How to Make a Successful Presentation

Both written and oral communication require skill. It isn't easy, but like any written message, e-mails can easily be misunderstood. It takes practice and hard work to express yourself well. The same is true for oral communication that takes place in telephone calls, face-to-face meetings, formal briefings, and conferences. Listed below are some guidelines to follow in order to make a successful presentation, no matter what situation a manager is facing.

1. Be Prepared: Know what you want to say; know how you want to say it; rehearse saying it.
2. Set the Right Tone: Act audience centered; make eye contact; be pleasant and confident.
3. Sequence Points: State your purpose, make important points; follow with details; then summarize.
4. Support Your Points: Give specific reasons for your points; state them in understandable terms.
5. Accent the Presentation: Use good visual aids; provide supporting handouts when possible.
6. Add the Right Amount of Polish: Attend to details; have room, materials, and arrangements ready to go.
7. Check Your Technology: Check everything ahead of time, make sure it works and know how to use it.
8. Don't bet on the Internet: Beware of plans to make real-time Internet visits; save sites on a disk and use a browser to open the file.
9. Be Professional: Be on time; wear appropriate attire, act organized, confident, and enthusiastic.

These guidelines are important to follow to ensure that the communication level is effective and credible. Sport Managers are faced with barriers every day in which they shouldn't attend a conference and just "wing it", the manager needs to be prepared so that every one is receiving credible information.