How Can I Become Better at Making Presentations?

At the very least, before you begin preparing your speech, ask yourself the following questions:

  1. What exactly am I supposed to speak on? Will my audience expect me to provide the facts and figures or just an overview?
  2. How long am I supposed to speak? A good speaking rate is around 125 to 150 words per minute. If you are to give a ten-minute speech, that would only be a 1,200- to 1,500-word address.
  3. What attitudes does the audience hold about the topic? Is it informed or not about the subject? Does it have a bias about the subject? Will the members of the audience have work to do after the presentation or is it a need for more information?

So, to give an effective speech, you need to know the specifics of the topic, the timeframe, and your audience. Once you have that information, you are truly ready to develop your speech. The speech itself can be about how to do something, update the audience’s information, describe a typical experience with X, Y, or Z, set limits and clarify issues, argue the pros or cons of an issue, or solve a problem. The approach should be appropriate to the subject. Then you can proceed to develop the presentation, tailoring your approach to your audience.

Consider asking a question, telling a story that makes the subject real to your audience, conducting a minisurvey of your audience, or conducting a quiz or an exercise to get audience interest. Your approach should communicate to your audience that you understand its needs.

If you decide to use visuals, make sure that they are clear, accurate, and easy to follow. Be as up to date with technology in your delivery as you can—if you can, use a laptop to deliver a PowerPoint-based presentation rather than depend on a flipchart or overhead transparencies. If your information is well supported by statistics, use them in your speech. Provide handouts and take the time to explain them to your audience.

The speech itself should be kept simple. Keep your main ideas simple and repeat them through the use of review, example, and summary. Expert speakers believe that the same rules that apply to writing apply to speaking: "Tell ‘em, tell ‘em what you said you were going to tell ‘em, and tell ‘em what you told ‘em."

When the time comes to deliver the speech, take a deep breath, pause, and smile at the audience. Consider members of the audience as friends, not opponents. Don’t come with a written speech. Rather, prepare notes and refer to them as you speak. If you are using visuals, practice their use to ensure your thoughts are in sync with your slides.

Tell Me More

Let’s assume the worst scenario: The laptop won’t work, the handouts aren’t done as promised, and you have a cold. So life isn’t a bed of roses. But don’t apologize to your audience. Get to the speech and go on. When you are speaking, you must do the best you can with what you have. Present yourself as resourceful and competent. Apologizing only makes others think you are unprepared.

If you get anxious about speaking, try to identify its cause and deal with it. Most people are anxious about speaking so there is no point in denying your anxiety, at least to yourself. If you’re nervous about the size of the audience, look for a friendly face or try to get the audience on your side from the start by telling an amusing story. If you have the usual generalized nervousness common to most speakers, the best cure is practice in not-too-threatening situations. If you expect to do a lot of speaking for your firm in the future, you might want to practice by volunteering to lead a discussion group in a civic organization or to chair a staff meeting.