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How come that we remember some presentations forever, but others make us yawn, wishing it would end? This is not rocket science. If you are currently preparing a presentation or public speech of your own, here are seven basic rules you need to follow in order to be successful.
These tips were published by PresentationMagazine.com.
Do not try to explain difficult, complex topics. The whole presentation should be designed almost as if you were explaining something to a child. Otherwise it will be too complicated. Really.
Graphics, graphs, pictures or statistics may serve you well in conveying the main ideas, but only if there are not too many of them, they do not include too much information and they are used at appropriate moments.
Any text, quote, motto, or numbers you show during the presentation must be readable. This means being in sufficient contrast to the background and sufficiently large.
The beginning and end of your presentation must be the strongest points. At the beginning, tell the audience an unexpected, shocking piece of news, or a humorous story. Use the end to ensure they retain the main idea you wanted to convey.
All the main ideas you wish to convey (and there should not be too many of them) must be clearly and unambiguously stated. Do not try only to hint at them, and do not leave your audience guessing anything.
Humour or hyperbole can help both catch the audience's attention and highlight important points in an attractive manner.
If you do not practise your presentation in advance, the audience will notice. Spend enough time practising so you eliminate as much as possible any uncertainty and the stress of potentially messing up.
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