25 tips for successful presentations

Presentation skills are important for professional success. Delivering clear, professional, and useful presentations will help you share knowledge, drive initiatives, improve communication, and advance your career.

Text by Nicoletta A. Bleiel

Inhaltsübersicht

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No one is born a great presenter. Giving a successful presentation takes a combination of planning, preparation, and execution. These 25 tips cover developing content, preparing slides, effective rehearsing, and tips for the day of the presentation that will boost your confidence and impress your audience.

Lay the foundation

1.     Identify your audience
Follow the technical communicator’s mantra — "know your audience." For example, a presentation at your company may be less formal than a conference presentation, but the internal audience could be less homogeneous and create different challenges. These questions can help you identify your audience: What are they like? Why are they here? What keeps them up at night? How can you solve their problem? What do you want them to do? How can you best reach them? How might they resist?1

2.     Determine your purpose
Speaking provides an ...