How to Give a Great Training Presentation

Whether you are a career trainer or giving a training as a one-time event, you want to make a great impression.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Stopwatch, clock or watch
• Voice recorder
• Mirror

1. Practice. Run through the presentation with a friend. Ask them for honest feedback on if you spoke at the right volume and pace, if you presented the information clearly, if you gave enough examples, if you appeared confident and so forth.

2. Prepare. If you are using any electronic equipment for your presentation, test it well in advance. Make sure you know how to connect the computer to the projector. Make sure the projector has a working bulb. Test logins to the computer or network. If using PowerPoint, practice forwarding through the slides.

3. Get your timing right. Run through your presentation with a stopwatch to time how long the presentation is and make sure it corresponds to the length that the audience was told to expect.

4. Pace yourself. Consider the audience’s point of view. Are you speaking too slowly or quickly for the audience? Are you pausing to emphasize the most important points? Are you breaking large amounts of information into smaller, more digestible pieces by giving examples or analogies?

5. Practice professionalism. Record yourself giving the presentation before the big day. When you play back the presentation, are you avoiding annoying verbal habits such as "Um," "Yeah" and "Y’know"? Are you using proper grammar and avoiding slang? Do you credit others for any ideas or quotes in your presentation? Also practice the presentation in a mirror to notice any annoying physical habits such as twirling your hair or waving your hands too much.

6. Encourage participants to ask questions. When a participant asks a question, restate the question in your own words to verify that you understood the question and so other participants can hear it. If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so instead of guessing and losing your credibility with your audience. If a question calls for a lengthy explanation, offer to answer the question outside the presentation.

7. Give examples. People want practical information, not just theory. Give many examples to illustrate a difficult topic or concept.

8. Recognize learning styles. Know your audience and recognize that there are many different learning styles. Try to incorporate these different learning styles into your training where possible. For visual learners, show slides or illustrate concepts on a whiteboard or flip chart. For kinesthetic learners, have them perform an action, whether it’s demonstrating a step you just described or holding an example of something.

9. Relax. Take some deep cleansing breaths before the presentation to calm your nerves. Also, by taking in enough air, your voice will come out clear and strong instead of shaking. Remember that you have an expertise that the audience wants.

[iamageniuster]

on 10/19/2008 Great tips. Thanks for sharing. 5 stars!