Six simple tricks that will make your next presentation a total success

Trick 1: Start strong. There is no second chance for a first impression. If you botch it at the beginning, the rest of your presentation will be an uphill battle. Think of an attention getter to surprise your audience. Should you be less creative, you can resort to flattering. But be careful: only compliment people on things your really like or respect about them. Don’t go over the top, most people have an in-built lie detector, and will feel mocked if you butter them up too much.

Say something nice about the company, or, on an away game, the town you are visiting. People often identify with their employer or their home.

Two: Speak slowly. Many presenters tend to press fast forward when speaking to a group of listeners. Maybe it’s because of nervousness or stress. If you catch yourself getting muddled, take a deep breath and make a pause. Look at your audience and let the content sink in. It also helps to count 21, 22 , after each sentence, especially at the beginning of the presentation, to set a moderate pace.

Three: Don’t learn the text of your presentation by heart. Your voice aquires a certain tone when reeling off memorized data which will have a lulling effect on your audience. Try to modulate your voice instead, change speed and volume according to your content.

Four: Keep your slides simple. Don’t force feed tons data to your audience. If you have to provide

technical information, compare it to somehing that also the uninitiated can relate to. Like Steven Jobs, when introducing the new Mc Book Air, to highlight its thinness, he put it into a Manila envelope. A good example explains more than vast numbers of columns, diagrams and charts.

Five: Create suspense. You have to start strong. But don’t go in all guns blazing. People always want more. If you shoot your wad at the beginning you won’t be able to up the ante and your audience will get bored. Mix some average stuff between highlights and your audience will hang on to your every word.

Trick Six: Save the best for the last. You will have to start strong and keep your audience coming beg for more, but make sure to finish with a firework. Mention the topic you want people to keep in mind at the end of your presentation. Its important to capivate your audience, keep them in suspense, but finish with a downer, this is what they will remember about you. Put some real thought into what to say at the end of your presentation, because this how your audience will keep you in mind.

Six simple tricks that will make all the difference, try and find out for your yourself.