The ability to deliver powerful presentations is a skill that most people in business need to practice, not just leaders and managers. Whether it’s presenting to 5 people in a board room or a room full of 700 people, the same strategies need to apply if you want to deliver a powerful presentation.
Here are seven highly effective presentation delivery strategies that help to capture your audience’s attention and get them to take action:
- Listen to your audience
Know who you are speaking to and what they care about. No two audiences are the same, so even if you know your one clear message that you want to communicate, you will need to adapt it according to the audience.
Are you presenting to a board that will approve your recommendations based on cost vs. benefit? Or a room full of product managers who wants to understand the key features and benefits of the latest technology gadget.
Think about what motivates them and adapt your presentation so that it sparks interest on issues that your audience care about.
- Keep it open
It’s important to remember that a great presentation is about so much more than just content. Your delivery and body language play a huge role in the success of your presentation.
If you’re a feeling a little nervous, it’s easy for your body to stoop and for your arms to be pinned too close to your body. These postures are a big giveaway that you feel nervous or uncomfortable (which will make your audience feel that way too!).
Keep an open body language throughout. You could try practising what I call a ‘power stance’ pose… feet shoulder width apart, head up, arms by your side so they are relaxed.
Feel the difference?
I’m not suggesting that you deliver your entire presentation in that rigid pose, but your ‘power stance’ is another powerful way to spark interest and signal that your audience should really pay attention.
- Place emphasis on operative words
The meaning of what you intend to say can be very different if you don’t put the emphasis on the right word.
For example:
I didn’t tell you to eat the cake
I didn’t tell you to eat the cake
I didn’t tell you to eat the cake
I didn’t tell you to eat the cake
I didn’t tell you to eat the cake
I didn’t tell you to eat the cake
Go through your presentation and underline the most persuasive words that you really want to emphasize. Words that evoke action or emotion. Now consider your non-verbal communication when you say those words. What actions might you do to place even more emphasis on those words to get your audience’s attention?
- Scan and stop
However big or small your audience is, you want to draw in everyone and get them to pay attention to what you have to say. A great technique to use is the ‘scan and stop’ method:
Say a sentence by scanning the room, then stop at someone and deliver the punchline. Then scan again, say a sentence and stop at someone else to reiterate another point.
You’ll have your audience on the edge of their seats thinking: ‘Wow! Is she/he going to stop at me next?!’
- Change pitch, volume, rate
By raising or lowering volume occasionally, you can create emphasis. Similarly, by speeding up and slowing down you create the right dynamic so that your audience stay tuned to your every word.
Remember that when you are nervous, you’re more likely to speed up your delivery pace and speak at a higher pitch, so practice really slowing it down to create the right amount of tension and energy.
- Pause
Never underestimate the power of the pause. They can be used before or after an important message to emphasize it or gain attention. Give a few seconds before you say a big statement and have the courage to stay silent for up to five seconds. The authority and weight it will add to the proceeding statement will give it punch and power.
- Smile
Have you ever come across someone with a really stern face who initially looked intimating, yet when they smiled at you, your perception changed instantly? A smile makes you look so much more approachable. I’m not talking about flashing your pearly whites all the time, but there will be moments in your speech where you can purposefully smile to light up your whole face and cause the audience to relate to you more.
I go into more detail about effective presentation strategies in my online course: “The Art of Persuasive Speaking in Global Business.” This is ideal for any leader who wants to learn at their own pace on how to create powerful presentations no matter how big or small your audience is.
ENROL ON “THE ART OF PERSUASIVE SPEAKING IN GLOBAL BUSINESS” TODAY >>
