10 Ways to a Great Presentation

How do you feel about speaking in front of groups?

It was time for the big presentation. My first presentation of the day was at 10 AM. Drive time would be over an hour, allowing for traffic slowdown and parking time I allowed an extra thirty minutes. The only thing worse than an unprofessional presentation is being late. Since this appointment was made in March and the soonest I could get in was October there was no excuse for being late.

The office manager ran a tight schedule. When I arrived I was taken to a waiting area. After a several minutes a factory rep walked out with his wares and I was escorted to the conference room with twenty-six designers waiting to see what I had to show them. The office manager introduced me and I sat up my easel. By this time my portfolio was extensive with samples from residential projects had painted over the past seven months. My designs consisted of freehand borders, custom designed stencil borders, and faux finishes topped off with coordinating borders.  

At one point I was explaining one of my samples and noticed my hand was shaking and I said, “As you can see, you don’t need a steady hand to do this.” Well, that got a laugh and it relaxed me a bit. After the presentation several designers asked for my card and we scheduled appointments to discuss upcoming projects.Off to my next presentations.

As difficult as it was to give that presentation I have never regretted all the prep work that went into it. Here is a check list for giving your presentations.

• Arrive on time

• Be neat and dress professionally

• Have a professional looking portfolio, neat and orderly

• Make good eye contact while speaking

• Smile

• Know your facts

• Make a connection by telling short stories of related subject matter

• Allow time for questions and answers

• Finish on time

• Have business cards and/or brochures with all your contact information

Now go for it!  Please feel free to ask questions or make comments.