SPEAKING OF GREAT PRESENTATIONS

Surveys have shown that people's biggest dread is public speaking - it's more feared than spiders, shark attacks or visits to the dentist. However, by following a few tips you can hone your skills, build confidence, and look forward to making presentations even more than the prospect of being devoured by a shark.

Here are a few tips experts have suggested to improve presentation skills.

1. Know your material. When you make a formal presentation, you're considered an expert on the subject matter. You should have a thorough understanding of the topic that goes well beyond the text of your speech.

2. Know your audience. The material you present on the same subject may vary if your audiences have different interests and motivations. In a sales presentation for a piece of equipment, you may want to stress the long-term return on investment to upper management. However, you may want to stress the simplicity of its operation to the people actually using the equipment.

3. Know what you want to accomplish. Determine the main message that you want your audience to come away with. Then develop your presentation to build a case for your position using statistics, documentation and supporting evidence.

4. Organize your presentation. Every presentation should have three parts: an introduction, the main body and the conclusion.

• The introduction briefly establishes the thesis of the presentation, and introduces your credentials.
• The main body should be 75% - 80% of your presentation. This is where you develop your ideas and fashion supporting facts, figures and analyses into an argument that supports your thesis.
• The conclusion should summarize the key points and show how they support the thesis of your presentation.

Audiences are receptive to speakers who are open, enthusiastic and confident. There are many ways to accomplish this - making eye contact with your audience, nodding to convey understanding, a warm tone of voice, open and inviting body language. And don't forget to smile.