Thanks Great info I will take the advice next time I am presenting Xango. http://www.thatsgreatjuice.com

There's no such word as “Pronunciate”. The appropriate word would be “Annunciate”, but to make it fit with the list of “P”s you could use “Pronunciation”.

I would add “obviously”. If it's obvious just don't tell me.

all good points!

Speaking as a brit pronunciate is much more frequently used over here, but has fallen foul over there of the weathering and erosion that America has performed upon the english language…

We're terrible in our common speech over here with nearly everyone saying 'at the end of the day……', 'to be honest…', and an almost inescapable trait of youth culture that requires the word 'like' to be used nearly every other word, in a lazy manner so the speaker can buy time whilst they remember the word they want to utter next

I think, those phrases are just an indication that the presenter is nervous or its his first time. Well, if it is, then why not give them a break, huh? There's always a first time for everyone.

Great writings Ben…….keep up the good work. When you are thinking of buying and selling real estate in Arizona……the opportunity to earn your business would be highly valued!
Michelle Shelton
Owner – AZ Mastermind Group

I found reading this post fascinating.
Having had some experience in education, I can empathise with the 5 phrases. I especially liked the 4 Ps of Presentations.
Excellent blog!

I'd add “Like, um you know” to the list.

In fact, after I started podcasting, and editing those podcasts, I realized all the little verbal tics and tricks I use in every day speech, and which ones drive me crazy. It has changed the way I talk and present in every day life, as a result. So don't overlook the power of taping your presentations, even during practice, and look out for those personal verbal tics that are somewhat lazy speech and don't help you articulate your points clearly.

When someone says “What else can I show you?” I usually just shout “magic tricks”, or “explain that whole theory of relativity thing”. I'm a bit of a presentation heckler.

Whitney – I really like the term “verbal ticks” … that makes me laugh.

Thank you (and to Sarakastic) for keeping the conversation going!

A few years back I have been attending this club called “The Toastmasters” hosted by my company. I think they are a national organization that helps people with presentation skills.

Back then the company I worked for back then would actually provide free lunch and other perks for employees to attend the meeting. However, I actually found out it's a very helpful class and it teaches you all the essential elements to a great presentation. A lot of the key points are actually very similiar to this article.

Excellent article and great reading!

Dear Ben,
Thanks for the tips. The #1 response when people mention “Business Presentation” is….. BORING. How do we want others to describe our presentations? Inspiring, motivating, informational, fun, entertaining… The best way to do that is to throw yourself into your topic. If you have earned the right to talk about your topic through experience or deep study, you are excited about your topic and you are eager to share it with your audience – you will not be boring. Check out Steve Jobs of Apple. This is a funny video of his habit of saying “boom” but no one would call him boring!

http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=esrg54bab.0.0.mx66ewbab…

Vicki – Thanks for the link. Steve Jobs is well-known for his presentation skills.

And I agree completely – people's first reaction when they hear “business presentation” is *yawn* … the key is to not make it that way. And on the positive side, if expectations are low you can really wow them and make a difference by putting some jazz into your presentation.

I think it really comes down to preparation. If you know you're material, and you've researched your audience and prepared your pitch, you're golden. If you show up with half-baked ideas, or a lack of direction than you're going to flounder and everyone will see it.

There are other ways to spice up a presentation and other errors you can make, but this is a very good summary.

Everyone who manages to obey to these rules will make at least a decent presentation.

I have given many presentations, I must admit some have been very good and other very poor. My own advice would be to know your subject matter inside out. People who give presentations with a good understanding of the subject, are generally caught and, resulting in a fiasco.

Pete – That's sound advice. Worse comes to worse, you flub your presentation but you can fall back on your solid knowledge of the subject matter and pull yourself out of the fire.

Benjamin: here's hoping you've never heard that before, because that would definitely be bad!

I can't believe it! This person is giving really good advice and all you care to do is pinpoint a mistake.