There are probably thousands of books written about how to be a great public speaker. I’ve read at least 50, and most are way too focused on things like how to use your voice, hands and posture to look and sound good. If you stop and think about great speakers you’ve seen over the years, you’ll discover that even those who seem to break all of the rules can still be terrific because they say things that are important, speak with passion, and get their ideas across simply and clearly. So here are 10 things that really are worth doing to prepare for your next presentation.

 

1. If you actually don’t think the topic is important, try to avoid the presentation all together. If you are not moved by the topic, your audience certainly won’t be.
2. Write down 3 reasons this topic really matters to you.
3. Write down 3 ways you can connect this topic to something that really matters to your audience.
4. Stop and think about why the audience may not care about what you care about, or may even resist your message. Plan how to deal with misconceptions, and how to connect to what matters to the audience to win them over.
5. Over a few days, brainstorm all kinds of examples, stories, visuals, questions, etc. that make your points simply and powerfully show how your topic matters to you, and matters to your audience.
6. Avoid the temptation to either write a document you will read to the audience, or make a slide presentation that is just point after point after point. This guarantees mediocrity. After you have chosen all of the elements your presentation will use, make simple notes that you can follow as you go, or practice to speak with no notes at all if you are comfortable.
7. Develop a strong opening and a strong close. Your opening will use one of your stories or examples or a powerful insight to grab your audience in the first 90 seconds. Get momentum fast, and show people that you have something important to say. Your strong close will use another attention grabbing technique and a simple summary to make sure your key message sticks.
8. Keep your presentation simple. Use your best stories, examples, visuals, etc. to get across a small number of key messages that really do matter. Avoid the temptation to bury people in detail that only you think is important.
9. Focus on bridging what matters to you and what matters to the audience. If you can show your audience that your message is relevant in their day to day lives, they will be listening to you and not playing with their Blackberrys.
10. Don’t assume that being competent and professional means being unemotional. People want to see where you stand and why you care. If you don’t care, why on earth should they? Pick stories and examples that allow you to express your enthusiasm or concern, and talk directly about why you believe the issue at hand deserves attention.