Tips on Making Presentations / Presenter’s Techniques

These techniques can be used in any size presentation to look more confident and sincerely engage your audience.

Eye Contact:
Connecting visibly with your audience can give you on-the-spot feedback about how they’re doing: Do they understand you? Can they see your visuals? Is the room too hot/too cold? Do you need to pick up the pace?

• Eye contact fosters trust, builds rapport, and enhances your credibility.
  
• In a small group, try to make eye contact with everyone, not just those asking questions.
• In a large group, make sure you don’t swivel your head back and forth so you look like you’re at a tennis match.
  
• Look to the sides of the room, not just front/straight ahead.
  
• Don’t let notes or PowerPoint slides ruin your eye contact.

Owning Your Space:
The more control you feel in the physical space, the more confident your delivery will be.

• In a small group presentation, be conscious of where you sit. You won’t be effective if you have to keep twisting from side to side to make eye contact.
  
• Don’t hide behind a podium. It’s a barrier between you and the audience.
  
• For a large presentation from a stage, don’t stand rooted in one place, but don’t pace either.
  
• If at all possible, check out the space in which you will present before your actual presentation.

Body Language:
We communicate non-verbally through our expressions and posture as clearly as through our spoken words.

• Watch your facial expressions: Showing annoyance or frustration with logistics or questions is not likely to make the audience comfortable with you.
  
• Smile!
  
• Make sure your expressions are consistent with what you’re saying.
  
• Don’t slump: Standing tall conveys confidence.
  
• Don’t put hands on hips.
  
• Don’t sway.
  
• Don’t stand with arms folded.
  
• Don’t play with hair, glasses, or coins in pocket.

Improving Vocal Power:

• Warm up your voice: Hum, do tongue twisters.
  
• Avoid fillers like “um,” “ah,” “you know.”
  
• Vary the speed and volume of your delivery.
  
• Use pauses for emphasis.
  
• It’s better to speak a bit fast than too slowly.
  
• Avoid ice water because the voice likes warmth.
  
• Avoid milk products which produce mucus.