PRESENTATION SKILLS & PUBLIC SPEAKING 1.4

PRESENTATION SKILLS & 

PUBLIC SPEAKING 1.4

[Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking]

9 P's: “Prior Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance of the Person Putting on the Presentation”. 

Building Your Confidence

Preparation: Research the subject, organize the speech and then rehearse it with a tape recorder or with a friend. The more familiar with the situation, the less fear of it is.

Move About to Avoid Tension: Step away from the stage occasionally, walk among the audience or gesture in a way that adds meaning to your words. 

Use Visual Aids: It helps you in minimizing your speech? Pictures impress listeners much, rather than words. One visual aid is equal to one thousand words.

Dress Maintenance: Wear your favorite suit, the one that makes you feel, as if you conquer the world. Certainly, dress and its color influence your thinking and behavior in any meeting or function.

Allow for Spontaneity: Speak from a familiar outline, which allows the freedom to concentrate on the message. Speak conversationally and monitor the audience’s responses. Interaction with the audience helps the speaker to know the attitude and knowledge of the audience on the subject.

Speak Often: Experience shows that the more we do something, the more comfortable and competent we become. Volunteer to give reports, introductions, invocations and announcements. 

note: Here are some ways to harness your nervous energy to become a more confident speaker,

• Prepare more material than necessary. Combined with a genuine interest in your topic, extra knowledge will reduce your anxiety.
• Rehearse. The more you know your material, the less panic you'll feel.
• Think positively. See yourself as polished and professional, and your audience will too.
• Visualize your success. Use the few minutes before you actually begin speaking to tell yourself you're on and you're ready.
• Take a few deep breaths. Before you begin to speak, remember that your audience is silently wishing you success.
• Be ready. Have your first sentence memorized and on the tip of your tongue.
• Be comfortable. If your throat is dry, drink some water.
• Don't panic. If you feel that you're losing your audience during your speech, try to pull them back by involving them in the action; ask for their opinions or pause for questions.
• Keep going. Things usually get better as you go.
• Focus outside yourself. Perhaps the best way to feel more confident is to focus on your message and audience.
  

 [to be continued...]

PRESENTATION SKILLS & PUBLIC SPEAKING 1.3

PRESENTATION SKILLS & PUBLIC SPEAKING 1.3

[PRESENTATION SKILLS  & ROLE OF BODY LANGUAGE]

Dress: Appearance can have a big impact on the way people respond to you. Remember the following - consider the audience, a business suit is generally acceptable but may be too formal for some audiences, personal grooming conveys respect for oneself and the audience, dress for comfort, check yourself in a mirror prior to going into the presentation.        

Posture: You need to be aware of the meanings of posture when presenting - Nervousness/Restlessness - pacing about, Formality - standing behind a desk, Informality - sitting in a chair or perched on a desk, Confidence - standing up straight, feet slightly apart. 

Gesture: These can be used in three ways; to support verbal communication, to contradict verbal communication, to be independent of verbal communication. Gestures to avoid are; hands in pockets, tapping, waving a pointer or ruler, toying with an item, fiddling with clothing or loose change. 

Eye Contact: The rules are as follows; look at your audience extensively at the start, glance around at the beginning and end of sentences, look at people's faces not bodies, don’t fix on just one person, don’t miss anyone out.

Facial Expression: Facial expression can give an inaccurate message and therefore needs to be carefully managed. The emotions that are easily distinguishable are happiness, surprise, fear, sadness, anger, disgust/contempt and interest. Try to develop your facial expressions to help you convey emotion and attitude in your presentation.                                                

Voice Modulation: By varying your voice it is possible to stimulate and increase the attention of the audience.  The way in which the voice is used can completely change the meaning of a phrase or sentence. The voice can effectively be controlled and used in various ways - volume, pitch, tone, intonation, speed, pause and volume.

Body Movement: Movement can control the mood of the audience. If you want to energise the audience, you can use faster paced, bolder and more dynamic movements. To make a serious point, you can remain relatively still and simply use eye contact with each member of the audience to emphasise your point. Try and match your movements to the energy level and mood of the audience. Often, nervous speakers move about too much to use up their nervous energy. The appropriate type and amount of movement conveys confidence to the audience. It involves the audience in the presentation and helps in gaining attention.

[to be continued...]  

PRESENTATION SKILLS & PUBLIC SPEAKING 1.2

PRESENTATION SKILLS & PUBLIC SPEAKING 1.2 
[Structuring the Presentation]

I. Beginning      

"Tell them what your going to tell them.“ 

A good introduction arouses the audience’s interest in your topic, establishes your credibility, and prepares the audience for what will follow.  

a. Getting Attention

b. Statement of Theme

c. Building Rapport

d. Audience Needs

Arouse audience interest. Start by capturing the audience’s attention. If you are presenting to a small group, involve the audience, encourage comments from listeners. When speaking to a large group, responding to comments can interrupt the flow of information, weaken your argument, and reduce your control of the situation. Therefore, it’s best to ask people to hold questions until you’re finished--be sure to allow ample time after your remarks.

Build your credibility. Establish your credentials quickly—people will decide about you within a few minutes. Building credibility is easy for a familiar, open-minded audience. For strangers (especially skeptical ones), try letting someone else introduce you. If introducing yourself, keep your comments simple, and don't be afraid to mention your accomplishments.

Previewing your presentation. Help your audience understand the structure and contents of your message. Give them cues to figure out how the main points of the message fit together. Summarize the main idea, identify the supporting points, and indicate the order in which you’ll develop them. Establish the framework so that your audience will understand how the facts and figures are related to your main idea as you move into the main body of your presentation.

II. Middle

“Tell them."

The bulk of your speech or presentation is devoted to a discussion of the three or four main points in your outline. Use the same organizational patterns you'd use in a letter, memo, or report, but keep things simple. 

a. Points to be made

b. Support material, examples, references, visual aids

c. Possible audience objections/queries

An oral presentation must rely on words to link various parts and ideas. For small links between sentences and paragraphs, use one or two transitional words: therefore, because, in addition, in contrast, moreover, for example, consequently, nevertheless, or finally. To link major sections of a presentation, use complete sentences or paragraphs, such as "Now that we've reviewed the problem, let's take a look at some solutions." Every time you shift topics, be sure to stress the connection between ideas. Summarize what's been said, and then preview what's to come. The longer your presentation, the more important your transitions become.You also have to hold your audience's attention. Here are a few helpful tips for engaging an audience:

i. Relate your subject to your audience's needs.

ii. Anticipate your audience’s questions.

iii. Use clear, vivid language.

iv. Explain the relationship between your subject and familiar ideas.

v. Ask opinions or pause occasionally for questions or comments.

 III. End

"Tell them what you’ve told them."

The close of a speech or presentation is almost as important as the beginning because audience attention peaks at this point. Plan to devote about 10 percent of your total time to the ending. When developing your conclusion, begin by telling listeners that you're about to finish so that they'll make one final effort to listen intently. 

a. Reiterate the theme

b. Summary of points

Restating the Main Points. Once you've decided how to announce your close, plan on repeating your main idea. Be sure to emphasize what you want your audience to do or think, and state the key motivating factor. Finally, reinforce your theme by repeating the three or four main supporting points.

Describe the Next Steps. Some presentations require the audience to reach a decision or to agree to take specific action. If you expect any action to occur as a result of your speech, you must explain who is responsible for doing what. Alert people to potential difficulties or pitfalls.

End on a Strong Note. Make sure that your final remarks are encouraging and memorable. Conclude with a quote, a call to action, or some encouraging words. Your task is to leave the audience with a feeling of completeness. Do not introduce new ideas or to alter the mood of the presentation.

[to be continued...]