Planning a presentation? Watch our masterclass

Public speaking is a common fear, with most people experiencing pre-presentation jitters at some point in their career, so we asked Radix Communications Creative Director, David McGuire for some tips.

David is frequently called upon to speak at industry events and we are pleased to offer his exclusive 10-minute presentation masterclass.

There are three sections to David’s top tips for presentations:

• Planning
• Preparation
• Delivery

Watch the video to see how David breaks each of these sections into three key areas and gives you the full low down on how each tip will help you feel more confident and help you give a great presentation.

Here is an overview of David’s top tips for next time you need to give a presentation:

In planning your presentation you need to consider:

• Asking questions to the people who you will be presenting to will help you plan your content.
• Consider your venue – what is the room set up like and small details like what connection the projector requires will help you feel more prepared and look more professional.
• Know your subject – research more than just the specific topic content but the general subject area so you understand the wider context and are prepared for follow-up questions.

In preparation for the presentation you need to focus on:

• Structuring your presentation with a beginning, middle and end – you can choose to have a further 3 subsections to your beginning, your middle and your end.
• Using slides to support what you are saying – not to lead what you are saying.
• Practising saying it out loud – but not the exact wording (you don’t want to sound like a robot!).

And finally when delivering your presentation you want to consider:

• Your posture, tone and eye contact.
• Picking up cues from your audience and adapting your presentation based on these cues.
• A strong, memorable finish.