Whether you are a new presenter or a well-seasoned one, it is no secret that heading on stage can be a nerve-wracking experience if you are not adequately prepared for it. In fact, 90% of PowerPoint presenters feel anxious due to a lack of preparation. Couple that with 75% having an under-toning fear of public speaking and 41% finding it hard to design their presentations without the help of a presentation designer, it stands to reason why this effort can feel more intimidating than exciting for many.
Now, the good news is that even though PowerPoint presenting is often tied with the terms fearful and daunting, you can easily convert that notion into something exciting and mutually valuable. The secret? Knowing exactly how and what to prepare for ahead of time, along with taking advantage of the right resources, to ensure you feel nothing shy of confident, composed, and ready the day of your presentation.
Do Your Research
Design elements and stage stance aside, one of the first key things to solidify a powerful and informative PowerPoint presentation is doing the relevant research. Whatever your message and/or motives are, be sure that you are on a mastery level on the topic to feed your audiences correct data as well as have the ability to answer their questions accurately and with ease. In short, knowing your material is critical to establishing yourself as a creditable presenter and will strongly reduce the risk of those dreaded “umm” and “uh” situations.
Know Your Audience
Knowing your material is one thing, but deeply understanding who it is you are relaying that information to is another. What are the demographics of your upcoming audience? What is the size of the group? What makes them tick? What are their motives to come listen to your presentation in the first place? These are all things you are going to want to unearth ahead of time, and an excellent presenter preparation step to ensure your deliverance will be tailored to appeal to the crowd.
Know Your Requirements
Presenter preparation should always entail knowing what the requirements are, such as the timeframe you have to present, the type of technology you will have available, and the type of room/layout you will be presenting in. Collectively, these are all things you should be well informed about to prepare accordingly and show up knowing exactly what to expect. Keep in mind that your presentation requirements, in addition to whom you are speaking to, can also help guide you in the proper direction on the type of attire you should wear.
Optimize Your Slide Deck For Success
Your deliverance, cadence, and message are all fundamental presenter preparation steps necessary to leave impacts on your audience. However, never underestimate the power of the visuals behind you. All in all, 91% of presenters feel more confident on stage when they have a well-designed deck behind them. This could include a good color scheme, solid logical flow, and enriching storytelling appeal that keeps audiences engaged from first slide to last.
Having said that, according to the same findings, an estimated 47% of presenters spend at least 8 hours perfecting their presentation design and 45% find it hard to design a creative layout that holds invested audience attraction. This is where the historical notion of ‘working smarter, not harder’ comes into play; By leveraging a presentation designer, you can seamlessly place that time, energy, and focus into other preparation needs without sacrificing your PowerPoint design quality or confidence levels as a direct result.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Finally (and it may go without saying), never forget to practice. With your requirements known, your audience verified and your presentation designer sculpting your PowerPoint to accentuate your narrative, use these to practice your delivery as if you were doing it in real-time. Perhaps practice in front of family or friends who can offer constructive feedback, and if applicable, think about practicing in the space you will be doing it beforehand to get a feel for the stage. In the end, and cliche as it may sound, practice does make perfect and is a quintessential step in ensuring your actual presentation will be both memorable and successful.
Summary – Become The Same Presenter Who Inspired You
Presenting certainly comes with a list of prerequisite list of preparation steps. From personal presenter preparation essentials to PowerPoint designing, it all collectively works together to meet the one core initiative – to deliver an empowering, memorable, and engaging presentation that captures the audience’s attention from start to finish.
In summary, no two presentations are the same, and you should be properly prepared for every one of them to ensure you leave impactful imprints to those you are speaking to. That said, presenting success unfortunately does not run on faith, so be sure to give yourself enough margin to prepare, practice, and optimize your time with the aid of a presentation designer. Because the unfeigned reality is that your presentation will become exactly what you make it to be – so be sure to make it count.
BREWER PRESENTATIONS
Phone: 708.762.0080
Email: miriam@brewerpresentations.com