This week I attended a presentation titled, "Secrets to Getting Any Audience to Lean Forward, Pay Attention, & Follow Your Lead" by Steve Hughes of Hit Your Stride. What a thrill!  Hughes delivered a presentation that was engaging, entertaining, and highly informative- an unbeatable mix. Below are some of the nuggets I gathered:

Open big! - Give them something they don't expect (but don't surprise or shock). Hughes uses the acronym SPARQ to drive home this first nugget. Use one of the following to open your presentation.

- Surprising statistic – Start with a number of percentage that is surprising.
- Picture - Show a picture and share a story.
- Anecdote - Share a little anecdote and a story to go with it.
- Real-life example - (make it timely)
- Question or Quote - Ask a question or share a quote and use as a launching pad for your presentation.

Keep in mind that your opening needs to be interesting, relevant, and quick. 

Make it about them - In one sentence, what do you want the audience to do, think, or feel? Why? What’s in it for them? To ensure an effective presentation, spend five minutes answering these questions.

Have a point! - Are you clear from beginning to end? 

For effective PowerPoint slides, use a 44 pt. font for your heading, 32 pt. for your sub-heading, and no smaller than 22 for your bullets. Keep your bullets to four per slide with four words per bullet.

Paint vivid pictures using gestures. Four benefits of gestures:
1) Gets rid of nervous energy.
2) Increases your inflection.
3) Increases your volume.
4) Gives the audience something to look at. 

Don’t end a presentation on a Q & A. You can put it second to the end. Rather than asking, “Do you have any questions?,” ask, “What questions do you have before I make my final point?” You always want to end your presentation on a high note, with a powerful call to action. 

I’m excited to start incorporating these tips into my presentations. I hope you are too!