How to present perfectly, in public and in interviews

There are two essentials for presenting perfectly. The first is to prepare yourself. The second is to prepare your presentation. You risk failure if you don’t adequately cover both of these. But more of that in a moment: first, let’s consider your audience.

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Surprisingly, there need be very little difference between presenting to a small audience in an interview, or to a large audience in public. In general the ideal approach in both cases is to treat the presentation as if you were face-to-face with a single individual: that way you will naturally talk to the audience, not at the audience. This will build empathy between you and them.

Obviously, if there are several people in your audience, you shouldn’t focus your entire delivery on just one individual. Simply move your gaze from person to person, as you cover different points, in the same way that you would during an informal discussion with a small group of friends.

For a larger audience, begin by focusing on one individual who is perhaps two or three rows back, and then, after a while look at a different angle towards someone several rows further back, and so on. It’s much easier to address individuals throughout the audience than the entire audience as a whole, so you’ll find that a large audience is less daunting if you think of the audience members as individuals.

But as I said at the beginning, preparation is the real key – in fact this is true in many areas, not just presentations. Here are ten top tips on How to present perfectly, in interviews and in public:

Before an interview it may be worth preparing in advance a brief general-purpose presentation that relates to the job you are applying for. Even if you don’t have an opportunity to use the presentation, preparing it will arm you with deeper knowledge and understanding that you can draw upon during the interview.
Before presenting to a large audience in public, or a small audience in an interview: if you know the subject in advance, plan your approach carefully by researching it. This is now very easy to do on the internet. Just make sure that the sources you use are reliable, so that any statistics or facts you quote are accurate. It may add credibility to state your sources, if appropriate (or list them in a handout).
If, during an interview, you are asked without notice to give a short presentation, don’t panic. Obviously you can’t prepare if you don’t know the topic in advance, but you can follow a tried and tested method in your response. Begin by briefly outlining what you’re going to talk about; then cover the key points in more detail; and then briefly summarise what you’ve just told them. The subject matter is irrelevant – it’s all about showing that you can structure information logically and communicate effectively.
In any presentation, limit yourself to a one main theme and no more than five or six core messages. And don’t go into excessive detail. This is a presentation, not a training course, and there’s a limit to how much information people can absorb in a short period.
You will achieve a more compelling, natural conversational delivery by talking from notes, rather than reading every word from a rigid script. Using notes will also make it easier for you to maintain regular eye contact with your audience. Of course, if you’re very experienced, you may be able to deliver a presentation from memory. Few people other than professional actors have that ability.
Speak slowly, naturally and clearly. It’s important to avoid talking too rapidly, or too poshly, or too loudly, or mumbling: if you do any of those, you risk losing your audience. Don’t fidget nervously, or make over-dramatic hand gestures. And don’t waffle. It is better to say too little and be thought a fool, than to say something vacuous and confirm it.
Don’t be afraid of using a little humour where appropriate, especially if your subject is potentially boring. But keep it light and simple – never vulgar – and don’t overdo it. You are not giving a comedy performance.
Practise beforehand, by delivering your presentation to someone who will provide honest, constructive criticism. Ask them to listen for the same words being used too frequently, and for ‘ums and errs’. And check that they understand the messages that you’re trying to convey to them.
If you are going to use any technical equipment during your presentation, thoroughly check it beforehand. If it’s your own equipment, have a dummy run a few days before the presentation. When you pack the equipment go through a checklist of every item you need to take with you, including cables, etc. If you are using on-site equipment, ensure that you are familiar with how it works, and that it will accept any computer application you are using, or specific media if you are taking material on a CD or USB stick or in some other format.
If at the end of your presentation you are taking questions from a large audience : first thank the questioner; then briefly rephrase the question for the rest of the audience; next, answer the question; then ask the questioner if they are satisfied with your answer; and finally thank them again.

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