Your Message

You only have a certain amount of time to give your presentation and get your message across. When you finish, you want your audience to understand what your key points were. They shouldn't walk away wondering what exactly it was you were trying to say. Organise your thoughts and work out your core message before you begin writing your presentation. What are the main takeaway points that you want your audience to have? Pick three of them and focus your presentation around them. You will find you write a more focused speech that's clear and concise.

Use Props

Sometimes, a presentation can work if you have the whole stage to yourself with nothing in front of you. You can walk around and gesture, and the audience only has you and perhaps some slides to look at. For example, this often works well with TED talks. But another option is to employ some props, from pieces of furniture to fun things that will help you demonstrate your points. Using a lectern is an excellent way to centre you on the stage, and to draw everyone's gaze to you. It also gives you somewhere to hide your notes, and you're free to walk out from behind it if you need to.
If you need further advice on how to present with a lectern, check out our other post - Top Tips for Presenting with a Lectern.

Work on Your Slides

Having slides isn't essential for your presentation, but many people use them to back up their statements. They can help to emphasise what you're saying, but you need to make sure they're not redundant. Your slides aren't for you to read off if you forget what you're doing. You should use them not just to pick out your key points but also add to them with images, charts, and sources. Don't just leave them as plain screens with bullet points, either. You shouldn't go overboard with animations, but try to make them eye-catching.

Be Creative

It would be great if you could always be enthusiastic about the topic you're presenting. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. Sometimes your audience won't find it particularly exciting either. However, that doesn't mean you can't make your presentation more interesting to listen to. Try to be creative with your words and avoid just stating facts and figures without any flair. If you can, use some humour, but test it out on someone first to ensure that it's funny.
Giving presentations can be pretty nerve-wracking, but practice makes perfect. Good preparation will help you pull it off too.