If you have ever attended a conference or just watched a TED talk, you probably saw that people who give those presentations really know how to wow an audience. No matter whether the topic is interesting or not, they manage to turn it into something people will discuss for days. In case you’re running your own business, knowing how to do this can do wonders for your organization. But how exactly do you step up your business presentation game? Listed below are five tips for a business presentation that may help you.
Tell a story
No business presentation has to be a work of fiction. However, it’s critical to connect with your audience from the very beginning and the best way to do this is to take them on a journey. Regardless if you’re delivering a presentation to your clients or potential business partners, it’s your job to help them see the story of success and how working with you can pay off. No matter what kind of story you decide to tell, if you manage to get them emotionally involved, your presentation is guaranteed to be a success.
Know your stuff
There’s nothing worse than listening to someone giving a presentation without knowing their stuff. Most business presentations require you to provide stats to your audience and the only way to do it is to actually know all the numbers. Knowing everything you want to throw at your audience by heart is a must, which is why it’s absolutely necessary to do your research before your presentation. Also, bear in mind that people in your audience may have questions and not having the answers can make your presentation completely ineffective.
Make it unique
There’s no need to say that you don’t want your audience to see your presentation as nap time. This is exactly why sticking to every guideline isn’t necessarily the best idea. Instead of taking all the standard steps, think of something that’ll make your presentation unique. For example, in lieu of writing on a whiteboard, get a permanent marker and scribble on a piece of paper you’ll later pass to your audience. Another good idea is to include photos from your office into slides as a substitute for generic ones you can find on the web.
Keep it simple
When preparing your presentation, think about how much your audience already knows about your company or even the industry you’re in. If their knowledge of it is limited, keeping your presentation simple is a good idea. The last thing you want to do is throw around words no one in your audience understands. On the other hand, keeping things simple allows everyone to engage in your presentation and understand the message you want to send. Also, don’t be afraid of repetition if there’s a point you really want to get across.
Introduce the team
Your employees are your business’s most valuable asset and including them in your presentation makes a lot of sense. See if there are ways to make it a group presentation and assign everyone a topic they’ll discuss. If not, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t introduce your team as a part of your presentation. Sometimes, all it takes is to tell a funny story about a team member of yours and your audience will connect to your business on an emotional level. Another alternative is to include a group picture in one of your slides.
Final thoughts
If you’re just going through your slides, the entire thing becomes boring and it’s something your audience could do themselves. On the other hand, a killer presentation can help lure people to your business and make growing it much easier. Hope these 5 tips for business presentation will help you nail in your next presentations.