Simple Presentation Tips and Techniques

Tips For Increasing Your Comfortability With Giving Presentations / Public Speaking By Ken Radziwanowski

If you find yourself in a position where you’re scheduled to give a presentation, or even decided to step in and try your hand at instructing, at some point you may feel anxious about speaking to others in a formal session. I have found this to be true of not only colleagues and family members who are new to public speaking, but also with the occasional experienced presenter or instructor. Even after 25+ years of giving presentations, I can feel “butterflies” sometimes as I get ready to take the stage. To avoid and prevent that worry, here is a list of suggestions and tips I use and share with others to help us be effective and better speakers.

1. KNOW YOUR STUFF… Comfortability comes from confidence; confidence comes from competence. Study what you want to say. Write it down. Practice out loud. Know your material.

Tip…Whether written on a 3 x 5 card or a PowerPoint slide, I like to add my key points on my cards/slides, number them in the order I want to cover them and print them out just for my use.

2. HAVE A PLAN… Based on how much time you are given, and what you need to present, have your key points written down to help you organize your thoughts. Your written points are NOT for reading. They serve to keep your thoughts organized and to trigger key points and messages.

Tip…if using PowerPoint slides, assume 5 minutes per slide. So, if giving a 30-minute presentation, have no more than 6 “content” slides.

3. ARRIVE EARLY… Whether it’s a virtual presentation or face-to-face in a meeting room, arriving early helps YOU get acclimated “to the room” and the opportunity to create the space you want as well as the chance to meet incoming participants.

Tip…Arriving early and interacting with others helps reduce your anxiety and take the focus in your mind off presenting and on the arriving participants.

4. GREET PEOPLE… As people enter your virtual session, or arrive in the room, proactively reach out to them, say hello, shake their hand, introduce yourself as a/the presenter, thank them for coming, ask them what they hope to learn/hear, etc.

Tip…Greeting people as they arrive serves to start the communication process with them, establishes a relationship before you become the presenter, normalize executives/leaders in your mind, and even allows you to start the presentation before you become the “Presenter”.

5. USE THE CHAT BOX… If a virtual presentation (Zoom, MS Teams, etc.), introduce the chat box function up front and encourage participants to use it to ask questions, make comments, respond to your questions.

Tip… I use the chat box even before my presentation starts by asking arriving participants to share something about themselves. It could be as simple as asking for their location, length of experience, job title, etc.

6. ASK QUESTIONS… People like to be engaged. Build some time into your presentation to ask participants a question and the opportunity to talk or share their thoughts.

Tip...Have some questions written out in advance that can pull from as needed. Use the question to check for understanding, engage the audience, to highlight an important point, etc.

7. TELL A STORY… Stories can be used to share some personal information about yourself, highlight or reinforce a key point, introduce a new point, and make a connection between your or their experience and what you’re trying to communicate.

Tip…Keep your story honest and personal. They work best if they are true to you and based on your experience or observations.

8. WHEN NEEDED, CREATE A “PARKING LOT” …It’s OK to not know the answer to every question. When asked a question you can’t answer, hold it for later discussion of follow-up. If you don’t understand the question, ask the participant to restate or rephrase it.

Tip…After sessions I deliver, I like to send a short note back to the participants. It could be the follow-up to an unanswered question, an additional resource suggestion on the topic or issue we discussed, or a simple “Thank You” for participating.

9. USE YOUR AUDIENCE… In almost every audience there are people who are experts, someone who likes to talk, someone who’s more experienced than you, etc. If you need an example of something, ask a participant. Can’t answer a question, ask the audience for help.

Tip… Be careful not to overuse the expert or person who likes to talk. You want to use the audience to help you and not to give up control of the meeting, message, timing, etc.

10. BE POSITIVE… It’s OK to be nervous, but always be positive. Use affirming, welcoming, and positive words from the start. Say Hello, Good morning, Welcome, etc. with a smile and confidence.

Tip…If you forget a point, or present points out of order, it’s OK. Since only you know what you were going to say or how you were going to say it, you’re the only one who knows the difference. If a critical point, you can come back to it. Otherwise, let it go and keep going.

As you gain experience, you'll likely find other tips and techniques to use to help you increase your comfortability with giving presentations. For some, it's a long and stressful road. But, when you get to the point where it's an enjoyable ride, the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction of giving a well-received presentation or lecture will have you wanting to do more. Good Luck and Enjoy!

Ken Radziwanowski has more than 40+ years in the field of Corporate Education & Training. He also has presented hundreds of sessions on the topics of Leadership, Supervisory Skills, and Communications. He also consults on the many issues and processes associated with Corporate Training. You can visit his LinkedIn profile here.

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