As a psychologist, college professor, and mental health advocate, I’ve given my fair share of speeches, lectures and presentations over the years, in schools, community settings and in professional meetings. I’ve also been in the audience for countless presentations as a student and adult learner.
From these experiences, I’ve seen both outstanding, dynamic speakers and a few who were so dull and boring they immediately induced inattention and sedation!
So I thought it might be fun to put together a list of a few easy tips you can use to be a more effective presenter, teacher or public speaker. Here are 10 suggestions.
Be prepared. This means knowing your material, practicing your delivery, understanding who your audience is, and outlining the key points you want to convey. Also be crystal clear on logistics such as location, time, and date so you show up at the right place at the right time.
Know your goal. Most presentations will be designed to achieve one or more of these three goals: 1) to inform or educate; 2) to persuade or change attitudes or behavior 3) to motivate or inspire. Consider which of these you are trying to accomplish as you plan your remarks.
Tell a bit of your story. With any new audience, introduce yourself and say a little about your background and why this topic is important to you. This helps establish your credibility and expertise and makes you more human and relatable.
Use technology to your advantage. This is a nice way of saying to watch out for technology nightmares. Check out the audio/video setup before your presentation. Make sure you can be heard easily and that visual aids are clear and easy to see. Have a backup plan if all the technology suddenly fails you, such as having a hard copy of your materials.
Reduce distracting mannerisms. If you say “um, “ah,” or “like” every other word or have other intrusive gestures or mannerisms, your audience will start keying in on them instead of listening to you. A good way to check yourself is to review a video of a couple of your presentations to see what you are doing so you can make changes to reduce those troublesome behaviors.
Watch the clock. Know how much time you have been allotted and keep a clock nearby so you can keep track of the time. It’s always a bad sign when the speaker has poorly managed their time and half the material doesn’t get covered. It can be effective to enlist a volunteer to hold up a card that marks when certain time intervals have passed so you can know exactly how much time you have left.
Make materials available. I always appreciate well-organized speakers who make their presentation materials available in advance, preferably online. It’s not reassuring when the materials aren’t provided at all and mid-way through the presentation the speaker says, “Oh, I can send you all the slides if you just contact me.”
Be engaging. Many of the brightest people aren’t necessarily the best speakers. Increase interest by speaking with expression and enthusiasm, using stories, images or humor, and getting the audience involved through exercises, polls or discussions. And please don’t read every Power Point slide!
Allow time for questions. Some speakers will take questions at the end of their presentation while others invite questions at any point along the way. Both styles can be effective, but do allow time for your audience to ask their questions. This makes the experience more engaging and rewarding for them.
Invite feedback. It’s always helpful if you can have your audience complete a brief survey or evaluation to give you feedback about your presentation. Ask them what they found helpful and how you can improve the next time. Also offer your email address or another contact method so they can reach you for follow-up questions.
I hope these suggestions will be helpful the next time you’re planning a public presentation. By becoming a better speaker, you’ll get rave reviews from your audiences and they will be eager to come back and hear you again.
Here’s a question: What other tips have you found helpful in making better presentations? Please leave a comment. Also, please subscribe to my blog and feel free to follow me on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram, “like” my Facebook page, or connect on LinkedIn. Finally, if you enjoyed this post, please share it with a friend. Thanks!