10 simple rules for effective presentations. Preparing and giving a presentation is a great responsibility because the outcome can totally change how the content will be perceived by the audience.

1. EFFECTIVE PRESENTATIONS

2. ”
I believe many people think they can deliver
good presentations just because they know
how to use presentation software. That’s not
enough: preparing and giving a presentation is
a great responsibility because the outcome can
totally change how the content will be
perceived by the audience.
The formula to reach the best result is a
multiplication (and not a sum) of three main
factors:
USEFUL x LIKEABLE x INSPIRING =
EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION
If just one of these factors is zero, the final
result will always be zero. And I mean always.
- Federico Attore
Founder and Chairman Tell Well

4. ONE
The computer is just a tool: the real key to your
presentation’s success is in your head. So start
by creating the storyboard of your
presentation.
Grab some Post-it notes, a black marker and a
whiteboard. Then start by sticking post-its
with:
- general info
- topics to include
- ideas on visual and verbal messages
- speech keywords

5. TWO
Remember: focus on the benefits for your
audience.
Your public is not there for you but for the
benefits you can provide them with.
Put yourself in your audience’s shoes, walk
with them, breathe with them.
It’s not enough to know their
socio-demographic profile, you also need to
know what keeps them awake at night. There’s
more: a mix of different people may attend a
presentation and you must know how to
segment your audience. The better you know
your audience, the more effective your
call-to-action will be.

6. THREE
“All roads lead to Rome”, as the saying goes.
In a presentation, all slides and frames must
lead the audience to the core idea you want
to convey. All other messages should support
the idea and help the audience understand it
better.
When you have found your big idea, write it
down in one sentence no longer than two
lines.

7. Add textFOUR
Stories have always aroused emotions and
strong physical reactions.
Apply storytelling principles to your
presentation by dividing your contents in three
acts:
- Act 1: introduce the setting and find the
turning point
- Act 2: develop the story, raise tension and
add complications
- Act 3: it’s the final act, you must offer the
solution.

8. FIVE
Choose the software you will use, based on
your audience, on your idea, and on the story
you want to tell.
If your presentation is Zen, rich in images and
with very little text, Keynote is the right tool.
If you want a more institutional presentation
and want to be sure that it can be opened on
any device, then choose PowerPoint.
Finally, if you want to create something
different and you are looking for a
presentation structure with an overview and a
clear storytelling path, then go for Prezi.

9. SIX
Don’t add graphics to your slides just to
embellish them. Use visual to help your
audience focus on and understand your
message. If possible, use images instead of
words, use diagrams instead of bullet points.
If you are using charts, make them as clear as
possible by removing unneeded labels and
grids. Use white space between objects and
don’t be afraid of empty areas.
Communicate clearly to your audience. Use
two different fonts of different color: one for
titles, one for body texts. It will also give your
presentation a change of pace.

10. SEVEN
Data may engage or bore your audience.
Therefore, the way you show data and the
visual context in which you put them are
important. If you are showing quantitative
data, don’t take for granted that your audience
will understand their meaning. It’s always
better to link data to something they already
know: saying ‘5 gigabytes’ may mean nothing,
but if I tell you they are enough to save 1000
songs, that will be immediately clear.

11. EIGHT
You should practice about 1 hour for every
minute of your speech.
Write down a rough draft of your speech and
then turn your speech into keywords. Repeat
your speech many times in front of a mirror,
or ask someone you trust to help you: give him
a glass and a teaspoon and ask him to hit it
every time he hears something he doesn’t like.
Remember that your audience’s attention span
is 10 minutes long. 10, not 11. Many
researches on cognitive functions confirm that.
Therefore remember to change topic every 10
minutes.

12. NINE
At the end of your presentation you may be
asked some questions. Sometimes they are
awkward and express disagreement with
what you said. Therefore you should try to
foresee the questions your audience
could ask.
Group them by topic and store them in
imaginary drawers. Then give a name to each
drawer. When your audience will be asking
that question, you will immediately know
what drawer to open in order to find the
answer.

13. TEN
Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who
you are. Tell me what you ate, and I will tell
you how your presentation will turn out.
It may sound strange, but the mental effort
of a presentation requires the proper intake
of sugar and vitamins. Eating light helps us
feeling more dynamic.
The most important food for a presenter is
fruit, because it is rich in water, sugar and
vitamins: energy for our brain.

15. www.tellwell.it
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