A big part of my job these days it seems is creating and delivering presentations. I’m far from the greatest talent, but I’ve learned a few things along the way about what makes an effective presentation. I’ve also come to conclude that mastering this skill, or at least becoming just a little more effective, is the most valuable personal development project you can undertake for your career.
I wrote an extensive piece on five best practices for presentations over at COLOURLovers.
1) Start Analog – map out your presentation on paper first so you can see the entire map
2) Think About the Journey – You need to lead your audience in ways that help them come to your point of view
3) Tell Your Story – Great presentations are like great movies
4) Less is More – Lose the bullet points and focus on using your slides as partner instead of a crutch
5) The Presenter’s Mindset – You are not there to impress or even teach, you’re there to mentor