What do you do if you need to prepare and rehearse for a presentation?

Do exactly that - prepare and rehearse - properly of course. First, prepare by reviewing your ultimate objective and seeing if your content aligns. Next, do a pass take out the fluff, filler slides & words, and anything that doesn’t flow. Rehearse on your own (in a mirror, on a recording, etc.) or ideally in front of people, and look for things like body language, delivery and timing. (Pro-tip 1: If the presentation will be standing, get some reps in standing. Sitting? Do the same.) (Pro-tip 2: Practice for time. If you need to fill a slot on stage, fill it. If you should leave room for conversation, leave it.)

Define the Audience to tailor the content accordingly. their interests, concerns, Define the need of presentation, your achievement

Sounds like you might need a little bit of inspiration. Research & reference done top talks on YouTube to get a sense for how other professionals engaged their audience in memorable ways - right from the get go. Look for humour, pattern interruptions, unexpected angles, or even a really good ‘before we get started’ story. And remember, bring your personality!

Preparing and rehearsing for a presentation involves several key steps: Understand Your Audience: Know who you're presenting to and tailor your content to their interests and level of understanding. Outline Your Content: Create a clear structure with an introduction, main points, and a conclusion. Make sure your points flow logically. Create Visual Aids: Develop slides or other visual aids that support and enhance your message. Keep them simple and focused. Practice Aloud: Rehearse your presentation out loud, as if you're presenting to a live audience. This helps with timing and delivery. Use a Timer: Track your time to ensure you stay within the allotted period. Adjust your content as needed.

As a speech major who graduated in 1971, I have had some time to reflect on the art and skill of communicating to a group of people. It has become a natural act to speak to groups in person, via Zoom, or in a recording. Understanding the desired outcome is an important part of the process. Consider what you want your audience to think, say or do after your speech. Is it to make them ponder the topic and motivate them to do further research on their own? Is it to stimulate them to speak to others and advocate for your point of view? Is it that you want them to change their behavior in some way, such as to utilize technology to enhance their classes as I so often desire? Understanding how you want them to react is a key to success.

I so appreciate that in this list, planning content precedes visuals. So many people start with slides to build their content. And then they get overinvested in the gorgeous slides rather than the smart content. Slides support the content, not the other way round.

After mapping out your content, return to your purpose to ensure alignment, and then edit out some of your original content. Identify the most critical information and go deep into those concepts, allowing your participants to explore, discuss, understand, and learn. The result will be a far better audience experience, and the learning will be much stickier.

You can't prepare if you have nothing prepared. But you don't have to start from scratch. 1) Examine past presentations for content. 2) Scour the web. 3) Ask ChatGPT for ideas.

Designing your content helps you clarify the main message or objective of your presentation. It allows you to distill complex ideas into clear and concise points that are easy for your audience to understand. Well-designed content captures and maintains the audience's attention more effectively. By incorporating visuals, storytelling, and interactive elements, you can make your presentation more engaging and memorable for your audience. Practicing with well-designed content helps build your confidence as a presenter. It allows you to become familiar with the material and comfortable with the flow of the presentation, reducing nerves and anxiety when it comes time to deliver it live.

Gather and Organize Information: Collect relevant information and data to support your main points. Ensure the content is easy to follow, Keep them simple, and aligned with your key points.

Visual aids are an incredible tool but can often become an obstacle. When planning your next presentation, remember that your audience is there to listen to you, and the slides are there to support your speech, not act as a script. Additionally, consider accessibility in every aspect of your talk. Some quick wins are to avoid massive blocks of texts, graphs that rely exclusively on colour and videos without subtitles.

Use visuals strategically, don’t waste your time designing slides. Your goal is to communicate. Figure out what will do that best on each slide and execute simply, clearly and powerfully.

Practice is the key to delivering a fluid and conversational presentation. That is your goal. Saving time, not designing but engineering your message will free up time to practice. Record yourself and get feedback from peers. Decide if that slide you spend more than a minute on can be broken up or the one you barely talked about should go. Be ruthless or get someone to help you who is.

Anticipate questions and be prepared with concrete and concise answers.? If you repeat the presentation to different groups of people, build up on your previous experience.

Time is a major factor therefore consider timing yourself. Also consider involving majority if not all by employing different methods of delivery like asking questions , use of props , group discussion among others. Be prepared for surprises. Ensure to factor in breaks. Have a plan for the entire period but be flexible as well.

Focus on time management in this phase. It is important to cover all the content at the right timing. Including questions and answers.

Time *always* speeds up when you’re a new presenter, whether you’re in front of five or five hundred people. Accept this. Breathe, start slow (it won’t actually be slow, but it will feel slow) and pause to let your information sink in and resonate. Time yourself. Build in a breathing breaks, communicate as yourself. There’s no one else like you, and that’s why you’ve got this!

Rehearse the presentation prior but never by heart the content, otherwise, the fear of forgetting everything will always keep haunting you. Just understand your topic, and interact with the audience, ask generalized easy questions, and try proving your point, but never by heart! Use interesting visuals to create interest among the audience.

On having something valuable to share; I like Simon Sineks advice to remind yourself that ‘you’re there to give’. I say those few words to myself before any important presentation, to remove any introspective thoughts (it’s natural to want the audience to like you) and remind myself that I’m there to share insight that’ll benefit the audience.

Breathing and smiling are my go-to’s for advice. Controlled breath helps keep you relaxed, and smiles are infectious. If you are enjoying your time, your audience will as well. If you miss a point, advance the slide too early, or trip on stage, always keep your cool, make a joke (have fun with it), and keep moving. Breathe! Smile!

Relax. We all communicate comfortably in many non-formal contexts. You may want to capture the comfort that you feel in chatting over lunch or in a chance encounter when you make a presentation. Remember, we all are human and we all understand human anxieties and concerns. This is not likely to be a dissertation defense or an in-court defense or another such forum, you should remember your goal and speak person-to-person. Communicating is natural for we humans. Let down your guard and release your true thoughts. You will be comfortable, and so will your audience. It is what we do - humans communicate with one another. Enjoy!

Prepare, then forget everything and simply perform with joy. These are the two most important things to do be your best self. We see this pop up in different ways all the time. Physics calls this potential and kinetic energy. Athletes call it practice then play. Soldiers call this train then execute. Marketers call it strategy then activate. So practice, do the work and prepare if you need to. But once you step up to the plate, sit back. Breathe. Trust. Let go. Believe. Enjoy. Have fun. And play.

I have had the good fortune to deliver many presentations over the 50 years I have been in higher education. At first, preparing and delivering presentations were angst-filled and laborious. As my career progressed, I found presentations to be enjoyable. The two keys to the transition I suppose are obvious, but not always grasped by those early in their careers. First, only accept opportunities to speak on topics in which you are fully and comfortably expert. To try to become an expert the week before the speech is not wise. Second, simply talk to and with the audience. Do not "orate" in a formal way. Just talk as though you were chatting over lunch with a colleague. That has made my last thousand presentations very comfortable.

Prepare for Q&A: Anticipate potential questions and prepare thoughtful responses. Practice answering them concisely and confidently.