Let us discuss about the art of presentation today- Yes, the perfect presentation that would take you to newer heights of your carrier. You shall be better off with a little presentation practice
You shall be better off with a little presentation practice
This is all about what it takes to be a brilliant presenter. This is matter of your planning as to how much work you shall do and how it matters. Being a good presenter has always been more important for any good manager and this can transform your entire carrier rapidly.

I know no one would ever admit that he is not an expert in the field of presentation, especially being in marketing profession. All of us related to marketing, different kind of presentations are one of the main subjects, which are supposed to be our forte. Since we come from different top business schools would never admit that some of us become frightened and shake with the mere thought of getting up and addressing a gathering of professional or customers. That is quite normal until you have done it for a couple of times and perfected the art of presentation.

Therefore, I have decided to share some of the points and when I am through little effort of mine, I am confident that you shall feel big difference. Let us see at some of the points and once we have gone through what I have to discuss with you, you would certainly feel that you were missing a few points.

First point, I recognize that there are different levels of competence. I do not follow the school of advice that makes bold assumptions. Let me explain it this way that we should not use any language while making a presentation that does not give the audience a very clear picture what you have to share with them.

We are going to make this systematically starting at the beginning. Trust me even if you were a seasoned campaigner at this art, some one, who considers himself an expert in presentation, should become a better professional. Trust me that if you followed the points contained here seriously there is no way you should not reach to the higher level rapidly.

Presentation can make some of us afraid
Yes, even the name of presentation is frightening, it can give most of us shaky legs if asked to stand and speak in front of a gathering in a conference room. I remember while posted as a regional manager in Kolkata and we had gone to Katihar, a town in Bihar for a seminar to promote our machines through a presentation. I was surprised to see that the man in-charge of the area could not standup and speak a few lines despite repeated requests from different customers despite the fact that they were his regular customers but he could not gather the courage to speak standing in front of them as a presenter.

At almost every level of almost every company, there is need to do presentations and this occurs quite often, which could be a simple thanks to your customers in a gathering, even that is a presentation. On the other hand updating about activities of your company in front of new clients, a meet of dealers/distributors or a new marketing campaigns/strategies, new products, launch of a new series they all count and count better if accompanied by visual aids work if that is a big presentation.

How do you actually do a brilliant presentation if you have a limited time to get your act together, just go through the points I have mentioned here. That would very much depend upon having your nerves controlled. Yes, that is right - This could be one big problem you might face standing up and putting your points across the big gathering. You shall have to sound fresh, informative, relevant, and enthusiastic like a well-knit story. Let me be a little more clearly about these points -
1- The context of your presentation- This should be clear without a single slip because missing some thing would only lead you to fabricate the stories and that is one big blunder.
2- Emphasize on your main story- Yes you may go to different related topics while doing your presentation but never stray from the main story, you must come back to it often and keep it in center.
3- Develop your presentation smoothly- Make it as swiftly as possible, keep your listeners engaged with different related points, keep your story colored with interest. Never let it become dull and too long at a stretch. Have some breathing space for yourself and your audience.
4- If you are doing a big presentation- And you have the support of visuals, this would give you an added advantage to support your views with visuals. You know a picture is equal to hundreds of words. Use them carefully to nail the points exactly there where you want.
5- Make it, as a well-knit story- You may find different opinions about a good presentation but one thing is for sure that this is a story that begins somewhere, has a midpoint and a finish in the end. The story may vary according to context and audience but this is certainly a story in any case.
6- A good memory is your weapon - Yes that is true, every effort will prove useless in the end if you forgot the lines midway and started looking at your seniors, juniors or even at audience for a helping hand. Keep every point prepared in advance like a well-oiled machine and go explain every thing in most normal and relaxed way.
7- You should know about - You should know where to pause and see the effect but do not overdo it else, some one may stand up to ask if you were all right. Do not let your audience catch the impression that you have dried in blind terror and you are still he in charge of the show.
8- Rehearse - So that you leave nothing to chance but do not overdo it, just to make sure that you know your important points and to highlight them at the right juncture.
9- Spend as much time as you can – Yes while preparing for your presentation see to it that you spent as much time making finer points and giving them a perfect shape that will keep your audience spellbound. The harsh truth is you shall have to work hard. There is no alternative of hard work.
10- And here is the final point from me – enjoy your presentation. Although that is not easy to enjoy the presentation while so much at stake and with shaking legs but trust me once you are through that experience you would ultimately get better at this art. Once the job done satisfactorily and you have done a good presentation the euphoria will make you feel, better and you will find yourself waiting for your next presentation with that much enthusiasm.