Tips for a Good Presentation

Let’s See.. What makes a good presentation?

Of course the presenters need to be knowledgeable of the subject they are presenting on, so that if there are questions that still are not answered throughout the presentation they will at the very least know where to direct the question or hopefully be able to answer it themselves. To the same effect, the presenters should not read every single detail off the slides or whatever equipment they are using unless absolutely necessary.

A good presentation includes a presenter who engages the audience in what he is trying to portray. A presentation is meant to teach or show the audience something of importance, so when the presenter actively engages his/her audience, it allows the audience to become invested in the topic at hand. Also, if the presenter engaged the audience with questions or comments during the presentation it would help keep the audience interested in what the presenter is going to say next.

It would also keep the audience interested if the presentation (should it be a powerpoint, or other kind of visual presentation) was not one of just words and endless talking, but items like: video clips, images, sound clips, and others that catch our attention.

A good presenter makes good eye contact when speaking. He pulls the audience in by looking at them when making a point, inviting the audience to see his point of view. It is extremely disconcerting to watch a presenter stare at the back of the room while presenting. More than once, I have looked behind me to see what this person is staring at.

Finally the presenter should allow time to effectively close his presentation, with ending comments and final questions so that all the information the audience needs is covered, or the audience knows where to find follow up information.