When it comes to engaging with people and promoting yourself, a product, service or even a business, there is nothing to match the opportunity offered by a presentation. A presentation finds you with a captive audience who has an interest in what you have to offer. This provides you with a good starting point but of course, it is up to you to make the most of this golden opportunity. Here are 10 tips for a highly memorable presentation.

1. Be energetic

Whether you are the only presentation of the day or one in a long day for the audience, you will be more memorable if you are energetic and upbeat. Don’t take this too far into being annoying but if you can be lively and offer something exciting to your guests, they will find it easier to remember your message and presentation.

2. Practice

This cannot be stated enough times. When you practice your presentation, it will become second nature to you, you will find the strong points and you will understand what works and what doesn’t. If you don’t practice, you can expect to struggle in getting your point across.

3. Have a story element

A story is always the best way to engage your audience and to get them interested in what you have to say. If you can make it personal and make sure people see how it relates to them, your presentation will have a greater chance of success.

4. Have a structure

A presentation is like any other business report or document. You should aim to have a structure that has a beginning, middle and an end with a natural flow. This will help you create your presentation but it should also ensure that people remember the presenting.

5. Know who you are presenting to

Everything in business is about reaching out to people so making sure you know who you are presenting to will help. Knowing your audience feeds into your language, the information you present and the message you aim to deliver.

6. Simplicity is best

Let’s be honest, you have a limited amount of time to make a connection so you can’t afford to overcomplicate matters. Keeping things simple will ensure that there is a greater chance of people remembering your key points. You’ll also find it easier to remember your presentation points when you keep it simple.

7. Provide visual images

The saying that “a picture paints a thousand words” is a cliché but it is true. When you have a limited amount of time to get your points across, you will find that images are brilliant. These will stick with your audience and get your brand or point across effectively.

8. Provide a summary

No matter what you are presenting, you always want to wrap up your presentation in a strong fashion. This means you need to summarise your presentation, emphasising the key points of your presentation. The final things you say are more likely to be the things that your audience remembers so make sure you summarise the key points that matter with respect to your presentation.

9. Be timely

You always need to watch your time when presenting and if you have a time limit, aim for below that time limit because there is every chance you will overrun. Your guests will appreciate a well-timed and to the point presentation. This is something that you should work on during your practice session so make sure you have a stop-watch handy when you develop your presentation to.

10. Leave your audience with something

You should always look to leave your audience with something. Whether it is slides, notes, a report or even just a business card, providing your audience with something that will help them to recall your presentation makes perfect sense.

No matter the reason for your presentation, following these tips will help you to provide a memorable presentation to your audience.