How to Make a Better Presentation

Becoming a better public speaker means to be able to deliver better presentations. In this article I will cover some information that will help you to create a better presentation.

The Visual Element

Whenever you are doing a presentation it's essential to include at least some visual element. It's hard for the audience to solely listen to you. That's what it's important to add something visual to your presentation.

This can range from using a Flipchart to using a projector. But remember it's important to find a balance between your spoken words and the use of visual material. If you rely to heavily on visual elements in your presentation then this will make people more likely to just look at the pictures instead of listening to you.

Using Notepads

You can handout notepads for your listeners at the beginning of your presentation if you feel like they will want to jot down the things you cover during your speech. A notepad will also help to engage the audience more, which is the goal of a speech anyway.

Handout Pens

If you are going to hand out notepads then make sure to also give your audience some pens. This can be not only effective from a marketing stand point since you could include your logo on the pens and notepads.

What do you think? Did this help you to improve your public speaking skills?

Master Your Fear of Speaking in Public

Public speaking is the number one fear in the U.S. today. Number two is death.

It's not too surprising to see that most people are afraid of public speaking. In general there are lots of things that make public speaking more fearful than death.

Failure

Failing is not something we learn when we grow up. We have to learn how to handle failure ourselves. Some deal with failure in a good way, others become paralyzed by their fears.
Especially in public speaking there is such a huge pressure to not fail. That creates a fear within ourselves - the fear of failing. It's important to know how to deal with failure in order to become a better public speaker. No one becomes an excellent public speaker by getting each speech right in the first time.

High Expectations

Similarly it's strange that people have such high expectations when someone is going to give a speech. People are treated like they were born with a talent to speak in public. But they were not.
One of the best things you can do to meet these expectations is to prepare yourself. Buy a book or an online course on how to improve your public speaking skills. Then apply the ideas given within this book or course. Present your speech in front of some friends and ask them about honest feedback.
Also the single best thing you can do to get better at public speaking is to videotape yourself doing a speech. Afterwards review the tape and jot down everything that you should correct. Then repeat, repeat and repeat.