Presentations can be daunting in many ways and tend to be done by people who are in a ’sales’ position for a company. Sales people have no problem talking about themselves or their business and a stage to do this on with many people is exciting as much as it is nerve racking.  By no means are presentations easy even for those who do them regularly, but it is all about the style of your presentation, how you prepare and how you customize your presentation to the audience.

Styles Of Presentations:

Generally there are two types of presentations, that will have a large impact on how you prepare the content in the presentation.

1. Conference Style: Speaking to a large audience, generally the mood here is less informational in terms of data and numbers and more casual. The use of images vs. charts is over-weighed and the tone is engaging and somewhat humorous. This type of style is more to market a company or service to many people, giving them small bits of important information to make them want more and look for more. Slides are generally used with this style.
2. Boardroom Style: Speaking to a smaller audience, and using more pin pointed exact numbers and even graphs to dictate important information. The use of both images and charts would be used, however charts are more important in this style. The mood is usually more serious for example the meeting could be about how your first two quarters for sales have gone, so little humor here.

Presentation Tips:

1. Understand the content of the presentation and exactly what you will discuss.
2. Understand the mood of your venue as this will have much to do with how you will present.
3. If you can, try to generally know your audience so you can cater your presentation to them.
4. Slides are a great way to keep people stimulated while you talk. Generally speaking presentations are about an hour long and by adding slides it might help keep people up!
5. Your content in your slides needs to be simple. Don’t overdue slides with information as no one will read it.
6. Practice your presentation at least once or twice in the mirror with the slides. It is worth it believe me.
7. Have a backup plan to skip slides or content if your audience is different then you thought. *For example: You thought they would all be business owners to find out only a few really are. Well you now need to get them all up to speed so they are all thinking like business owners.
8. Plan appropriately, your content for talking with slides or without are much different. Be comfortable with this.
9. Do your research. Youtube.com has a ton of videos like this on their website, check them out and get some inspiration.

I had a presentation to give, well I was the guest speaker this week for Girl Geek Dinners and there was not a projector available. The problem was I organically planned for a projector so the content I had with me was longer then I wanted. I stumbled slightly, but then cut much out of the presentation and started to give examples and ideas instead to pick everything back up.

Enjoy yourself, because if you do so will everyone who is listening!