What strategies you will follow for effective oral delivery of a presentation?

  1. Make a good set of notes you can follow at a glance, and PRACTICE your presentation.
  2. Dress for the occasion and tidy yourself up. Do something about hair that tends to fall into your face. Avoid wearing a hat or cap because it can obscure your face.
  3. Arrange the environment to suit your presentation and get rid of distractions; erase needless information from the boards, turn off equipment you’re not going to use, close or open windows, blinds and doors to aid audience visibility, hearing and comfort. Turn on enough light so people can adequately see you, your eyes and your facial expressions.
  4. Check the operation of audiovisual equipment before your presentation. Have a backup plan in case it fails.
  5. Make sure your notes and other materials are in proper order before you begin.
  6. Get rid of any gum or food you might have in your mouth. Don't hold a pen or paper clip or anything else that you might twiddle and distract your listeners.
  7. Stand or sit up straight with your weight balanced. Avoid slumping, twisting or leaning on the lectern, table, or computer console. Don't stand in the light from the projector.
  8. Make eye contact before you start to speak, as you normally do in beginning a conversation.
  9. Don't start with “um” or “OK.”
  10.  Talk to your listeners as if you are having a conversation with them.
    • Make plenty of genuine eye-to-eye contact with members of the audience.
    • Avoid merely reading your presentation.
    • Focus on sharing your ideas. Communicate.
  11. Use your voice expressively and meaningfully.
    • Minimize the uhs, ums, likes and y’knows.
    • Enunciate words clearly. Don’t mumble or garble them.
    • Speak with appropriate loudness and speed. Consider audience, place and topic.
    • Use variations in speed, inflections, and force to enhance your meaning and hold audience attention. Avoid monotony.
  12. Use your body expressively and meaningfully.
    • Look interested in your topic. Show your enthusiasm, sincerity, commitment.
    • Minimize distracting mannerisms and aimlessly shifting weight or moving about.
    • Use gesture and movement naturally to describe things, underscore transitions and emphasize points.

Remember the 3 Es of Effective Delivery: Energy, Eye Contact and Expression!

Show

Whether you are a seasoned speaker or a neophyte with glossophobia, the fear of speaking in public, there are basic strategies you can employ to ensure your presentation is smooth, well-crafted and well-received. Speaking in front of your peers, a boardroom full of investors or an audience waiting for an inspirational message all employ the same basic strategies for success.

Know Your Subject

  1. It’s much easier to talk freely and confidently about something you know intimately than on a subject that’s foreign to you. With proper preparation, you should be able to spout off statistics, refer to anecdotal stories and provide clear, concise information on any subject. Know your topic before you ever hit the stage even if you use a multimedia presentation to go along with your speech. The prepared research will boost your confidence, allow you to improvise when necessary and answer questions from the audience if they arise.

Prepare

  1. Once you’ve done the research and know your topic well, you should prepare for your presentation by writing out your speech or at least the talking points you want to cover. One of the most important aspects of a presentation is your opening statement. It’s during those first crucial 60 to 90 seconds that you can capture the attention of your audience or thoroughly lose them. Your opening remarks give your audience a preview of the topic and a chance to get to know a little bit about you. If you don’t write anything else down, write and memorize your opening lines. Keep your notes close by in case you need to refer to them and prepare a solid conclusion that wraps up your presentation in the manner you want it to, whether it’s an overview of the points you made or a call to action.

Control Your Voice

  1. The tenor and strength of your voice adds to or detracts from the credibility of your information. A strong, clear voice portrays confidence in the subject and your conclusions, while a weak, tremulous voice indicates fear and trepidation. To give your voice the power to make effective presentations, start by relaxing. Your vocal chords tighten up when you’re tense. Then breathe to release pent-up anxiety and to relax your diaphragm from where your voice should emanate. With the added breath in your diaphragm, you then can magnify your voice, giving it added strength. Speak slowly enough so that you can articulate each word. Add facial and hand gestures to emphasize your speaking points. Gestures correlate with vocal variety, a boost if you tend to speak in a monotone voice.

Practice

  1. If it helps, practice your presentation in front of a mirror. This habit allows you to critique your body language as well as your speaking voice and general demeanor. Do a dry run in front of colleagues or a friend who will give you honest feedback. Ask your trial audience to make suggestions and point out errors and missteps. Request positive feedback as well to boost your confidence and discover the interesting and informative aspects of your presentation that you want to make sure you keep for the final presentation. Time your trial run ensure you have enough information to fill the allotted time and to learn what you need to cut if your presentation runs too long.