​PowerSpeaking Blog: Tips and strategies for crafting presentations

The prevalence of personal devices — from laptops to smartphones to tablets and now even smartwatches — poses a challenge for presenters. When you're speaking, you are trained to want an audience's undivided attention. It's natural to feel irritated or disheartened during a presentation when you see people looking down at their phones as opposed to looking up at you.

In today’s world, as a speaker, we may need a new mindset. An audience glued to their devices isn't always the kiss of death. In many ways, devices are simply another tool to help enrich and enliven your presentation — or at least something you can simply work around. Here's how:

You can spend weeks crafting content and slides before a talk. Maybe you even rehearse for polish. Then what often occurs during presentations? Well, uh, actually, um…filler words happen, undermining your credibility. Simply put: if you use too many of them, it’s distracting. How can you avoid these language crutches and display more confidence? Read on to learn our tips for eliminating filler words from your talks.

At PowerSpeaking, Inc., we know that at the base of presenting well is solid, memorable content and style. A question that often creeps into the discussion on preparation, though, is about what attire is appropriate to wear when presenting. Appearance either enhances credibility, or undercuts it. To convey a more engaging presence, these tips support you having the “attire picture” of talk success.

We all know the challenge in today’s casual, multitasking culture: Having to speak to audiences half-tuned out on devices. Keeping attention in such settings can feel like herding cats. How do you hold, or regain people’s attention? What helps you capture the audience’s focus for greater meeting effectiveness? We offer these tips to increase your presentation success.