6 Quick Tips for Powerful Presentations

Presenting live in front of colleagues can be a valuable career opportunity, but it can also be stressful.

A great deck can truly support you when it’s your time to shine, so you definitely want to make the most of it. While you can fill your deck with excellent content, if the presentation mechanics fail you, it can shake your confidence.

Avoid Presentation Pitfalls

Avoiding common pitfalls in slide construction, knowing a few shortcuts, and adding features that keep your audience engaged can set you up for success.

Here are six tips for a successful presentation:

1. Balance Slides with Space

Balance slide content with an ample amount of whitespace. When displayed on a screen, the eye will attempt to absorb everything.

If the slide is too crowded, the brain will struggle to interpret it, diverting attention from your spoken words. Complex material may be better suited for a handout instead of a slide.

2. Be Picky about Handouts

Only produce a handout (or link to a resource) that adds value. The handout provides an opportunity to leave a meaningful message with attendees.

If you’re still using the outdated configuration of three slides with lines next to them, you may inadvertently convey that they are an afterthought, rather than the main focus.

PowerPoint has a built-in feature that allows you to create a flexible handout that can be modified to include additional information and provide useful space for notes and activities.

3. Don’t Rehearse Too Much

Avoid rehearsing to memorize. PowerPoint offers various tools for speaker notes and presentation views that enable you to use them during your presentation. However, if you use these tools to write a script, you’ll be tempted to read your notes instead of speaking to your audience.

They will easily detect the difference and may disconnect from your message. If you choose to practice, pay attention to the comfort level of the phrases as you speak them aloud. Notice the flow from topic to topic. Make adjustments as necessary, but avoid memorization!

4. Present According to the Venue

Don’t treat an online presentation the same as a live one. Increasingly, we are delivering presentations online. Facial expressions and gestures play a significant role in communication, and a “postage stamp-sized you” won’t replace the impact of the “live you” in this regard.

Regardless of whether you are on camera, your presentation deck should incorporate movement to prevent people from disengaging. Animation can be tricky, but once you learn how to keep things moving without distracting from your message, you can make the most of online presentation opportunities.

5. Develop Your Voice

Develop and project a confident speaking voice. Many women are encouraged, consciously or unconsciously, to use a softer or more tentative tone when presenting ideas.

Practice varying your pitch and volume for emphasis, using strong statements and pausing intentionally to let important points resonate. This not only helps hold your audience’s attention but also boosts your presence and authority as a speaker.

6. Be a Storyteller

Harness storytelling to connect with your audience. Integrate personal anecdotes, case studies or relevant stories into your presentation to build rapport and make your content memorable.

Storytelling helps humanize your points and demonstrates your expertise and experience. That can be especially effective for women who want to engage and influence diverse audiences, whether they’re in-person or online.

Step in front of the room with confidence, knowing that your presentation deck will support you as a speaker and effectively convey your message. Ready to take your presentation skills to the next level? Check out our event, “PowerPoint Presentation Skills: Stand Out in the Workplace.”

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• Business Skills