Conclusion

YOU WILL GIVE GREAT PRESENTATIONS

In order to give an impeccable presentation whilst having the audience engaged throughout, the presenter needs to consider the following five elements:

• Credibility
• Clarity
• Conciseness
• Confidence
• Creativity

These elements can inevitably help gain and keep audience attention throughout the presentation and we can all feel proud and successful as the guy in the picture below after we have finished our presentation: 

Great Delivery, Great Graphics

Keep the Audience Wondering

Below is a short presentation that sums up most of the points discussed, for a successful presentation: 

Be Creative

"People acquire 85% of all their knowledge visually" (Guffrey, 2003)

There are many ways to be creative with your presentation. However, the important question to consider if what measure will you take in order for the audience to accept the message of your presentation? An important aspect to consider is that you can lose audience attention if the information presented is too dense and dry. Therefore, you can use effective imagery to convey your message, these can include: 

• Personal Stories
• Similes
• Metaphors

In addition, alongside effective imagery, the use of a personal aid medium can further emphasize the main points of your presentation, in addition to keeping the audience involved and engaged in your presentation. Some examples of visual aid can range from: 

• Videos
• Graphs
• Handouts
• Props

The most important and popular form of visual aid is POWERPOINT, but there are some factors to consider while using PowerPoint: 

• Be consistent with the layout that you are using for your slides. 
• Make sure there is only one main idea per slide, as it may become to confusing for the audience if there is too much information presented on the slides. 
• Remember not to read off the slides. They are there to help your presentation not present for you. 
• While using slides, maintain eye contact. Remember not to turn your back on the audience to look at the slides. The audience wants to see your beautiful face, not your back. 

According to the picture above, it is apparent that the presenter is using a form of visual aid, seemingly confusing for the audience. This is apparent through the reaction of the audience as they are bored, sleepy or distracted. This can depict that although the use of a visual aid is a great way to approach your presentation, it can in fact hinder the audience understanding. This is a cause of complicated graphs, long and boring videos, complicated charts and/or too much information on PowerPoint slides. Therefore, it is important to carefully consider the type of visual aid medium that you should use during your presentation, having your audience in mind.

Works Cited:

Guffey, M. E. (2003). Business Communication: Process and Product, 4e. Thomson, South-

Western

Be Confident

"Low self-confidence isn't a life sentence. Self-confidence can be learned, practiced, and mastered--just like any other skill. Once you master it, everything in your life will change for the better." Barrie Davenport

As individuals, most of us lack confidence in front of a crowd, especially during presentations. We experience sweaty palms, racing heartbeat or we tend to speak too fast. Here are some tips we can collectively use to be more confident while having our audience engaged throughout our presentation.

Practice Makes Perfect:

Rehearse your presentation for as long as you can in order to make yourself feel comfortable with your content. As a personal example, prior to a presentation, when I present weeks in advance I feel more comfortable during the presentation and have more confidence. 

If you take the now late Steve Jobs for example, as we know as the co-founder of Apple, used to give impeccable presentations. The key to his success was the amount of practice he put in, prior to his presentation. A great way to practice is in front of a mirror.  

The above video is about a presentation given by Steve Jobs. By viewing the presentation, you will be able to see his confidence and the use of varied facial expressions and tone of voice. You can see that he is dressed to impress (mind you, this was a presentation from 1997 and style was much different before than it is now). Also his thoughts were in process and it is apparent that he thought through his presentation and stuck to his outline. 

Dress to Impress:

The way you present yourself is crucial. Remember not to look sloppy as people will not take you seriously. Take for example, if you walk into a room with a pair of ripped sweat pants and a stained t-shirt, most likely your audience members will not deem you as a credible source of information. Whereas, if you walk into a room dressed in a suit, immediately, your audience members will be engaged in your conversation. "Like it or not, you will be judged by your appearance" (Guffrey, 2003). Therefore, the way you look can make you feel more confident and perceived as a credible person than someone who is dressed sloppy. There is a recent article by Business Insider that outlines the benefits of "dressing for success". Read more about this article at http://www.businessinsider.com/dressing-for-success-actually-works-2016-2. 

Varied Facial Expressions and Tone of Voice:

Remember that you should animate not only your body, but also your tone of voice. "Use a variety of gestures, but don't consciously plan them in advance" (Guffrey, 2003).  Remember do not maintain a mono-tone voice with a blank face, the audience will lose interest. Remember to let your personality shine through in your presentation, do not be afraid to let your personality shine through. You should change your facial expressions based on the point you are trying to make. Also, try to walk around while giving your presentation. This aspect will give your presentation movement and can enhance the engagement of the audience. 

Think Before You Speak: 

Make sure you have your thoughts in process and you do not stutter during your presentation; eliminating the use of filler words such as "um" and "ahh". This can only happen if you practice your presentation in advance.  If you do not have your thoughts in process, it will show to the audience that you are unprepared, therefore using your credibility during a presentation. 

Remember, DO NOT AGONIZE OVER YOUR MISTAKES. We are humans, we are bound to make mistakes. 

Works Cited:

Guffey, M. E. (2003). Business Communication: Process and Product, 4e. Thomson, South-

Western

Be Concise

Being concise stems from being clear.

As a matter of fact, they go hand in hand with each other. The elements on being clear include:

             1. Focusing on a Few Principle Ideas
             2. Do Not Go Off on a Tangent
            3. Do Not Provide Too Much Details

Focusing on a Few Principle Ideas: 

It is important not to ramble on about irrelevant material pursuant to your presentation. Make sure to focus on a few principle ideas and elaborate on those points, rather than introducing a new idea without expanding on previous points. Relatively, your presentation "should include a limited number or main points, say, two to four" (Guffrey, 2003).

Do Not Go Off on a Tangent: 

Similar to the concept of digressions, going off on a tangent refers to the idea that the presenter begins talking about a completely different topic than their own. Just remember, do not suddenly begin talking about different topic as it is a waste of time. Remember to stay on track and go back to remembering your purpose.

Do Not Provide Too Much Details: 

Make sure to narrow down the information to the correct information and the correct amount of information. Ask yourself, does your audience really need to know this? In most cases, if your audience requires more information, they will most likely ask for more information during the discussion portion of your presentation. Or will ask for clarification during the presentation.  It is important to remember that, "too much information can obscure the main message" (Guffrey, 2003).

The above video reflects the connection of being clear and concise during a presentation, using "chicken" as an example. 

Works Cited:

Guffey, M. E. (2003). Business Communication: Process and Product, 4e. Thomson, South-

 Western

Be Clear

Clarity is key during presentations in order to be understood. 

There are three elements to consider while thinking about clarity:

1. Convey Your Key Message
2. Do Not Use Jargon
3. Avoid Digressions

Your Key Message:

Ask yourself, what do you your audience to know about your topic? Make sure to focus only on the main ideas of your topic. This causes less confusion among your audience members and keeps your audience engaged throughout your presentation. Just remember, if you want people to listen to you, you need to have a main point and know exactly how to convey it.

Jargon:

According to www.dictionary.com, the term jargon is defined as "the language, especially the vocabulary, peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group". Some examples include legal jargon and medical jargon. One rule to remember is to treat your audience members as students. Do not assume that your audience members will know the meaning of specific terms that you use in your presentation.  

Avoid Digressions:

According to the Oxford Dictionary, digression basically refers to "a temporary departure from the main subject in speech".  of the main problems faced by presenters is that they tend to stem away from the key message of their presentation and begin talking about situations and ideas irrelevant to their topic. This causes confusion and diverts the audience attention from the main topic of the presentation. In order to avoid digressing from your main topic, prepare an outline that you should religiously abide by. 

Always remember to stick to your outline and key message of your presentation.

Establish Credibility

DID YOU KNOW? 

Statistics say that you have 60 seconds to capture the attention of an audience.

The first step to capture the attention of the audience is through establishing credibility. This can result in establishing rapport with the audience, moreover connecting with the audience.

Diverse Audience

It is important to note that by "anticipating your audience, you will have a better idea of how to organize your presentation" (Guffrey, 2003). It is also important to note that "other elements, such as age, gender, education, experience, and size of audience will affect your style and message content" (Guffrey, 2003). Therefore, the connection with the audience is a primary step in establishing credibility with the audience.

There are three components to establishing credibility:

1. Your Position
2. Your Knowledge
3. Your Experience

Ask yourself, what would you like to deliver or accomplish through your presentation. Would you like to inform, persuade, inspire or educate your audience on your specific topic?

Always make sure you convey to the audience why the they should listen to you.  Avoid dull starts, such as "it's a pleasure to be here" or "I'm honoured to be asked to speak" (Guffrey, 2003). Use quotations, jokes, facts or even personal antidotes. If you as a presenter share personal experiences with the audience, then they will be enticed to listen to you. Relatively, according to Guffrey (2003), "nothing connects you faster or better with your audience than a good personal story".

Just remember, it is your time to shine. You are the most knowledgeable about your specific topic and you know exactly what you want to do with your content. 

The above short video is an example of two young ladies establishing credibility within the introduction of their presentation. Their introduction follows the three components of credibility, as they state their purpose, their knowledge and also their experience. 

Works Cited:

Guffey, M. E. (2003). Business Communication: Process and Product, 4e. Thomson, South-

Western