1、Know your audience.
If you want to polish your presentation skills, then you have to give a lot of thought to who will be in the audience. If you know you'll be presenting to your fellow classmates, then you have to think about what will intrigue and interest them. If you're presenting your topic to a group of specialists, then you can assume they know the lingo; if you're presenting a complicated topic to a group of eighth graders, however, then you'll have to simplify it so they can follow along.
Though you can't know everything your audience will and will not want to know, you can figure out a lot based on the age and the make-up of the group of people you'll be presenting to. Keep this in mind as you hone your presentation.
2、Do your research.
If you want to have stellar presentation skills, then you have to sound like an expert on the subject you're speaking about, whether it's the mating pattern of sea otters or the inexplicable popularity of Miley Cyrus. Though having a degree or lots of experience in the field can help convince your audience, researching the topic as thoroughly as you can is your best bet for making them believe every single word you say.
Hit the Internet and library and talk to experts to get a better idea of your subject, until you feel that you can effectively give a presentation on your subject and answer any questions that will arise along the way.
The more research you do, the more confident you'll be about giving your presentation. And if you're more confident, you'll be better at giving your presentation.
3、Make a plan for your time limit.
Chances are that you have a certain time limit for giving your presentation, whether it's half an hour for a work presentation or ten minutes for a presentation in class. Whatever your time limit is, you should make your presentation so it fits comfortably under the time limit so you don't spend your time talking too fast to try to hit every point; however, you shouldn't make it so much shorter that you're left with a lot of "dead time" at the end.
The closer your presentation is to meeting that time limit, the more relaxed you'll be about presenting your material, and the better your presentation skills will be.
4、Consider using technology.
Technology, from using music or a slide projector, can help enhance your points and engage your audience. However, having too much technology can have the opposite effect — they call it "Death by PowerPoint" for a reason. So, if you do decide to use technology, make sure that it helps you engage your audience and to have stronger, more confident presentation skills instead of alienating your audience.
It can be easy to use technology as a crutch. You may feel less prepared and skilled if you're depending on a machine to do some of the work for you. However, if you think having some charts, graphs, or bullet-pointed arguments will be really helpful for making your point, then by all means go for it.
5、Have a solid presentation structure.
A logical and well-organized presentation structure will help you improve your skills because all of your work will be laid out for you. Though you can have room for creativity when creating a presentation, most presentations, just like most essays, typically follow a similar structure. Here's how it should look
Introduction: Hooking your your audience and introducing the main points you'll be making. In other words, "Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em."
Body: Using specific examples, facts, stories, and data to help illustrate your point. In essence, "Tell 'em." Restate your most important points to make sure they resonate with your audience.
Conclusion: Wrapping up your presentation with some food for thought while summarizing your main points. That is to say, "Tell 'em what you told 'em."
6、Practice, practice, practice.
If you want to improve your presentation skills, then one of the best things you can do is to practice your presentation. Practice it in front of the mirror, practice it in the shower, practice it in front of your close friends or family members. You should not, however, memorize it word for word, or your presentation will sound too rehearsed and you'll feel out of your element if you lose your place or are asked an unexpected question. Instead, you should practice it enough that you feel so comfortable with the subject matter that you can ad-lib a little You can film yourself giving the presentation if you think that will help you improve. However, some people actually get more nervous by doing this, so it's up to what you think is best.
