How to Make Your Next Presentation Your Best

I challenge myself before every presentation I give. The challenge is, “How do I make this presentation my best?”

I answer the question by enhancing my body language, trying out a new joke, and adding an original story to the performance.

I share the same goal with the attendees of my presentation skills training courses:

“Make Your Next Presentation Your Best.”

This is an “evergreen goal,” meaning you can never really achieve it, but each time you try, you end up getting better.

You’ll never quite get to perfection, but you’ll love pushing toward excellence.

Here are three simple ways you can make your next presentation(s) your best:

1. Don’t create your slides… BUY THEM! Ask your manager to buy a team subscription to SlideModel.com. SlideModel is a collection of thousands of slide templates and slide graphics. Type in a search; voila, you have a template or graphic to enhance your presentation. Now, some might say pretty slides aren't required. I say that’s “WRONG!” Slides are an extension of the presenter’s brand. Sloppy and dull slides curb an excellent presentation, while shared and on-point slides lift the presenter’s voice.

2. Start with a story. I recently trained a high-caliber team on sales segmentation and targeting. I shared a story about being woefully underdressed when meeting a high-powered doctor in 2003. I transitioned into observing business professionals wearing Nike shoes in the boardroom as a sign of new times in business fashion. From there, I noted how Nike is one of the world’s best marketing companies because they do an amazing job segmenting their customers. The story was personal, relatable, and complimentary to understanding the task. Start with a simple story and bring your audience into your world.

3. Practice Box Breathing. Navy SEAL friends told me they would Box Breathe before a big mission. This breathing technique helped them find calm before a stressful situation. Think about the four sides of a box or rectangle. Box breathing works like this:

First, breathe in for a four-count.

Second, hold the inhaled breath for a four count.

Third, exhale for a four count.

Fourth, hold the exhaled breath for a four count.

Repeat three times, and you’ll start to feel a pleasant calm.

Before every big presentation, give yourself the gift of calmness and centering. It works for the SEALS, and it will work for you.

Three simple steps will make your next presentation your best. Once you have these three down, add new ones.

In my online course, Customer Presentation Excellence, I have ideas for using Slides as Scaffolds, POPS, The Rule of Three, and Effective Storytelling.