Similar to public speaking,‭ ‬many people find giving a presentation-especially to a large audience, to be a tremendous challenge.‭ ‬If you are starting a business person, you may be asked to make a presentation to workshops,‭ ‬potential clients,‭ ‬or colleagues.‭ ‬Being a little nervous is a sign that you want to do well-but just as in public speaking, being overly nervous or scared might pose a problem.‭ ‬With a little practice you can learn to overcome your anxieties or fears and make informative and memorable presentations.

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The use of visual aids,‭ ‬coupled with good public speaking skills,‭ ‬work hand-in-hand to create effective presentations.‭ ‬Your speaking style and stage presence are personal talents that you can refine with much practice and experience. However, if emphasis is given to visual aids, here are a couple of essentials that will help you give a powerful presentation-with the use of visual aids.

(Know The Audience} It is essential that you know who will make up your audience in order to produce an effective presentation.‭ ‬For example,‭ ‬if you are presenting a presentation to a group of entrepreneur or small business owners,‭ ‬what you will present will differ from delivering a presentation to a roomful of corporate executives.‭ ‬Your business owners are going to be interested in basic ideas or explanations of helpful tips that will aid their businesses.‭ ‬Whereas executives are usually entertained by reports,‭ ‬statistics,‭ ‬graphs,‭ ‬and charts.‭ ‬Now if your audience is a mixture of both,‭ ‬then you will need to know that.

Once you have prepared your presentation accordingly,‭ ‬allow some time at the very start for a brief introductory engagement if possible.‭ ‬You can start by telling your audience a little about yourself.‭ ‬Then,‭ ‬depending on the size of your group,‭ ‬what you can do is to invite them to introduce themselves individually.‭ ‬Going back to your small business owners for an example,‭ ‬get each to briefly stand,‭ ‬give their names and the type of business they are in.‭ ‬You are not going to remember all of their names,‭ ‬but try your best to remember a few,‭ ‬to start off with.‭ ‬This will serve four purposes.‭ (‬1‭) ‬You and your group are getting acquainted on a personal level.‭ (‬2‭) ‬You will become more relax since you may be already gaining information as to what they may need specifically to assist them.‭ (‬3‭) ‬Your audience will see that you are genuinely interested in them as individuals,‭ ‬and for this they will warm up to you rather quickly.‭ (‬4‭) ‬This will encourage good audience interaction which is something you may like to include as part of your presentation.‭

(Choosing the Appropriate Tool) Visual aids help your presentation make things happen!‭ ‬Visual aids help you reach your objectives by providing emphasis to whatever is being said.‭ ‬Clear pictures multiply the audience's level of understanding of the material presented,‭ ‬and they should be used to reinforce your message,‭ ‬clarify points,‭ ‬and create excitement.‭

‬Visual aids and audio-visuals include a wide variety of communication products,‭ ‬including flip charts,‭ ‬overhead transparencies,‭ ‬slides,‭ ‬audio-slide shows, Power Points presentations,‭ ‬and video tapes.‭ ‬Demonstrating a process or simply passing around a sample of some equipment or model are also effective way to clarify messages visually.‭ ‬If visual aids are poorly selected or inadequately done,‭ ‬they will distract from what you are saying.