In order to successfully share your ideas, impress your coworkers and move up as a professional in your industry, the ability to give effective presentations is as valuable as they come. To even have the confidence to run your own presentation is something that will impress those around you, but there are ways to make sure that people are engaged and actually listen to what you have to say. Whether your goal is to create an informed discussion between peers or to demonstrate your projects and strategies for approval from those at a higher level at your company, these points will stand you in good stead.
Prepare
Have you ever tried to listen to someone who either doesn’t know what they’re talking about, or someone who pauses every two seconds to think or remember what to say? It’s more than mildly infuriating. You find yourself disengaged and not really listening to what the person is saying, and simply waiting until this entire situation draws to a close. You do not want to be that person. Preparation is key.
But preparation can mean a lot of different things, especially depending on the type of presentation you wish to run. Certainly knowing what you want to say and rehearsing it a few times beforehand is beneficial to the smoothness of your delivery. This smoothness of delivery has the effect of confidence being injected into your words so, for those hearing them, their engagement is increased.
Know Your Number
It can be horribly embarrassing when giving a presentation if you forget the facts and stats that underpin your overarching message. When you watch Dragons Den (or Shark Tank) on TV, it can be immensely cringeworthy when the contestants don’t know their revenue, profit margins or overhead costs! No matter what presentation you are giving, there will be some figures and stats to add in. Make sure you have memorised your stats and can answer questions about the numbers with confidence, which brings us onto our next point…
Be Confident
Confidence is infectious, as shown before. Your confidence in the way you speak and the way you act has a great impact on the engagement of those watching and listening to you. Not only that, but by implementing small changes in your posture, movement and voice, you’ll subconsciously begin to act more confidently during the presentation and afterwards. Having confidence in your words and abilities is demonstrating leadership skills and giving yourself the presence of a leader. So what minor tweaks can we implement?
As mentioned before, merely running a presentation shows confidence, but during the meeting there are ways to appear and exude more confidence. Don’t let your words become a speech; there are reasons why discussions work better. Even though you’re running the meeting, ask questions or pose things to your coworkers for them to comment on. This will show that you care about what you have to say and that you’re interested in getting the best result for the company, not just for yourself.
Storytelling, and the ability to utilise this in your presentations, is a surefire way to boost engagement in what you’re saying. It’s a scientific fact that humans like narrative structures and so by using them in your presentation you’re tapping into our shared evolutionary need to listen to stories.
Maintaining good posture is of paramount importance when giving presentations. Whether it’s in person or online, people notice when you slouch or merely when you’re not sitting or standing straight. Your body language is super important whenever you’re in a professional environment, because people can read that as more truthful than what you might be saying. Having your shoulders closed off can make you appear smaller and therefore you don’t stand out, which you kind of want to do when running a presentation. So keeping a straight back and shoulders and feet shoulder width apart should be something you focus on.
When giving your presentations online, posture is still a major factor in the engagement of your audience. Unfortunately, a regular office chair doesn’t give you the ergonomic support to correct your posture and make your presentations all the more successful. Luckily this is something we can help you with.
How Flexispot Can Help
For a sleek and professional chair designed for success in business and in health, we’d recommend the FlexiChair BackSupport Office Chair BS8. But if you’re interested in standing while giving presentations, we have a wide range of height adjustable desks that can allow you to give an online presentation like you’re in the same room with your audience.
If you want to learn more about our products and how they can help you reach your professional goals, please speak to us and we’d be happy to help.
