Presentation

What actually IS a presentation? A presentation is the process of presenting the content of a topic to an audience. It’s about having a conversation with your listeners, maybe persuading them to adopt a certain viewpoint, inspiring them to take a particular course of action, having them understand a key concept.

An effective presentation is tailored to the specific audience involved. For example, if you were presenting on the progress of a new building project, you would write and deliver your presentation very differently for an audience of engineers as opposed to the local city council or community group.

No-one is born with inherent presentation skills. No matter how polished and professional you may find others, you will invariably discover that their skills have been honed after much trial and error and good honest practice. If you’re prepared to put in the effort and potentially make a fool of yourself, you can and will learn to be a good public speaker.

Powerpoint presentation skills is another subject altogether. Using Powerpoint may not even be necessary for your speech. Don’t automatically use it as a crutch or because you think it’s integral to a good presentation. It’s definitely not, and should be viewed as the visual aid that it is. Ultimately, YOU are the key to the presentation - with your voice, facial expressions, body language, presence, enthusiasm for the topic and sense of humour.