Presenting in Public: Ten Golden Rules
47997
Business > Team Building
Oct 11, 2007
Galway
Presenting in Public: Ten Golden Rules
"The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public." When Sir George Jessel uttered these words, he touched not only on a great truth, but on why so many of us fear presentations. The ability to present and speak in public is not always inherent but presentation skills can be learnt. Below are ten useful pointers to put into practice to ensure you speak with confidence, clarity and impact the next time you present. Dealing with Nerves Nerves are good. Without nerves, you have no chance of performing to your potential. Yet as we all know, uncontrolled nerves can make the difference between polished fluency and scratchy inadequacy. The key lies in control. Nerves need to be replaced by confidence - this can mean visualising your goal. Motivate yourself with the image of a confident and competent performer. "It's all in the mind" is truer than we imagine. Persuade yourself that you are a good speaker and your presentation skills will improve. Put Yourself in the Audience's Shoes It's important to resist the temptation to convey all you know about a subject. Enhance your presentation skills by approaching your subject from your audience's point of view and what they want to hear. Refer to their concerns and give examples pertinent to their lives. Don't run through a series of features - explain the benefits which they can derive from a course of action. Talk in the audience's language, avoiding the barriers created by jargon. Keep it Simple The purpose of a presentation is to put across key messages, convince your audience of your competence and generate enthusiasm to take the next step. Garnish your presentation with examples, anecdotes, repetition and references to the audience's own experiences so that facts have sufficient time and supporting evidence to be remembered. SignPosts You know where you are in your presentation. But unless you clarify your position and progress to your audience, they will have no idea. You will lose them. Competent presenters will always explain what they are going to cover - and how. Then they cover it, reminding you regularly of where they are in the narrative. If you lose the thread, they weave you back into the story at regular points. And finally, they reiterate what has been said, so that key messages reverberate as you leave. Words That Win Support Persuasion is the object of every presentation. Your choice of words is crucial in achieving this. One of the most powerful words at your disposal is 'you'. It's astonishing the difference that arises between a passive statement of fact and its active personalisation. Peppering your presentation with 'you' and 'we' is inclusive and empathetic. Visual Aids that Add Value Visual aids should do just that: help the audience visually. They are there to reinforce your message, provide cues for your presentation and in some instances make points with greater impact than words could achieve. What they must not do is take over. Visual Impact You can enhance your presentation skills by improving some of the fundamentals of presenting - good eye contact, natural hand gestures, a relaxed stance and an open manner. By doing this you will stand a much better chance of impressing and grabbing the attention of your audience. Vocal Impression Making the best use of your voice is as important as visual impact. In a good speaker you will hear modulation and control. They use pauses effectively as a means to bring the audience's attention level back. The voice is a flexible and powerful tool. Try to vary your tone as often as possible to add emphasis to what you say. How To Answer Questions Perhaps second only to the fear of drying up in a presentation is the fear of questions. Yet there are no impossible questions. If you know your subject, you will be able to respond to all sensible queries. If you don't know the answer, admit it candidly and calmly. Never guess, never waffle. Practise, then Practise More The more time you spend on preparation, practice and developing your presentation skills, the more likely you are to give visual impact and vocal impression their due. You can never prepare too much and the effects of doing too little will always be evident to your audience. The more effort you put into the preparation stage the more confident you will be in the delivery.
Shaun Parker teaches his clients to give sparkling presentations. To find out how to enhance your presentation skills, contact Speak First on 020 7253 2117 or click on the link: Presentation Skills
send email to Galway
Write a Review
Add to My Favorite
Refer it to Friend
Report Article
Other links owned by this user
Choosing the correct resort can be a bit of a nightmare. Read this article to see how Morzine differs from other resorts
Category:
An article describing the variety of outdoor sail shades avalaible
Category:
A look into the diversity and uses of hedge plants in your garden. Ideal for just about any situation, degree of formality or level of security.
Category:
What types of therapeutic marriage counselling are available and which ones help the most?
Category:
A brief look into the upcoming british open at royal birkdale 2008, and some history of previous events held at the course.
Category:
Time to dig out those old Vinyl records, and start getting some classic tunes on the go. With the latest turntables, you can easily record and digitize your old music collection and this article shows you how.
Category:
It is hardly the sexiest of subjects. But given that other than your staff, the information your company holds is its most valuable commodity, it is worth sparing a few moments thinking about IT.
Category:
Digital music downloads, High St sales and digital piracy, how the music industry is changing and why.
Category:
An article outlining the historical evolution of ink for printing to its modern productions
Category:
A look at how travel training can work in your favour when undergoing the frustrating task of trying to get a job interview.
Category:
Ayrton Senna da Silva, three times World Formula One Champion, was celebrated for his domination of the pole-position, ability to manage wet weather conditions, and ruthless driving tactics. However 1994, his first year with the Williams team, was to fore
Category:
Finding ways to cope with life changing disability from disability aids to support groups. look for a brighter future, it is not all bad.
Category:
A look into how having points and convictions on your license can affect your motorbike insurance premium.
Category:
What do the Constructors' Championships mean to the F1 teams, and to the individual drivers? And will this be a good year for Ferrari merchandise?
Category:
Environmentally friendly industrial cleaning products can offer the same high quality cleaning, without contributing corrosive chemicals and gases that damage the environment.
Category:
Facts and Myths about Pagerank, why is it important, where did it come from, what is it and why do so many people simply not understand it.
Category:
This article provides an overview of planning modern training solutions for organisations
Category:
A guide to Vauxhall and Peugeot small family cars. The advantages and disadvantages of buying a used car or a new model.
Category:
Contract Hire is a Lease product that takes away any residual value worries from the customer, the monthly payments are based on the capital cost of the vehicle, the contract period and the vehicles residual value.
Category:
As the colder weather creeps in and the good old British weather gets even less reliable, many clients turn towards indoor team building to motivate and bond their team but what do you have to remember when planning an indoor activity?
Category:
Other links at Business > Team Building
Team building has become somewhat of a buzz word in corporate circles over the past few years. Many corporate event planners toss the term 'corporate team building' around willy-nilly as part of their marketing talk - but their events don't always
Category:
Strong, positive teamwork is defined by a leader wo as a vision and te ability to inspire is or er team to work toward te realization of tat vision. Te leader is not treatened in te least by te expertise and diversity of is or
Category:
The responsibility of organising team building events is a huge task for anyone. Everything has to be planned and implemented with sheer precision. In addition to that, team building objectives would need to be incorporated into most activities. This is
Category:
First impressions are crucial when establishing rapport and relationships with others. For instance, if you fail to make a good impression with your professional appearance, you'll find it harder to convince colleagues to heed your requests or agree with
Category:
Of course you speak English - who doesn't? But how well do you speak this international language? This article will show you how to build your confidence speaking English by learning simple ways to improve your clarity and English grammar.
Category:
Site Sponsor
Directory Statistics
Articles: 68214
Categories: 501
Yahoo Entertainment
