By Ellie Ewing, Summer Associate 2023
From visuals to vocals, presentations are a powerful tool to deliver information, educate others, and leave a lasting impression. I had the opportunity to sit in a presentation training with Keith Blackman, a senior consultant at CommCore where he shared tips on delivering influential and memorable presentations. The training covered different aspects including preparation advice, voice control, visuals, body language, closings, and Q&A strategies.
Keith shared three game-changing principles for effective presentations and communication:
- It’s less about you and more about them.
- It’s less about what you know and more about what they remember.
- It’s less about quick thinking and more about long-term preparation.
During the half-day session, Keith reviewed essential elements on what makes a
presentation impactful. Below are several tips to be mindful of before your next speaking
event.
Prepare, Prepare, Prepare:
- Prepare beforehand.
- Use the “PREP method,” which stands for Position, Reason, Examples, and Point. This allows you to stay on track of what you want your audience to learn and remember.
- Practice so it becomes a seamless delivery.
Use Engaging Openers to win over your audience from the start:
- Introduce yourself and your role.
- Share a captivating statistic.
- Ask the audience a question or conduct a poll.
Hold your audience’s attention:
- Use clear, compelling, and concise voice delivery.
- Identify one person on each side of the room, focusing on that specific section at a time.
- Practice transitions and incorporate short pauses between points. During these pauses, you can stop and ask the audience for example, “any questions so far?” to ensure that they are following.
- Structure the presentation and continue to repeat the three key messages you want the audience to retain.
- You don’t need to overload the information. Keep it simple.
- Move around during the presentation and use your hands intentionally.
Close and be ready for the Q&A:
- When closing a presentation, you may recap the main points you discussed, issue a call to action, give a memorable quote, or tell a story.
- Before the presentation, it is beneficial to prepare for the questions that may arise. Write down three questions you expect from your audience, three questions you want to hear, and three questions you fear.
If you wish to learn more about how CommCore can help you or your organization with
your upcoming speaking engagements, feel free to email us for more information.