Buffi Duberman – Top 3 Presentation Tips!

BrandedU has helped me to redefine what I want to share with the world. I want to share a zillion things, but I’ve chosen to only share one of them with you today. (The rest will come another time, I’m sure…) I want to share my Top 3 Presentation Tips with you. I have been using them with clients for many, many years, and I know firsthand how effective they can be. I hope you find them of value!

1. KNOW THY AUDIENCE.
Preparation is essential. And if you think your presentation is about you, you’re wrong. It’s not. It’s about your audience. Think of them first as you prepare. Who are they? What do they want/need to know? What are their expectations? If you keep this in mind as you prepare, you will find that no one is disappointed. If you focus solely on your message and ignore the ears it’s supposed to reach, there’s a huge chance that you won’t succeed.

2. B-R-E-A-T-H-E.
Everyone gets nervous before a presentation. Me too, although it comes to me as ‘excitement’. If you get nervous, it means you care. If you didn’t give a shit, it wouldn’t matter to you at all, and you wouldn’t get nervous. Being nervous shows that you care. And that’s a very good thing. I use 1 breathing technique to help my speakers calm down. It really works. Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4, hold that breath for a count of 7, then exhale, slowly through your mouth (kind of like you’re making the ‘f’ sound), low and slow, for a count of 8. Then repeat this process 5 times and see how you feel. I tell people to use this for any stressful situation – it really works. (Once I heard that someone did it too often and felt like they were stoned!)

3. GIVE THANKS.
To me, a great presentation has 3 Magic Thank You Moments. You should start off by thanking everyone for coming. People are busy and want to feel valued – don’t we all? Then you should thank the audience when you are done with your presentation, before you get to the questions at the end. Once the questions have been answered, then it’s one final thank you moment before you leave the stage. Leave people with a feeling that you really enjoyed being there and were thankful for their time and attention. People love hearing that!

I hope that you put these 3 tips into place when it comes to making your next presentation sparkle. Try it, and let me know how it goes!

x buffi