{"id":3880,"date":"2016-06-20T13:11:53","date_gmt":"2016-06-20T12:11:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/?p=3880"},"modified":"2025-10-22T16:46:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T15:46:53","slug":"top-10-tips-presentation-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/top-10-tips-presentation-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Top 10 Tips for Preparing a Presentation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Be prepared for your next big presentation or speech with these top 10 practical presentation tips from City Academy tutor and communication skills specialist, Christine Mottram.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

When you want to give a good presentation, preparation is key. But what is it exactly that you\u00a0need to prepare? The answers may surprise you. Delivering a presentation is different than\u00a0writing a report or an article, and it\u2019s also different than talking to friends at the pub. When\u00a0preparing, the entire communication event needs to be considered, from content to delivery.\u00a0Here are ten presentation tips for preparing for your next presentation or public speaking event.<\/p>\n

1. Plan your Prep<\/strong><\/p>\n

When planning your preparation, make sure you schedule in time to\u00a0create your content and rehearse your presentation in its various drafts, as well as in its\u00a0completed form. This means the content should be set a few days before the presentation,\u00a0so that you have plenty of time to rehearse the final product.<\/p>\n

2. Create Compelling Content <\/strong><\/p>\n

A good starting point for creating your content is to ask\u00a0yourself: what is the story that you want to tell? How can you structure the \u2018plot\u2019 so that\u00a0there is a beginning, middle, and end? What are the obstacles in the story? Human beings\u00a0respond to narrative more than they do to bullet points or straight presentations of dry\u00a0facts and figures. Even if your content is \u2018dry facts and figures\u2019, how can you tell it as a\u00a0story? For more on that, check out this brilliant article<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Only 7% of your communication has to do with the actual words that you\u2019re saying. This doesn\u2019t mean your\u00a0message is not important\u2014 it means it\u2019s vulnerable to the way you\u2019re delivering it!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

3. Rehearse your Delivery<\/strong><\/p>\n

A lot of my clients worry that if they rehearse their presentation\u00a0too much, it won\u2019t sound authentic. This is simply not true. The reason that good actors\u00a0sound authentic and like they are having original thoughts for the first time on stage is\u00a0because they have rehearsed the play for four to six weeks. Getting your presentation into\u00a0your muscle memory will help you present as your best self\u2014 whereas no rehearsal tends to\u00a0make you more nervous and look less prepared.<\/p>\n

4<\/strong>. Let Your Body Do the Talking<\/b><\/p>\n

Albert Mehrabian\u2019s research revealed that\u00a055% of effective communication has to do with body language. 38% has to do with tone of\u00a0voice. Only 7% has to do with the actual words that you\u2019re saying. This doesn\u2019t mean your\u00a0message is not important\u2014 it means it\u2019s vulnerable to the way you\u2019re delivering it! So when\u00a0you are rehearsing, make sure you rehearse using the body language and the tone of voice\u00a0you feel is appropriate to the situation. Generally, that means standing your ground,\u00a0keeping your body language open (so no minimizing yourself by crossing your limbs over\u00a0yourself), and speaking loudly enough so that everyone in the room can hear you and feels\u00a0included.<\/p>\n

\"presentation<\/p>\n

5. Don’t Be Afraid of Your Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is no reason that you need to have your presentation completely\u00a0memorized. However, be sure to structure your notes in a way that helps you continue to\u00a0engage with the audience. For example, it is hard to \u2018read well\u2019, as in sounding like you are\u00a0talking when you are actually reading a speech word for word. I find working with notes that\u00a0are structured as bullet points or mind maps to be the most effective, as they help to keep\u00a0you on track. Rehearse with your notes so you can figure out what works best for you. You\u00a0do not have to apologize when you look at your notes\u2014 structure that into your\u00a0presentation. The more you rehearse, the more seamless it will become.<\/p>\n

6. Be Critical about Visual Aids <\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are preparing visual aids, be critical with yourself\u00a0about how necessary they are. As the voice coach Patsy Rodenburg says, you should always\u00a0be more interesting than your visual aids. If visual aids have too much information, like\u00a0long bullet points, they will pull focus away from you. It would be better to have nothing at\u00a0all than to have an audience that is no longer listening to you because they are too busy\u00a0reading your PowerPoint slides. If you are using visual aids, make sure you rehearse with\u00a0them and make sure that you don\u2019t spend the presentation talking in the direction of your\u00a0visual aids, rather than in the direction of your audience.<\/p>\n

You should always\u00a0be more interesting than your visual aids.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

7. Microphones are not Miracles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Microphones can only amplify what is already happening.\u00a0They shouldn\u2019t be used as a crutch. In other words, if you are mumbling, all the audience\u00a0will hear in the microphone is a louder mumble. So if you are using a microphone, make\u00a0sure you are speaking as if you aren\u2019t. This way your sound will still carry. If possible, test\u00a0the microphone in the space ahead of time. Find out what kind it will be\u2014 whether you will\u00a0be holding it or whether it will be on your person somehow. If you will be holding it, you\u00a0will want to practice how you will navigate your notes as you hold a microphone\u2014\u00a0particularly if you don\u2019t have a lectern.<\/p>\n

8. Know the Space<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are delivering your presentation in a space you are not\u00a0familiar with, find out as much as you can about it ahead of time. Good questions to
\nconsider are: will you be on a stage or on the same level as the audience? Where will you be\u00a0before the presentation; in the audience, behind a curtain? Will you be able to see the\u00a0audience or will the lighting prevent you from seeing faces? Asking these questions in\u00a0advance will ensure you aren\u2019t thrown by the details on the day of the presentation.<\/p>\n

9. Dress Rehearsal<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the day before, once you have your content that\u00a0you\u2019ve been rehearsing throughout your preparation time, do a full on \u2018dress rehearsal.\u2019\u00a0Wear what you will wear, use the notes and the visual aids you will be using, and do the\u00a0entire presentation as if it\u2019s in front of an audience. If you mess up during the rehearsal, try\u00a0to address it as you would have to do in the presentation.<\/p>\n

10. On the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n

If possible, practice your presentation in the actual\u00a0space. Take stock of how you will enter, where you will put your notes, and make sure there\u00a0is room-temperature water within easy reach.<\/p>\n

Remember, giving a good presentation is very similar to an actor giving a good performance. It takes\u00a0rehearsal to deliver information as your best self. Research shows that how you\u2019re delivering\u00a0your message has more impact on an audience than the message itself. If you prepare the\u00a0communication act as much as you do the content, you will set yourself up to have\u00a0gravitas, authenticity and impact. Good luck!<\/p>\n

\n

\"christineChristine Mottram is a voice and business communications skills specialist. View Christine’s profile here > ><\/p>\n

City Academy deliver Presentation Skills<\/a>, Public Speaking<\/a>, Business Writing<\/a> and Communication Skills<\/a> training in central London. Find out more here > ><\/a><\/p>\n

To find out how City Academy could help your business, see our tailored business training solutions, here<\/a>. For more information, or to make an enquiry, please email call us on 0207 042 8833, or email\u00a0business@city-academy.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Be prepared for your next big presentation or speech with these top 10 practical presentation tips from City Academy tutor…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3881,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[320,130],"tags":[313,361,192],"yoast_head":"\nTop 10 Presentation Tips - Business Training<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read our top 10 presentation tips to help you prepare and deliver a presentation or speech that communicates your message effectively.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/top-10-tips-presentation-tips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Top 10 Presentation Tips - Business Training\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Read our top 10 presentation tips to help you prepare and deliver a presentation or speech that communicates your message effectively.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/top-10-tips-presentation-tips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"City Academy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-06-20T12:11:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-22T15:46:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/PRESENTATION-TIPS.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"5472\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2666\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"info\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"info\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/top-10-tips-presentation-tips\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/top-10-tips-presentation-tips\/\",\"name\":\"Top 10 Presentation Tips - 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