Top 8 Tips for an Engaging HR Presentation

HR presentations are very tedious, given the array of metrics and whatnot. As the speaker, it can be hard to get the message across. Such is the case if you’re talking about pressing issues like employee engagement and sentiment.

The good news is you can transform the usual boring presentation into a more delightful one. All you need to do is follow these tips for a more engaging HR presentation:

1. Preparation is Key

You wouldn’t want to go to the battlefield with a gun — but no bullets.

Even if you know the facts and figures inside out, it pays to prepare well before your presentation.

Start by collecting all the data you need to present. It will also help to have the past reports just in case. This will come in handy when you’re comparing last year’s metric with this year’s.

2. Do Some Research

Who will be attending your presentation? Will the management be involved, or will you just be talking to a small team?

By learning more about your audience, you can create a more engaging presentation.

Here are some questions you need to ask during this ‘research’:

· What does the audience care about?

· What details do they already know?

· What more does the audience need to know?

· What questions will they possibly ask?

3. Present Your Data Well

When it comes to presentations, a professionally designed layout is necessary. Going with a random, amateurish design will make everything look more confusing. Remember, the topic you’re discussing is perplexing enough as it is.

So apart from picking the right design, you should avoid bombarding your slides with wordy sentences. Instead, use bullet points or numbered lists in

your slides.

If you’re discussing a lot of numbers of figures, make use of charts and graphs. To further improve readability, keep the visuals on top of the text.

Using images will help as well. However, you need to make sure they’re big and oriented towards the left side. This will make viewing them easier.

To wrap it up, it’s always best to keep everything short and sweet. This is why you should keep your presentation to a maximum of 10 slides.

4. Provide Handouts

As mentioned, it’s best to keep the presentation brief and concise. But if there are additional data you’ll like them to know, you can include them in your paper or digital handouts.

Make sure to distribute them before the presentation, so your audience has an idea of what you’ll be discussing.

5. Start With a Summary

You don’t want the audience to go in blind, especially if you don’t plan on giving handouts. So apart from telling them the topic, it will help to start with an executive summary slide.

This should encapsulate the main points of your presentation. As previously mentioned, you should keep it short and sweet — 3 to 5 bullet points are enough.

Given this limited space, you shouldn’t try to cram everything in. You can always address them in the following slides! What’s important is that you cover the gist of your entire presentation.

6. Say it With Passion

As an HR professional, you may be used to stating facts and figures. This won’t make any sense if you don’t pitch your recommendations well.

The best way to engage your audience is to convey everything with passion. This will make your case more compelling, especially to the management.

Expressing passion, however, goes beyond an enthusiastic tone and constant use of descriptive words. It requires the right facial expressions and movements as well.

In other words, you need to look alert and awake. Your eyes should be bright and attentive. You should show your confidence by walking (and standing) tall.

As always, too much of a good thing is bad — especially when it comes to hand gestures. Keep them to a minimum, as you might end up distracting the audience with your flashy hands.

7. Keep the Floor Open for Questions

Even if you have made a clear and engaging presentation, you should expect questions at the end. As the speaker, you need to be prepared to answer them.

(This all comes back to steps 1 and 2: preparation and audience research.)

When you have all the facts and figures at hand, you’ll be able to answer these questions without any problem.

Remember: Even if you’re more than prepared, you’re bound to come across a question that will stump you. Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know.” What’s important is that you’ll find it out — and that you’ll relay the answer ASAP.

8. Make ’Em Laugh

While an HR presentation is a pretty serious matter, it wouldn’t hurt to make your audience laugh. You can start (or end) your talk with a funny image, video, or meme. This will surely lighten up the mood, especially if you’re dealing with a tedious topic.

Final Thoughts

HR presentations can be boring, but you can make them very engaging. With the right preparation, tone, and presentation design, you might be able to convince the management to say yes!