Presentation Skills 7 Top Tips

Writen by Andy Britnell

Here are my 7 tips for polishing your presentations and giving maximum value to your audience:

1. Involve the audience by asking them questions and for their own stories and experiences to support what you are saying. However, only ask a question if you know they will get the answer right! You are not there to test them and a series of wrong answers will take you off-track and begin to irritate.

2. Talk for about 15 minutes at most without audience participation, or you will lose their attention. People always start to perk up if they think they may be asked for a contribution!

3. Use plenty of anecdotes and human interest to engage your audience's imagination. Human beings love stories and they will be more inspired to think about what you are saying.

4. Don't be afraid to repeat important points several times or to allow a pause for something vital to sink in. Even the most quick-witted amongst us welcomes the opportunity to mentally catch up and really appreciate a point before you move on.

5. Use plenty of visuals, whether that be Powerpoint, props or visual imagery. Being able to see or imagine something brings it alive in a fresh and powerful way.

6. You will probably need to speak more slowly, more clearly and more loudly than you would naturally. A normal conversational pace can come across as a gabble in a presentation.

7. And most importantly of all – look as though you are enjoying yourself! Moods and emotions are catching, and if you look as though you are happy to be there, talking to them, your audience will be more responsive.

Enjoy putting these tips into practice and you will become a popular presenter!

Andy Britnell specialises in sales and customer service training for the private and public sectors. Go to http://www.andybritnell.co.uk/ and you can sign up for my FREE short monthly newsletter and FREE e-mail coaching.

I coach corporate and SME clients who wish to fulfil more of their potential by thinking and behaving more effectively - see http://www.executive-coaching-for-business-growth.com/

Powerpoint Presentations How To Use This Tool More Effectively

Writen by Neen James

Many of us use PowerPoint to convey a message to both small and large groups. Too often we see "death by powerpoint" in the corporate environment where people don't use it effectively. Get clever when using your PowerPoint – this article has 20 tips for becoming a more engaging presenter when you use this tool.

Only use a maximum of six (6) words on each line. Too many words is too much clutter and hard for your audience to read.

Only use a maximum of six (6) lines of text on each slide. If you have too many lines of text your audience will spend their time reading your slides and not listening to you speak.

Keep slides clear and uncluttered. Avoid using many graphics or too busy with information - make your message clear.

Use animation where relevant but don't overdo it. This feature can really highlight a key message... or distract your audience if not done correctly.

Use sound effects and movie clips to enhance your presentation. This is a great technique when it works! Be sure to test your presentation in the live environment before you show your audience. Just because it worked at home or your office... doesn't always mean it will work when your audience appears.

Don't talk to your Powerpoint … remember you have an audience that can read. Don't insult the intelligence of your audience and assume they can't read your slides. Use different words to the ones on your slides.

Keep your slides to a minimum – people want to hear your message not be distracted by too many slides. They have come to hear a real person, not an electronic presenter. Only use slides to enhance and reinforce your message.

Don't use dark coloured backgrounds - this makes it hard to read from the back of the room. Be aware of the effects of different background colours.

Use large font only as small font is too hard to read from a distance.

Change the font size of words on the same slide to emphasize key words. Don't make every word the same font - if you want to make words stand out, use different colours and fonts.

Don't rely on your PowerPoint – technology can sometimes fail us – know your content and also have a hard copy of your presentation with you at all times.

Get creative with photos and images <- use your own photos rather than existing clipart. Most people are aware of the clipart available, show them something they haven't seen before.

Don't use Italic font - it is too hard to read.

Avoid using all capital letters as it is also difficult to read. In email etiquette this is seen as shouting, PowerPoint could be interpreted the same way.

Test the colours on a large screen as some may change from your laptop to the large projection.

Create a master slide - this might include your logo and in your corporate colours to reinforce your brand.

Use a remote controlled mouse or plan your movement and slide design so that you are not bound to your keyboard location.

Know how to navigate Powerpoint - in the event you press your mouse incorrectly or your system falters it is important to look like you know how to use this tool.

Learn how to insert tables, graphs, graphics and photos to enhance your presentation – rather than just using text.

Attend a course to increase your Powerpoint skills and learn creative ways to use this tool.

Don't kill your audience with 'death by PowerPoint' - find creative ways to use this tool and you will become a more engaging and on-purpose presenter.

Neen is a Global Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Subscribe to Neen's free monthly ezine at http://neenjames.com/

Dealing With Difficult Participants The Nightmare Participant

Writen by Rich Lucas

We have all had them haven't we? If you've done training you've had someone who's disruptive, possibly rude, pays no attention to you! If I'm totally honest, this type of participant used to upset me a fair bit when I first began training, there was me giving the performance of my life (!) And there was this smart alec trying to argue with me for arguments sake, chatting to the person next to them and generally being obnoxious! Luckily, I've only encountered two or three like this in my training lifetime but I feel the need to share you a nice little strategy to sort this blemish on a near perfect training life!

Firstly remember that these people are crying out for attention, it's not personal to you. Martin Luther king could be standing up there and they'd probably still try it on! They want to look good in front of the group, so try and do this:

Send the group on a break, and ask for a quick word with the offender. Say that you worried about the tension between you and the offender and apologise if you have done anything to upset them, but you don't want anything to come between the groups learning and if they could leave any "challenges" to the end/kerb their behaviour (add your own or delete as appropriate). This should do the trick, it's always worked for me, you've marked their card in a nice way and shown that you won't stand for it. Now, if the behaviour continues, which it shouldn't, try this:

During an exercise (you do exercises don't you??!) Take the offender to one side and ask them to leave. There is no point in risking the entire learning of the group due to one. Also ask them to explain to their manager why they have been asked to leave (Have a word with their manager afterward if at all possible). Never get yourself a reputation as a trainer who puts up with this sort of nonsense.