Giving an Effective Presentation

Your presentation will be much more enjoyable and the audience will learn something if they can easily understand what you’re saying and showing on the screen.

Have an “Overview” slide which gives an outline of what you’re going to talk about. This helps the audience follow the flow of the presentation and doesn’t keep them wondering “is it almost over?” If you plan well, two minutes to speak per data slide should be good enough though this will depend on the presentation length.

When you attend seminars and conferences, observe or take note of the speakers with the best talks and try to incorporate some of their techniques. And when you happen to attend what you feel is a poor presentation, look at the problem areas and make sure to avoid making those mistakes.

Presentations are naturally tough on the nerves but when you’re prepared, know your topic and your slides well, it can greatly reduce your anxiety. Above all, the audience will appreciate you took the time to make it worth their while to sit through your presentation.

Shelly Verma is an avid small business writer touching on topics from health, higher education, career improvement, self-help to home improvement. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including finance and insurance.