Get Applause, Not Tomatoes: How to Give a Presentation that Won’t Bore Your Audience to Tears

It’s estimated that nearly 73% of us suffer from glossophobia– also known as public speaking anxiety.

It can feel intimidating to stand up there and see everybody starting up at you. What if you forget what you’re going to say? What if you bore everyone?

Even if you have public speaking anxiety, you can still give an engaging presentation. 

Want to know how? Read on to learn how to give a good presentation that will have your audience applauding. 

Shake Things Up with an Icebreaker

The beginning of your presentation is crucial. You want to capture the attention of your audience right away so that they don’t zone out or start checking their email on their phones.

You can capture their attention with an icebreaker. 

Examples of what you can do include:

  • Ask your audience to complete a task such as introducing themselves to the person next to them
  • Tell a joke 
  • Ask people to “raise their hand if…” and ask a relatable question

An icebreaker can make things more fun for your audience and get them interested in what you have to say next.

Engage the Audience

To create a memorable presentation, you can make your audience a part of that presentation. 

Ask questions and have people answer them. If you’re doing a demonstration, have a volunteer from the audience help you. Set up a mini-trivia contest where the winner gets a prize.  

If you have a small audience, you can have them change their seating arrangements to illustrate a point. 

Show Interest

If you’re not confident and passionate about your topic, your audience won’t be either. No matter what the topic is, you have to show interest in what you’re talking about and show your audience how it relates to them. 

What benefit does your topic offer them? How can it change their life for the better? If you’re talking about the benefits of growing a garden, show them how they can save money and eat healthier by starting a garden. 

Think your topic is dull? You can make just about any topic exciting and interesting with the right approach. Similarly, the most intense topic can seem boring if you’re giving a dry presentation. 

Use Humor

You don’t have to be a comedian to get your audience to laugh. You can use humor in simple ways.

For example, if you have slides, you can insert a funny meme in the middle of your slides and pretend you have no idea how they got there. 

Another tip is to use funny anecdotes in your life. Tell a relatable story of forgetting to remember the time change for daylight saving and arriving at your work meeting a full hour early. 

When using humor, make sure it relates to your audience demographic. An audience seniors probably won’t get that meme reference. 

Use Visuals 

Use visuals such as graphs or charts to illustrate your point. Do some research to learn more about presentation management tools and how to organize your slides.

You can also use out of the box visuals such as props. Another option is to play short videos or music. 

Take Breaks

Break up your presentation with “breaks” such as a funny video or by asking the audience to do a poll. You don’t want to speak all the way through without stopping for breath.

You can also incorporate pauses to give the audience time to think about a deep concept or idea you presented. 

Tell a Story

One way to grab attention is to tell a story. If you look at the best ads on TV right now, you’ll see that they have one main thing in common. They tell a story that people relate to.

You can frame your presentation by telling a story about yourself. For example, if you’re giving marketing tips, you can tell the story of how you got into marketing.

Maybe you were in a completely different career and one day you had an epiphany at a job that you weren’t happy in. Maybe you found a calling and took a hold of that opportunity.  

Keep the Presentation Short

Don’t let your presentation drag on. Keep it short and get to the point. These days, it’s all about quick, digestible information instead of long-winded speeches.

Practice

Don’t expect to get in front of the audience and wing it. It’ll show that you didn’t prepare and that your presentation doesn’t have a focus. 

Instead, write out an outline of your main points. Make a plan. Then, spend some time practicing your presentation.

The key here is not to practice so much that you memorize your presentation like a script. You want your speech to come off as conversational and natural.

Remember Your Nonverbal Communication

It’s not just about what you’re saying. It’s also about how you’re saying it. Your nonverbal communication will speak to your audience too.

Make sure to stand up straight, smile, and use your hands as you’re talking. It helps to practice in a mirror to see how you will look. 

Leave Your Audience with a Thought to Ponder

The best presentations stick in a person’s mind long after it’s done. You want to end your presentation with something to think about. 

You can recite a famous quote and talk about what that quote means to you. You can even ask the audience about what they think and how that quote affects them. 

Final Advice for How To Give a Good Presentation

Our final tip for how to give a good presentation is to be confident. It’s not always easy, but if you’re confident, your audience will see that confidence in you. 

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