Mind Tools E-book
	The key tools on the Mind Tools site, brought together into one easily downloadable, easily printable PDF. More>>

Delivering Great Presentations

Communicating effectively with the right delivery, content and slides

Ever been to a really bad presentation? You know, the kind where the speaker stands behind the podium, uses slides that mirror what he is saying directly, and includes lots of data tables to validate his position. But… “What’s so bad about that?” you ask. “Isn’t that how most presentations are given?”

Yes. That is how most presentations are delivered, but that doesn’t mean that’s the most effective way to deliver them. This kind of presentation risks boring your audience to the point where they start for a fire alarm to go off so they can escape. And once you lose someone, it is next to impossible to bring his or her attention back.

If the information you are presenting is important enough for you to deliver orally, then it demands an appropriate amount of planning and preparation so that the information you present is memorable – for the right reasons. Give a bad presentation and you’ll be remembered all right: It just won’t be the type of impression you want to leave in anyone’s mind.

When someone presents well, it sends the message that the person is capable, confident, intelligent, and competent. These people get noticed and that type of attention bodes well for your career. Even if you don’t make formal presentations in your current position, think about the future and keep in mind that you do have to present your ideas and opinions on a daily basis. The same basic principles of effective delivery apply... (Sign in to read more.)

Full text of this article is available to Premium Members of the Mind Tools Career Excellence Club. If you're a Premium Member, please click here for full text, or sign in below.

Member Sign In: Username: Password: If you're not yet a member, take our FREE tour, and find out how much you get.       Membership has its benefits Take our free tour to find out how to get everything you need to put yourself on the fast-track to life and career success: Comprehensive management and career training with our Extended Toolkit of more than 270 career-enhancing skill-builder articles, and more than 25 Downloadable Bite-Sized Training Packs, teaching you key new skills in focused one-hour sessions. Regular career-success coaching in our Coaching Clinics, helping you explore career issues and build the mindset and motivation you need for lasting success. Completely up-to-date knowledge of the latest ideas with our MP3-based Book Insights(with downloadable transcripts), reviewing recent management and career books in detail. In-depth exploration of career issues in our in-depth, MP3-based Expert Interviews with leading career and management experts, helping you make the most of your opportunities and stay abreast of leading-edge career and management thinking. Your personal, unique, global community of excellence, in which you'll join thousands of like-minded professionals. Learn from their experience, find out what's worked for them and get help when you need it. Help and support from the Mind Tools team, totally focused on helping you make the very most of your life and career – wherever you are in the world. All this, for an introductory fee of US$1 for the first month, and a low monthly subscription! (You can cancel at any time.) Click here for our free tour! >>

Where to go from here:		Join Mind Tools		Free Newsletter
		Download & Print		Next Article

New Articles (Not included in the Mind Tools E-book.)
* Shows articles available in full only to Career Excellence Club Premium members

Managing Presentation Nerves - Coping with the fear within
Facilitation - Guiding an event through to a successful conclusion
Questioning Techniques - Asking questions effectively
Keep It Simple - Avoiding confusion and complexity*
Creating a Value Proposition - Clearly communicating benefits*
Charts and Graphs - Choosing the right format
Chunking - Grouping information so it's more easily understood*
The Rhetorical Triangle - Making your writing credible, appealing and logical*
Role Playing - Preparing for difficult conversations and situations
Powers of Persuasion - Understanding the dos and don'ts of persuading*
Communications Planning - Getting the right message over, in the right way*
Concept Attainment - Reaching a shared understanding of important ideas*
Jargon Busting - Communicating without creating barriers*
Body Language - Understanding non-verbal communictaion

A full list of Mind Tools articles is available here.

return to top

Learn to manage the stress in your life with our sister site, stress.mindtools.com.

Mind Tools Store: Mind Tools Ebook, Make Time for Success
 Stress Management Masterclass, How to Lead, Design Your Life
 Relaxation MP3s

© Mind Tools Ltd, 1995-2008, All Rights Reserved

For requests to reprint or reproduce material from this site, please contact our Permissions Center.

Store · Search · Newsletter · Downloads · Advertisers · Affiliates

MindTools.com is one of the Internet's most-visited career skills resources.
Click here to see analysis.