If you are in a middle level position in any big company, you would have to make presentations and deal with clients. Or you need to atleast give training sessions to people. In such situations, good presentation skills becomes necessary to deliver a good and satisfactory presentation.

Below are given seven tips for making an effective business presentation.

Plan your presentation: Planning is an important aspect to achieve any goal. This holds good even in making a business presentation. Plan the content of your presentation in advance and organise your thoughts in a logical manner. Also, it is advisable to rehearse your presentation in front of a mirror.

Dress neatly and be in formal attire. On the day of the presentation, make sure that you appear smart with a pleasing outfit and hair trimmed. If necessary, have a handkerchief and a small comb in your pocket.

Make use of gestures and keep eye-contact. Always use gestures and maintain proper eye- contact with your audience (or clients). Gestures would enable you to explain your concept more precisely and making eye contact will help you to know if your audience is following you correctly.

Speak slowly in a relaxed tone: Make it a habit to speak slowly and in a calm tone. Do not rush through the presentation or speak too fast; this makes the audience feel confused and have a wrong impression that you are tensed and unprepared for the presentation. Speaking slowly in a moderate tone would also help you to think as you speak.

Employ visual aids: Make use of visual aids while making a presentation. If you do not have a power point presentation on computer and an overhead projector, a marker and a board will do to make your point clear. Also, you can carry a book with a brief note of the points to be covered in the presentation.

Ask for any questions.  Before making the presentation, it is advantageous to think over all the possible queries that your might get from your audience. By doing so, you can answer any doubts or clarifications from your audience with ease.

Solicit feedback:  At the end of your presentation, thank your audience and ask for any genuine feedback or comments. This would help you in making more effective presentations in future.

Following the above guidelines would definitely help you in making an effective and a good presentation.