Whether we enjoy them or not, we all need to do presentations at some point in our careers. Here are ten quick tips to ensure the presentation goes as smoothly as possible.

  1. Practice in front of an audience. Nothing is better than having the opportunity to practice in front of people – they can tell you whether you are talking too fast or too slow, whether you are loud enough, or whether what you are saying makes sense.
  2. Have backups of all presentation materials. Imagine you are all set-up for your presentation, and have your presentation material on your laptop, but for some reason your laptop doesn’t communicate with the projector. Do you have a backup of the presentation on a different laptop? On a CD or USB key? If you can’t get any of your digital files to work with the projector, will you be able to do your presentation with digital files?
  3. Allow yourself to be nervous. Nerves are a good thing – and most people feel them before a presentation. You can use these nerves as an adrenaline rush to make your delivery of your presentation more enthusiastic.
  4. Anticipate the questions your audience will ask you. If you can anticipate the questions you will be asked, you can prepare your answers beforehand. When asked a question, you won’t be left floundering for an answer, but will already have a good idea of what to say in response.
  5. Have one strong hook at the beginning to lure the audience in. There’s nothing worse during a presentation than looking out at your audience and realizing that no one is paying attention. A strong opening hook can grab their attention right from the beginning and will make them more attentive throughout the whole presentation.
  6. Make short notes for yourself. We can all get sidetracked in the middle of a presentation, or momentarily forget what we are talking about. While having a full copy of your presentation is discouraged (it may cause you to read directly from the paper as opposed to speaking to your audience), having short points that you can take your cue from are always helpful.
  7. Keep eye contact with the audience. Not only does this help the audience feel you are communicating one-on-one with them, but it also helps to keep their attention tuned towards you and your presentation.
  8. Watch your posture and your body language. Body language can be quite dangerous if not used correctly. Keeping your arms crossed can give the impression that you’re not open to communication from your audience.
  9. Have a conversation with your audience. You don’t necessarily have to have an actual conversation, but keep the tone of your presentation conversational. This makes the material you’re covering presented in a much more relatable way.
  10. Expect to make mistakes. If you expect to make mistakes, you won’t let the ones that you do make fluster and unnerve you. Everyone makes mistakes, and if you just flow with it, most people won’t even notice that you have actually made a mistake.