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3 Things Your Audience Will Love About Your Next Presentation

Picture the scene: you've just taken your seat at a conference and the first speaker is talking about a topic you've never heard of before. You're not inspired. But when she appears on stage things change. She's confident, she clearly knows her topic well and she holds your attention from the start to the finish. You go away inspired, ready to change the world with what you've just learnt.

Knowledge

They say that knowledge is power, and nowhere is this more evident than when you're standing up in front of a group to give a presentation. If you know your topic, your audience will pick up on that. What if you don't? Then acquire some knowledge! We're living in the information age - spend some of your planning time on the internet, searching around your topic.

But nobody knows everything, and you don't have to either. Use the audience's knowledge by throwing questions open to the floor - it can be a great way to get your audience interacting. Alternatively, just admit that you don't know, but that you'll find out and follow up - they'll respect you for your honesty!

And don't forget - all of that knowledge isn't much good if you can't remember what you were going to say, so practise, practise, practise!

Confidence

Think of someone that oozes confidence. It could be someone you know, or perhaps a celebrity. What is it about them that tells you how confident they are? The way they stand? Their eye contact? These are body language cues that we naturally pick up on, so use them to make your audience believe in your control of the presentation.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart to provide a strong base and always maintain eye contact with your audience. Stand up straight and step forward when you take the stage - we have a tendency to hide further back than we should, so come forward and show that you're not afraid!

A Clear Message

Of course, all of this is useless if your message isn't clear, concise and engaging. Spend time planning. Make sure you have a strong opening, clear content that doesn't stray from the main point and an ending that will wow your audience.

Your Next Presentation

Believe in your next presentation. Make it inspiring. Ensure that you know your topic, that you're confident and that you deliver a clear and concise message. That way your audience will go away ready to change the world and you'll be the cause of it!