Your knees buckle, your knuckles whiten and beads of sweat begin to form on your brow. It’s official. Your nerves win. The amount of time you spent preparing this special presentation wasn’t nearly as much as you had hoped and to top it all off, it wasn’t the most productive either.
When wondering how to prepare for a presentation, it’s important to understand a few things. The best presentations represent not only time quantity but time quality and the more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll be. Let white knuckles be banished forever when you follow these presentation preparation tips.
1. Know your audience.
Take the advice of experienced speaker Alexandra Levit, who, in an article for Forbes Magazine, recommends that you take the time to know your audience in advance. Call the event coordinator and ask questions about the audience and the main goals of the event and the needs of the audience. Levit also advises speakers to provide notes to the person who will be introducing you to the guests. Include just enough information that will highlight your expertise while building anticipation for what you have to say.
2. Keep a clean outline.
Your guests should be able to walk away from your presentation with a few, easy-to-remember takeaways. To ensure that happens, determine your main point and frame it with three to five supporting points. Keep it as simple as possible.
3. Choose the best software.
While PowerPoint is a staple in the world of presentations, more creative options are surfacing that can really add pizazz to your points and to better hold the attention of your audience. Explore your options and select the best one for you and your audience.
4. Know your software
No matter which presentation software your use, make sure you know it inside and out to avoid embarrassing mishaps on stage.
5. Know your settings.
If possible, visit your presentation setting beforehand to determine the room size, the microphone set-up and the audio-visual tools available. If you can’t visit, make a call. Knowing these details will help you in all aspects of your preparation — including mentally.
6. Follow best practices.
While there are a number of differing viewpoints on what constitutes a powerful presentation, a few universal rules apply. Include a hook in your introduction, but by all means, keep it succinct. Use quantifiable facts to support your message, don’t get too fancy with your graphics, include a story — a personal one if you can — and err on the side of brevity rather than a long presentation.
7. Prepare yourself.
Experienced conference speaker Michael Hyatt advises speakers to prepare themselves as much as you prepare for their presentations. Go to bed early the night before to get adequate sleep, eat a nutritious breakfast, avoid scheduling appointments right before your talk and if possible, find a quiet place to prepare mentally and to practice out loud.