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Public speaking is fun, and can be very rewarding with the proper preparation. The following steps will help you breeze through your next presentation.

1. Prepare well. Do your research, and develop a checklist of your needs. You’ll include the usual items (laptop and projector, for example), but don’t forget a marker and/or pointer, your reading glasses, and other details. Don’t rely on memory. It’s too easy to forget those things.

2. Anticipate questions from the audience. You can’t plan for all, but answers to a half dozen or so of the most likely questions should be committed to memory.

3. Develop notes or a script, especially if you’re not using PowerPoint. Don’t try to wing it. Notes keep you on message and help keep you on time. An outline format works best.

4. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. I can’t emphasize this enough. Try to get your material down cold. This will maximize your eye contact and create a more natural, conversational tone. Practice responding to the questions you listed in Step 2, especially if you’ll be nervous during the presentation. By practicing, your answers will sound more natural and confident.

Record yourself, if possible. Listen for any glitches (um’s, ah’s, you know’s), as well as any other speech patterns that should be corrected.

5. Arrive early. This gives you a chance to get accustomed to the room and test your equipment a final time. You can set up the presentation area to your liking, and acclimate yourself to any distractions, such as outside noise, poor lighting and odd acoustics. Mingle with the audience for a bit. That will help settle any jitters.

6. Don’t let a mistake bother you. Everyone slips up on occasion. Plow on. If you forget something, try to come back to the point, or skip it. Your audience will never know what they didn’t hear. If it’s a more obvious glitch – say, you bump into something – mutter an “oops” and move on. Don’t dwell on it, as that will just draw attention to the error and make you feel more uncomfortable.

7. Speak frequently. To maintain your edge, get out and speak whenever possible. Rotary, Kiwanis, and Lions clubs, among other groups, need speakers on a regular basis. They enjoy a variety of subject matter, so don’t feel you’re confined to business-related topics. I’ve spoken about amateur radio; what hobbies can you talk about for 20 minutes or so?

Seminars and other presentations help you refine your communication skills and enhance your professional development. Take advantage of any opportunity to speak before an audience. You’ll enjoy the experience.

Whether you are using whiteboard to get new ideas, run office brainstorms or give client pitches, one thing is certain. Poor presentation skills will cost you A LOT of money.

Presenting with a whiteboard is the fast and easy way to dramatically improve your ideas, process and results. Use this simple step-by-step whiteboard workout to boost your skills to a new level.

Step 1. Use A Storyboard To Plan For Impact
Organize the creative and logical flow of your story for your whiteboard presentation. A storyboard is a frame-by-frame blueprint of the sequence of ideas, as well as the details of each part of your presentation.

Benefit: Feel confident in front of a big group! Just imagine. You won’t have to wrack your brain trying to figure out what to do next.

Step 2. Write And Draw Your Ideas
Instead of being a ‘text-only’ presenter, use pictures and words to stimulate fresh ideas and innovative thinking. If you are hopeless at drawing, don’t worry. There are now easy reference guides teaching you exactly how to look like a pro, using a marker. One of the most valuable resources is a video tutorial showing how to draw on flipcharts and whiteboards.

Hint: Simple drawings have a high impact on flipcharts and whiteboards.

Benefit: You will connect with any audience. According to academic research from Stanford and Wharton, 60% of people are visual learners. Plus, kinesthetic learners account for an additional 25%. People with this learning style prefer to see the big picture before they take action.

Now, do the math. That’s 85% of the population that prefers to see information visually. With pictures and words, you’ll connect precisely with how 85% of participants learn – and make decisions.

Step 3. Connect With Hot Issues
The best presentations have a strong emotional connection with issues, problems and concerns of your audience. Do the extra legwork to find out what’s really top of mind for your participants. Informational interviews, informal conversations, and research are your best bets.

Benefit: Your audience listens. Instead of looking out at a sea of glazed stares, people are more likely to sit on the edge of their seats

Step 4. Write, Draw and Move
Naturally, you must stand in front of a traditional whiteboard or dry- erase board. It’s essential to write and draw. This means your back is briefly to the audience. While most presentation experts warn you: “Never turn your back to the audience,” it’s impossible at a whiteboard.

The solution: write, draw and move out of the way. Stay light on your feet. Step to the side so people can see what is on the board.

Benefit: Your audience sees what the story as it develops. Rather than staring at your backside, they watch an organic flow of words, pictures and story.

Step 5. Ignite Interaction
Get your audience involved. Ask questions and record answers. Use the whiteboard to promote, encourage and invite interaction.

While interactive whiteboards use electronic features to encourage interaction, you can achieve great results using a standard dry-erase board. Interaction is an attitude and commitment. As your comfort grows in guiding and facilitating interaction, your whiteboard presentations will be much more lively – and effective.

Benefit: Your audience participates. This is exactly why you’re using a whiteboard in the first place.

Step 6. Focus on Specific Action
Plan your entire whiteboard presentation to inspire, motivate and create a magnetic call to action. While this is true in every business presentation, with whiteboard presentations specific selling instructions are easier to deliver.

For instance, write the call to action. Draw icons to represent the benefits of action. Focus arrows on the action. Define the value of taking action in dollars, time and effort.

Benefit: Selling with whiteboard presentations inspires action. Your confused, overworked and stressed-out clients and prospects know exactly what to do.

Bottom line: Stop losing money with poor presentation skills. With the right whiteboard selling skills, you’ll win results. In fact, you’re most likely to be unstoppable.