Presentation
From HowTo.Lifehack
Being able to speak to groups of people is an important communication skill. Although everyone has a different speaking style, the basics of being able to give solid presentations rarely change.
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[edit] Attention is Limited, Memorability Even More So
Although speaking and presentations are a common medium of information exchange in business, politics and our personal lives, it isn't the most efficient one. When giving a speech, it is important to note that if you present too many ideas, most won't be heard and even fewer will be remembered long after.
There are several steps that must happen otherwise the information isn't retained:
- Observe - If the audience doesn't hear you or see your displays properly, information can't be received.
- Attention - If the audience hears you correctly but doesn't pay attention, information is lost.
- Interpretation - If the audience hears you, pays attention but doesn't interpret your meaning correctly, information is lost.
- Understanding - If the audience hears you, pays attention, interprets your words correctly but doesn't understand how the smaller pieces of your speech fit into a larger message, information is lost.
- Significance - If the audience hears you, pays attention, interprets correctly, understands your point but doesn't feel it is personally significant, the information won't be retained.
- Memorability - Even if everything is done correctly and the audience feels your point is significant, if it isn't memorable, the information is still forgotten.
Given how long this chain of events must be executed in order for your message to sink in with the audience, public speaking is definitely a skill that can take time to master. Luckily, there are several things you can do to improve your speaking ability.
[edit] Control Nerves
Nervousness is your first enemy when trying to give a presentation. It will trip up your words, cause you to speak to fast, gesture incorrectly and it hides the natural enthusiasm you may have for your topic.
How do you control butterflies in your stomach before going to give a speech? Controlling nerves requires you to remember several things:
1) Nervousness affects you more than your speech. Even if you are terrified, the audience won't notice much and if they do notice, they probably won't care a great deal. 2) Breathe, visualize and relax your muscles. Do some relaxation exercises before giving your speech to calm yourself down. 3) Realize that no matter what happens you can handle it. Speaking in public can be scary, but there isn't anything that can happen to you that you can't deal with afterwards. 4) Practice. Nothing controls nerves better than familiarity.
[edit] Know Your Point
Your speech or presentation should have a single major point and usually only 3-5 subpoints. Exceptions can be made for longer seminars with speeches of several hours, but as a rule it is better to have one point and a few supporting points than many. If your trying to sell a product, your presentation is about why the client should buy. If your trying to sell a message, your presentation should be to persuade the audience to believe you.
Know your point and eliminate anything from the speech that doesn't support it. Seeing as there are several links in the communications chain, you need to make a focused attempt to funnel your main message so that it hits through all of them.
[edit] Rehearse, Don't Read
I have a friend who used to work in radio broadcasting and had to do a lot of readings over the airwaves. He pointed out that reading a script and sounding natural is a lot harder than just speaking what comes to your mind. It is an additional skill that takes a lot of time to master.
But if you read your notes like a book, and you aren't a skilled speech reader, the speech will sound odd. You won't emphasize the right words in the sentences and your tempo won't match the enthusiasm of the words your speaking. This is why when you are giving a speech, you should have notes as pointers, but you shouldn't be reading.
When I've been in speaking competitions, reading your notes is definitely out, but improvising the entire speech will sound unprofessional. By rehearsing my speech several times from a written copy and then practicing it without an aide, I can get the key points across without having to rely on notes or reading a script.
[edit] Powerpoint Should Enhance, Not Supply
Slides and diagrams should be potent in helping you convey your message, but they shouldn't distract from your speech. Giving more than a few words on a slide or several diagrams means that the attention is suddenly shifted from you. If your follow the chain of communication, this means that people are no longer paying attention to you and information can't get past the second link.
The same applies to handouts and any material you offer while speaking.
[edit] More Speaking Notes
- Practice heavily. Try an organization like Toastmasters.
- Maintain eye-contact with the entire room. Don't focus on one section, and don't spend time looking at the floor or ceiling.
- Avoid verbal crutches. A verbal crutch is a word you use to link sentences together inappropriately or as a replacement for a natural pause. Common ones include "um," "ah," "like," "you know," "and," "so," and, "now." Take a pause instead.
- Project your voice. Stand up tall and speak loudly. Your voice should be resonating on the entire column of air in your lungs, not just in your trachea. This produces a voice that is more audible, grabs more attention and gives you the appearance of more authority and confidence. Tony Robbins does a fantastic job of this.
- Deliver Presentations That Tap Audiences’ Desire to Care – and be Cared For”
In today’s time-starved, relationship-diminished world, audiences: • Crave attention and connection with each other • Want ready-to-use ideas • AND still expect to be entertained.
These goals are often at odds when preparing a presentation that will make people rave about one's program long afterwards. Consequently, successful presenters need gut instincts-based behavioral insights into how to grab and hold their audiences attention.
Here's some:
1. Getting specific sooner. Since vivid, specific details prove the general conclusion, not the reverse (yet most educated adults are talking longer to get to the point, and are inclined to use generalities more than their literally-minded children who are full of great word pictures)
2. Honor and surprise some attendees by name. Be a hero to your audience by citing audience members by name as positive examples of the points you are making. How? Interview the meeting planner, sharing your main points and gathering examples she/he has heard or can discover that involve diverse people in the audience.
Then, just before speaking, ask that meeting planner to point out the two or three people you are going to mention.
That way, as you are making your point, you can begin walking toward the person you want to praise, getting closer and closer to him/her as you share your example so you can be at that person’s side, smiling, shaking hands, even asking the audience to give that person some well-deserved recognition (applause, please)
3. Avoid patterned clothing as it will cause attendees to go on even more “mental vacations" than they otherwise would.
4. Walk and talk. Your movements can evoke interest, reinforce the emotions of your stories and punctuate a change of pace or topic.
