How to Give a Presentation Like a Pro
There are no definite rules on how to handle different types of audiences and to keep them involved during a presentation. However, there are some basic guidelines or tricks that can help the speaker retain the attention of different people. Here is your guide on how to give a presentation like a pro.
Managing the Audience
The most important thing that needs to be considered while giving a presentation and managing the audience, is the occasion and the task assigned to the speaker. For example, if the speaker is assigned to give a motivational presentation, they then need to focus on sounding delighted and maybe include a lot of facts that are motivational. However, if the presentation is a cremation presentation or an ode to someone, then they need to be calm in their tone and the content of the presentation also needs to be suitable for the situation. The tone is essential and helps you give a presentation like a pro.
There are some general tips and techniques needed to maintain all sorts of audience attention. It is usually considered a plus point if the speaker is aware of their audience. This means having a general idea about their age, and their environment. This information helps the speaker change the content of the presentation to suit the particular group. Also, it helps them maintain the audience’s focus on them. If there are various age groups coming from different backgrounds, then the speaker must try to find something in common between them. They can share a university or city, and the speaker must include elements that suit the audience in their presentation if they wish to maintain their attention.
Start with a bang, not a whimper
It also helps if the speaker starts by making a shocking statement or telling a shocking fact about a ‘common link’, because people’s attention span is usually relatively small. So starting off by saying something shocking helps the speaker get the desired attention from the audience. The speaker must make eye contact with all sorts of an audience and all sections of the seating ground, instead of just focusing on one area. This eye contact makes the speaker seem interested in all the audience members. It helps to retain the audience’s attention.
The speaker must make sure to stay optimistic and include some smiles in between their presentations. However, if the situation is serious. Then the speaker must try to sound subtly positive and try to include some soft smiles. This attitude makes the audience relate better to the speaker. They look at the speaker as some sort of comfort source and they tend to listen more carefully.
Use stories to feel more realistic
It also helps if the speaker includes stories about the locality or some story that links to the issue. This makes the entire presentation feel more realistic to the audience. They pay closer attention, and they also become better educated on the topic. They learn more and even the easily distracted audience tends to be more attentive, when the speaker is telling a story of the general human tendency. Stories intrigue people, and they tend to pay close attention.
However, all of the tricks told above to maintain different audience’s attention would be pointless if the speaker does not include voice modulations throughout their presentation, as monotonous presentations are very boring to listen to. Voice changes give the audience the variety they need and they tend to continue to give the speaker their attention.
