1. How to give a Powerful Presentation Gajendra Pal Singh
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7. SMILE BIG! HAVE FUN! IT’S TIME TO SHOW THEM HOW GOOD YOU REALLY ARE! Don't be scared! Present that presentation with all you got. You have nothing to lose, you just got to stay confident and don’t let them catch you off guard with any question! Be prepared!
Even the most experienced presenter can feel nervous - in fact a degree of nervous energy will allow you to give your best performance. However it is desirable to control some of the signs of nervousness. The following actions may help you: Dry Mouth - Biting the sides of the tongues gently causes saliva to flow. Have a glass of water. Too Much Saliva - Put the tip of your tongues on the hard ridge behind the top teeth and breath through the mouth. This dries the saliva without drying the mouth. Tight Throat - Learn to yawn with your mouth closed. Short of Breath - Put your arm across the lower part of your abdomen applying a little pressure. Breathe out and then in again slowly. Butterflies - Tense the muscles of the abdomen, relax and repeat. Facial Tension - Smile! Drying Up - Look at your notes and collect your thoughts. Repeat what you’ve just said to give you time. the most common time to dry up is when you get to complex names or facts - make notes!
“You may be disappointed to learn that there is no magic formula or clever tricks to make someone a great presenter. There is no such thing as a born brain surgeon any more than a born presenter, but I can provide some guidelines. A newspaper survey revealed Death to be number seven in a list of fears people have in their mind, whereas Public Speaking was number one! “So why are we more frightened about Public Speaking than Death?! Well, we are in good company. A certain amount of fear is actually necessary as it produces adrenaline which enhances your presentation. What are we frightened about? (Ask group and list on a flip chart) Possible answers could be: Fear that you will make a fool of yourself, and the only way to overcome that fear is to prepare and practice as this removes fear of the unknown.
It is important to have some kind of written prompt. Notes jog the memory and help maintain a flow of ideas. They also help control and structure the presentation enabling a logical and coherent flow while keeping to the time plan. It is often useful to learn the first and last paragraph in full. The rest of the notes should be written in the form of headings and subheadings on cards, on one side only and numbered. Highlighting or underlining your notes may help remind you of important points.
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. Th voice can effectively be controlled and used in the following ways: Volume, Pitch and Speed.
This is a summary slide that describes the key to effective presentations.
Use short, sharp sentences and simple words. (Write these words on a flip chart: facilitate, demonstrate and duplicate - ask group what words can be used instead) Use humour carefully. Not everyone may appreciate your jokes The same goes for cliches and catch phrases. The audience may not understand them. The audience will relate more readily to your key/learning points if you can illustrate them with examples from real life, e.g. anecdotes. Rhetorical questions are those that you ask but don’t require an answer. They are used to gain the attention of an audience. Remember the power of silence, and pause occasionally.
Always try to visit the room where you are making the presentation in advance and check the size, seating and room layout,sockets, equipment, and ensure that you rearrange the room if you feel people may be unable to see/hear/participate. Think about a strategic place to put a display table, and it’s often an idea to present near the entrance to stop people slipping out! If you are responsible for refreshments, make sure you always confirm the caterer, or if buying food, allow plenty of time to do so. When do you eat - before or after the presentation?
We have prepared thoroughly, and now it’s the big day! Make sure you start on time and remember it is unacceptable to overrun. So that’s preparation - the other part is practice! Practice 1: Each delegate should now prepare a 5 minute presentation to be given to the group. They may choose their own topic. Feedback forms are available on pages 41 - 43 these may be photocopied.) By picking a topic where you may feel emotional, we usually see your natural presentation style. Let’s feedback on our natural presentation style before we look at how to refine it. Practice 2: Trainer should now focus on job specific context training at sales team meeting. Delegates will be required to use presentation skills learned to train his/ her team of Sales Representatives on specific performance deficiency.
This is a summary slide that incorporates the key ingredients of an effective presentation.
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 lectern or desk, Informality - sitting in a chair or perched on a desk, Confidence - standing up straight, feet slightly apart 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.