Today, we’re explaining how to ace your presentation delivery, so that you can waltz into any room and with a magic sprinkle of your corporate wand… influence the room into whatever you want them to do.
Table of Contents
No matter how well-informed, experienced or confident you are in the history, knowledge or vision you’re presenting, standing in front of a group of people ogling you is not for the faint of heart. There’s a reason why public speaking is up there among people’s greatest fears, but if you have to do it, you should do it well.
Influencing your peers is important from a social perspective as well as within (and beyond) your business. Speaking with conviction can help drive projects over the line, ensure your ideas are heard, and facilitate stronger connections with colleagues and clients.
So, how can you ace your presentation delivery and influence your peers positively to ensure successful results? Here are the ways:
Utilise Clear, Clean Visual Aids
Most of the time, presentations take place with visual aids to help showcase ideas, reinforce key points and offer photos, diagrams or charts to drive home your messages. Cluttered PowerPoints and documents can be hard to understand, especially for those sitting further back.
Use a PDF background remover to get rid of distracting company logos, photos or clashing colours in your vital presentation documents.
These files can be shared as they were originally created by those who request a more detailed look after, but most will only want the most important information in the most digestible format. You want your visual information to be easy to understand.
Avoid too many bright colours, animated graphics, or anything that takes away from the point of your presentation. The right balance of text and images will be defined by your audience too, so think about who you’re going to be talking to.
The Power Of The Pause
Much like the prevalence of white space and a clear background in a PowerPoint is essential, so too is the speaking equivalent: moments of silence.
Rattling off your prepared speech without time for an intake of breath will not only make you sound rushed and nervous, but also make it more difficult for your audience to take in what you’re saying.
One of the best ways to become more confident when speaking – and therefore more influential – is to pause at natural segments in your speech. Take a moment, catch your breath, and let the words sink in.
Though they might have lost their impact on you, especially if you’ve been practising in the mirror, your audience is hearing what you have to say for the first time. Leaving gaps in your speech provides space for individuals to form their own thoughts and conclusions, rather than having the speaker’s view forced on them.
Respect Your Autonomous Audience
It takes a clever professional to navigate a discussion to the point where the decisions being made are the ones you were after from the start. One of the best ways to influence your peers when presenting is to let them formulate the desired conclusions with the information you’ve provided.
Rather than merely telling people what they should do, give them greater agency. Point out all the reasons, advantages and facts of a certain situation, action or change, so that they decide of their own accord that it is the best way forward.
This covert method of persuasion is more effective, as you’re steering rather than commanding a group; which is, after all, what influencing should seek to be. Remember that influencing your peers is never a guarantee – even the most charming, charismatic presentations can fail to win someone over.
Being unable to sway an individual is not necessarily a reflection of a failed pitch or speech, though it might be worth asking what else you could have done to change their mind for future reference.
Avoid Using Notes: Use Eye Contact Instead
If you’re fumbling with paper notes or looking down at your phone for prompts on what you’re supposed to say next, your audience will automatically assume you’re not as much of an expert on the topic you’re presenting as you claim to be.
This presumed lack of expertise will therefore make you less influential, so resist the temptation to fall back on pre-prepared lines. Instead, make occasional eye contact with your audience. Demonstrate through the power of body language that you know what you’re talking about.
Research shows that non-verbal cues can account for over half the meaning that’s interpreted from our communication. Stand tall, use hand gestures that show you’re not afraid of taking up space on the stage, and your words will automatically carry more weight.
Embrace Q&As With Open Arms
It’s frequently the most dreaded part of a presentation – you open up the floor, someone asks a difficult question, and your entire pyramid comes crumbling down. Instead, see a Q&A session as an opportunity to influence the rest of the audience who need a little more convincing.
Don’t be afraid to reiterate points you’ve already stated in your presentation, as hearing it once might not be enough for key information to stick. Directly address the person, and ask if they feel you’ve answered their question once you’ve responded.
If the question requires an answer you just don’t have – be honest. Explain that you’ll find out, or how this information will become available in the future. Try to avoid stumbling your way through a response you’re not sure of. It’s better to be earnest than for your audience to pick up on the fact that you simply don’t know.
First Impressions Count – But So Do Final Ones
Everyone gets hung up on first impressions, and they are important. Make sure you’re well dressed, and begin your presentation with a sharp hook, bold statement or fact, or an interesting question to grab your audience from the get-go.
But how you close your presentation is just as likely to affect how influential you’re able to be. Repeat the key points you’ve covered in summary, and end your presentation with an inspirational idea or plan that will motivate your audience to act on what you’ve spoken about.
Make it hard for them to not believe you. If you’re able to change the course of action, then you’ll know you’ve succeeded in influencing your peers, whether it’s as small as an adjustment to your office culture, or as large as securing a vital investment.
Presentations That Influence Peers: In Conclusion
Have confidence in the message you’re providing, and others will have confidence in you as you deliver it. Our top tips for acing your presentation delivery so that others are influenced by the points you’re providing are:
- – Clear visual presentation, without distracting graphics.
- – Pauses when speaking, to leave room for impact.
- – Audience autonomy, allowing individual opinions to form.
- – Looking at faces, rather than notes.
- – Q&As as an opportunity, for providing greater detail and clarification.
- – Memorable ending, to trigger confidence and positive action.
Whether you’re presenting to stakeholders or friends, practising these skills will help your presentations become better, more engaging, and more influential.
