No. 1 - The key message
	The key message is ultimately the one thing that your audience must understand. Before you do anything, identify and then focus on your key message.
	No. 2 – Write the presentation...with a pen
	In this technological fuelled day and age the first thing that most people do when writing a presentation is open PowerPoint.  Wrong! The best thing to do is write the presentation in full using a pen and some paper...and leave your PC turned off.
	No. 3 - Beginning, middle and end
	Like any good story, yours must also have a beginning, a middle and an end: The beginning lets you set your stall out and capture your audience’s attention. The middle gets across "the meat" of your presentation; demonstrating exactly why to buy this product, get excited about a product launch or whatever it is that you are delivering. And the end is just about the most important of the three. The reason for this is as humans we often don’t retain a lot of information however what we do remember tends to be the last thing you tell us. Think about your ending and make sure its worth remembering.
	No. 4 – Visual impact Imagine a presentation with no pictures, just words; very dull indeed (we know because we’ve seen plenty!)  Any good presentation makes the most of visual imagery, yours must do so too.
	No. 5 – Know your topic
	Not knowing your topic is a sure fire way of setting up a bad presentation. If you have to give a presentation about a topic that is not your area of expertise then it’s time to put in the hours. You must be comfortable with the subject matter before you can present it to others.
	No. 6 - Know your audience
	It’s common sense - if you’re presenting to a Company Director you wouldn’t go into minute detail, similarly if you’re presenting to an IT team you’re unlikely to go for the high level, big picture pitch. Each audience you present to will be different. As such, tailor your presentation to each one to be most effective.
	No. 7 – The storyboard technique
	Whilst sounding a bit “Hollywood”, this is an excellent way of bridging the gap between your ideas and a presentation. By writing out the presentation as a storyboard you’ll see how the message flows, allowing you to ensure that your “story” is being told effectively.
	No. 8 - The PowerPoint isn't the presentation
	Never, ever just read the words from each slide. A PowerPoint is merely “speaker support” – you’re the vital element in the whole equation.
	No. 9 – Less is more
	One of the biggest curses inflicted upon unwitting PowerPoint audiences is the text heavy slide, more often than not accompanied by someone reading the text word for word (yes, we’ve all been forced to sit through this type of presentation!). Not very effective, is it? Any text in a presentation should be used to reemphasise the message...and that’s it! Long sentences are guaranteed to lose your audiences so if you're going to use text, make them short bullet points instead.
	No. 10 – Practice & prepare
	If you can do your presentation without the PowerPoint to prompt you, you’ve practiced enough. If you can’t, keep practicing. Today’s business world is littered with poor presentations that do not do their presenters justice. Use these tips to make sure your presentations are the ones people remember.

Here at Eyeful we’re passionate about making presentations more effective. To learn more about how our experienced team could help optimise your presentation, contact us now either by phone on 0845 056 8528 or via e-mail.

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