Presentations are powerful tools for relaying information, persuading key stakeholders, and displaying your project management team’s successes. Here are some tips to help make your next presentation a crowd pleaser.
1 – Keep charts and graphs clean and simple. Your audience’s comprehension level will increase if they can easily interpret the information you’re presenting.
2 – Use note cards to get back on track if you’re interrupted or become flustered. A brief outline of talking points is usually all that’s needed.
3 – Be familiar with the technology you’re using (projector, project management software, microphone), so you can make necessary adjustments (brightness, volume), and resolve any glitches that may occur.
4 – Avoid visual overload. Save the flashy animations for areas of your presentation that need additional emphasis. For everything else, stick to smooth, subtle transitions.
5 – Don’t try to include everything. Distill your visual and verbal components down to the fundamentals, and make your message clear and concise.
6 – Select a handful of key points (about 4-6) that you most want your audience to remember. Focus on those elements throughout your presentation.
7 – Limit your jokes—you might not be as funny as you think—and remember to keep them appropriate to the audience. If in doubt, leave it out.
8 – Let your audience know if you’ll be addressing questions throughout the presentation, or only at the end. Consider passing out note cards so that participants can jot down their questions as you go along.
9 – Select colors and fonts for your visual components that will enhance readability and comprehension. Strive for good contrast between text, images, and backgrounds.
10 – keep it conservative. Unless your attire is truly part of your presentation (think “birthday clown”), you don’t want your appearance to draw focus away from your message.
PMAlliance uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project office development services.
