Presenting a topic or talk may seem like an easy thing to do, especially with the help of PowerPoint slides. Many feel that it’s just about preparing the slides with relevant information, stand in front of an audience and present.
But what makes a good presentation goes beyond that. Unfortunately, many miss the finer points in presenting that will make a big difference between a good and a bad presentation. To deliver a good presentation, there are many things to consider but there are three main elements that make up a good presentation:
1. Content
2. Design
3. Delivery
Why is good presentation important?
Because presentation is delivered when the speaker has something to say, an ineffective presentation will be a waste of everyone’s time and may even affect the speaker’s reputation and credibility.
How is good presentation important to HR managers?
With a good and effective presentation, especially for HR managers, it can help to boost the audience’s understanding on a certain topic and also allow the HR managers to connect with more people.
HR managers tend to be naturally affable and a people’s person, so it’s easier sometimes for them to deliver a good presentation. However even with this natural gift of affability, there are HR managers who make the common mistakes during presentations. A good presentation is important to HR managers because when used correctly, it allows the HR manager to convey his or her idea effectively and also leave an impact on the audience to understand and remember the topic that was presented.
Content
A good content is always important than fancy looking PowerPoint presentation slides. Content that is relevant and important to the audience tend to leave greater impact than something that is old or repetitive. Having said that, HR managers can still turn a well-known topic into something that is interesting provided he or she uses all the right techniques in presenting as well as prepare the presentation the best he or she can.
A HR manager should study and understand the content of his or her presentation so it will not sound awkward. Once a manager understand what the content is and how to make it interesting and relevant, it will be easier for him or her to develop good content.
Design
It’s easy to get carried away when you have many options of animation, colors, graphics and WordArt to choose from. A lot of people, HR managers included, made the mistake of thinking that the audience won’t feel bored if there were different fonts and graphics used. It is entertaining to see swirling words and fading out photos but it’s also distracting. Audience will concentrate more on the animations than they do on the content of the slides or worse, lose focus on what the speaker is saying.
Animations, graphics and graphs or charts need to be used sparingly so as to add emphasis but not over the top that they cause distraction.
Delivery
A bad delivery will make even the most well prepared presentation futile. And a mediocre presentation slides can be effective if the speaker delivers the presentation in the right way. Delivery techniques like pace, tone, body language, movement and engagement are important during presentation. These techniques must be a conscious act through iterative process until it becomes natural, if it doesn’t come naturally to some people. Perfecting delivery techniques is important to ensure the presentation will be an effective one.