The first impression a client or supervisor has of your strategic recommendations more often than not comes from an oral presentation. For that reason, any opportunity to make a oral presentation of your work should be taken seriously.  Also think of it as an opportunity to set the tone and frame the discussion. To put it another way: It is your opportunity to shine!

In organizing your presentation, it is important to remember the difference between written and oral presentations. Written presentations are non-linear - readers can stop, start, review or skip ahead as they wish.  In oral presentations, the listeners get only one shot at your message. For that reason, oral presentations should focus on "the big picture." That means focusing on the major points, using imagery, symbolism and repetition. For example, a common mistake when presenting a strategic communications plan is presenting every goal, objective and tactic as if one is reading a recipe. A better approach is to first unveil the all of the goals, then revisit each one. There is no one correct pattern to follow. However, it is important to remember that logical is better than linear. Don't underestimate the importance of repetition - give the audience a chance to remember the things you want it to remember. An often-used pattern in presentations is to tell the audience what you plan to tell it, then tell it, and then tell it what you told it.

Also remember that it is not just what you say, but how you say it that makes a lasting impression. Body language is defined as messages you send, intentionally and otherwise, through your appearance, body movements, tone of voice and use of visual aids.  Your style of relating to others - professionalism, courtesy, sensitivity, humor, and behavior under fire - carries a strong message.  First impressions are lasting.  In just the first few seconds after meeting, we are making value judgments about one another.   You want those first impression to be good.

It is also true that vision reinforces aural learning.  It has been said that you remember 10% of what you read, 20% of what you hear, 30% of what you see and 50% of what you hear and see.

Charles Reilly, Jr. and Dorothy Lynn wrote The Power of In-Person Communications.  In it they cite three reasons people have butterflies: you ignore your own game plan, you are afraid that you will be boring and you are afraid that you will say what your audience has heard before.  Reilly and Lynn say are ways to replace those butterflies with "positive energy:"

1. Do your homework (know your subject and audience)
2. Be upbeat (have a positive attitude)
3. Select a key target (This doesn't mean pick out one person at the exclusion of all others.  What it does mean is try to relate to an individual.  Then move on and relate to another.  Soon, you will gain rapport with the entire room.)
4. Establish good eye contact.  If you are doing a general presentation, focus on the whole room.  Don't favor one side of the room over another.  If you are making a persuasive presentation, trying to influence a decision, focus on the lion.
5. Be helpful (Make the audience feel that you are there as a friend, to help in their understanding)
6. Enjoy yourself.  Have fun.

Some other useful tips that will help you through your presentation:

• Dress appropriate to the context of your appearance.  Wear something comfortable.   Ill-fitting clothes and poorly-chosen accessories detract from a positive image.  Avoid loud ties or shirts.  Jewelry, buttons or other symbols of affiliation or cause must be avoided.  When in doubt, dress toward the conservative direction.
• Start with a subject with which you are truly excited and want to communicate to others.  It will alleviate many common vocal problems.  Talk off the cuff, relying as little as possible on notes.  This means that you have to be familiar with the material.  That means practice.  One exception: if you are making an appearance where accuracy and precision of language is important, then you should use a prepared text.  You don't want an "ad lib" to distort your intended message.
• Speak conversationally - especially if amplification is being used.  There is no reason to shout into a microphone.  Let it do the work.  Let the warm, personable qualities of your voice out.  Speak so you can be understood easily with appropriate pace and articulation.  Work on the pronunciation of troublesome words.  If some words make you uncomfortable, try to avoid them altogether.
• Speak the language of your audience.  That means that you should avoid jargon.  The use of jargon to the wrong audience can send the wrong message ("I am smarter than you are.").  Tell your audience what is in it for them.  As simple as this may sound: they are more interested in things they are interested in than they are in things in which you are interested.
• Avoid language mannerisms - "uh, like, y'know, hey man."  Also avoid Archie Bunker talk - poor grammar, sloppy pronunciations and misused terms.  Use shorter words in an active tense to spark the imagination and help elevate language from the dreary to the powerful.
• Stand straight and comfortably with weight evenly balanced.  Avoid slouching or fig leaf or reverse fig leaf arm positions.  Don't wrestle with the lectern.  Avoid happy feet.   Don't smoke, chew gum, or scratch in embarrassing places.  Map out your movements.  If there is more than one presenter, make sure that only those involved in the presentation are "on stage."
• Use visual aids that enhance the understanding of your message.  Do not use them if they will distract from what you are saying.  Good ideas deserve visual support.  Keep them simple - don't try to cram to much information into one visual/slide.  Use color.  Use key words.  Speak to the audience, not your visuals.  Don't read from your visuals.  And don't misspell anything.