Giving Effective PowerPoint Presentations (Part 2)

Giving effective Powerpoint Presentations is an Art that can be mastered through time and practice.

In my last blogpost, I had covered PowerPoint Prerequisites (Part 1).  And as promised, here is Part 2 - Points to remember while giving effective PowerPoint Presentations. I have listed down 10 basic points which are good to go with a power packed - effective presentation!

Representative Image-Pexels

1. Rehearse: I say 'Rehearse' and NOT 'By Heart'. Whether it is a group presentation or an individual presentation, don't ever forget to run through your slides and rehearse it. You maybe an excellent orator or you maybe be completely naïve to the concept of giving formal presentations; whatever the case might be, be ready with your content to speak for those pointers on the slide with examples wherever possible.
2. Dress for Success: Since most of the presentations are a formal affair, dress up in the right formal attire. Also, try to pick up right formal shades for your formal attire. Dark blues, grey, black & white and some pastel shades are some of the formal shades that one must always have in the wardrobe.
3. Appear Confident: You are NEVER completely dressed until you wear your confidence. So remember to wear confidence as your 'ACCESSORY' always. Appearing confident helps you to conquer half the battle.
4. Greeting & Introduction Etiquette: Greet the audience in the room with a smile and introduce your self & group members (if at all a group presentation). Also, have a nice short introduction ready for your topic before you dive into the slides. You can get a lil' creative here in order to create interest amongst your audience.
5. Eye Contact: Maintain proper eye contact with everyone in the room. This will help in drawing attention from the audience to a great extent thereby making them active listeners.
6. Body Language: Body language consists of all those gestures, postures, facial expressions and paralanguage. Try to moderate it with a conscious mind. Ensure that your gestures are not too loud and the other aspects of your body language are not over shadowing your presentation content.
7. Don't just read the slides: Remember that it is not a news reading task. Hence, refrain from just merely reading the slides but try to explain the points from the slide in your own words with quotes, anecdotes or examples wherever possible. Also, avoid having any written content in your hand. 
8. Time Management: Ensure that you are well informed about the time allotted for your presentation and plan your slides and content in tandem with that time. Don't rush with your speaking as it may cause you to stammer at times. So pay attention to the clarity of your speech as well.
9. Avoid fillers in your speech: Fillers are those small pauses that many people often use between words such as ums, uhs and ers just to decide what to say next.
10. Showing Gratitude towards the Audience: Conclude the presentation and show your gratitude towards the audience by thanking them for their time as well as listening patiently. At this time, you can also, invite questions from the audience if any.