Introduction
Giving effective presentations is a skill that not every individual possesses. Regardless of the extent to which the information provided is useful, if the approach of delivering the message is unexciting and does not connect with the audience, the speaker will fail. This is the reason why it is of utmost importance to pay attention to all elements of effective speeches and presentations. In this case, when delivering a presentation, a speaker will have to concentrate on efficient planning and collecting information beforehand and be aware of nonverbal cues when giving a speech.
How to Deliver an Effective Presentation
Knowing the Audience
The first step to creating an effective presentation is considering the target audience. The speaker must identify the target audience since there are many approaches to delivering the message to different groups of people (University of Leeds, n.d.). For instance, the audience might be children, students, executives, or scientists, and applying one approach for all will not yield any positive results. However, identifying the target audience will help one understand what to incorporate into their presentation to pique their interest (University of Leeds, n.d.).
Planning the Content
When speaking about what to include in the speech, one must first acknowledge that fewer detailed messages are preferable to numerous shallow ones. For this, a speaker must determine what their main point or issue is and then consider which kind of evidence to include, which can be helpful in understanding what is being said (University of Leeds, n.d.).
Using Visual Aid
Moreover, a speaker must remember visual elements, which will help to highlight, clarify, or demonstrate what they are saying. Visual aid usually comprises pictures, graphs, statistical data, and even short videos. Ultimately, a speaker must have a sketch of the presentation by recognizing the most pertinent points and evidence.
Inciting Interest to the Topic
When it comes to the delivery of the presentation, it is important to consider attention-grabbers. Many individuals begin their speeches and presentations with uninteresting small talk (Dominic Colenso, 2015). Therefore, one should remove all the formalities and encourage immediate engagement with what they are expressing if they want to convince the audience to put down their smartphones (Dominic Colenso, 2015). Another advice is to incorporate a unique approach before beginning the speech (Dominic Colenso, 2015). It can be beneficial to start with something that will genuinely interest the audience, such as a statistic, a figure, a quotation, a narrative, or even some music or video.
Applying the SOFTEN Model
Finally, an additional step critical to creating and delivering a successful presentation is recognizing the SOFTEN model’s effects, a dynamic process employed throughout speeches. The elements of the mentioned effective speech involve only the rhetorical part of the presentation, focusing on the direct approach to communication. However, it is necessary to realize that besides verbal communication, people usually emphasize and concentrate on nonverbal communication.
The SOFTEN model represents visual contact, nodding, forward lean, grin, and inviting posture (Chaffin & Klontz, 2022). Such nonverbal cues can convey courage, power, and empathy, which the audience will notice. Consequently, when all necessary nonverbal and verbal communication tactics are combined, the effectiveness of the presentation is guaranteed.
Conclusion
Hence, a speaker must focus on effective planning, gather data in advance, and be aware of nonverbal clues before giving a speech to deliver a presentation. Considering the target audience while designing a presentation will help identify the major point or problem that will assist the audience in grasping what is essential. Attention grabbers should be taken into account when delivering the presentation. Another point to remember is to think of a unique strategy before beginning the speech. Recognizing the impacts of the SOFTEN model, a dynamic process used throughout speeches is the last stage that is essential to designing and delivering a good presentation.
References
Chaffin, C. R., & Klontz, B. (2022). Psychology of financial planning: The practitioner’s guide to money and behavior. Wiley.
Dominic Colenso. (2015). How to start a pitch or presentation [Video]. YouTube. Web.
University of Leeds. (n.d.). Presentations: Oral. Web.