Why do so many of us feel awkward when we get up to address a group?
And I use the word feel on purpose, because we do feel nervous. Is it the fear of public speaking or something else?
So, delivering an effective presentation to a small or large group can be difficult. One of the reasons may be. Because your audience may have access to all sorts of information thought the internet.
It’s now a fact that audiences expect even more from speakers today.
In addition, because of celebrity speakers, audiences are looking for entertainment. They want a presentation delivered with animation, humour, celebrity stories and glitz.
There are lots of books out there, specialising in how to speak in public, but I thought I would write this condensed version for you. This comes from my 12 years speaking to audiences on a regular basis
Start with a Bang!
Many years ago I saw a speaker walk onto a dark stage and fire a starting pistol to get our attention. You may prefer by opening with a contentious statement, a headline grabber, or your own story.
Audiences are known to pay close attention when a speech begins with, "Last week as I was walking through the town on my lunch break, I witnessed a robbery!..."
This is a great technique for grabbing your audience’s attention. You may say something contentious, such as Global Warming is nonsense, or I think sex offenders get a bad press!
However you start your presentation you will get a better reaction, when you grab the attention of the audience from the start.
You have tons of natural energy, so use it!
Speak with variety in your voice. Slow down for a dramatic point and pick up pace to show excitement. And pause……… This allows your audience to digest what you have just said.
Don't just stand behind the lectern! OK I know once your hands touch it, the super glue effect kicks in and you find you are welded to it! It’s best to move a step away to make a point. When you are encouraging your audience, take a step toward them. Gesture to show how big or wide or tall or small an object is that you are describing. Whatever your movements, they should have purpose.
If you don’t have a plan you don’t have a speech.
There are lots of people giving lots of advice about the plan and structure for a speech. Over the years I have tried most and the one that works for me is this.
Pick up to Five main points from your speech and set them out on cards. Under these headings use between three to five supporting points. Now you should have three, four or five cards, with up to five points on each card. The supporting points can be personal examples, definitions, testimony, or statistics. PowerPoint is a great way to support these points These are there to act as a trigger to your delivery. You now have the plan and running order in place.
A quick design tip ~ Bar Charts are best for comparisons and pie graphs are best for showing distribution of percentages. I will share more on this in later blogs
How to build a bridge!
You often hear people speaking and you may hear a random fact that just pops out of nowhere. What’s happened is there was no link, or no signpost indicating this was going to happen. One of the best ways is to build a bridge between the two parts.
These could be signposts such as "First," "Second," or "Finally." Use an internal summary by simply including the point you just made and telling what you plan to talk about next. "Now that we have talked about structure, let's move on to the use of stories," would be an example. When you have an introduction, two or three main points with support for each, appropriate transitions, and a conclusion, you will have your speech organized in a way that the audience can follow you easily.
Put ‘YOU’ into your speech, at least once.
The ‘you’ factor is so important in a technical presentation. Use personal experience that connects to your speech content, and your audience. Then they will connect with you.
You want to help the audience link emotionally with what you are talking about, and the personal experience does that. With almost any topic you might choose, you have at least one "war story" to relate to the topic. When you tell the story, simply start at the beginning and move chronologically through the narrative, including answers to the "W" questions: "Who," What, "When," "Why," and "Where."
Grab A Graphic.
To add interest and understanding to your speech use graphics. A visual aid could be an object, a flip chart, a PowerPoint presentation, overhead projector slides, or a dry erase board. If you are using pictures please use good quality ones. Nothing makes your presentation look cheap and nasty quicker than cheap images.
And PowerPoint tip, when adding words to your slide, ALWAYS be sure it is 30 point or BIGGER. That way everyone in your audience will be able to read it. And its just the way, that the person at the back who can’t read your slide, will be the one with the power over your sale!
And never allow the visual to become a silent demonstration. Keep talking as you show the visual. You are still the main event and your visual is there to support you. Do what your mum told you to do, don’t turn your back on people when you are talking to them!
The Experts tell us that
If you are delivering a persuasive, possibly a technical speech, it helps if you use and include testimony of experts. It’s best if these experts are known to and respected by the audience. Add key statistics when possible to show the seriousness of what you are discussing.
For example, if I were discussing how best to use PowerPoint to support your presentation I would tell you about the educational psychologists who tell us there are 8 principles that help you to take in the information better if it’s presented differently. By using stories, testimony, and statistics in your speech, you add depth to your evidence.
The eyes have it!
Eye contact is the most misunderstood part of public speaking. You may have been told to slice the room into sectors and look in that sector, then move to the next, and so on.
I wish I could find the person who stared this as I would ******* Well best not go there! The problem is we know that people who look us in the eye are truthful. So people who avoid eye contact with us are?
Small audiences pose different challenges than large audiences. But one thing is common. Both are more likely to engage with you if you can look them in the eye. Then hold eye contact with one person, speak to them for 4 or 5 seconds and move on to the next person.
With practice you will start to see a whole different reaction from your audience and the feedback you get will be amazing. Because you will be doing what 99% of business people don’t do. That’s talk to your audience. What they do is talk at their audience.
Make is a "wow" with something they don’t know
Something in your speech should make your audience think, "Wow!" It could be a story, a dramatic point, an unusual statistic, or an effective visual that helps the audience understand immediately. With a "wow" factor, you then have something to look forward to in the speech that you know will have an impact on your audience. You'll become a more enthusiastic speaker because the "wow" factor will get you as well as your audience pumped for the speech.
Oh and as Benjamin Franklin said of public speaking, “Be sincere, Be brief, Be seated.”
Use a touch of humour but make it appropriate.
No not a stand up, so no panic. But a great technique is to lightening up a serious speech so that people will find it easier to be interested in your ideas.
Audiences today want some entertainment in a speech, I believe the word is edutainment! Humour will help you to be seen as amiable and it is hard for people to disagree if they are smiling at you.
Yogi Berra said a lot of funny things. "You can observe a lot just by watching" for example. Tell a short embarrassing moment in your life that you might have thought not funny at the time. Now that you can laugh at the experience, you understand the old adage, "Humour is simply tragedy separated by time and space."
And a couple of No-No’s, don't poke fun at your audience. It should be you as the object of any shortcoming. People seeing that you can laugh at yourself, is a good technique. Don’t swear, use jargon or inappropriate language, phew glad that’s over.
End with a bang:
People remember best what you say last. And if you can give them something you know or believe will make a difference. And a big gesture helps to emphasise the point you are making.
You might summarize your main points, or you might complete the statement, "What I want you to do as a result of this presentation is...." But beyond that, make your last words a thought to ponder. For example, I might end a speech on becoming a better speaker with "As Cicero said centuries ago, 'The skill to do comes with the doing.'"
Becoming a good speaker comes with practice, oh and practice, and again more practice. No not at home in front of a mirror, more of that later. No the best way is to be in front of an audience with a message to deliver
Comments please! The only way I can improve the quality of my posts is if you folks tell me what you think, so please do.
Paul M Johnstone is a Professional Communicator, Speaker, Executive Coach and PowerPoint Guru! He works with companies, organisations and individuals. Paul helps people who want to speak and present more effectively, and works with them to improve their personal and professional success. Paul can be reached at +44 (0)7711 324362or through his website at http://www.pmjohnstone.co.uk/ and http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk
