You're struggling to captivate your audience during a presentation. How can you make your message stick?

I don't remember when was the last time I lost the audience, usually I use these three rules: 1. Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you have told them. 2. Don't ignore the principles of M. Knowels - make sure it is relevant, applicable and beneficial while maintaining respect to their experience and time. 3. Know your subject - what can be more boring than a facilitator reading from the slides...

The dreaded “glazed-eyes-in-the-audience” syndrome! Here’s how to jolt them awake and make your message stick: 1. Hook 'em early – Start with a quirky stat, a bold claim, or a killer story (Elon Musk once launched a Tesla into space — that got attention). 2. Chunk your content – Break it into bite-sized ideas (like Netflix episodes, not encyclopedias). 3. Use visuals, not novels – A simple graph > a wall of text. 4. Add a dash of drama – Voice modulation, pauses, even a witty one-liner (channel your inner SRK or Steve Jobs). 5. End with impact – A clear takeaway or mic-drop quote. “Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand.” – Confucius.

Public speaking, like many other "soft skills" is a teachable skill; it is a rare employer that will pay to have you learn. Dale Carnegie is can be expensive, Toastmasters not so much. Few untrained speakers rehearse enough. And do not rehearse enough with people that can help them become a better speaker. Video tape your presentation. Have a co-worker shoot expected questions at you, rapid fire. Rehearse in front of a friend that will argue with you about the points you are making. Watch Steve Jobs make a presentation. Watch YouTube videos. All presentations, like all conversations, are sales presentations. Have the answers to the expected and might be expected questions. You have only one thing to sell. Your credibility.

The one thing I have found useful for understanding who I will be speaking to is to chat with a few people that will be in the audience ahead of time. Find out what they hope to get from the presentation. Understand their challenges or opportunities you can touch on in the presentation. Ask them how they would define a successful presentation. Do this and you will know your audience better.

Making relatable references and jokes, not speaking so high-level, and keeping things upbeat without rushing through the presentation. You want to be down to earth while also being informational in a way that leaves your audience with a lasting impression and hopefully walking away with an understanding of the information you presented.

An example of storytelling I’ve used is the share a brief story early in the presentation to connect with my audience. For example if I’m talking about identifying stakeholders in a project, I might tell about the time I missed important stakeholders and didn’t identify them towards the end of the project. Then I ask others to share their stories to build rapport. Storytelling is a great way to connect with your audience.

My favorite way to engage an audience is by asking a question and providing them with an online poll for them to answer it. This allows me to collect their response in their own words. This is called the voice of the customer and can be very powerful.

Three ways to perfect your delivery are to record yourself giving your presentation on your phone. Then play is back while closing your eyes to listen to how you use your voice. Turn off the volume next and just watch your body language. Finally, transcribe your words and print them. The circle the filler words. These three steps will help you become a better speaker.