What advice would you give someone who is preparing a presentation for their big upcoming event?
Noyan IDIN
44 replies
Any tips for feeling confident on the stage (or Zoom) and best practices for the rehearsal?
Replies
Berk Atik@berk_atik
Decktopus AI
Record yourself doing it. I get more stressed when I know I am being recorded. So by recording myself, I am preparing for the stressful environment.
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FocuSee
@berk_atik @noyanidin My product Gemoo recorder could help you in this, record yourself in HD without any charges, no time limitation as well. Practice makes perfect!
Decktopus AI
@berk_atik @inc_gemoo is it for recording or video meetings?
FocuSee
@berk_atik @noyanidin It is a versatile screen recorder that helps people capture their screen, webcam and sound (individually or together) to visually express their thoughts. I have also built various tools into it to make video communication more efficient.
Growth Hackers Guide To Producthunt
Review the entire presentation and ask yourself how you can strip away unnecessary words.
We come for the idea but stick for the story.
Rule of thumb for me, for presentations that really mean a lot to you - for every 10 min of the presentation allocate 1 day of prep.
50 min presentation = one business week , or 40 hours of prep (slides, speaking notes, practice etc)
Get a damn good template (buy it if you have to) and spend most of your time practicing to an audience
Decktopus AI
@travis_page or use Decktopus :P practicing is the most important I believe. Do you have any tips for practicing?
@noyanidin Start by yourself then do it in front of people. There is a pretty funny Tim Ferriss interview where he feverishly practices his Ted Talk in front of a group of dogs.
Hunted Space
Try to implement some harmless jokes, the audience will love it and will keep up with the presentation and you get soothed as well if you have fun at presenting! ✨
To get the biggest impact and the best reaction from everyone in the room:
1) You're telling a story. Make sure its a good one and that you're not the center of it. Be the guide in the story, not the main character. If possible, make your audience the main character and guide them through the presentation.
2) You own the story, so you need to know the topic you're presenting, like the back of your hand. You shouldn't have to reference the slides unless you need to point something out.
3) The slide is not your script; its an outline with some supporting images or stats.
4) Avoid questions during your presentation. if you really need to, answer only what is necessary and elaborate when you're finished. Most of the time, the questions people have will be answered at a later point in the presentation.
Hope this helps and good luck!
Decktopus AI
@frank_fernandez Hello Frank, how do you create the story?
@noyanidin I like the way Donald Miller explains it. https://buildingastorybrand.com/...
In short:
1) A character
2) Has a Problem
3) And Meets a Guide (You're the guide)
4) Who Gives Them a Plan
5) And Calls Them to Action
6) That Helps Them Avoid Failure
7) And Ends in a Success
It's good for presentations or any other form of marketing. Even if the topic is somewhat dry, this will make it better. Set this framework up in Decktopus and it will help people convey their message.
Decktopus AI
@frank_fernandez Thanks Frank! Actually we are working on the storytelling side of presentations currently, I would love to invite you to our community and discuss some ideas! :)
BeforeSunset AI
3 things of mine:
- Preparing slides with related images that will clue me in, helps me get relaxed.
- Asking good questions to my audience, to encourage interaction (finding hook questions is not easy: must be basic to let the audience take the word and related to your topic)
- Present to me first, at least 3 trials to be confident about my voice and gestures.
Boolvideo
For me, the most important thing is practicing!!! Practice makes perfect. Only if you are totally familiar with your content, you can present it fluently and organized.
Decktopus AI
Be well prepared and practice more times in private
If you are preparing a presentation to present to investors - contact us! We will prepare it for you, as well as prepare you completely for the meeting with the investor. In addition, in case of refusal, we will help you find new investors
Hi there! The Top-3 tips I use every time I prepare to speak to anyone anywhere:
-> Prepare the visual part of the presentation (it does not matter whether it is a full-fledged deck or just an image that listeners can look at while the speech is in progress)
-> Rehearse several times out loud
-> Make sure that you make it to the time slot allocated for your presentation (with a reserved time for a few questions)
Good luck with your presentation! :)
Decktopus AI
@kate_kovbii Hello Kate, thanks for the tips! a question: What is the order of actions when you prepare your presentation? Do you create the outline first, create the slides and the transcript, or what? :)
@noyanidin great question, thanks! I start by defining the goal of my presentation (What exactly do I want to achieve? What change do I want to happen after the presentation?) Then I create the outline (probably on the slides inside the presentation tool I use) and follow this up with the design. Once it's done - I transcript my future speech and then do all this crazy stuff I told you in my previous comment :)
Hope that helps :)
Decktopus AI
@kate_kovbii Hey Kate thanks for the details! I wonder which presentation tool you use and what your first question's answer (achieve and changes after the presentation) looks like. It would be great if you can provide me with some examples :)
@noyanidin of course :)
Regarding the tool - I'm a big fan of the Keynote. All those transitions and animations you can create there are just stunning :) But a tool is always just a tool, which might depend on the situation, need, time limits, etc.
And regards the goal of and the change after - it also depends :) For example, I'm creating a little presentation about communication for my team right now. It's called "Panic-free communication," and my goal here is to help my teammates stress a bit less about the different comms they participate in :)
Decktopus AI
@kate_kovbii Great Kate. I'm working on a product that assists people to prepare the best speech & presentation. Can I invite you to our community and discuss some ideas? (Especially for the goal part)
Chat Breezes 1.0
things that work for me are:
1. Rehearse a lot: even in the shower or walking on the street; so that I will never forget anything important even if I am super nervous during the presentation
2. Prepare questions: make a list to write down all the possible questions and then prepare the answers. even if I run into unprepared questions during the presentation, I will lead them to the prepared ones
3. relax relax relax: nothing is a big deal. just enjoy the process
Know that great speakers are just great at practicing what they say. If someone sounds flawless it's because they have said the same thing in various ways many times before.
Go ahead and practice what you're going to say while showering, envisioning the water droplets as little applauses, in front of the bathroom mirror, while driving as you get looks from passersby. Get comfortable with the material, don't focus on memorizing word for word, and know you're going to do great.
Decktopus AI
@venessa_perez How do you create your story?
@noyanidin When I create for myself I sit down typically with paper and pencil, something about the physicality of paper and pencil makes it feel more personal, and I write whatever comes to mind. Doesn't matter if it looks disconnected (you'll find it's not) and feels unrelated (also typically not the case subconsciously). I try to answer one question, "Why did I spend time on this?" Time is such an important luxury that focusing on answering why it was important to put time into helps bubble up and remind me of the passion. Typically those thoughts that seem disconnected or unrelated become clearer. There was something in the past, an homage to a fond childhood memory, a frustration at work, an opportunity I saw to help someone I couldn't before. Those nuggets become the foundation of what I want my audience to feel and becomes the outline to my story.
That's how I do it for myself. When I help others in the same exercise (be it preparing a pitch deck or personal brand story) I take the role of facilitator. Start with asking them to tell me about themselves then go into the many Whys.. why this? why now? why was this important to spend your time? As they speak those stories of childhood, frustration, opportunity to help typically bubble up naturally. I take notes and play back what I heard, highlight the key things that came through and what they seemed to be most passionate about. That creates the structure for their story.
Decktopus AI
@venessa_perez Thanks Venessa. I guess "why" is a great question for presentations. I am working on a product that assists people to create a better presentations. I'd love to invite you to our community and discuss some ideas about asking "why"!
Start off strong and grab your audience's attention right away with a compelling opening.
Next, keep the momentum going by connecting your points concisely and clearly.
Most importantly, break up your speech with entertaining anecdotes but don't forget to stay on track.
When it's time to close, wrap it up with a powerful call-to-action that will stay in the minds of your audience long after you finish. If you keep these tips in mind when prepping for your big event, you can be sure that it'll be a success!
Decktopus AI
@alekswatch Hey Alexis thanks for sharing. What do you do if you feel your audience is bored during the presentation?
@noyanidin To engage an audience during a presentation, it is important to give a strong opener and limit the talk to one major idea. Additionally, giving the audience a reason to care and stirring their curiosity can help keep them engaged. Storytelling can also be used to make the presentation more memorable, as well as using non-linear presentation software and adding in short videos. Inviting people onto the stage can also help engage the audience.
Decktopus AI
@alekswatch Thank you so much Alexis! Let me ask what the order of preparing your presentation is. Do you create the outline first, transcript then, or what?