Achieve a Smooth Presentation Style - 5 Techniques For Effective Presenters

In any good presentation you should be prepared to move from one of your main presentation points to another smoothly and neatly. And there's the challenge. Your audience doesn't have the benefit of headings, sub-headings or paragraphs to guide them. Their understanding of your presentation has to be guided by you with clear organization and speech. Without well-delivered transitions from one part of your speech to another, your presentation will appear jumpy at best, or disorganized at worst. To help you, there are five simple techniques that you can use.

1. Pauses. These are the fundamental punctuation marks of your presentation. Short pauses, medium pauses and long pauses equate to commas, periods (full stops), and paragraphs. When you use them well your audience understands the transition from one point to another.
2. Emphasis. When you emphasize a word or a sentence you signal a transition from one part of your presentation to another; from one point to its successor.
3. Lists. A listing of a few points can be a most effective way to move from one section of your presentation to another. You can outline the list briefly and then you can address each of the list points in turn. Each section is neatly partitioned by its place in the list. Do remember to take care, though, with PowerPoint bullet lists -- they should not be used too liberally.
4. Repetition. When you repeat a word or a sentence you add emphasis to its position in your speech. You signal its importance for your audience and you manage the progression from one point to the other.
5. Questions. You should try to use a rhetorical question to mark a transition in your presentation. You might begin your presentation with a brief outline of your subject or its context. And you might then follow with a rhetorical question or questions that get to the critical substance that you want to address. Your answers to your own questions add up to the main points of your presentation.

When you focus on the key transition from one section of your presentation to the next you can achieve a smooth delivery style. Your audience will appreciate the effort that you take in marking out the important points, signposting your argument and signaling the key stages.

Andrew Ivey is the Principal Trainer at Time to Market. His company runs presentation and public speaking skills training courses throughout the UK. Using a network of over 40 training centres the company supports half-day and full-day training courses and seminars for executive presenters of all abilities. You can get more information and presentation skills tips by signing up for their regular newsletter, "Telling it Straight."

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Ivey