I believe everyone can be an exceptional presenter. It's just a matter of knowing what to do, and doing it! So I have created this handy checklist that you can go through to evaluate your ability as a presenter. Give it a try — it will help you work out what you need to improve (and take it from me, all these things are so easy to improve). It will also show you what you are already doing well — and there are probably more positives than you realise!

Phase 1: Analysis

• Do you know how to work out what you're trying to achieve?
• Have you completed a five-step analysis on this presentation?
• Can you think about your presentation from your audience's point of view?
• Do you know what the venue or room is like?
• Have you arranged parking?
• Do you know the agenda? Are you speaking before or after anyone else?
• Are you happy with the time of day you have been scheduled? If not, have you done what you can to change this? What will the other speakers be talking about? What is their presentation style?
• Do you need to ask for a certain type of room set-up?
• Have you chosen the perfect background for your virtual presentation?
• Is your lighting and sound online working for your audience?
• Should you be booking an external venue for your virtual meeting to ensure reduced wi-fi glitches?
• Do you need to take any supplies yourself, such as flipchart paper, pens, participant handouts or writing implements?

Phase 2: Design

• Do you know how to structure a presentation with your audience's needs in mind?
• Can you design your presentation in a minimal amount of time?
• Do you deliver your opening in a way that builds rapport and motivates your audience?
• Do you prepare for and manage objections?
• Did you remember to explain the boundaries for the presentation (agenda, timings, questions, cameras, mute, phones)?
• Do you deliver compelling facts, figures and research?
• Do you plan to tell stories that link to your content and help bring your data to life?
• Do you use a variety of presentation aids, such as a whiteboard, slides, video, handouts, breakout rooms, chat, polls and props?
• Can you present with limited use of speaker's notes?
• Do you rehearse?
• Do you eat well and rest yourself before presenting?
• Do you remember to steer away from caffeine and alcohol so your throat isn't too dry?
• Do you warm up your body, voice and mind before presenting?
• Do you send through a checklist to your venue so they set the room up as you require?
• Do you have the right cords and connections to ensure your technology works?

Phase 3: Delivery

• Have you tested your lapel microphone?
• Is the lighting right?
• Have you removed the empty chairs or put reserved signs on the back rows or tables so the audience fills up the front row?
• Can you see everyone in your audience from the stage?
• Is your clothing smart and appropriate?
• Did you groom your hair and nails?
• Do you smell great?
• Are you planning to enter the stage from the audience's left (their past — otherwise known as stage right)?
• Have you remembered you should greet the MC on arrival on the stage?
• Do you stand tall with a straight back?
• Do you allow your natural facial expressions to show?
• Do you look at people?
• In virtual presentations, do you look right into the camera?
• Do you let your hands move freely when you speak?
• Are you using rehearsed gestures and are they either big and expansive in live meetings or within the frame in virtual presentations?
• Do you move around in the space?
• In a virtual presentations, are you ensuring you don't rock forwards and backwards in your chair?
• Do you allow your voice to exhibit a variety of pitch, speed and volume?
• Do you sound the same presenting as you do when you speak normally?
• Do you speak clearly?
• Do you minimise rambling?
• Are you able to stay on track with your message?
• Are you able to avoid filler words such as ‘um', ‘ah', ‘like'?
• Do you engage your audience?
• Have you built questions, chat, breakouts and other interesting engagement ideas into your virtual presentations?
• Do you tell stories?
• Do you use metaphor, analogy, case studies and examples?
• Have you incorporated linguistic devices such as alliteration, tricolon, epistrophe, conduplicatio, anaphora and rhetorical questions to ensure your messages are even more memorable for your audience?
• Are you able to present with slides as an aid instead of letting the slides take over your presentation?
• Do you know where the critical ‘B' key is on your computer?!
• In virtual presentations, have you planned to share and stop share where appropriate?
• Do you summarise key points towards the end?
• Do you remember to call your audience to action?
• Can you manage a Q&A session effectively?
• Do you know how to manage difficult audience members?
• Do you stick to the time allocated to you?
• Is there anything else you do well?
• And what else?
• And what else?