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By: Sharon Alexander

Have you ever wondered why presentations given by yourco-workers were better than yours? Did they use more sophisticated visual aids? Have more interesting topics? Or was it the way they presented the information?

The secrets to giving a persuasive presentation aren't known only to a select group of people. You can easily improve your presentation style by making a few minor changes.

Choose Your Topic Carefully

If you're able to choose the topic of your next presentation, consider a topic that's important not only to you, but also to those who will be in attendance. Understanding who your audience is and choosing a subject they care about is the first step to creating a memorable and persuasive presentation.
When presenting to a group of co-workers or a client, find out if other people will be giving presentations and what their topics will be. This can help you avoid creating a presentation that is closely related to topics already being discussed. Give your presentation a catchy title to entice your audience in advance.

Create a Solid Message

Once you've chosen a topic, research it to find out everything you need to know for the presentation. Determine your overall message and make sure that each subtopic, slide, and bullet point supports this message. A persuasive presentation usually focuses on one topic so the audience is able to fully understand and grasp its meaning.

After putting your presentation together, allow others to review it. Make sure they understand the message you're trying to send. Ask for helpful feedback so you can make the appropriate changes before the day of the presentation.

You may need to review the presentation several times until it's persuasive and coherent enough to be appreciated by those attending the meeting.

Create Simple Visuals

A persuasive presentation does not rely on fancy visual aids. If you want to be persuasive, keep your slides as simple as possible in order to keep the audience's attention on you. Only you can create a sense of urgency about the topic you're speaking about through your body language, how you present the information and the answers you give to questions the audience may have. While colorful charts and graphs may be fun to design, they can be very distracting to those who should be listening to what you have to say instead of admiring your power point skills.

Involve Your Audience

Involve your audience by asking questions, telling a few jokes and being relaxed while you speak.By involving the audience, you're subconsciously inviting them to embrace what you have to say. Even though your presentation needs to have a clear message, you want to deliver this message in a non-threatening way by telling a story or relating it to an issue your co-workers or your clients are currently facing.

Keep the audience interested in your topic by making sure they are as involved as possible in the presentation. Make sure you leave enough time to answer a few questions as this will encourage dialogue between you and the audience as well as between audience members.

Giving a persuasive presentation will take practice. Over time, your skills will improve. Watching co-workers give presentations is a good way to learn more about what to do and what not to do. If possible, record your presentation so you can watch it and critique your performance.

Sharon Alexander - Claim That Job.com

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Secrets of Persuasive Presentations