The most effective presenters strike a balance between making the audience feel included and relaxed, and radiating an air of quiet authority. Your presentations will be well received if you act as the host of the meeting, ensuring that everyone is well attended to and taking charge when necessary to keep everything on track.

CHECK THE TECH
For virtual presentations, or face-to-face sessions where you’ll rely on electronic visual support, allow 15 minutes or so before the start to familiarize yourself with the equipment and make sure everything’s working properly. If meeting in person, plan to arrive at least 30 minutes early, as there may be more to prepare before the first attendee arrives. Start by confirming that the technology works as expected, because IT issues can take a while to resolve. Audiences will forgive minor hiccups, but significant problems will detract from your credibility and the presentation’s impact. Make sure the room is neat and tidy, the lighting and air temperature are right, and the seating is well arranged. Everyone should have enough space to sit comfortably and see you, and any screens or flipcharts, without difficulty. You may need to move tables and chairs around until the space works.
 
WELCOME EVERYONE
As each attendee joins the meeting, say hello and exchange names if you haven’t met before. Begin the presentation within a few minutes of the scheduled start time, but if someone joins late, take a second to welcome them too.
 
BREAK THE ICE
Start by thanking everyone for attending. The next few moments set the tone for the rest of the presentation, so it’s worth thinking about and practising what you’re going to say. A great presenter connects personally with everyone in the audience at the start. Telling a personal anecdote is one way of doing this. It doesn’t need to be anything profound - it could just be some past connection you’ve had with the audience or the subject matter, or even something vaguely interesting that happened when preparing for the presentation or on the way to the venue. Think of something that should go down well with the audience and is very 'you.’ Using humour can be particularly effective, but that can be difficult for some, and even the best-intentioned jokes may rub people the wrong way. The goal is to find an excuse to express your own personality; if you do, you’ll find it easier to engage the audience for the rest of the presentation.
 
INTRODUCE YOURSELF
Start the formal part of the presentation by saying your name (even if you have already to individual participants), state what your role is, and explain that you’ll be leading the presentation.
 
CLARIFY PURPOSE
Briefly summarize the subject of the presentation and why it’s important. Perhaps mention that with such an impressive combination of people, you’re confident of a productive outcome. To manage expectations, you may also want to clarify topics that won’t be covered, and how these areas can be discussed at a later date.
 
MAKE INTRODUCTIONS
People are more likely to make a positive contribution to a meeting if they introduce themselves and explain their role at the beginning. Surgical teams in hospitals, for example, are more likely to flag complications to the lead surgeon if they’ve declared their responsibilities before the start of the operation. Ask attendees to introduce themselves, unless everyone already knows each other well.
 
ESTABLISH HOUSE RULES
The rules you’d like the group to follow depend on your personal style and the nature of the gathering. It’s usually appropriate to request that people avoid checking their phones during the meeting, and that they should let you know if they’ll need to duck out for whatever reason. If there is a risk of time-consuming, off-topic digression, you might ask that questions be limited to points of clarification until the designated times for discussion (after each section, or at the end of the presentation).
 
EXPLAIN LOGICTICS
Explain how long the meeting will last and, if it’s more than an hour, when there will be breaks. Check if anyone will need to leave before the end of the presentation. By doing this, anyone who must leave early will feel at ease and the remaining attendees will have implicitly agreed to stay for the duration. It also gives you the chance to make adjustments to your presentation if necessary - to cover a topic or summarize the conclusions, for example, before a key audience member has to leave.
 
PROJECT CONFIDENCE
When it comes to engaging your audience, nothing is more important than your first few sentences. Keep working on what you’re going to say at the very start, until you’re sure it will come across well. The confidence this gives you will last until the end of the presentation. See also 'Using Your Voice'.