How to deliver Confident and Impactful Presentations

This was the topic for my keynote at the Southampton Business Expo at the end of November 2024. So if you weren't able to attend here are the tips I shared.

All presenters aspire to deliver confident and impactful presentations but nerves can get in the way when it comes to confidence and too much detail can get in the way of impact.

So here's how you can boost your confidence and generate impact:

• Confidence Boosters:
• Knowledge, Clothes and Notes -

Knowledge - you are likely to be presenting on a subject you know really well. You may even be an expert. Your audience are there for you. They want to learn from and be enthused by you. If you don't present they miss out.

Clothes - look good, feel good. Choose clothes which you feel good in.

Notes - don't use A4 sized notes - you risk getting in a muddle with them, reading them word for word and your audience thinking you don't know what you are talking about hence all the notes. Instead use postcard size prompt cards. Have one or two words per slide that can act as your prompt / safety net if you need it. Write big enough so you see the prompt at a glance.?

• Preparation and Practice -
• Do thorough preparation - focus on what you know and what your audience are expecting. Don’t go overboard on detail. Minimise slides and what’s on them. That means being a ruthless editor - particularly getting rid of all the words everyone else puts on their slides. If you want your audience to read your slides and not listen to you then go ahead fill them with words! Do not read from your slides!
• Take practice seriously. Time it. Ensure you in practice it takes 80-85% of your allocated time. Speak out-loud standing up if that is how you will be delivering your presentation.?
• Distraction - The most nervous time for many presenters is often the 10-15 minutes before they start. Use that time to distract yourself from thinking about the presentation so meet & greet your audience, plan your evening, your next holiday - anything to take your mind off thinking about your presentation.?

• Creating Impact:
• Start with your Audience not you - Your audience want to be engaged, educated, enthused, even entertained by you. So from the get go talk about them, not about you. They are not interested in you, only how what you are sharing with them will benefit them. So no drum banging, awards, client logos or team pics at the start!?
• Maximum of 3 Messages - Regardless of how long your presentation is focus on delivering for your audience no more than three key messages. They can remember and act upon three but they can’t remember six or eight or 27.?
• Use your Voice - Your voice is a key tool in your presentation armoury. Use it to maintain audience engagement, emphasise a key point, pick up or slow down the pace, pause for effect etc…Your voice can give you presence and boost your energy. Practice out-loud. Using your voice will stand you out.?

If you have a key presentation coming up and you need a bit of help to ensure you deliver with confidence and impact message me and we can set up a free 15 minute Zoom call to check if I'm the right person to help you. If I am we will next do a Zoom session for 40-50 minutes where I will be your coach, audience and challenger to help ensure you make the most of the golden opportunity that a business presentation is. Just one thing - a session with me needs to be at least a week from the presentation date so you have time to make any tweaks we discuss and to practice the final version.