Everyone's sick of Powerpoint presentations simply because we rely too much on Powerpoints for business presentation. Actually, there's nothing wrong with Powerpoint technology. The problem is us, the presenters! We have come to believe technology is the only way to make presentations interesting.
But the best way to hook and impress your audience without technology. Teachers--ok, maybe not all teachers, but lots of great teachers--do it everyday.
1) Raising your voice. A monotonous tone is…monotonous. Dip your voice up and down with intonation, and also use different decibel levels (quieter talking, louder talking). Think of a song: it rises and drops between mezzo forte and forte. A song also quickens and slows in pace and that's why listening to music isn't boring. Take the idea of pace and volume level into account when you present so your audience stays engaged.
2) Speak with a smile in your voice. I was listening to the radio this morning and the man’s effort at “serious” made him sound like he hated his life. You can be serious but still be smiling. It's hard for your audience to be grumpy and irritable if you sound happy when you're presenting.
3) Use your hands – You can point, exclaim, describe and welcome with your hands. It might sound like a visual clue, but using your hands can signal and emphasise important words to listen. Allow your hand gestures to complement your voice for emphasis, reinforcement and direction in a business presentation.
And there are also visual hooks, an article you can quickly read if you subscribe to our RSS.
Related Presentation Readings:
A 3 Step Method to avoid Presentation technology Fail
More successful business presentation techniques
Here you'll learn how to create (and modify) an infomercial that appeals to any audience. And, you'll find the 10 steps you need to follow to boost your sales potential in 20 seconds: