10 Things you should do to prepare for your Next Presentation
Presentations aren’t always easy, which is why it’s important to get yourself prepared. Although it’s not second-nature to present in front of other people, there are a few things that can prepare yourself for what to expect. Here are a few presentation skills you can take advantage of to better prepare yourself for your next presentation. You may also find some tips to create winning presentations in this article itself!
#1. Come Up With Presentation Ideas
This should be your first step of preparing for your presentation. You should ensure that the message you’re delivering in your presentation meets the needs of your audience. After all, you don’t want to lose your audience by coming up with presentation ideas on something they’re not interested in. This will only reflect poorly on your presentation skills.
#2. Create a PowerPoint Presentation Using a Template
You should take advantage of PowerPoint presentation templates when preparing for your next presentation. Microsoft comes with a variety of great PowerPoint presentation templates that you can use to organize your speech and use as a visual aid for your audience for the points you’re making. However, before your presentation, make sure to have someone read over your slides to ensure that everything ties in properly. Also, it helps to have another pair of eyes overlooking your work.
#3. Practice Your Speech
The third thing to do is practice your speech and practice talking in front of other people. This will help you get more used to talking to other people and get your speech in your head to avoid slipups for your presentation. We suggest practicing in front of a mirror as well, so you can nail your body movements and facial expressions that you can use to deliver your speech better.
#4. Read Your Speech
The next thing you should do to prepare yourself for your speech is read it aloud repeatedly. This will help you get the words in your head so that you can memorize them quicker in time for your presentation. Unfortunately, memorization doesn’t come naturally to most people, so it’s important to routinely read over your speech to help your brain recognize and retain the words of your speech. Just remember, the more you read your speech and find new ways to memorize it, the easier your next presentation will be.
#5. Ensure You Know the Material
Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for your next presentation to know your material. You can do this by reading over your speech as we mentioned before, but you should really work on getting to understand your speech line by line, rather than just reading over the words that are prepared. Doing so can help you deliver your presentation more effectively and overall make you a better public speaker.
#6. Take a Public Speaking Class
One of the best ways you can prepare to publicly speak your next presentation is to actually take a public speaking class. This will ensure that you can speak comfortably in front of a large group of people, especially those who you don’t know. This class will also go over body movements and facial expressions that you can use to better deliver your speech and give the points you’re making meaning.
#7. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Before your presentation, it’s important to get a full night’s rest, this way you’re mentally and physically ready to talk in front of others. Without a good night’s sleep, you won’t be able to concentrate and focus on making your presentation. Or, you might even sleep through your presentation and not wake up in time if you spend the night before partying with friends. This is why it’s so important to get plenty of sleep the night before your presentation.
#8. Take a Deep Breath
Before starting your speech, take a few fully, deep breaths to help you focus on your presentation. Taking these breaths will ensure you have enough oxygen in your lungs to say the words you’re going to deliver, clear out any debris in your throat, and clear your mind to help you remember the words of your presentation you memorized. Doing this a few seconds before your speech and once again before you start talking will help you deliver a successful presentation.
#9. Bring a Bottle of Water with You
The big day of the presentation, you should bring a bottle of water with you so you can take a few sips before, during, and after your public speech. This will help clear your throat and prevent your mouth from going dry during the middle of the speech. After all, no one’s a fan of the presenter with the raspy voice.
#10. Bring Eye Drops with You
Although this may seem like a weird thing to bring with you, it’s helpful to squeeze a few eye drops into your eyes before your speech. This will ensure your eyes don’t dry out during your speech, prompting you to over blink while delivering your presentation. Not only does this seem strange to your audience, but it also makes you look like a nervous amateur.
Concluding…
So, here are you! Ready for your winning presentation? Be sure you comment below your experience of presentating the audience.
