PRESENTING A CASE/PROJECT SUCCESSFULLY requires control and organizational skills. If you haven't had a lot of practice giving presentations to an audience--or if you haven't yet learned PowerPoint, you'd better get started to learn how.

The following 12 general tips are for any types of presentations.

• KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE--do your homework in advance, if possible. If not, ask some questions at the start of your presentation to get a feel for the group's background, knowledge level of your topic, and so on. This pre-flight exercise will help you feel more confident of your expertise compared to their expertise and will avoid "stage fright:' which is common to us all. In addition, if you ask a couple of questions informally at the start of your presentation, it breaks the ice and makes everyone "more human." It is no longer you against the audience, but everyone together. Many times you'll find you really are the expert on the topic you're presenting, but you just need reinforcement of that information. If you weren't expert, you probably wouldn't have been asked to give the presentation (assuming you were asked).

• If your audience isn't specialized in your field or "jargon literate", stay away from terms. If you have to use technical terms, identify them as such and explain them in as simple concepts as possible. Never assume your audience understands all the "techno jargon:' As the speaker, it's your duty to communicate concisely and clearly.

• Use graphs and graphics, but don't get carried away with too many charts and views. Choose the view that's best for the message you're trying to convey. Use bar graphs, pie charts, line graphs, scatter graphs, etc., for the purpose they were intended. Go ahead and use scanned photos or website screen-prints where appropriate. But just because you have them all doesn't mean you need to use them all in one presentation. Make the tools work for you. Remember, keep it simple.

• If it's bad news, "red" tells the story very quickly. If it's good news, "green" will say it just as well. If you want a presentation to be neutral, use neutral colors. Sometimes black on white or white on black can show simple understatement and make a stylish, classy impression. If you know your audience, it will help you choose your color scheme.

• Outline the segments of your presentation-introduction, main points, subpoints, and conclusion-and use bullet points and short sentences. Don't use outlandish PowerPoint background textures or exotic movements on the screen in PowerPoint (i.e., every word in a line drops individually from the top of the. page). Complicated movements or sounds only distract from the content of your message. Use only simple techniques to support your message. Again, knowing something about your audience (people from your organization, industry, vendors, customers, and organizational culture) will help you to know how far you can go beyond simplicity.

• It's very easy to misuse glitzy presentation software but more difficult to use it well. Stay away from "cute" clipart that distracts. Only use pictures to enhance your information, unless it is time to use some humor. Use large readable fonts and a few lines per slide, and never try a live Internet connection. Put screen prints from web sites into your PowerPoint presentation; it's the safest way to go.

• Most of us tend to talk faster in front of a group, especially when there is a spotlight on us or the group is very large. Make notes to yourself on the top of your paper copy of your slides as a reminder before you walk up to the microphone. Also, make sure the microphone is working properly before you get up to speak. Test it in advance if at all possible. If there is no microphone, make sure you speak load enough so that the audience in the last row can hear you. Do not be monotone when speaking. Create motivation and interest in your audience.

• Put a smile on your icy face when you start. If you are delivering bad news, the smile will fade quickly enough. Use other appropriate facial expressions, but don't exaggerate or try to act, if that isn't what you're used to or comfortable with. Don't try to gesture if it doesn't come naturally to you. Only real practice in front of an audience (even a staged audience) will help you get your gestures to flow naturally.

• Take your material seriously, but don't take yourself too seriously. Have a couple of appropriate jokes or anecdotes in your back pocket in case the projector doesn't work and there's dead time. Make sure the content is appropriate to your audience. Unless you are in politics, don't use that type of content, and stay away from material that is likely to offend anyone.

• Do not turn your back and read from the screen unless you are demonstrating a chart/table/graph. Also do not read from your notes all the time unless you are referring to a quote. You can refer to them, but not read from them while presenting your presentation.

• Be prepared and organized in your presentation. Double check your slides for errors and misspellings. Make sure your slides are in order. As a general rule, you should have slides for: title, overview, introduction, main points, and conclusion.
• In a group presentation, all members should be paying attention and not to have their own little meeting while a member presenting his/her presentation.

• Be honest. If you don't know the answer, suggest a potential resource that might, or tell questioners you will get back to them once you have researched it. If you say you'll get them an answer later, make sure you follow up or you are sure to lose some credibility in the process. Follow up in a timely manner, even if the answer isn't ready, just so they know you haven't forgotten about them.
• Do not lose control, get upset, or angry during the Q & A. It is ok if your audience do not agree with you. Patiently, answer all questions.

Armed with these basic presentation skills, you are ready to persuade your audience to approve your budget, so you can move forward. These specific tips for such a presentation will help you reach that goal.

Updated: 01/22/00