Top Tips for Improving Presentation Skills
James Caan CBE
Recruitment Entrepreneur Chairman | Serial Entrepreneur | Investor on BBC's Dragons’ Den (2007-2010)
Whether you are a CEO managing teams of people, an employee looking to boost your career, or a freelancer pitching to important clients, one of the biggest challenges you face is getting your message across in the clearest form possible.
When it comes to communication, and it does not matter which sector you happen to be working in, I have always felt that the way in which you deliver your message is just as important as what you are actually trying to say.
In other words, you can come up with the most insightful and innovative thoughts but if you deliver them in an ineffective manner then it is likely that no one will take it in. To put it another way - if your content scores 7/10 and your delivery which scores 9/10, this can work a lot better than 9 for content and 7 for delivery.
Take presentations for example. I always speak about the importance of research and preparation, but at the same time you cannot allow your entire manner to be dictated by your notes. I remember when I was first invited to give a speech; I had written everything down and practically read off my cards.
Someone I knew was sitting in the audience and afterwards they told me my presentation was boring, stale and monotonous. His words stung at first but I then saw another speaker at the same event - he was engaging, interactive and really drew people to him. His content was of a similar standard to mine but he was far more compelling. I realised then that I had to work on my own style - which shows that being a good communicator can be learnt. 'Practice makes perfect' may be a cliche but it is particularly true in this regard.
One of the key things to remember is steering clear of jargon. You can still convey difficult ideas and concepts by using straightforward and concise language. In my experience, jargon can be a comfort blanket to hide behind, rather than an effective way of communicating ideas. I always ask myself if anyone could understand the message I am trying to get across. If the answer is no then I would take another look at what I'm saying.
While you want to be engaging and interesting, never forget that getting the message across is at the heart of all communication. Don't go too far the other way and let over-complicated presentations and jokes get in the way.
Of course you also have to tailor your approach depending on the audience and format. For example, it may be inappropriate to be overly relaxed in an important pitch to the CEO of a client, but if you are presenting something to members of your own department you may be more laid back.
A similar approach should be taken with written communication as well. Social media, email and the internet have slightly changed the rules and at times there is a more casual approach. This is perfectly okay, but as I mentioned earlier, you have to keep the audience - or in this case the recipient - in mind.
Finally it is always worth checking and double checking anything that you write or put together as a presentation. There are many high-profile example of brands that have suffered great damage because they have said or written things which were inappropriate or controversial.
Thinking about what your message is and how you are delivering it can go a long way to becoming a successful communicator.
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Tele sales at Help Expo Shanghai Technology Company
9 年I think the copy and paste is not a good way~ basically that people should think about how their own grow. Innovation is the key. I still remember that Jun Tang's book called "我的成功可以复制", which is totally misleading and wrong. Based on McKinsey's theory that innovation is creativity + delivery.
Inspiring professionals to present with confidence, clarity and impact - Public speaking and presenting the mindful way
10 年A great post and good to learn from personal experience. The key for me is this: 'To put it another way - if your content scores 7/10 and your delivery which scores 9/10, this can work a lot better than 9 for content and 7 for delivery.' That makes complete sense to me although the only thing I would add is that it seems to me that we are beginning to see something of a slightly disturbing turnaround. As a presentation coach I make it my business to attend a fair amount of conferences, conventions and seminars whenever I can. Over the last year or so I have been to some high profile events with some eminent speakers who have clearly invested heavily in delivery at the highly visible expense of content. In other words, they were great on their feet but left me disillusioned and disappointed with their clear disregard for content. Its all well and good listening to a great speaker but if you've spent several hundreds of pounds to listen to something not only not particularly new, interesting, engaging or insightful but that you could have 'Googled' for yourself, its very frustrating. Delivery is critical of course and much of our work is designed to significantly enhance the personal impact a presenter makes, however, a presentation has to be content rich otherwise who wants to turn up to listen to it in the first place. Maurice DeCastro www.mindfulpresenter.com
?? Demand Generation @ Net Solutions | Headless CMS & Composable Commerce Evangelist ??
10 年James Caan Loved the tips that you have shared and I totally agree with you that it is not only about delivering your idea that matters but it is how you deliver them to your audience. The first presentation I ever sat in was facilitated by a scholarly person and he was amazing in delivering his idea. He not only shared his wisdom or information but he shared it in such a way that it was information+entertainment. And not a single person slept..Lol... Thanks again for sharing this beautiful article with us all, surely helps us in improving ourselves and to see the bigger picture. Regards
Leadership Impact Coach
10 年Hi All, We would offer there's three (and a half) major concepts to grasp and master if you want to be an effective presenter... Concept 1 From long experience we have found that a majority of those who 'present' are so focused on content, or the information, they forget, or often consciously ignore the first two things that a 'presenter' should remember... No 1: Their first job is to get and to keep people awake! No 2: Their second job is to get and keep people engaged!! Because without mastering the first two jobs, you'll never acheive the third job... No 3: getting people informed!!! Concept 2 Once that concept is grasped, the second concept is to understand and accept that the most effective way to have an individual or audience remember what you say, you have to focus on making them consciously 'feel' something about you and your message. Our work is all about helping people' consciously' create the impact they choose. Concept 3 The human is the presentation, not the Powerpoint. People can't read and listen effectively at the same time and if you pack your slide with data, it will will always beat you in a competition for the audience's attention. It's light on a wall, and the audience are moths. Concept 3.5 Try to think of a presentation as a 'conversation'. Yes you will be doing most of the talking, but putting yourself in this mindset should automatically trigger you into mastering the most effective human engagement tool you'll ever use... asking questions. If you want to be interesting... be interested. There's so much more to it, but without understanding and mastering those three and a half ideas it's so much harder to go from average to good, good to great and great to awesome! Cheers Ants
Volunteering
10 年Some really good information. Am setting up #96Footballs here in Liverpool and could do with some expert advice and guidance! With the @ifb2014 happening here in Liverpool I wondered whether James is attending this and whether he can offer advice, point the right direction and support the arts especially with public funding cuts. ANY advice from anyone will be greatly received