How to Deliver Your Presentation
In classical times when Cicero had finished speaking, the people said, ‘How well he spoke,’ but when Demonsthenes had finished speaking, they said, ‘Let us march.’
– Adlai Stevenson
Introduction
Once you’ve structured your presentation and refined your slides, you need to communicate your points clearly, confidently and energetically. When you use effective delivery techniques in your presentation, you’ll connect with audience members quickly, show them why your talk is important and field any questions with confidence.
Key steps
1. Research your audience.
Know your audience members’ ages, job positions and areas of expertise before you walk into the room. Deep audience research gives you the tools to effectively break the ice, make small talk, connect the moment you speak and build your confidence.
2. Arrive early.
Show up 5 or 10 minutes early. It’s a great opportunity to make small talk and warm up an audience.
Glad they gave everyone coffee, I’m running empty myself. We need to schedule these presentations a little later in the day!
Also, remember names as people arrive for when you call on them later.
3. Be animated, enthusiastic and direct with a clear, strong voice.
Smiling wide and often communicates enthusiasm and goodwill, putting an audience at ease. Enunciate your words clearly, and make sure that you’ve practiced out loud alone and among other people before you walk into the room. Audiences pick up quickly on body language (video from our Other Perspectives section), tone of voice and demeanor. Skittish, deflated or rigid presenters make the audience feel the same way.
4. Be authentic.
Give yourself room to be yourself. You’re as human as the audience. Show it. If you make a mistake, correct it quickly, make a joke out of it and move on. Tell personal anecdotes to humanize yourself in the eyes of the audience and communicate your presentation’s points. Self-deprecating anecdotes are best. Who hasn’t made a mistake or misjudged a situation? A good anecdote builds rapport in the same way as good marketing: by telling a story that is convincing and authoritative, but human. People don’t connect with robots.
5. Speak to the audience, not to the screen.
Like any social interaction, a lack of eye contact makes people wary of you. Lock eyes with individuals for 5 to 10 seconds, then move on to another audience member. Walk around at the front of the room or among the audience, if possible, and keep your posture upright but relaxed. Practice in front of a mirror or colleagues if necessary.
6. Start with the context.
Open by explaining what you will talk about and why it is important. People are more likely to pay attention if they understand why it’s relevant. For example, you could hook the attention of an audience listening to a presentation on your new sales strategy by saying, “My strategy for streamlining our sales means that each salesperson in the room today will pocket higher commission rates and deliver numbers each quarter that have previously been impossible.”
7. Watch the time as you present and adjust your presentation if you’re running behind.
If you need to, pause to give out your email address for follow-up questions, so that audience members can ask them after the talk and you have time to communicate all of your main points. Or, tell the audience that you’ll stay after to answer questions that come up during the talk.
8. Answer audience questions crisply in real time or write them on a white board to cover later.
Draft sample questions your audience might ask based on their expertise. This will help you prepare quick and effective responses to questions during the presentation, and have answers ready if you’re facing a Q and A session after the presentation.
When someone asks a question, acknowledge the person’s contribution by saying something like “That’s a great question” or “Thanks for the question,” and then answer it for them.
If you don’t know the answer to a question, you can either try to kick the question back to the audience by saying, “What does everyone else think?” or “Does anyone else here have a point of view on this issue?” or admit you don’t know. Under no circumstances should you make up an answer.
If you do have to say “I don’t know,” you can do so gracefully by adding, “I’m afraid I don’t have the answer for you right now, but let me find one by the end of the day. Is that OK?” You have admitted you don’t know, offered to learn and asked permission to do so, disarming the person who asked the question. Follow up with “Leave me your contact information and I’ll have the answer for you by the end of the day.”
Even if you’ve done your research and planned out ways you’ll connect with your audience, you still might be experiencing severe anxiety about deliver your presentation. Next, we’ll show you ways you can cope with a fear of speaking in public.
Next: How to Reduce Presentation Anxiety >>