By Ellen Finkelstein, Author

How do you make your presentation more interesting to your audience? Perhaps the most important technique is to include them when you speak. You can choose your words to engage your listeners — or leave them out. If you leave them out, boredom is the probable result. In this article, I'll give you some specific techniques for crafting your content in a way that grabs the attention of your audience.

The importance of "you"
People want to know how your presentation relates to them. If they don't understand and feel the connection, they don't care. Your task is to think about the meaning of your content to your audience and then refer to them again and again.

Each presentation is different, so let's look at some examples. In a typical sales presentation, you might be trying to sell software to a company. You're talking to the small committee in charge of the purchase decision. You could start out by saying, "This software is powerful, easy to use, and cost-effective. I'm going to explain why."

Or, you could say, "Your job is to find the software that has the best combination of powerful features, ease of use, and price. I'm here to show you why this software meets your requirements."

The first phrasing is impersonal and doesn't include the committee. The second version starts a conversation; more importantly, it relates the entire presentation to their needs, their task.

What could be more impersonal than a 4th quarter profit report? You're the head accountant and you're presenting to senior management. If the news is good, you could say, "Revenues were up 9% and net profit rose 6%."

Or, you could say, "You did a great job this quarter! The result of your efforts was an increase in revenues of 9% and net profit of 6%."

In almost every situation, if you think about the connection between the audience and your message, you find that you can include your audience — often by just rewording your sentences. One situation where this might not always be appropriate would be in education. If you're giving a history lesson on ancient Rome, your students simply weren't there! But during the discussion, you can ask what they think about the Roman type of democracy or how they might have lived if they were a Roman citizen — or a slave.

And you thought grammar was boring
OK, some grammar is boring. But you can use a few grammar techniques to turn your presentations from dull to enlivening. Learn these techniques to improve your connection with your audience when you speak.

Avoid passive voice. Passive voice means that no one is really the subject of the sentence; something passively happens. For example, you might say about a software package, "When the close-down feature is initiated, the back-up sequence is automatically implemented, providing top-notch security for your data."

Did you notice that no one is the actor in that sentence? Phrases like "is initiated" and "is automatically implemented" are the hallmarks of passive voice. Passive is considered a great evil by many business, commercial, and professional writers—because it doesn't include the audience and results in a weaker impact.

To change the statement to active voice, you could say, "When you close down the software, you automatically implement the back-up sequence, providing top-notch security for your data."

Here are four ways to turn passive sentences into active ones. The method you use depends on the content and situation.

1. Refer to the audience member or performer of the act; instead of “The decision is made” say, “You make the decision.”
2. Use command tense; instead of “The decision is made” say “Make the decision.”
3.  Anthropomorphize the performer when it is inanimate, such as software; instead of “the dialog box is displayed”, say “The software displays the dialog box.”
4. Refer to yourself (use “I" or "we”); instead of “The dialog box is displayed” say “I display the dialog box.”

Do you see how the active voice gives a stronger impression and includes the audience more?

Be in the present
Another grammar technique is to use present tense as much as possible. You should especially avoid future tense. After all, if you want your audience to act on the information you present, you probably want them to act sooner, rather than later. Present tense provides a sense of immediacy and relevance.

For example, you might say, "When you close down the software, then the back-up sequence will automatically start." Or, you could say, "When you close down the software, then the back-up sequence automatically starts." Of course, sometimes the future tense is necessary, but for events that occurs whenever you take an action, you can use present tense.

Suppose that you are presenting a proposal for a new product. You are presenting some general trends that you think create a great environment for this product. You could say, These demographic and economic trends are important, because you will make your decision based on both our own company's needs and the outside environment." Or you take out the future tense and end the sentence, ". . .you need to make your decision based on both our own company's needs and the outside environment." Another possible ending is, ". . .you need to take into account both our own company's needs and the outside environment."

When the sentence is in the future tense, the subtle message is that the decision can wait. When it is in the present tense, the feeling conveyed is that the decision needs to be made now.

Your choice of words affects your delivery
Interestingly enough, when you include your audience in the words you use, your delivery changes. When you say, "you," all of a sudden, you make eye contact, because you're really talking to someone, instead of standing up on a soapbox, talking to a crowd. When your sentences convey more action and immediacy, your delivery follows suit, for a more powerful impact overall.