Most PowerPoint presentations suck. But yours doesn’t have to be one of them.
Here are 10 simple rules to 10x your next presentation
In this article we will discuss about 10 Simple Rules to 10x your next Presentation
1) Transform the audience
Your talk isn’t for you. It’s for the audience. Find out about them
- Who are they?
- What are their pain points?
- What do they already know?
Then work out the transformation.
Where will they be at the start? and where will they be at the end?
2) Start + finish with a bang
Until you’ve finished your presentation, don’t take your eye off the ball.
The start + end are what the audience remembers most.
- Don’t give a long intro
- Don’t start with an apology
- Don’t fizzle out at the end
Plan your opening + close.
3) Use your own slide deck
What’s the fastest way to lose the audience?
Opening with ‘These are someone else’s slides’.
This shows the audience:
- It’s not your talk
- You aren’t sure what’s next
- You didn’t care enough to prepare
Don’t do it.
4) Less is more with slides
The people who master presentations know something 99% of people don’t.
No great presenter ever read from their slides.
The faster you adopt this mindset, the more like you will be to:
- Connect
- Engage
- Inspire
Slides aren’t your script.
5) Practice – but not too much
- A good speaker uses notes, is well practiced, but still seems natural.
- A bad speaker is over-rehearsed, uses a script, + seems robotic. But a legendary speaker appears confident, well-prepped, yet still adapts to the audience.
6) Be proud of your slides
Too often, presenters make excuses for their slides:
- It’s a bit busy
- Just ignore this one
- You won’t be able to read this
Instead, focus on only using slides that enhance your message. This is what makes the biggest difference.
7) Keep to time
This is the formula I use over and over again:
“100 people in the audience + 30 minute talk = 50 combined hours of people’s lives”
We all think we have great content and the audience wants to hear more. But their time is valuable. Never run over time.
8) Study storytelling
EVERY presentation is made better by stories:
- VIP audiences
- Data heavy talks
- Presenting research
There’s no exception. Stories build audience connection by sharing a bit more of you.
9) Vary your tone
The best presenters understand musicality.
So, here are a few easy ways you can do that.
- Vary your tone
- Vary your volume
- Embrace the pause
You’ll lose your audience if you speak in a monotone.
10) Plan for tech failure
Finally, the most common mistake of all.
Remember:
Your slides aren’t your presentation. You are.
So:
- Don’t use your slides as a crutch
- Be ready to present without them
- Have a plan for when the tech fails
10 simple rules to 10x your presentations
- Transform the audience
- Plan the open + close
- Use your own slides
- Less is more
- Practice
- Be proud
- Keep to time
- Study storytelling
- Vary your tone10 Plan for tech failure
