5 Secrets to Making A Successful Presentation

Here are five top secrets to making a successful presentation

1. Professionalism

This is evident throughout your presentation, and it is evident in your dressing and personal appearance. If you show up looking ruffled or the suit you are putting on is not properly ironed, then your listeners may be put off by your appearance. Professionalism is also displayed in your demeanor, the quality of your visuals and your delivery.

Your appearance must be neat and situational. This means that how you show up must be relevant for the audience. Your visual aids must contain no typographical errors. Get someone to help you proofread, or you can download Apps like Grammarly to help out. Grammarly is a great tool for correcting grammatical errors.

Establish your credibility during the presentation. Why should your audience listen to you? You can do this through talking about past experiences or a brief introduction about who you are. During your presentation if you are unsure about a question, be straight-forward and say you are not sure, don’t get defensive. Don’t give half-hearted answers. Instead, suggest that you clarify the information and get it across when you have confirmed the facts. If your appearance matches your performance, then your professionalism will shine through.

2. Be Enthusiastic

The secret of making a good presentation is enthusiasm. Enthusiasm means that you are passionate and excited about what you are presenting. Enthusiasm brings life to your presentation, and this excitement can easily transfer to your audience.  Do not be afraid to use humor. Enthusiasm makes your audience have a great experience and keeps them engaged.

When you are making a presentation, your facial expression, your body language, your gestures and your choice of words reflect your level of enthusiasm. This skill comes easy when you are speaking or presenting on something that you enjoy. If you fail to prepare for your presentation, no matter how enthusiastic you are your presentation will not be successful. So prepare what you want to say and practice how to want to say it.

3. Be Organised

If you do not organize then, your presentation will not be as clear, as logical or as complete as it must be. Being organized means that you know what you want to say, when and how you want to say it. If you think through your presentation, it will help with getting a good structure and even assist you in overcoming nervousness. 

What are your objectives? Write down all the key points you want to make and then divide them into three structures – Introduction, body, and conclusion. Your introduction is the opening – it should give an introduction of the main idea of the presentation. It should be compelling enough to catch the attention of your listener’s attention. Setting your ground rules at this point is important. Also decide at what time you will be making use of illustrations, energisers, icebreakers or videos.

4. Practice

To make a compelling presentation, you must practice what you want to say. Do not memorize. You can make use of notes but be careful not to fall into the trap of reading word for word. It is important also to practice with time. Keeping to time is important because it helps you stay in control of the presentation.

Practice in front of people who will give you constructive feedback. Anticipate possible questions. If you are going to be making live demonstrations it is important you practice to identify and eliminate potential problems that might come up.

5. Visual aids

You should use visual aids to maintain your listener’s interest. Visual aids also assist the listeners in understanding what you are presenting. Visual aids add impact to a presentation and keep your listeners engaged. Visual aids include Whiteboards, Flip chart, Projector, Video, PowerPoint or other presentation software and Handouts. 

If you will be presenting in a place you are unfamiliar with, it is best you check the facilities in advance to ensure that all the needed equipment are available. When using, visual aids be sure to understand the purpose. Are you using it to clarify, summarize or build engagement?