Some presentations leave you on the edge of your seat, grasping for the next moment. Conversely, other presentations are perfect for putting you to sleep. How is it possible that two presentations sharing similar information and a similar message can achieve such different results? The answer lies in the difference in presentation skills.
While the numbers are all over the place, plenty of experts agree that attention spans decline sharply around the 10 to 15-minute mark. Hence, understanding how to connect with your audience and doing it in a timely manner gives you your best chances of making a strong impression.
Keep in mind that items like PowerPoint templates or Google Slides themes are simply visual aids - they are not your presentation. Utilizing sound presentation skills - you should be crafting a message that relies less on visual aids and more on the heart of your message. Take a look at these 5 tips to improve your presentation skills.
Display Passion and Enthusiasm for Your Google Slides Presentation
If you cannot get excited about your presentation, how could your audience do so? If you’re trying to sell the next big solution that’s going to change the world or presenting your stance in a debate course - you are going to have to display to your audience that you are believing in your own message. Hence, you can do so by speaking with conviction and enthusiasm.
Watch Great Speakers Do Their Thing
Do you dream about becoming the best? Naturally, watching the best speakers in the world and learning from them will help get you there. Okay, maybe you don’t aspire to speak in front of a crowd of a hundred thousand people - but there’s nothing wrong with having adequate presentation skills to do so.
Keep it Simple
Keep in mind that while presenting, you are competing with tons of distractions out there. There are smartphones, ambient noises, bodily functions...the list goes on. Hence, simplifying your message makes it easier to digest.
As a result, if your audience is capable of following along more easily - they’re more likely to continue following your message. Avoid citing statistic after statistic. Rather, try selecting your most important bullets and then expounding upon them in an interesting, enthusiastic manner.
Utilize a Beautiful PowerPoint Theme
Visual aids like PowerPoint or Google Slides presentations help move your presentation along and provide visual aids to the audience. Hence, impress them by showing them that you put a lot of effort into your PowerPoint template. Actually, there are professionally designed PPT templates that you can download that save you the time and effort.
Utilizing these options allows you to spend more time focusing on crafting your message while still offering impressive PowerPoint slides. Truthfully, appearances matter - so choose the right Google Slides theme that blows them away.
The Most Important of Presentation Skills - Be Human
By now you’re probably learning that it’s not good to seem like a robot while sharing your PowerPoint presentation. Furthermore, you’re probably more capable of making an impression by simply being more human. This includes simple gestures like making eye contact with your audience, smiling, inserting some humor into your presentation.
In other words, show a little personality. Enjoy your own presentation, and you will welcome them to enjoy it as well.
Aside from utilizing beautiful PowerPoint themes, showing some personality goes a long way to keep your audience interested. Remember, you have only a few minutes to make a major impression that can potentially affect your future significantly. Hence, spend time reviewing and applying these tips while perfecting your presentation skills. Your fullest potential is only known in hindsight - so get out there and leave it all behind.