Have you wondered how some speakers talk so excellently, clearly and make their points come across and persuade us to do things? They know some secrets (hmm, what are they??) I am going to share some of them with you here in this article...
Why is this article for you?
Have you ever thought that it is reserved for people in higher positions than you are at work or people who run for elections or people giving lectures throughout the world? Well, I challenge you to think again…
We present everyday of our lives!
Do you talk to your family, friends and relatives or with your colleagues at our workplace? If you do then, you are "presenting" - whether you realize it or not. We talk about the newest recipe we have tried or the latest book we have read or the gorgeous dress that we got for ourselves or for our kid and display it to them or do a proposal to the senior management or our peers. We are sometimes very excited or enthralled about a topic of interest close to our heart and want to share it with our near and dear. When we really create an interest in the other person about the topic we have just talked about, then they catch it on and try our idea. They either try the new recipe or buy that great dress for their own kid or for themselves. They think that they have to have it if it is so special!! Well, what are you doing here? If you closely think about it, you are delivering a marvelous presentation without even knowing that you are doing one….So, read on. I have been an active member of Toastmasters International and I learned all of these tips from that club. All the tips I am sharing with you have been tested with millions of people and have been used successfully by everybody. These are applicable for all of us in the group. Please substitute the situations or examples that I have given here with your own specific case.
6 secrets to make effective presentations!
Does just the mention of the word "presentation" or "speech" make you queasy? Do you feel that there are some unknown butterflies in your stomach? Do you just want to get out of this "thing" and be your own happy self again? It might be beneficial for you to know that even the best speakers experience nervousness and butterflies in their stomach. It is actually okay to feel that way because it shows that you are genuinely interested in making a good presentation. Turn all this nervousness that you have toward yourself and your topic.
- Plan on what you are going to say.Know who you are going to talk about this topic.i.e. Know your audience and think carefully about what you want to convey. Ask yourself: Is it going to be a presentation to my boss and his colleagues or is it going to be a casual conversation with my close friends? If it is with your boss/senior management, then you might want to have a power point presentation with your ideas written clearly and in simple language.If it is with your friends, then it doesn’t need any fancy presentations.For example, what is the name of the book that you are going to introduce your friend to, who wrote it, why you like it etc.
- Prepare. Gather the content, organize it with a specific opening, body, conclusion.You can get examples or data to support your viewpoint.This gives the listener a solid impression that you have done your homework.Preparation is absolutely essential in making a great presentation! You can tell them why you chose this topic, why this is apt for this time etc. In our example of the book, you can by heart some beautiful phrases/quotes that you liked and which you think your friends might be interested in to support your viewpoint. In the case of presentation to the boss, you can show what is the current problem/situation that your organization faces, what your proposed solution is, how do you think this solution will solve the challenge and what benefits the solution will bring if implemented (savings in $$, time and employee efficiency).
Always memorize the opening sentence and make it in such a way that the audience is actually awakened by the topic rather than just jumping into the topic straight. - Practice: Once you have the presentation prepared, rehearse it a few times until you become completely confident about the material at hand.Become excited and enthusiastic about the topic.This can be easily seen by your friends or peers.When you are excited and speak very sincerely about the topic you have carefully chosen and prepared about, you can be assured that it will be a great presentation.
- Body language: You can greatly enhance the quality of your speech using body language - i.e. movement (if you are in a podium), hand gestures (by hitting with your fist into your open palm to show importance or urgency, or moving your hands in unison to show similarities and in opposite directions to show differences etc) , appropriate facial expressions (like for example, show anger, happiness, frustration etc). Make sure that you have eye contact with all your members of the audience. When you look a person straight in the eye, then they think you are sincere, credible, friendly and honest. If you have a bigger audience you can look at a certain section of the room, look at a particular person, complete your thought and then move to another person. But avoid moving back and forth like an oscillating fan. You have to give them an impression that you are talking to the persons directly. If it is just a few friends, make sure that you look at each one of them when you make your points to make them all feel included.
- Vocal variety: More often than not, if we hear someone speaking in the same tone (sound familiar? Remember all the boring classes by those professors?), we feel very bored and lose interest in the subject. To make sure that your audience doesn’t lose interest in the topic, you can try to vary your voice - like introducing pauses, increasing your voice pitch, rate of speech, emphasizing certain key words etc. All of these add interest. If you listen to a speech by a comedian or a well versed politician, they will use different tones throughout their acts or speech to keep the audience involved. When we are with our friends we can do this by adding some amount of enthusiasm - For example, Hey, have you seen this movie? I was so excited to watch this in theater with all the sound effects! At work, you can do this: This solution shows promising results. I am very excited about trying this solution. What do you all think? (Italics indicate emphasis on those words)
- Repeat your purpose: Sometimes, people forget why they have to support a cause or why they are even listening to you. So reiterate the fact throughout your presentation and make them understand what is the primary purpose of doing such and such a project - like reading the book, what do you gain out of it, how can you use it in your life etc. Always keep in mind the interest of your audience; they will support your cause if they benefit, so reiterate the fact whenever possible. Use words like "us" and "we" whenever possible. This creates the feeling that all of us are in the same boat and we all have to do this to make it happen.
Here's another secret tip: Keep a pen or a pencil or a paper clip with you when you feel nervous. You can control your nervousness and have the confidence that it will all be okay.
If you need any more information, please send me an email. I will be happy to assist you. Please send me some feedback on what you think about this article and how you all have overcome your fear of talking to others. You can find more information about public speaking and how to overcome your fear of public speaking by visiting your local chapter of Toastmasters club. Their website is: www.toastmasters.org
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