5 Smart Business Presentation Tips to Impress Your Colleagues
Do people hate when you speak?
Not in a personality way, but in meetings? It’s not 100% your fault. Sometimes you have to present boring content.
As boring as what you’re talking about might be (or not!) you can use these business presentation tips to help people pay attention.
Get inspired below.
Use the Trifecta
There’s a reason every story has three parts, a beginning, middle and an end. There’s also a reason your entree comes with two sides.
People like the number three, and not just on a personal scale. In a meeting or a presentation, the first three points are what’s going to really get across.
After that people are still processing what you already said or you’ve lost their attention.
Even people with low presentation skills can divide their story into three parts. Even something as complex as a budget can scale down.
You have your operating budget (1), your marketing budget (2), and your payroll budget (3). You just have to be creative when you’re planning your speech.
Bring People In
If you’re explaining something complex that could use examples, outsource! Someone in the room will have an idea that you can use for your example.
Asking them to give you a detail, even as small as a name for your fake example company, makes them engage. When people engage, they pay more attention and your words are more efficient.
A good presentation should be interactive, without being cheesy. It’s not about you and your powerpoint, it’s about the idea. You wouldn’t be presenting it if you didn’t want their opinions, so let them give it!
Set Goals
When you asked to give a presentation or set down to plan it, what did you imagine people walking away with?
If you’re asking for investors in a product, you want them to go away with a feeling of trust for and excitement in your company. How can your presentation do that?
Sit down and write out your goals for the speech before you even start. That way you know what to emphasize, what to emotionalize, and can better get across why your audience should care.
Talk, Don’t Read
If you wanted people to read what was on your slide, you’d have sent them the content in an email. There’s no way to give a great business presentation if you’re reading 100% of what’s on the slides.
Your slides should have around 20% of text, which is a few sentences. If you need notes, you can put them in the presentation note section.
You should know your material so well that you can ad lib about what’s on your slides.
Give an Action Item
If you absorb any of these presentation skills, make sure it’s this one.
Before the meeting ends, give your audience something to do when they walk out of the room. Call and ask their boss to invest, send you an email – whatever it may be.
People love the direction and it’ll give your meeting a reason to stick in their brains.
Business Presentation Tips
If you divide your presentation into three parts and give people a chance to participate, you’re already miles ahead of other presenters.
Add in not reading off your slides and giving people an action item and you’re practically a rock star. Did you try out any of these business presentation tips? We hope they helped!
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