{"id":771,"date":"2015-10-24T10:37:08","date_gmt":"2015-10-24T02:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/myronstaana.net\/?p=771"},"modified":"2017-09-09T21:36:52","modified_gmt":"2017-09-09T13:36:52","slug":"how-to-deliver-an-impressive-presentation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mssbizsolutions.com\/how-to-deliver-an-impressive-presentation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Goods of IMPRESSentation: Eleven keys to winning hearts and minds with words Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to deliver an impressive presentation (IMPRESSentation)<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

Have you always found it challenging to present anything to not only your internal clients (your own boss, your boss’s boss, or whoever else’s boss) but also to your external customers be it with the use of a PowerPoint presentation or by plainly speaking in front or by the conference table?<\/span><\/p>\n

A lot of us, both rank-and-file, middle management, and even top management-level employees, have our own worries, imperfections, and lapses presenting any kind of material to our different audiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even the best training providers, training consultants, corporate trainers, or training practitioners in the Philippines still have areas for improvement communicating impressive presentations that exceed expectations.<\/span><\/p>\n

From not preparing enough or worse, not preparing at all, failing to engage the listeners, presenting a material that’s not aligned with what the audience expects to sea and hear, coming up with a lousy PowerPoint presentation, and\/or sounding too wordy or nonsense, we all have different kinds of challenges we must face when we’re presenting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, the biggest and most interesting questions are:<\/span><\/p>\n

How do we come up with a presentation that our audience, whoever they may be, will appreciate and get a lot of useful takeaways from?<\/span><\/p>\n

How do we impress them with our content, both on the visual aids and what we say, and win their hearts and minds?<\/span><\/p>\n

How do we IMPRESSent a memorable and bottom lines-achieving IMPRESSentation in order to IMPRESS?<\/span><\/p>\n

Below are what I call ‘The Goods of IMPRESSentation’. There are eleven (11) of them\u00a0and I’ve decided to just divide this article to two parts. Goods one (1) to six (6) will be discussed in this article and the remaining ones will be covered in Part 2, which will be published on Monday, October 26, 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. SUBJECT MASTERY<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Be<\/a><\/p>\n

This may already look like a clich\u00e9 but it’s still a very important and critical aspect of impressing when presenting. No matter how perfect our communication skills and confident we are, if it’s obvious that we don’t possess sway of the topic, not even our excellent pronunciation, accent, grammar, vocabulary and our vaunted self-esteem will save us from any impending embarrassment.<\/span><\/p>\n

We’re better off researching about the topic we’re gonna talk about even though we’ve been in that kind of job for God knows how long. We have to be completely sure we know the ins and outs of that topic and that whatever clarification or question is thrown at us, we may not need to resort to the ever omnipresent technique of ‘PARKING’.<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of researching further and deeper into our topic is collecting and organizing data that are both numerical and and literary. There are some people in the audience who are highly analytical. They are not easily contented with words and pictures. They need numbers, for as long as they’re applicable, to justify or back up what we’re talking about. It’s better safe than sorry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Afterwards, it’s highly recommended that the information we’ve gathered will be arranged into an outline. Having an outline will be very useful for another Good of IMPRESSentation that we’ll talk about later into this article.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. QUALITY POWERPOINT PRESENTATION<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"how<\/a><\/p>\n

Although very basic, let’s not forget the characteristics that make our presentation impressive. These Essentials of a Winning PowerPoint Presentation<\/strong> will no doubt enhance the other already good aspects of our delivery. They are…<\/span><\/p>\n

Show consistency<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

One of the basic yet commonly disregarded essentials is standardizing the slide elements’ position, size and color. While others come up with a more creatively abstract way of making a presentation, a standardized appearance still suits situations where we present to colleagues and superiors in a formal setting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Make sure that there’s consistency with where the texts and images are positioned and our contents’ chosen font size and color.<\/span><\/p>\n

A dark background requires a light text color<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Very elementary, I know, but we have to make sure we comply with this very basic rule.<\/span><\/p>\n

Limit the text lines to seven (7) for bulleted enumerations<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Some might contend with this guideline. Others might say only five (5) while some others would say there’s really no strict rule. I’d rather lean more on the latter, but I’ll say it depends on the font type and the size. For a font size from 32 to 36, based on experience, we may just limit the text lines to a maximum of seven (7) and not more than that.<\/span><\/p>\n

Avoid fancy fonts<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

While I agree it’s based on the presentation’s type and purpose and the audience’s profile (creativity and uniqueness are, for example, preferred in the advertising and marketing industries), this guideline is specific for more formal situations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Never capitalize all letters<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Just like in email etiquette or perhaps, anywhere else, capitalizing words needlessly might send a message that heightened emotions like anger are being communicated. We can only capitalize words to emphasize a word, a sentence, or a thought but definitely not everything on any given slide.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don’t overwhelm each slide with graphics<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Too many or too much of anything is bad or annoying. Make sure that we don’t crowd our slides with too many pictures. They may look too fancy to the point of looking cheap or overdone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Simplify transitions and animations<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The kind of transition or animation we choose should match the nature of our presentation and the audience to whom we’re presenting. If we and our work should be seen as formal or more professional, then let’s just stick to simple transitions and animations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Use high-resolution and thought or concept-representing images<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

I admit that finding high-resolution images that represent our concept for each slide can be tough. \u00a0Unless we’re subscribed to premium high-resolution image sellers online and have lots of money, both in cash, check, or card, we’d have to spend so many minutes finding the best high-resolution picture that’s perfect for what message we want to communicate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just be patient.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don’t read from or speak to your slides<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

This isn’t just an essential of a winning PowerPoint presentation. This is also a lesson on Subject Mastery and another ‘good’ we’ll discuss on the second part of this article, Stage or Room Generalship. For people to be assured that we know what we’re talking about, let’s avoid reading the contents of our slide word for word or looking at our slides most of the time. If it’s unavoidable, alternate looking at your audience and reading on your slides.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. SUFFICIENT PREPARATION<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"how<\/a><\/p>\n

Rehearse<\/span><\/h3>\n

Even the most experienced top presenters, professional speakers, or training providers in the Philippines also need genuinely sufficient quality preparation. Two effective ways to prepare for a crucial presentation schedule are practicing with co-workers as the audience or practicing in front of the mirror where you and even your presentation projected on a white wall (white screen, better yet) can be seen clearly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Either case, you’ll get immediate feedback regarding how you look, how you sound, and whether what you say will meet or exceed your presentation’s goals and your audience’s expectations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Profile your audience beforehand<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

One of the vital aspects of sufficient preparation is knowing about our audience before we present to them. This doesn’t just involve knowing their names, positions, job functions, departments, or level of influence in the company. It also includes the following:<\/span><\/p>\n