Become a skilled Presenter with these techniques

Researcher and reporter: Shama Sultana Ayesha Maria

Either a presentation or not! The presentation must be made, whether we like it or not. Being asked to talk in front of a group of people in a language other than your home tongue on a particular issue can be intimidating for anyone, be it a student, an intern, or an experienced professional.

One can compare a skilled orator to a talented composer since his comprehension of his presentation’s subject matter is profound and unambiguous. Any successful speaker has practice under their belt. It is never enjoyable for a speaker to prepare their speech and stand in front of a large audience.

The advantages of a big group and a strong presentation to speak for them can make you feel valuable, regardless of the organization or company you work for. Your confidence to participate in teamwork is increased when you showcase your vision and teamwork to clients during office meetings.

The percentage of people who are terrified of speaking in front of an audience is between 15 and 30 percent. Regrettably, over the previous 20 years, 13% of respondents reported having more social anxiety. Therefore, mastering effective presentation tactics can help you get over your fear of public speaking, a variety of mental obstacles, and even a lack of interest in sharing your own opinions.

Now, let’s discuss the main mistakes that presenters make:

Say you’re already anxious about your presentation that’s coming up next week. Perhaps someone with a critical eye is there to expose your errors on behalf of your customer or audience. You should constantly be mentally prepared to handle the kinds of situations that have happened and will come in your life.

It might be rather scary to express your personal opinions and ideas to a different group. mainly because the beliefs, values, and cultures of each group vary. Presenters are therefore concerned with how they will carry out their duties and whether or not their audience will find them interesting.

Numerous challenges can also come your way. Examples include the dread of speaking in front of a large group of people, the worry of losing the interest of the audience, the uncertainty of what to include on the presentation slides, and the struggle to communicate non-verbally.

At this point, we will be aware of a few different presenting styles.

• 25-minute conference paper presentation
• Project presentation 
• Thesis Defense 
• Discuss about jobs.
• In one minute, discuss a topic in great detail.

To assist you achieve a clear and impactful presentation, there are 4 stages involved in the process-

Presenter preparing by reviewing documents. | Photo: Collected

• • Presence: Have confidence in both your words and yourself. It could be necessary to alter your voice in order to engage your audience when using gestures and eye contact. Avoid speaking too quickly and make sure your words are spoken clearly. Incorporate images to improve the presentation and clarify your thoughts. Answer audience questions intelligently and with preparation.
    • Plan: What message do you hope to deliver through your presentation? Which is the primary message you want to convey? Additionally, who is going to hear your presentation? Consider their wants and requirements when writing your story.
    • Prepare: Assemble any pertinent facts, figures, or illustrations to aid in your presentation. Provide a script or main talking points to direct your presentation, and make visually stunning, easily readable slides. Rehearse your speech repeatedly.
    • Practice: Make sure you complete your presentation in the time allocated. Seek constructive criticism on your presentation from friends, family, or coworkers. This can help you find areas for improvement and make the required improvements.

  By taking the aforementioned actions, one can get over their fear and anxiety of giving presentations, which will help them succeed at work and speak and express themselves fluently.

  Here are a few presentation strategies to engage the audience:

  Once you know how to hold an audience’s attention during a presentation, your confidence will soar. To keep the audience interested during your presentation, you might employ a few key strategies.

  Strategy 1: Gaining your audience’s empathy and trust through the sharing of a personal narrative can boost interest. This strategy has been effectively applied by Australian motivational speaker Gil Hicks in his speeches. You can utilize other people’s examples or make up imaginary stories if you are uncomfortable sharing personal ones.

  Strategy 2: It’s more successful to engage the audience by staring directly into the eyes as opposed to the nose or forehead. To avoid uneasy or ignoring people, engage in conversation with them by giving them your whole attention for three to five seconds.

  Strategy 3: To improve your stage presence and accentuate your arguments, you may occasionally need to pay attention to your body language and voice.

  Strategy 4: The fourth strategy is that a lot of people have trouble communicating nonverbally, feel nervous when they speak in front of an audience, and fear losing their attention. Make extensive use of visual aids and practice your speech in order to overcome this shortcoming and make the presentation smooth.

Presenter delivering an engaging presentation. | Photo: Collected

Strategy 5: The people listening to you must be passionate about the topic you are discussing. The book “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” by Angela Duckworth talks about this infectious excitement that enthralls readers. Before making a speech, the book stresses how important it is to study speaking and presentation strategies.

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