WHAT MAKES A GOOD PRESENTATION?




Nowadays, it is hard to get by without doing a presentation. In the working world, there is no escape. 

You need to do presentations for your bosses, the board of directors and for your clients. 

You give presentation every time you sell your product or promote your services to your future customers.

Presentation is important because it is one way to present ideas and information to others. However, the effectiveness of a presentation relies on many factors. You must ensure that you deliver a good presentation. Otherwise, it will only be ‘speaking’ without an impact. You will not get the results that you are looking for.


So how can you determine an effective presentation? The real question is; what makes a good presentation?

1) Well-prepared

Admit it. Preparation is necessary in most of the things you do in life. A good presentation is a presentation that is well-planned and well-managed. A presentation that is not well prepared will usually lead to disasters. Although I agree, in some cases you can survive a presentation without proper preparation (last minute situation for example) but do you really want to risk it?.

When you have prepared well for your presentation, you know exactly what your points are. You will know what to do if something does not work out the way it should. Your presentation will be smooth and reduce the possibilities of making many mistakes. Your audience (listeners) will also appreciate a well-prepared presentation that will not give them hard time figuring out what you are trying to say!

Besides that, being well-prepared help you to relax and overcome your anxiety. You will be more focus and confident. Thus makes your presentation a good one!

2) Useful contents

The purpose of giving presentation is to convey your thoughts, ideas, knowledge, solutions and recommendations. A good presentation must have some certain value. A presentation should give valuable information.

What can your audience (listeners) get from your presentation? Will these ideas of yours help them in any way? Will your information be useful to them? Will it build understanding, enhance knowledge or change mind-set? Even if you are an excellent speaker/presenter who uses impressive visual aids, you need to understand that a good presentation must have useful content. Otherwise, I call it a “performance”

3) Good time management

Aside from delivering great ideas and offering helpful solution, a good presentation must not be wasting anyone’s precious time. Time is gold. Time is money. And in the business world, time management is everything.

Your presentation must start on time and end on time. Do not let people wait for you. If you are late for your presentation, your (clients/customers) might be restless and feel annoyed. So no matter how good your points are, they will not be that impress after having to wait for you. Remember, first impression counts.

Time your presentation accordingly. Do not give a long winded presentation. Yes, sometimes we can get carried away. But your audience will lose focus and lose interest after a while. Grab their attention within the time allocated. Always be sensitive and be alert.

4) Clear and Concise Explanation.

The content of a presentation should not only be useful but also easy for the audience to understand. The message must be clear and the explanation should be precise. The ideas or information presented must be well-structured and well-organised. 

Do not give too much information or too much data when you have a limited time to present. Your audience will be bored listening to you and can get confused. Remember to use your visual aids for example slides wisely.  

What is the point of a having a presentation if you are not able to explain your points effectively? If your audience did not understand the things you presented, then it means your presentation were not successful. A good presentation must be able to create understanding and reach the purpose or the objectives of the presentation.

5) Use Creative Approach

Presentation can turn out to be boring if the presenter does not know how to attract the audience attention. A presenter or a speaker must learn to use creative approach during the presentation. Your audience will lose interest in your presentation if you use the same method of presentation. 

Have you ever listened to a presentation where the presenter keep talking for a long time or presenter who uses PowerPoint but read from the slides from beginning to the end?  

As a speaker, you have to know how to make your presentation more interesting. Delivery is important. Find the suitable approach for your audience. Find out who your audience are and adjust accordingly. A good presentation should be unique and full of energy.

6) Two-Way Communication

Presentation involves two parties; the presenter and the listener. Even if the presenter had done his or her part in presenting, the listener must be able to receive, connect and understand what was presented. In order for the presentation to be a successful, it has to work both ways.

A good presentation allows interaction between the presenter and the audience (listener). There should be a question and answer session or discussion. The audience must be allowed to ask the presenter to get a better understanding. Participation should be encouraged. Getting feedback from the listeners is crucial to evaluate the whole presentation. A good presentation is a two-way communication.

There you have it... A good presentation is a well-prepared presentation with useful content and good time management. A good presentation is a presentation that has clear and concise explanation with creative approach. A good presentation is a two-way communication which allows interaction, feedback and evaluation.

Presentation can be powerful. If presentation is done effectively, it can help to reach targets and get positive results. Presentation is use to inform, influence, sell, promote and make connections. Presentation open up opportunities, spread ideas, change minds and create new businesses.

A good presentation is what you need.



Written by: Intan Salwana Anis
@2018 Public Speaking Is Cool. All Rights Reserved.


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