What are the keys to delivering an awe-inspiring presentation?
Only a few things in life are as nerve-racking and frightening as delivering a presentation and inspired talks. Regardless of the audience’s size, anyone who has to stand on the podium, flip through slides, and engage with the audience eventually gets cold feet. Even the most experienced, intelligent, and successful people in existence get shaken up at the thought of having to speak in front of an audience.
Fear of public speaking or stage fright is a universal thing that everyone has to face at some point in their lives. Stage fright is caused by several things – lack of self-confidence, fear of looking witless, fear of getting criticized, etc. There are no quick solutions to these things, but there are ways to ease your fears even if only little by little.
What we’re talking about are the 3 keys to delivering an awe-inspiring presentation. If employed, these should slowly help you rid of your fear of public speaking. They will give you confidence in yourself, your abilities, and your presentation. Curious as to what these keys are? Then keep on reading below to find out!
People don’t want to listen to someone who clearly has no care for what they are talking about. The slightest bit of disinterest on your part also causes the audience to care less for your presentation. After all, if you don’t care, then why should they?
Acting like you have no interest in your topic can also make the audience think that you have no actual and useful knowledge about it, which means there’s no need to listen to anything you say. Not only is this a bad way to deliver a presentation, it’s also a huge waste of time for both parties.
So don’t act like you’re only doing the presentation for the sake of it. Let your passion come through. Show your excitement and transfer that to your audience.
Facts and statistics are convincing and informative; they’re also necessary to support the case you are trying to make. However, a presentation that is filled with figures, strategies, and tactics can get mind-numbingly dull and boring. These hard-facts may satisfy your audience’s brains, but it won’t capture their heart – stories will.
Think about the few presentations that have gone viral on- and offline. Silicon Valley billionaires sharing stories from their past; business tycoons telling tales of success. These are stories that tug at people’s heartstrings and stick with them until after the presentation is over.
You may feel that these stories are completely irrelevant to your presentation, but you can think of them as the allegory for the point you’re trying to get across.
Humor, along with facts and stories, is one of the best weapons a presenter can use to make their presentation more memorable and awe-inspiring. Incorporating a bit of humor to your presentation is a great way to strengthen your connection with your audience and allow them to leave with a good feeling.
You don’t have to do mediocre stand-up comedy, though, because that would be counterproductive and you won’t be able to get anything across. They don’t have to be laughing out loud or rolling on the floor for you to be able to say that you were humorous. Small and subtle jokes that can make them smile or laugh a little should suffice.
Adding the right amount of levity to your presentation can make it go from mediocre to awe-inspiring, so don’t underestimate the power of humor and use it to your advantage.
A presentation in more than just a written speech that you read to your audience. It’s also more than just flipping through PowerPoint slides and repeating the words written on each one. They need to be inspired talks that are interesting, engaging, enjoyable, and informative all at the same time.
You can accomplish these kinds of presentations by employing the 3 keys listed here. These are quite easy to squeeze into your presentation routines and practices. You only need to tell a few stories relevant to your topic, insert a bit of humor to make your audience laugh, and most importantly let your passion show.
These keys are guaranteed to help you deliver an awe-inspiring presentation that you can be proud of. Once you gain enough confidence from these, you may even completely rid of your fears related to public speaking!