How to Create an Effective Presentation

Whether you are presenting to a board of directors or your family and friends, the presentation you give can either make or break their decision on whether or not to invest in your business idea. This is why creating an effective presentation is vital to pitching any new business venture. You must know how to effectively communicate your message in a clear, concise manner. The following do’s and do not’s will help you develop a presentation that will allow the audience to pay attention and easily understand the message being conveyed.

Do’s
• Know the audience to which you are presenting
• Rehearse the presentation several times beforehand
• Set a specific time limit
• Dress professionally
• Use a clean, aesthetically pleasing slide background and layout
• Make the font large enough to read from the back of the room
• Use short and concise bullet points, then elaborate in your speaking
• Speak slowly and coherently, and change the inflection in your voice
• Make frequent eye contact with members of the audience
• Allow time for questions and comments

Do not’s
• Read directly from the slide
• Make the slides too wordy
• Make spelling or grammatical errors
• Use long, run-on sentences in the slides
• Use too much animation or sound effects
• Speak too quickly or use filler words such as “uh” or “um”
• Fidget and make unnecessary body movements

Preparing and executing an effective presentation can take a significant amount of time and effort. It may even take years to develop the skills and gain the necessary experience. But if you follow these simple steps, you will be able to make a successful and compelling presentation to promote your business or any other endeavor in life.