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Whilst much has been written on the subject of giving a professional presentation, there is one simple key to success – ensure that you leave a positive and long-lasting impression in the minds of those you are presenting to. You may be the world’s leading expert on your chosen subject, and feel confident in delivering a slick, engaging and entertaining presentation, but the overall impact will be lost (if not diminished) if you are let down by technical glitches with visual support equipment, or if your chosen location has the ambience of a dual carriageway underpass.

To be successful you have to be dynamic in the quality of the material you deliver as well being professional in the atmosphere you create. Get either wrong and the impact of your presentation may not reflect what you originally desired.

So here are some simple tips:

CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCE

• You may be an expert, but that’s no excuse to use jargon.
• Senior managers and board directors will require clear and concise information, so don’t ramble.

STAY IN CONTROL

• Practice makes perfect and allows you to be perceived as confident and knowledgeable.
• Make eye contact with the audience – but don’t single out just one person.
• Don’t let interruptions stop your flow – decide from the outset whether you’ll take questions during the presentation or once it has finished.
• Prepare for tricky questions and how you’ll handle the answers.
• Ensure your presentation doesn’t run over time.

GRAB THEIR ATTENTION – AUDIO VISUAL SUPPORT

• Create a simple theme that communicates clearly with your audience.
• Use the best quality visual aids available, but don’t overload slides with too much information.
• If you must use charts and graphs make sure they are clear and easy to read.
• Remember, the audience isn’t there to read your slides – they are there to listen to you present.
• Don’t be afraid to inject some humour into the presentation – this will keep them on their toes and make sure they pay attention.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

• Chose your location with great care so that it supports rather than detracts from your presentation.

Whether you are giving a sales pitch, launching a new product or perhaps leading a training session, choosing the right location is key to a successful and persuasive presentation. In recent years many large institutions that conduct staff training sessions or hold regular product, brand or corporate meetings have found that it is beneficial and less distracting to conduct these meetings off site. Traditionally, businesses have outsourced their meeting requirements to hotels which have conferencing facilities; however, there is a growing trend toward purpose built meeting and business facilities.

In some ways going to court is like going in to an interview situation, only I would say it is far more pressurised and whereas an interview can last for an hour or two your court case can last for many months sometimes years.

Similar to an Interview situation it is wise to dress smartly and present yourself physically in the best possible light.

You have to realise that you are under the spotlight whenever you attend court and the judge and any professionals in court do not know you at all.

Of course, people should not be judged by their appearance at all, but human nature is such that if you look untidy or unkempt, whether you actually are or not doesn’t matter.

What matters, is that people in positions of power in relation to you, will have already formed an opinion about who or what sort of person you are.

Once those opinions have been formed it is not at all easy to dislodge them from them, or for people to change their minds about you.

So, it is really important to dress well and behave in a manner that does not lead people like the judge or the Cafcass Officer to see you as someone who would not be a good role model for your child/ren.

It will be vitally important that you are able to manage your feelings well and not present as though you are a time bomb waiting to go off.

Your ability to control your feelings and manage your frustrations is key because solicitors will often do their best to irritate you and if you are cross examined will do all in their power to show you up in the worst possible light.

They are likely to put you under a substantial amount of pressure and may choose any number of tactics to wind you up, belittle, shame or ridicule you.

What you have to understand is that is what they consider they get paid for i.e. to win their clients case.

They are not particularly concerned whether you or your child are being treated unfairly, that is not something they will waste any sleep over.

So even if you feel as though you are being crucified unfairly, if you want to stand the best chance of being seen in a positive light you are best advised never to rise to the bait and instead to conduct yourself in a consistently dignified and intelligent manner.

This does not mean that you do not defend yourself properly; it means instead that you keep cool which includes your body language and facial expressions and act to counter any accusations with calm and well thought out responses.