Presentation Skills Tips You Need to Know

Presentation skills training is not all about the presentation, good training courses also cover other factors that can impact on the presentation.

Some of these things are the venue and the seating arrangements. I have listed below the key areas all presenters should consider when delivering a presentation.

It is important to consider where the presentation is going to take place. There may not always be a choice of venue, but it is useful to see it beforehand, especially if you have not spoken there before. The ideal venue is:

• Quiet and without distractions like picture windows, noise, interruptions, etc.
• Large enough for your audience
• Equipped with the facilities you and your audience will need
• Comfortable, but not too comfortable
• Laid out in a way that suits you, your audience and your objective

Always try to have a trial run of the presentation in the venue before the official presentation, particularly for the use of microphones etc

Seating layout

There are many variations of seating arrangements and you may not have control over the layout. The following are some of the many variations possible – there are advantages and disadvantages to each.

Theatre Style

• People sit in rows, best suited to raised stage/podium or raked seating
• Most commonly used for large audiences (Over 40)
• Suit oblong rooms
• Formal atmosphere
• Eye contact difficult

Curved Rows

• Less formal than theatre
• Suit medium to large audience (18 – 80)
• Similar problems to theatre

Horseshoe or “U”

• Single row of people arranged in an open “U” (6 – 16)
• Suitable for small to medium groups
• Informal
• Conducive to participation
• Maximum eye contact

Boardroom

• Used in in-company presentations
• Formal
• Poor sightlines
• Confrontational

Round Table

• Suitable for very small groups (under 6)
• Informal
• Not suitable for projected visual aids

Cabaret Style

• Audience sat in groups at round tables
• Used in conference situations
• Useful if you want discussion / working groups
• Difficult to manage or focus audience attention

If you do not get the venue and the seating arrangements correct it can and will impact on your presentation.

As taught on numerous presentation skills training courses, if you cannot control the venue or the seating the first question you should ask before starting the presentation is 'where should I position myself'?

Presentation skills training will teach you that you must position yourself in a place where you can make eye contact to engage the audience but also allow your audience to see the visuals you use without too much hassle.

Frank O'Toole, Premier Training Courses