Be clear on the message

1 “Think 'Who are the audience? What are you telling them? How much do they know already?'” Drew Provan, a lecturer at the London School of Medicine and Dentistry and author of How to Give Great Presentations, says. Never give the same presentation more than once or it will sound stale, he warns. “Tailor each talk to the specific audience.” Vincent Neate, a partner in the private equity group at KPMG, says that a speaker must have a key message in mind: “Two days after the presentation, the audience will only remember one thing. You have to know what that is and make sure that they don't forget it.”

Choose your medium creatively

2 There is a reason for the phrase “death by PowerPoint”. “If you can do it with no slides, do it with no slides,” Mr Neate says. He suggests a flip chart and drawing as you go at small presentations. If you do use slides, use no more than one a minute, with a maximum of three short points per slide. David Wortley, of the Serious Games Institute, a Coventry University research faculty, gives virtual presentations in online “webinars”, or in Second Life, in which avatars meet in a virtual auditorium. “Used properly, online presentations can be more enjoyable and memorable,” he says.

Prepare thoroughly

3 “'Off the cuff' does not mean unprepared,” Mr Neate says. “The best off-the-cuff speakers have rehearsed for hours.” Dr Provan reckons that it takes four to six weeks to prepare for a big presentation and a week for an in-house talk. Don't try to bluff on a topic: “When it comes to the Q&A session you will certainly be caught out,” he says.

Don't hide behind slides

4 Speakers often fixate on their slides and forget that a presentation is a performance, Mr Neate says. “The impression [the audience] gets from an engaged individual is always going to be stronger than the one they get from a screen,” he says. A common error is to read off slides. Mr Wortley witnessed one audience begin reading out loud along with the presenter. Do not learn a speech by heart, either, says Liz McKechnie, of the Impact Factory, a consultancy. “It sounds like a monologue.” Be aware of weaknesses, such as a monotonous voice, but play to your strengths. “If you're not good at telling jokes, don't try,” she says. “If your posture is poor, move around more.”

Talk to the audience

5 “Nerves make us focus on ourselves, but the audience is more important,” Dr Provan says. Indicate at the start how long you plan to talk for and keep listeners engaged with eye contact and open body language and by asking questions, he says.

Keep it varied

6 “Anything repetitious makes people nod off, so mix up the way you deliver information,” Ms McKechnie says. Referring to a current news event makes a presentation relevant and spontaneous, she adds. Mr Wortley advises splitting long presentations into segments. “Have a burst of activity followed by something a bit more reflective.”

Throw in surprises

7 Mr Neate once did a cartwheel on stage in front of the entire KPMG audit practice. “Six years later, people still ask me about that talk,” he says. Opening with a striking statistic or a poignant question can be effective. Mr Wortley advises giving ideas a twist by pairing them with an anecdote or an unusual example: “The audience will remember it because you have made a connection that they've never made before.” Don't be too wacky. “To be memorable it's got to be different, but not so different that they are alienated.”

Be as informal as possible

8 Avoid business jargon. “Don't use word ‘regarding' when you mean ‘about' - it sounds incredibly pompous,” Mr Neate says. Humour and personal anecdotes make the audience warm to you, particularly self-deprecation - for example, recalling a deal that failed, Dr Provan says. “People often steer clear of humour because they're terrified it's going to fail,” he says. Telling jokes can backfire, though, and should be used with caution. “They're not hiring you to be a stand-up comedian.”

Make it visual

9 As children, we think visually, but as adults “we put pictures in as an afterthought”, Dr Provan says. Replacing words with evocative, high-quality images (“not Clip Art”) can be effective. “Visual” also applies to illustrating points, especially difficult or abstract concepts. “People respond to stories, so paint a picture in their mind where possible,” Ms McKechnie says.

Use handouts with care

10Never give the audience something to read while you are talking to them, Mr Neate says. Dr Provan advises offering more detailed handouts as a follow-up. “Often handouts and slides are exactly the same. What's the point?”

WELL SPOKEN

Cicero: Roman orator

Elizabeth I: Her rallying cry to troops facing the Spanish Armada remains one of the most famous speeches given by a woman

Martin Luther King: His “I have a dream” speech came to define the civil rights movement

Winston Churchill: “Mobilised the English language and sent it into battle” - Edward Murrow, journalist

Barack Obama: Widely credited as one of the greatest living speakers

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