Tip #334: 6 Tips For Better Presentations

6 Tips For Better Presentations

Regardless of your profession, your presentations need to be dynamic, engaging and interesting. Otherwise, you will fail to capture and maintain your audience's attention, and without their attention, your presentation will fizzle and fall flat. How can you avoid this happening to you? The key to making powerful, effective presentations is in your preparation.

Dynamic Presentations Begin With Your Preparation.

One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that the final product (an article, a book, a presentation) arrived that way on the first try. This is never the case. They are just the last of several drafts and iterations built up, broken down and then reconstructed. The same is true for presenting. Even the most naturally gifted public speakers still need to prepare accordingly. This is why we drew up the six tips below -- to act as a roadmap for your presentation preparation.

6 Tips For Better Presentations:

Tip #1. Develop An Outline: A dynamic presentation is many things, but first and foremost, it is focused. Without focus, the presenter winds up floundering to find cohesion. Remember, your primary goal isn't to entertain the audience, but rather to make a point. We recommend devoting the entire first day of your preparation to honing in on your key talking points.

Tip #2. Research Your Audience: Your audience will determine the style and language you choose and how you speak. For example, let's say you are presenting to an audience that is unfamiliar with what you are presenting about. In this situation, you may want to include a list of definitions before your presentation begins.

Tip #3. Practice Extensively: There are two main hurdles with presentations: How well you know the material and how comfortable you are speaking in front of others. Both can be addressed through practice. By practicing the actual delivery of your presentation, you continually expose yourself to the material, and strengthen your memory's hold on it. By practicing your presentation in front of friends or colleagues, you will get used to how it feels to present to an actual audience.

Click here to read Lifehacker's tips and tricks for delivering presentations that are more memorable.

Tip #4. Tell A Story: The most effective way to get your audience to relate to the subject of your presentation is to include a story to which they can relate. This will draw them into the experience. For presentations, a story allows you to paint a picture as to how a business principle or idea would operate in a real situation, and help the audience connect with your presentation on a more personal level.

Tip #5. Include Visual Material: Using presentation software like Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple's Keynote is a powerfully effective way to complement your talking points. Without some sort of visual element to your presentation, you risk sounding like someone lecturing. The trick is to design a visual slide that works for you, not against you. In other words, avoid bogging down your presentation with images, sounds or videos that distract the audience.

Tip #6. Psych Yourself Up: The moments leading up to a presentation ought to be spent mentally preparing yourself to go out there and do it. Public speaking coaches talk about this all the time -- rituals and techniques that get presenters in the right headspace. This, of course, is intensely personal. Depending on your personality, the process will vary. For some, blasting loud music and singing along pumps them up. Others need to attain a Zen-like peace before stepping out in front of a group.

Executive Summary: It is important to remember your final product represents only a small percentage of what people really see -- all the research, revision, refinement and practice it took to get to that final product go unseen. At the end of the business day, the preparation you invest in your presentation is what will separate you from the rest of the pack.

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Tip #333: 5 Spring-Cleaning Tips For Any Business

5 Spring-Cleaning Tips For Any Business

Spring is a time of renewal. For most, that renewal comes in the form of that weekend-long clean-a-thon known as spring-cleaning. However, spring-cleaning is not limited to just homes. Smart business leaders can ride the momentum of spring-cleaning and springtime renewal to improve their businesses as well.

Spring-Cleaning Your Business Will Help Streamline Your Operation.

The drive to clean and reorganize in the wake of winter's passing is extremely useful for any business. Anything from desks and drawers to computers can benefit from a cleanup. All of this will help streamline your business operations and improve the work environment.

To help you implement spring-cleaning at your business, we developed the five tips below.

5 Spring-Cleaning Tips For Your Business:

Tip #1. Update Your Business Cards: If it has been a while since you last updated your business card, spring is a good time to tend to it. And not just your contact information, but the overall look of your business card too. A smart-looking business card is great for branding your business when you are at conferences, meetings and other networking events.

Tip #2. Give Your Office A New Look: People grow tired of with the same old same old. This is why people redecorate, paint their walls and buy new furniture. A simple change in layout can go a long way. For starters, try rearranging desks and furniture. If that's not enough, swap out old desks and tables for new furniture if your budget permits. You may even want to go as far as painting the office.

Tip #3. Organize Your Computer: Not unlike filing cabinets, computer files and folders can get over-cluttered and over-packed. If you find your desktop's wallpaper hidden behind a sea of random files and folders, it is probably time to organize. Take fifteen minutes one morning to declutter your computer files just as you would declutter and reorganize your desk at home. Be sure to delete old, unused documents, or store them on an external hard drive.

Tip #4. Freshen Up Your Company's Website: Website designs and content can quickly grow outdated, stagnant. Unfortunately, many businesspeople grow complacent with their websites, and leave them untouched for far too long. Try swapping out images (especially the homepage image), replacing outdated copy with something new and original and tightening up any wordiness, needless clutter or anything else that does not contribute to a streamlined website. Once done, send a press release to your entire database to announce your new look. Doing so will generate a lot of buzz, and even drive in sales.

Tip #5. Launch A New Marketing Initiative: Chances are some new idea or pet project for your business has been simmering on the backburner for some time now -- one that has been forgotten due to the shuffle of daily responsibilities and duties. Well, use the start of spring as an opportunity to invigorate your company by launching a new initiative. Having something fresh and new to develop and work on will galvanize your workforce, and come as a breath of fresh air to everyone at your business.

Executive Summary: Your business' appearance has a profound affect on not only its employees, but also its database of clients, prospects and referral sources. So take a serious look at your business cards, website, marketing collateral and design of your office. Why? Because the initial appearance you give is what everyone judges your business by. To keep your appearances fresh and up to date, use spring as a time of renewal for your business. And if you can't organize it on your own, it might prove cost-effective to hire someone who can organize your office for you. To locate someone in your local area, consult the national association of professional organizers.

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