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Evaluate Your Own Presentation to Give Better Ones: A New Year’s Resolution

January 23, 2019 by Muhammad Noer Leave a Comment

Entering 2019, many hopes spark, including having a better job, a rising career, or maybe just improving the way we work for the better. Evaluating what we have done in the previous year and not being satisfied about it is normal. This is what distinguish between people who will continue to grow and succeed with those who are stagnant.

Last year you probably did a lot of work presentations. The more often you make presentations, the more proficient you are doing it. But there are things that haven’t made you satisfied. You know you’re are good, but not good enough. But what is it? What needs to be improved? How do I evaluate that?

The following are some steps you can take to identify what is still lacking in your presentation and how to improve that.

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How to Prepare An Effective Presentation?

November 28, 2018 by Muhammad Noer 1 Comment

For many people, giving a presentation can be stressful or scary. Speaking in public sometimes makes you feel like being tortured by the way the look of you audience at you, their gestures, or their questions await at the end of presentation. You are afraid not being able to bring your presentation to be as good as expected.

However, presentation is a medium to show your capacity and a way to develop yourself. By giving a presentation, more people will understand your ideas and the key to deliver these ideas effectively in presentation is a careful preparation.

There are several things that really need to be prepared, but most people only focus on preparing the materials, such as making slides or videos, which are considered to make the presentation more interesting.

Setting up presentation materials is essential, but it is also important to prepare the non-materials to deliver an effective presentation.

Here they are:

1. Getting to know your audience better

It’s the most important thing to do before drafting your presentation. Knowing your audience gives yourself a better understanding of their needs. By putting yourself in their shoes, you can set a presentation that suits them.

You don’t have to meet your audience one by one. Learn about them from their current positions. For example, if you have to make a presentation in front of managers, you can find out areas they handle, number of their subordinates, or their educational backgrounds.

The more information you get, the easier for you to set the right presentation. Presentation materials for financial managers are certainly different from the ones for human resource managers. You need different approach to deliver information to people with different backgrounds.

When the audiences come in the same level, for example fellow managers or fellow students, it can be easier for you to make the preparation. But, how if they come from different circles? Well, when this happens, you have to find information about things that unites them. If these kind of audience are willing to attend your presentation, there must be something that unites them.

2. Making structured presentation material

The next step is to prepare clear and structured material. For example, if you want to open a presentation with a story, then you should be able to maintain your audience attention to your story during the presentation to make a connected sequence.

By making such structured and connected presentation, you will more easily direct the audience to the purpose and objectives of your presentation.

3. Preparing visual aids

There is nothing worse than boring presentation. Using visual aids not only delighting your audience, but also helping them to understand the materials you presented. Use slides or videos to make your presentations more interesting.

For slides, make ones that are not too full of sentences. Summarize the important points of your presentation. Do not forget to give contrast and supporting images.

If you need to present data, make it in an interesting tables, diagrams, or infographics.

Most importantly, make slides that are easy for the audience to read and understand. Use the right font size and make sure the composition between writing and drawing is balanced.

4. Use simple and daily words

When giving presentations, use simple words that can be easily understood by the audience. Assuming that you are Indonesian, use everyday Indonesian language. Of course you need to use the good and correct Indonesian, but inserting slang words in your presentation is fine, as long as it helps you direct your audience to the purpose and purpose of your presentation.

5. Practice

Though you have done several presentations, it is still recommended that you continue honing your skills. Practice in front of mirror on how you speak, your standing position, and proper body language.

After that, try to give presentation in front of closest people, such as family or friends. Evaluate. See if they understand what you are saying or not. Ask them for opinions about how you present your presentation. If there are shortcomings, then you still have time to correct these deficiencies before the real presentation.

By doing these tips, hopefully your presentation can be more effective. However, if you feel you still bad at presentation, take a training course from qualified and reputable organization.

Presentation is indeed tense, but it can all be overcome. There are techniques for that. All you need to do is dig and learn.

If you want to know more about a great presentation, you can download the e-book “Killer Presentation: How To Create and Deliver a Wow Presentation” here.

Know Your Audience Is Important for Your Presentation

October 31, 2018 by Muhammad Noer Leave a Comment

Audience is the people who will listen your presentation. In other words, your presentation is made to be presented in front of your audience. Here, you need to make them happy with your presentation. If it’s boring, then your audience will be busy with themselves, maybe with their gadget or whatsoever.

So, you need to deal with your audience. How? By knowing them, understanding them. If you do, then they will listen to you. It’s very important to adjust your presentation with your audience. Not only in constructing content, but also with the slides, the entire design of the presentation itself.

It’s Very Important to Recognizing Your Audience

The key to create and deliver a great presentation is understanding your audience. You cannot offer something interesting to your audience unless you know who they are. You have to know what they need and want from your presentation.

It’s not easy to expect an effective communication process if you don’t know their point of view when they are listening to you. As a presenter, if you will find it difficult to relate yourself with them, then your audience will also have difficulties to understand you.

It can create a situation that will leads to frustration: You are frustrated because you can not make them understand, and they are frustrated because it is difficult to understand you.

The only way is you have to know your audience well. Your job will be easier, because you know exactly what they want. You can choose which information should get across and which one is not necessary. By knowing your audience, you will convincing them easier, too because you understand what factors that influences them to take action.

Knowing or recognizing your audience means you know their name, their position, their interests, their group of society, what decision they make, what they need from your presentation, and why they come to listen to you.

Of course, it’s hard to remember each name of your audience. But, you can use the nametag. Ask them to write down their name on it.

The most important thing to do is to identifying your audience. Use the valuable information to design a relevant and effective presentation. Every communication or every presentation is unique. If you design your presentation just for your unique audience, then your presentation will be more effective.

Who Is Your Audience?

Find out about who will attend your presentation before preparing it. Every information about your audience will help your readiness to act on stage. Like Sun Tzu said, “He who knows his enemy and himself well will not be defeated in a hundred battles. He who doesn’t know himself and his enemy is bound to suffer defeat in all battles.”

Your presentation is your battle, your battlefield of communication. You want them to accept and understand your message as good as possible.

So, once again, you have to know your audience. How are you supposed to do that? By gathering all information about your audience, such as:

Who will present to your presentation?
What is their position in the organization?
What is their educational background, or their job?
What is their level of knowledge about the topic you will deliver?
What is their learning style?
What they like to hear and what they don’t?
What is their purpose in listening to your presentation?
Why they need to listen to you?

By knowing those information, you can prepare or create a right presentation for them. By knowing your audience, it will help you a lot in creating content and designing the most appropriate communication for them.

An Excellent Presentation’s Closing

October 17, 2018 by Muhammad Noer Leave a Comment

Almost every people only concern about the opening of their presentation. But, not everybody remember that the presentation’s closing is as important as the opening.

So, how to close your presentation properly?

1. Summarizing the main message

This is the easiest add fastest way to close your presentation.

Each presentation must have a main message. In this way, you summarize the main points of your presentation you have delivered. “As a closing, I want you to have the main skill a manager should have.

First, communication. As a manager, you will be judged by how you communicate. Make sure you communicate coherently and clearly so that people understand what you deliver.

Second, motivation. A good manager needs to master motivation techniques. If your employee is well motivated, it is easy to direct each employee to the common goal.

Third, delegation. Remember! A manager is not a superman. You need to learn to delegate task to the most proper person. By that way, the result will be multiply.

A good manager can create a better leader. Teach your team, know the their talents and weaknesses and help them to progress well.

If you master those four skills, I am sure you will be a great manager who can direct a great team.”

2. Using statements or quotations

A statement or a quotation is very good to use for closing your presentation. Arrange a good statement which fits to the main idea of your presentation. You can also quote sentences from the famous figure who is well known to your audiences.

In a presentation in TEDx Jakarta with topic “How to Read 52 Books in a Year” I used the quotation technique to close my presentation.

Here is the closing sentences.

“And if you are a learner in life, fast reading will help you to love reading activities. It will help you learn so many new skills and you will finally become a excellent person.

By that way, you will become a person who will develop our beloved Indonesia now and in the future.

Therefore, if one day there is someone asks you how man books you read in a year, you will proudly answer, ‘I read 52 books in a year because I am a fast reader.’”

3. Using call to action

Call to action is an invitation to command an act.

Remember, the audiences don’t always understand what you expect from them. That is why in call to action, you deliver what action the audiences need to take.

Call to action is very important especially for the persuasive presentation where you want to sell some products, services, or in order your idea be approved and affirmed by the audiences.

This is the examples:

“You all know that family cars are diverse. But, only few cars can answer all your questions. Family car must be comfortable and fit to be used by all family members. That car must be economical so that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to refill the gas. And lastly, the price of your car must be fit with the benefits you will get from the car you buy. And that car is now right in front of you.

I invite you all to register and do the test drive.

Don’t miss it! Because the test drive activity is held only today. Feel the greatness and the comfort of this car and be clever Indonesian family who buy the right family car.”

Those are 3 ways to close a presentation properly.

If you use one of them well, the audiences will remember your main idea. Besides, they will probably take an action as you expect they to do.

Therefore, you will be successful delivering an effective and impressive presentation.

5 Things That Can Ruin Your Presentation

September 19, 2018 by Muhammad Noer Leave a Comment

Not everyone can deliver an amazing presentation with a single try. It takes practice and experiences to be able to do that, like the world class presenters. The great presenters also started with a few mistakes and of course, nervousness.

But, everyone definitely doesn’t want to look bad when delivering a presentation. The worst thing during a presentation is when the audience looks unenthusiastic and bored. They’re yawning, back and forth, or busy looking at their clock, playing their gadget, or even asleep. It’s not their fault. It’s yours, as the presenter. It’s your responsibility. It also means, your presentation is bad and boring.

Well, there are 5 things that you may not realize, but you do it when presenting. These 5 things could ruin your presentation, make it look bad and boring. So, you better avoid doing those things when you have to deliver your presentation on the stage.

1. Make yourself look small

For example, you said ‘I don’t really master at this thing’, ‘I don’t know what to say’, or ‘Hopefully this presentation won’t bore you’.

Those things could make the audience feel bored immediately. When you say that you don’t master about something or don’t know what you are going to say, then the audience will think ‘then why I am here and should listen to you?’

Maybe the presenter said those things because they don’t feel confident. This lack of confidence can affect the audience, whether they will continue to listen to your presentation, or decide to get busy with themselves.

So, whatever you feel, try to look confident. If you’re nervous, take a deep breath. The most important thing to do is to prepare your presentation as good as possible.

2. Not making an eye contact

Making eye contact with the audience means you respect your audience. You also make contact and communication with them. With an eye contact, you show them that you will give something to them through your presentation.

If you don’t make an eye contact with your audience, it means that you are talking to yourself. You’re not trying to involve them in your presentation. If the audience doesn’t feel involved, they will think, “Why am I here?”

So, never forget to make an eye contact with the audience. No need to look at the audience one by one. Just select a point in each of your points of view, which you think can represent each group to your audience.

3. Not checking the equipment for your presentation

Before you walk to the stage to deliver your presentation, make sure that the equipment, like the computer, projector, or pointer, are functioning properly. If there’s an equipment that suddenly get stuck during your presentation, it will make it look bad.

Waiting is boring. So, the audience will boring if they have to wait while the projector suddenly fails. Moreover, if there are some important materials that they must read or see from it.

Yes, the equipment damage can occur suddenly. But, we can minimized it by checking and rechecking the equipment, at least half an hour before you deliver your presentation.

4. Alienated your audience

It mean is there some of your audience that actually not your choice. Maybe you say that your presentation is not for them. For example, you said, “Maybe some of you ever went to Japan. If there is, than you don’t need to listen to this presentation.”

Then, maybe half of your audience will immediately leave the room because they have been to Japan.

If you say something like that, it means you don’t know your audience. If you know that, then you will only say things that suit them.

So, it’s very important to know your audience. Learn about their backgrounds, so you can be in touch with them. By getting know them, they will enthusiastically to your whole presentation.

5. Extend the presentation time

Sometimes, a presenter feels that his or her presentation is interesting to their audience, so they add more time. This is very unnecessary to do because maybe the audience has other interest.

Even though the audience looks very enthusiastic about your presentation, make sure that the presentation goes according to the time set or planned.

Delivering a presentation is not just making a good material and conveying it to the audience. There are special arts and tactics, so that the material can be prepared and made, and delivered interestingly to your audience.