By David Capece, Managing Capece
Do you ever watch Barack Obama speak and say, “Wow, he is an outstanding speaker?” John F Kennedy and Ronald Reagan also received similar accolades. Not all speakers were born with natural talented. In fact, Winston Churchill is an example of how hard work can pay off.
James’s Humes Success Talk program tells of a young man, Winston Churchill, ”who was such a poor speaker, handicapped with both dyslexia and stuttering, a young man who was rejected from college. His teachers gently advised, because of his difficulty communicating, to avoid any career dealing with the public.” Regardless of your speaking level, here are some tips to help you realize your potential for delivering a great presentation.
1. Be Mentally Prepared. You can practice in the mirror all you want, but that doesn’t replicate the experience of presenting to a roomful of attentive, smart people listening live, and – being more animate and unpredictable than your reflection. Your audience might spontaneously cough or ask questions. Yes, you should have a firm handle on your speaking points and speach. Beyond that, be prepared to interact and improvise. Have confidence in yourself.
2. Be Interactive. Keep your audience engaged. You’re a captivating speaker, like Martin Luther King and Bill Clinton, so this should be no problem. But just in case you’re not, here are a few tips to hold an audience’s interest. Pop culture references are an easy way to establish a common connection between you and your audience. Questions help break up your monologue. Tell of your experiences, then stop and ask your group to share some of their relative experiences too. You can also take “Show of Hands” polls. Do whatever it takes to keep your audience interested!
3. Get Your Timing Down. Big picture, think about how much time you have. Be sure you have enough to say, while leaving enough time at the end for questions. The worst thing to do is pack a 2 hour presentation into an hour time slot. Pause at key moments to highlight and reinforce your key points.
4. Use Visuals. Visuals can help to enhance your point and make your presentation more memorable. Powerpoints with charts and pictures add another dimension to your presentation. Whiteboards are even better as it makes the presentation seem more impromptu and interactive, and less scripted.
5. Have Fun. Think of yourself as a brilliant superstar. Relax and enjoy the ride. Avoid dumb jokes, but do include some humor. If you can get a smile or laugh out of your audience, that will ease the tension. And while you are at it, be sure to smile yourself.
Image by Richard Dudley from Stock.Xchng
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