Public Speaking – The Four Forgotten Rules for Making a Great Presentation

So you have to give a presentation. Whether you’re a longtime speaker or preparing one for the first time, you have a lot of work ahead of you to make sure your presentation is informative, engaging, and relevant to your audience.

Naturally, you start by doing research on your topic and the audience you will be speaking to. Then she creates compelling content, practices a lot, and chooses her best outfit for the day of the presentation. Finally, you go through your mental checklist: Body language? Check. Do you remember eye contact? Check. Breathing exercises? Check. An extra battery for your laptop? Check. Great, you’re halfway there!

However, there are some often overlooked or even forgotten public speaking rules that you must follow to create and deliver a presentation that gets your point across, makes you sound like an expert, and is valued by your audience. . These rules are not usually part of the generic “how to give a good presentation” tip sheets. However, NOT doing them makes the difference between a presentation that is just ok and a presentation that is professional, memorable and downright impressive.

The next time you have to give a presentation, make sure you sound like an expert by following these four forgotten rules of public speaking:

Forgotten Rule #1: Show up at least an hour early

A speaker should be ready and waiting for his audience, never the other way around. There are a multitude of reasons to show up at least an hour early. You will have the opportunity to set up all your equipment; get technical help if needed; and get an idea of ​​the area you’ll be walking in and remove any obstacles that might distract your audience and obstruct your space, such as tables, chairs, extension cords, or anything else you might trip over.

Traffic, parking, snow storms, or subway delays will all conspire to stress you out, and you certainly don’t want to appear stressed. Once you arrive and your equipment is set up, you can relax and review your presentation. And if you can, greet your audience members when they arrive. Once you meet them, they are no longer strangers and it is certainly easier to introduce them to friends than in a room full of strangers.

Bottom line, be prepared to arrive early.

Forgotten Rule #2: Murphy’s Law Is Waiting For You

Murphy’s Law states that “everything that can go wrong will go wrong.” And Murphy loves to sabotage unprepared speakers. He thinks carefully about all the things that can go wrong and be prepared for them. He comes early. He brings an extra copy of the presentation to him on a memory key. He prints your slides to distribute in case you can’t connect to the projector. If you bring a laptop, please bring an extra battery. Be prepared to give your presentation without the benefit of your slides in the event of a technical failure. Make sure water is nearby when you show up in case your mouth gets dry. A backup plan is your best defense.

Forgotten rule #3: Perception is everything

Your audience will be watching you before you speak, throughout your presentation, and long after you’re done. However, that doesn’t seem to stop some speakers from frowning or looking overly flustered before speaking. Even if you don’t feel relaxed, you should make an effort to appear as if you are. Your audience expects to get something out of your presentation, and it’s up to you to meet their expectations to the best of your ability. Showing your anxiety on your face serves no other purpose than to show your audience that you are not confident. When all else fails, ‘fake it ’til you make it’. And you will achieve it.

Forgotten Rule #4: Why so loud?

Get rid of all the accessories that make noise when you move. For men, this means removing all keys and loose change from your pocket. Women should choose jewelry and other accessories carefully. If the bracelets make noise when touched, wear only one. Beware of large earrings that detract from your face. Bold colors or patterns can also be distracting to the audience.

The next time you have to give a presentation, keep these four forgotten rules in mind and you’ll impress your audience every time.