Career Marketing

Presentation

A presentation is for getting your message across; this includes not only the information you intend, but also information about yourself. For instance your appearance, body language and voice give away information about you. It is essential for the success of the presentation that your vitality and enthusiasm should come across, but this doesn't do your career marketing any harm either! Professionals who speak well are more likely to be promoted than those who don't. Speaking well gives your confidence a boost. The first essential is to know why you are giving the presentation. Please refer also to the previous article giving general advice on communications skills.

Getting it across

Try Tony Buzan's mind mapping technique to generate and organise ideas
write your speeches in spoken English, in full, then reduce it to cards for simpler presentations
organise your speech logically
practice
relax (try learning the Alexander technique for body use and stress relief)
keep your sentences reasonably short
keep your speech short, and suited to the audience and occasion
keep on track with notes/headings written on cards
allow for the loss of audience attention
emphasise and repeat the main points
signpost the main points by pausing before or after , raising your voice slightly and/or gesturing
illustrate with examples
be forceful, clear and brief
avoid irritating mannerisms
get small audiences involved
entertain large audiences with visual aids and slick presentation
with a small audience, take questions as you go along but stay in control and don't lose your thread

Organising a presentation

book a meeting room to suit the size of the audience.
make sure everybody will be able to see and hear
ensure lighting is adequate
check that microphones, visual aids, etc. work well in advance
consider whether speakers need lecterns
allow time for rehearsals
consider how speakers will be introduced
time all speakers in rehearsal, taking question time into account
check that visuals don't upstage the speakers
provide for coffee breaks