Whenever you have a presentation of a project, your business or services, some basic aspects have to be carefully considered.

A common error is to have a sequence of slides that is applied to any situation or audience, and is presented mechanically without a direct connection to your primary objective.

Here are some tips for your next presentation:

1. Your objective must be crystal clear in your mind. Ask yourself exactly what you plan to achieve as a result of the presentation, and how you will reach that goal. For example “to get the prospect to know my company” is not a good objective, since it’s too broad and does not have practical results. A better objective would be “to get the approval from top management to invest resources in the project”.

2. Quality is more important than quantity. The quality of information and the presentation itself will be a sign of trustworthiness and professionalism. Don’t forget to take care of the visual aspect of the presentation, choosing colors, layout and fonts very carefully.

3. Make sure that you are solving a problem for your audience. Your project or service may be the best, but it won’t sell if it does not solve a need of whoever is watching the presentation.

4. Any presentation must be done from the point of view of the client (internal or external). Focus on what the client needs, how he can improve his business, etc. Avoid talking too much about yourself, because that’s not what the client wants to hear.

5. Don’t let the presentation turn into a monologue. Get the client’s feedback (verbal or non-verbal) during the presentation and make adjustments as necessary. Even if you are totally prepared for the presentation, be ready to change course according to the client’s attitude.

6. Don’t add too much information to a slide. Each page of the presentation must transmit only one message, which must be clear and concise. If you fill the slide up excessively, you will not only make the presentation hard to follow, but will also hide the main issues in between less important information.

7. Make sure your presentation has structure. Your presentation must tell a story. Each information shown must be an additional step that leads naturally to the main objective. It’s very useful to create a graph showing the flow of information, since this will give you clarity about the path that you are using to lead your audience to the desired conclusion.

8. Work on your conclusion. Don’t forget to communicate, at the end of the presentation and in less than one minute, the main idea that you want to be remembered. Maybe your flow of information was not that clear to everyone, and this is the opportunity to get everyone on the same page as you.

9. Avoid surprises. If your presentation means a big change to the client or has a high risk level, do your homework before the presentation. Talk to others who can help you understand if what you are proposing could be rejected immediately.

10. Be ready for questions. A good presentation can be destroyed if the client notices that you don’t really have a strong understanding of whatever you are talking about.