What a successful and effective presentation looks like

Brevity

As INC.com states, the shorter, more concise and more powerful the speech, the better. Once you have completed the first draft, reduce the length and rewrite it, then edit it once more. Now read it slowly, including all the pauses and you will most likely discover it is still twice as long as it should be. Focus on quality rather than quantity and be as brief as possible.

Attention paid to the speaker themselves

If you are using a presentation, a screen or any other form of visual aid, don't overdo it. A speech is mainly about what you say and how you look. If you try to hide behind a screen, people will not pay attention to you. Your presentation should rather offer a general outline or some additional content that accompanies what you are saying. Do not allow visual aids to steal your listeners' attention.

Suitable body language

While many people focus on the spoken word in their preparations, a large number of them unfortunately forget that 80% of communication is nonverbal. So pay attention to your gestures, posture, movements onstage, eye movement and facial expressions. All these play a crucial role in how you are perceived by the audience. The nonverbal signals you emit should always match the content you are providing at the given moment.

Pauses and emphasis

Many people are afraid of silence; thus, when speaking publicly, they often make the mistake of talking all the time, without any pauses, just trying to give the audience as much information as possible. But pauses are not only desirable but actually necessary. An audience needs time to process what you are saying and a well-timed pause can give a speech emphasis when necessary. So do not fear pauses; speak slowly, leave a gap after every sentence and use silence to your advantage.

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