Yesterday, I had a unique experience attending two conferences just five minutes apart. One featured a pitch competition, and the other focused on technical presentations. Today, I want to share three key observations from these events that can help improve your presentation skills. 1. Pace Yourself and Speak Clearly:During the technical presentations, I noticed that some speakers spoke too quickly,…
Here are four invaluable tips on how to enhance your use of gestures during presentations. 1. Maintain Eye Contact:It’s crucial to maintain eye contact with your audience when speaking. Often, presenters get caught up reading slides or looking elsewhere. To avoid this, minimize text on your slides. When you focus on the audience, they are more likely to engage with…
Are you guilty of peppering your presentations with filler words? Words like “um,” “you know,” “so,” and “like”? If so, it’s time to address this habit. Using excessive filler words can undermine your message and distract your audience. I’ve experienced firsthand how these words can alienate listeners. Take, for instance, the story of my mother, who tuned out of a…
Let’s delve into the art of structuring a presentation effectively. One of my top strategies? Start at the end and work your way backwards. Begin by defining your call to action—what do you want your audience to do after your presentation? This serves as your guiding star. Once you’ve identified your objective, reverse engineer your presentation to lead seamlessly towards…
Confidence is a vital ingredient in delivering a successful presentation. Here are 3 essential tips to help you boost your confidence when speaking. 1. Speak about topics you genuinely believe in and have knowledge about It’s challenging to persuade others about something you don’t truly endorse. Reflecting on my own experience, I remember struggling during debates in high school when…
Recently, I came across an article discussing when one should speak up in a meeting and when it’s best to stay silent. While the insights were valuable, I wanted to share two crucial points not covered in the article that I believe are equally important. 1. Speak Up When You Have Something to Say Speaking up should be purposeful. It’s…
