What Makes a Good Presentation (A Response)

Response to: Business Presentations: “Inspire (Rather than Tire)” & Why are presentation skills so important”

I came across two blog posts that coincided with my view on the importance of presentation skills. Sam mentioned a good point that I totally agree with: practicing but not memorizing leads to better delivery in a presentation. In preparing for my presentation, I realized that not only was it ineffective to not write up a speech and attempt to recite it word-for-word, but it also increases the chance of stumbling for words on presentation day. Instead, I listed main ideas that I wanted to get across, and practiced what order I would present them in. I find that this works best because not only does it reduce the chance of forgetting the speech, but it also prevents the dreaded monotone voice.

Gordie’s post happens to say exactly why I think presentation skills are important:

“All of one’s research, creative ideas, and suggestions mean absolutely nothing if they cannot be effectively communicated to a target audience.”

Exactly. What good are brilliant ideas be if one cannot capture others’ attention, and deliver the idea across, and make an impact in the audiences’ mind. Especially when only given the opportunity of a brief presentation.