The top ten tips for presenting with more IMPACT

Presenting with impact is a skill we can all learn and a skill that pays off many times over because it enables us to have influence through our presentations be they formal or informal. Here are ten tips that when you embrace them will enable you to present with more IMPACT.

Have a great title

Headline what you are going to say. Make the title thought provoking, intriguing, and exciting; so before you start speaking your audience is eagerly anticipating what you are going to say. Focus your presentation around the title theme.

Manage your state

Before you present makes sure you are in your ‘presentation zone’. Remember the times when you presented brilliantly, the times you controlled your audience, the times you influenced decisions, the times the participants learned effortlessly etc. and recall those feelings before you start to present.

Own the message

Always totally own the message of the presentation, make it yours and make it in your own words. You have to be totally comfortable with the content you are presenting to present it with impact. Make sure you practice, practice, practice.

Build rapport

From the moment you first meet your audience build up rapport with them by making eye contact, mirroring body language and if possible discussing their ideas for the presentation before you start formally. Ensure your presentation answers the question “what is in it for me” for each person in the audience.

Engage all the senses

Some people prefer presentations to be primarily visual, some primarily auditory and others primarily through feeling so appeal to all sections of your audience through your use of language, and by structuring the presentation to include visual aids, question and answer sessions and by involvement.

Engage all learning styles

Each of your audience will have a preferred learning style so structure your presentation to cater for each by answering the questions; ‘Why would I want to know this?’ (for the Reflector ), ‘What is this all about?’ (Activist ), ‘How will it work for me?’ (Pragmatist) and ‘What if I do use it?’ (Theorist).

Big picture and detail

Paint the big picture for those in your audience who need the big picture – tell them what you are going to tell them. (Leave an agenda in view to refer to through the presentation so your audience can see how the presentation is fitting together.) Go through the detail for those that need detail – tell them, and round off with a great conclusion for everyone – tell them what you told them.

Use influential language patterns

Studies have shown that great presenters use a variety of influential patterns such as – putting tags at the end of sentences eg “this works doesn’t it?”, mind reading eg “I’m sure as you are listening to this you are as intrigued as I am in influential language”, and there are many more patterns that you can learn.

Story telling

We learn best through stories so weave stories into your presentation.

Ask for the order

Always leave your audience clear as to what they should do with the information you have given them and the next steps following the presentation.

About the Author
Colin Graves is a director of Iridium HRD Consulting Limited. For more information on Presenting with Impact contact Colin at www.iridiumconsulting.co.uk