Phil’s 10 Top Tips for a better presentation

Tip #1 Know the room

Arrive early, walk around the room and see areas which might be a problem. Practice out loud so you can get a feel for the sound of your voice in the room. Practice using all the equipment and make sure it is all there when you need it. Make sure you have a back up if it goes wrong.

Tip #2 Know your Audience

Greet some of them as they arrive – it’s easier to speak with friends than a group of strangers. Try to include topical material but avoid jokes. Remember – the audience is more important than you.

Tip #3 Make an Impact

Start your speech with some interaction with the audience. Use a prop, ask a question or give a memorable quote. Whatever you do it has to be relevant to the speech and the audience. Do not try to be funny if this is not your natural style – it won’t work.

Tip #4 Have a structure

Always make sure your speech has a beginning, middle and an end. Try to link the ending back to the beginning so the whole speech or talk makes sense.

Tip #5 Know your material

Pick a topic you are interested in. Know more about it than you include in your speech. Use personal stories to bring the subject alive and use conversational language. Try to tell personal stories.

Tip #6 Always Make a Point

Any speech, talk or presentation must have a point. Think about the audience and what they want to hear and build your topic around that. Make it relevant to them. Top tip – tell a story make a point.

Tip #7 Use Gestures and Emotions

If you make the audience cry or laugh you are half way there! Use gestures to add impact but make sure you don’t use unnecessary movements. Always maintain good eye contact. Avoid umms and errs and all the other fillers.

Tip #8 Write it down

It doesn’t matter whether you have done it before or if this is a new speech – if you write it down you can change it, add to it and take away. In addition having notes gives you more confidence knowing that you will never forget what you are going to say!

Tip #9 Practice! Practice! Practice!

Rehearse out loud – talk to your family friends or the dog – always try to run through the speech beforehand. Practice the speech so you don’t rely on the equipment.

Tip #10 Keep It Simple and Straightforward!

Have confidence – if you do get it wrong don’t apologise – they’ll never know!! KISS and have fun!!