How To Prepare for an Important Presentation

Many careers require you to be able to make presentations and this is often the part of the job that people find most daunting. If you have an important presentation to make and the thought of standing on stage in front of a room full of people fills you with dread, then you are going to need a little bit of help. Fortunately we have a few ideas that will help you. If this presentation is not likely to be a one off, you might like to think about enrolling in a course such as the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAA). Otherwise, there are still plenty of things you can do to boost your confidence and ensure that your presentation is a roaring success.

Know your material

Whatever the speech or presentation you are giving it is vital that you know the material like the back of your hand. If you get to pick the subject, choose something that you know intimately and are passionate about. Your knowledge and enthusiasm will shine through, and you are far less likely to get stage fright. If someone else has control over the subject, and it is something you know less well, then research it in as much detail as possible. Make the subject second nature, so that you can concentrate on the delivery.

Know your audience

Find out as much as you can about your audience and tailor your speech to suit them. Find out what they know and don't know about your subject, and what their expectations are of your presentation. That way you will be able to pitch your speech in such a way that you avoid problems such as bamboozling your audience with overcomplicated technical matters, boring them by going over issues they already know, being overly serious when humour is called for, or offending people with inappropriate material.

Know the room

If possible, visit the room where you will be speaking before the big day. If you have input into the seating configuration it is worth thinking about what will suit your presentation best. Get to know where all the entrances and exits are, what kind of microphones and other audio visual equipment are in use and where any clocks are positioned. This will help you feel more comfortable when it is time to give your speech.

Practise

The best advice is always to practise. Once you have written your speech, find a willing friend or colleague and go over it again and again until you are confident it is as good as it can be. Feedback is important here. The earlier that you are made aware of mistakes or weak areas, the easier they will be to fix.

Study

Perhaps the ultimate solution for someone who needs to be able to make presentations at work is to study for a qualification such as the TAA. It is not an instant solution by any means, but you will learn all the skills you need in order to make presentations and train staff confidently and capably.
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