Pimp your presentations with these tips

For most folks, public speaking is a fate worse than death.  For me, not so much.  I enjoy public speaking.  I didn’t always.  Knees knocking, mouth dry, and voice quivering I ‘d muddle through presentations.  After a while, and a few really good presentations, I just step up, say my thing, and enjoy.  Regardless of what business you’re in, presentations are important, sometimes vital, to your success:

If you are a budding entrepreneur, live presentations are great ways to test your content, build relationships and get to know the needs of your target audience.  You can start very small, with a handful of neighbors in your living room, or if you are more experienced, in a larger setting such as a regional conference.

If it is all new to you, it can be very intimidating.  So here are some tips to help you get a running start Source: Escape from Cubicle Nation: Presentation tips for budding entrepreneurs

Here are Pamela Slim’s tips for good presentations:

1. Involve your audience in the planning stages
2. Never forget, it is about them, not you
3. Create a ritual to get yourself “in the zone” and ease jitters
4. Create a crisp personal introduction that establishes credibility but doesn’t bore
5. Amplify your true personality, don’t change it
6. Keep your message simple 
7. Arrive early to meet and greet
8. Ensure your visuals support your talk, not dominate it
9. Present in a full-body mode
10. Plan open ended questions at various intervals in your talk
11. Don’t “vend” your services
12. End with a call to action

I have a ritual of sorts.  Purple shirt of power.  Quick glance at my notes.  Remind myself that nothing can be as bad as a Masters thesis defense.  Remember, if you were asked to speak they want to hear you.  Even if it’s just a few slides about a project in front of the boss or an auditorium, you’re there to say your piece and people want to hear it.  Relax, enjoy.  Oh and don’t picture the audience in their underwear…I think that’s more distracting than relaxing ;).