Tips and tricks for first-time presenters

For those who are first-time presenters, the above provides broad level guidance, but how does that translate into practical tips and tricks? Remember:

The listener owes you nothing
If you’re presenting something that isn’t interesting to the audience or you aren’t engaging them, then the audience will check out. Ask yourself, “So what? Why should the audience care?” For each point, anecdote, fact, story, or slide, find the takeaway or the insight, and if there isn’t one, don’t use it.

Know your audience
How does one avoid listener disengagement? Know your audience and understand their concerns and needs so that you can tailor the presentation accordingly. Two ways to do this are to ask the person who gave you the opportunity (like your manager) who your audience is or ask a proxy who knows the audience. If nothing else, approach an actual member of the audience and ask if they can recommend someone you can talk to.

Practice, practice, practice
When you see a good presenter, know that they have likely spent a lot of time preparing their presentation behind the scenes. The ratio of time spent presenting to the time spent preparing is tiny, because practice is key. Write speaking notes for each slide and understand the message behind that slide, why the audience should care, and how it will link to the next slide. Then prepare dry runs with proxies. Start with your co-workers or the person who gave you that opportunity to present. If you approached the audience for a proxy, then present in front of that proxy. Ask for comments and advice on pacing, pausing, the message, the use of slides, everything. As Rai said, “The people who make it look easy have spent a ton of time preparing behind the scenes that you haven’t seen.” So, practice.

Slides
Slides are a support and a visual aid, not the star of your show. First, build out your message or narrative and understand your audience—and create slides to support that. Additionally, the focus of the presentation should be you, not the slides, so less is more. Use graphics and one- or two-word bullets (and remember to have a reason for each of them).

Tips and tricks for repeat presenters

The above is helpful if you are new to this, but what if you have been doing this for a while? The biggest risk you face as a regular presenter is complacency. As you get more efficient, building presentations can happen more quickly and easily, but there is also the risk of assuming you know it all. How do you get over that?

Know your audience
Even if you have presented to the same audience before, their needs, emotions, and perspectives may have changed and evolved, and you need to evolve with it. If you know your audience, work to tailor the experience for them.

Practice, practice, practice
Even if you’ve done this before, practice is still key. Practice helps reduce awkward pauses and unnecessary information, keeping your focus on the key message.

Like a marathon, you don’t start by running 42 km—first you train and build momentum

Tackling challenging questions

You’ve done it. You’ve made your first, tenth, or fiftieth executive presentation. But the presentation is only half the battle. Now it’s time for questions. How do you manage that Q&A?

Know your audience
Again, knowing your audience can help you prepare for some questions. Understand what areas they may focus on and try to anticipate the questions. Ask the proxies or the person who gave you the opportunity to present what type of questions you may get. While you can’t predict the exact questions, you can get an idea of the type, which allows you to be better prepared.

Practice, practice, practice
When you’re practicing, ask your proxies to ask you questions and see if you are prepared. If there are gaps, prepare based on the feedback you receive. Being a subject matter expert, you may leave out some details, thinking that everyone would know them, so these dry runs will help you develop effective, high-level summaries to have ready if needed.

It’s okay to say “I don’t know”
No one is expecting perfection, so it’s okay to say “I don’t know” and then follow up with a “I’ll find out and get back to you in (an appropriate deadline).” Don’t fumble through a half-baked answer if you aren’t sure. People appreciate candour, and giving someone a timeline for getting back to them shows transparency on your part as well.

How to land the opportunity

While the above advice is all well and good for when you get the presentation, the tough part is often securing the opportunity. For that, build your way up.

Like a marathon, you don’t start by running 42 km—first you train and build momentum. Start small and make your way to the top. The first step could be to start with your boss, learn from your mistakes, and develop yourself from there.

This will put you in front of your boss and demonstrate your initiative, allowing them to see the progress you are making, so that when it comes time for a real presentation, they will have someone they can call on.

Conclusion

Any presentation, whether for executives or others, comes down to knowing your audience and practicing. Rai says, “Being a good presenter is the same as being a good gift giver. You want to give the other person the gift they want, not the gift that you think they want.”