Presentations
Public Speaking and Presenting Your Brand
Why Is It Important?
It is important that, as a presenter, you are accurately representing your brand. This simply means that you are the face of your brand, and your personality will reflect the mission and goals for your organization. Public speaking can be intimidating and frightening for many; this is why it is important to be comfortable with the information that you are presenting, use technology to your advantage to keep the audience entertained, and practice as much as possible!
Capture your audience’s attention by creating fun and interactive presentation slides! If you include images, gifs, transitions, and other visuals, your audience will be able to follow along with the story that is being told more easily. Remember, although the options are endless when it comes to building a creative presentation, less is always more. Your presentation should not take away from the message that you are trying to achieve.
Peoples’ attention spans are getting shorter and shorter, which means that the more slides you have with less content the better. The best way to keep your audience engaged in your presentation is through fast-paced slides with lots of visuals. Be sure to not overwhelm your audience with too many words or charts on one slide. Keep your presentation slides minimal in design, but plentiful in number.
Images and videos are great elements to include in your presentation, but only if they are clear and high-resolution. Avoid blurry and pixelated photos in your presentation. Not only will your presentation look unprofessional, but the blurry image could distract audience members from the overall content.
Once you have finished your presentation, have someone else read over the content on the slides. A fresh set of eyes could catch typos or formatting mistakes that you may not have noticed.
Practice, practice, practice! Giving a presentation can be nerve wrecking, but the more you practice, the more comfortable you will be when you are in front of an audience. Try giving your presentation to a team member or friend, or practice in front of the mirror.
Be personable with your audience during a presentation. Although you are presenting to the crowd, provide opportunities for interaction whenever possible. Interacting can be as simple as raising a hand, or you could conduct a poll or survey and use results as part of your presentation.
Not only should you interact with your audience, but let them in on who is speaking to them. Give a brief introduction about who you are, and why you are speaking. Avoid lengthy introductions, and instead, add in personal anecdotes throughout your presentation to boost interest and engagement.