Five Steps to Effective Presentations

Are your presentations lacking a little bit of punch? Here are five tips to improve your presentation skills from Victoria Chorbajian, speech consultant and president of Chorbajian Speaking Enterprises.

1. Commit to planning and working on your presentation. “There are very specific steps for successful presentations, and salespeople need to schedule and treat the time spent in preparation the same way they view sales calls,” says Chorbajian. “Write it in your day planner and treat it like a sales appointment.”

2. Create an outline. List the three main messages that you want your audience to understand and the little detail points that you want to bring out.

3. Don’t create your slides or other graphics until you complete your outline. “Don’t depend just on electronic media to get your point across,” says Chorbajian. “Use handouts or even group exercises to get buy-in.”

4. Write a script. “A script ensures that the presenter will stay on track and not wander off the subject,” says Chorbajian. “And make sure you write it and practice it out loud in advance. You should be practicing at least four days in advance, working on things like pausing, changing emphasis, and when to breathe.”

5. Make sure to work at connecting with your audience. “Use eye contact to connect with the audience. While you’re presenting, make sure to look up from each page at least two times,” says Chorbajian. “Energize the audience and keep them alert. If they are asleep they obviously will miss your key points.”