Presentation tomorrow? The survival guide

One of the most common questions we get asked is “Help, I have a presentation tomorrow. What should I do?”

We have put together this presentation survival guide to help you.

Firstly,

1. Don’t panic

Although you are cutting it fine, there are lots of things that you can do to improve your presentation tomorrow. These can help you out in a very short time.

Here are a few pointers that can help you.

2. Decide upon the title

It may sound blindingly obvious, but deciding on a title is often one of the hardest things that you have to do. If you are a journalist you will know the importance of a catchy title.

Being asked to give a talk on any subject is often the hardest thing.

3. The Rule of Three

It’s a sad fact, but it is highly likely that your audience may only be able to remember three things that you have said. It’s the rule of three.

The key point is for you to write down the three points that you want the audience to remember. This can be the structure for your presentation.

4. Pick a nice presentation template

A simple way to quickly improve you presentation is to use a nice presentation template or background.

Presentation Magazine has thousands of free presentation templates and backgrounds that you can choose from.

5. Add one image per slide

Bullet points are quick, but they look boring. Add one image or graph per slide. This will really bring things to life.

People remember images. Remember the old saying: “a picture is worth a thousand words”.

And research bears this out. A presentation with pictures is twice as likely to achieve its objectives as one without.

6. Less is more

Don’t feel that you have to cram in loads and loads of facts. When it comes to presentations, remember that less if often more.

Nobody ever complained about a presentation being too short, but lots complain when it is too long.

Use no more than three bullet points per slide.

7. Most important. Practise it out loud three times

Practise your presentation out loud at least three times. One of these times should be in front of a real-life audience – family, friends or colleagues. Even the dog is better than nothing.

Actors don’t go on stage without having rehearsed, so why should you?

If there is only one thing you can do, then it should be to practise out loud.

Good luck! Please leave some comments in the box below to let us know how it goes.