CHEAT SHEET

8-STEP
TO PRESENT YOUR
WAY TO THE TOP!
Here's the formula!
Presentation is increasingly crucial in school and in the workplace,
especially since communication skills are going to be even
more sought after in the robotic age. Good news! Presentation
skills can be taught and nurtured and I'm going to show you how! 
by Darren Tay

IN YOUR AUDIENCE’S SHOES

Discover the difference between a top-notch
presenter and a run-of-the-mill one. Clue?
The secret lies in the perspective.

HONE YOUR SIGNATURE VOICE

Learn how to differentiate yourself from the
way you mouth your words. Cast monotonous
delivery far far away!

POWER OF THREE
Learn why professional presenters religiously
stick to this rule and how it consistently
separates the memorable presentations from
the sleep-inducing ones.

NEVER APOLOGIZE
Use this tip to change the way your audience
perceive you as a confident, value-giving and
principled presenter

ANIMATE THOSE DEAD NUMBERS!

Use this method to turn the usage of
empirical data and numbers in your
presentation to your advantage. Enliven your
statistics!

VISUALS: LEVEL UP!

Ditch the out-dated Powerpoint themes and
visual aids. Learn how to freshen up your
presentation with modern visuals. Must have if
your audience contains millennials!

START WITH A BANG!

Learn how to stand out from the
commonplace openings. Grabbing audience
attention is the all-important precursor to
sustaining interest in your presentation!

REHEARSE THE RIGHT WAY

"The more the merrier" when it comes to
rehearsing for your presentation doesn't work.
Discover the new narrative amongst top
presenters!

Copyright © 2017 darrentay.com

 #1. IN YOUR AUDIENCE’S SHOES
Trust me, we’ve all been through that; be it a
campus or corporate presentation, after bouts of
"Not what I
ferocious research, raging discussions and
want to hear..."
sleepless nights, we all want to squeeze every bit
of findings in the presentation as if only that will
validate its worth.

Always come from the angle – “Which findings

will my audience be engaged in?” – Include
content that delivers tangible value to your
audience; make them see the benefits of your
findings instead of the findings that benefit
you.  

"Do this..
Do this.."
#2 SIGNATURE
-voice
Hone it!

Your voice is the soul of the

presentation; it creates an image in
your audience minds – “He/She is so
dictator-like!” or conversely, “He/She is
not assertive at all! So accommodating!”.
Your choice of words and energy in
your voice affects your audience’s
retention of information.
Your signature voice is the
balance between leading &
driving (“These are the three main
points you need to remember…”)
and inclusive (“What we can all
learn from the findings is…”).

3
Power of
Three
The ever-present tool in the arsenal of a
professional public speaker – formulating and
#
arranging messages or points in three. Believe me
(or the scientific studies), it works as our minds
retains information better when imparted in
threes.

st It enables presenters to delicately balance

"Ju "
tha
t..? between audience scepticism (“Only one point
to share? Did you not have enough time or…?”)
and intimidation (“Ladies and Gentlemen, I
have 21 points on my agenda today…*gasp* )

Of course, if it is a glaring mistake, like being late for the presentation (should have
been avoided at all cost), an unreserved apology will be an appropriate emollient.
-
However, avoid peppering your presentation with apologies or signs of
vulnerability – “I’m sorry, that topic is not really my forte”, “I apologize for
exceeding the time.” or “I’m sorry but could you repeat your question?”.

Remove the apologetic phrases

and substantiate your responses
with cogent reasons
(“That topic is not within the scope
of our research,we placed our focus on…”). #4
#5. ANIMATE THOSE DEAD
NUMBERS!
We all know that most presentations won’t be able to avoid
statistical data; in fact, it affords the presenter’s work greater
credibility. However, it gets mind-numbing when you flash the
data and move on.

Personalize that piece of information, bring it closer to your

audience’s home (literally). Say, I’m speaking at a New York
Urban Planning Conference with a New Yorker majority; instead
of just presenting “By 2065, Japan’s population is projected to
shrink from 127million to 88million, about 30% decline.”, drive it
home by adding: Gee!
“That’s about 5 times the population of New York, the throng of subway
commuters you get sandwiched by every morning? Poof – gone!”.

Microsoft Word’s Clip Art & Word Art are things of the yore. No doubt, words
are essential but that checks the first box on the laundry list of visual aids #
available for millennials. Apart from the usual “slides-on-screen”, include:
videos, prototypes if you’re presenting a physical invention, flip charts and
comic strips to illustrate a process.

You might ask “But I’m not good at designing.”. Leverage

on others who are good at that then. Fiverr.com offers
talented freelance illustrators at affordable prices and
Canva.com provides a wide range of free graphic designs.

Instead of beginning with the shockingly

START awful “Good morning everyone, my name is…
and I’m presenting on the…”, shock and awe
WITH A
#7
your audience with these three optional
introductions:
BANG! Seed a thought-provoking question
related to your theme
Give your audience the solution
A Phone straightaway, then explain
Deliver a quotation from a figure of
With Only One
authority in the relevant field.
BUTTON
"Hi everyone,
my name is..."
*YAWN*

As Tony Robbins aptly puts it, “It is Perfect

Practice that makes Perfect”. The prevailing
#8. Rehearse
recommendation is to practise rehearsing
in front of a mirror. Rehearsing in front of
The Right
the mirror has limited benefits.

It doesn’t allow you to practise your eye contact

sufficiently, causes inaccurate projection of the
voice and restricts your stage utilization. It does
well in correcting facial expressions though.

With the prevalence of camera phones

and availability of value-for-money
tripods nowadays, record your
rehearsals with your smartphone from
the last row of your expected audience
and playback for self or mentor’s
evaluation.  
 EMPOWER
&
ENLIVEN
YOUR
PRESENTATIONS
FROM NOW ON
WITH THESE 8 PROVEN STRATEGIES

"The unwillingness
to try is worse than
any failure."
Nikki Giovanni

Copyright © 2017 darrentay.com