If you’re involved in church leadership, there’s a good chance that you know a thing or two about public speaking. Years of experience and regular practice makes it a little easier to keep your cool in front of crowds and deliver interesting and engaging talks, no matter what the size of the audience or the situation.
However, if you’re not used to speaking to a congregation on a weekly basis, putting an interesting and informative presentation together and delivering it well can be a bit more of a challenge. If you have an important speech coming up, here are a few tips for creating the perfect presentation.
Define your theme
Every presentation should have a theme.
Clearly defining this theme and ensuring that all of your points relate to it, and add to it, will help you to create a presentation that’s relevant, interesting and memorable.
Don’t try to fit in too much
There’s only so much information that an audience can take in, so even if you have lots to say, try to keep your talk to the key facts.
If you really can’t cut anything from your presentation, talk to the conference organisers about providing refreshments to keep your audience’s energy levels up or even placing a short break in the middle of the talk.
Use visuals
Whatever the subject of your presentation might be, a few visual aids can go a long way to engaging your audience and helping them to understand your central theme.
Videos, photos and charts are all great for presentations, so try to get something prepared before the big day.
Speak slowly and clearly
Now, this may seem like an obvious one, but mumbled or inaudible speech can ruin even the most carefully prepared presentations.
If you’re nervous, take a few deep breaths before you begin to help collect your thoughts. Speak as clearly as possible, taking care to place a few breaks in your speech to allow your audience to process the information you are presenting.
Practice
Reading your presentation through a few times before you have to do it in front of an audience will help to make your speech more natural and more fluent on the day.
If you can, practice your presentation in front of a few friends, asking for feedback on your content and your delivery. Doing this a few times will help you to feel more confident and to perfect your speech ready for the real thing.
Whether you’re used to public speaking or not, putting a bit of time, effort and energy into planning, writing and perfecting your presentation will make a big difference and ensure that your speech is as engaging and as informative as possible on the day.
