HOW TO BE A GOOD PRESENTER AT WORK

If you get an opportunity to give a presentation at work, it means that your boss has confidence in you and thinks that you're knowledgeable in a key area. This is your time to shine. If you can give an informative and entertaining presentation, you will enhance your work reputation and help your chances of moving up the ladder.

Many people get nervous before giving a presentation but don't worry, this is normal. It's extremely important to know your material inside and out. Practice giving your presentation several times. Try to anticipate every question that may come up. If it's a PowerPoint presentation, proof it very carefully and then have someone else proof it.

If your presentation is in PowerPoint, try to do a run-through the day before or day of the presentation in the room where you'll be presenting. Make sure you have the proper audio-visual equipment and that it is running properly. If you can get a co-worker to be present during the run-through to critique you, that would be helpful.

If your presentation is on a CD or DVD, personally check to see that the right CD/DVD is in the machine before you give the presentation. I once saw a colleague give a presentation at a big sales meeting that had the wrong CD/DVD and let's just say, his boss was not too happy.

When you give your presentation, look your audience in the eye and be confident and enthusiastic. Don't speak too fast or too slow and change the tone of your voice so it's not monotone. You can even make the presentation interactive by asking the audience questions as you proceed.

Important-always bring hard copies with you as a back-up in case you have technical difficulties. In other words, ALWAYS HAVE A BACK-UP PLAN. When I give lectures at colleges/universities,I ask them to supply a laptop and projector since I will be bringing a flashdrive. However, I always bring my laptop with me as a back-up and most importantly, I always bring a hard copy of the presentation with me in case of a power failure or their machines don't work (have the phone number of the A/V department with you just in case). By having a back-up plan, it will enable you to be confident that you are prepared for any eventuality.

Good luck!