Do you want an effective business presentation?

It is essential that you thoroughly prepare and practice before an effective business presentation. Have as much notes as you need and put down the keywords you are going to use. It is important to immediately attract the attention of the audience and establish a rapport.

Smiling and acting relaxed will also make them relaxed and open to what you are going to say. You can start with an opener like some surprising statistic, a question or a quotation related to your subject.

Try to prove your point of view by nailing key elements very succinctly. Each point that you make should be accompanied by supporting information or data.

You can enrich your presentations by means of photos, audio elements, 3D animation and graphics. This will make it more attractive. PowerPoint or Keynote are good tool to use in case of working for an effective business presentation, as long as you only use it for support, not as a presentation entirely.

Make sure your presentation is not cluttered. There has to be a high contrast between the text and the background so be careful how you combine the colors.

After completing the plan of the presentation, you have to prepare what you are going to say. You could practice speaking in front of a mirror.

Rehearse the speech in front of people you know and be sure to ask for feedback.

Repeating this once or twice will help you gain more control over your posture and speech and it will make you feel more in control.

At first, rehearse the speech which you have written. Summarize it in a few key words then use these keywords to rehearse again. Do this until you are so familiarized with your presentation that you can maintain a steady speech flow only by glancing at the few keywords.

Another idea for an effective business presentation would be to use a tape-recorder or a video tape and listen and watch yourself speak and act. Rehearse over and over, in order to control, improve or eliminate those aspects which you consider to be dissatisfactory. Mind your tone of voice, the rhythm and pauses. Also, gestures that you make and your facial expression should be taken into consideration.

Non verbal communication is of utmost importance. Stand up straight, look confident but not arrogant. Act relaxed and mobile. Your hands should be kept at your side, so that your gesture would come out calm and natural.

You have to feel, or at least show that you are feeling comfortable and confident. Be sure to make eye contact with as many people present in the audience as possible. Capturing their attention this way will make them feel connected to you and open to your ideas.