BOSTON - eTradeWire -- Lynn Bentley, President of Knobull reported, "Making a presentation can be stressful yet, with preparation and practice this effort can become much easier!  Try these tips for nailing — and even enjoying — your next presentation so that you keep nerves at bay and colleagues, leaders, or educators engaged."

1. Practice your presentation beforehand — but don't memorize

Think about a presentation as several stories, each with a point, to allow yourself flexibility while speaking.

It's about understanding your content and the stories you're telling. How you deliver those stories might change word-by-word each time.

When you're in a meeting room with 15 people in front of you, pretend you're in a coffee shop.

2. Put your own spin on what you're saying

When you're told by your manager or another colleague you have to speak, it can be hard to make it engaging for the audience.

The starting point is putting your own spin on it. That will help with nerves, too. Don't be fearful about taking it in a direction where you feel comfortable.

3. Avoid information overload

When giving a presentation, you might get a jitters attack and feel you have to "validate" your expertise by trying to prove how much you know about a subject.

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The result is that people are bombarded with information. Choosing two or three points to get across to an audience is enough.

4. Keep each slide to 10 words at most

If you rely too much on presentation aids the audience will focus on reading them and likely zone out. Keep them to seven to 10 words, so that they remain a prompt..

5. Know who's in the audience, but remember this can change

Whether you're talking to senior management or your closest coworkers, you need to tailor your presentation to who's in the room. Even if you're told exactly who's going to be there, you should be prepared for changes.

6. Remember the audience is on your side

The only people who want you to succeed more than yourself are the other people in the room — because they're stuck in that room. All they want, is to enjoy themselves.

When a speaker goes onstage and tells a story, you can see the audience visibly relax.

7. It's okay to not know the answer to questions

If you don't know an answer, tell them that it's a great question but you don't want to answer off the cuff. Ask them if you can get back to them with more information the next day.

Bentley concluded, "Knobull followers can request learning and career success guidance at our contact page. Remember, things that come out of presentations is an understanding that the conversation is more important than the presentation itself. Embrace it!"