5 Tips for Becoming a Better Presenter

+ If you work in advertising or marketing, at some point you'll need to present work to a client, internal team, or maybe at a conference. Here are five tips to help you present better.

1) KNOW YOUR MATERIAL
One of the best ways to be a great presenter, is to know what you're talking about. Practice your presentation. Know your material well. Preparation is key to feeling confident in front of a room of strangers staring back at you.

2) TELL AN INTERESTING STORY
Keep them interested. Think and plan your presentation around telling a story. Set it up, explain it, summarize it. But also consider what is going to resonate with them. When you have people paying attention to what you're saying, it can help remove some anxiety when you're standing in front of them. Getting them to smile or laugh also helps.

3) BE CONFIDENT
Knowing your material is one way to get to confidence. But there are many others. Psyche yourself up with the fact that you're giving a presentation for a reason: they think you're an expert, they want your point of view, etc. Feed on that.

4) FAKE CONFIDENCE
Still not feeling confident? Fake it. Put on your acting shoes and think about someone you look up to who is confident. Pretend to be them. It could be a coworker, someone from a movie, or even just how you imagine yourself as a confident, take-charge presenter.

5) RELAX & PSYCHE YOURSELF UP
Take deep breaths. Put on music that calms you, or, psyches you up. I like music with a beat that gets me rallying. Some prefer calming music. It all depends on how you react to the pressure of presenting.

The other thing is that practice makes it easier. The more you do it, the better you will be. Start practicing with your coworkers, friends, or family. We all know that presentations should have a good number of dry runs but that doesn't always happen. So as much prep as you can do yourself, even in your head (I tend to do it in the shower), will help.

Good luck!