Why I chose this topic when I volunteered to be part of the SWIC Guest Speaker FEAR factor…. to “stretch” NOT an expert…..have spent time gathering information fom variety of sources….primarily from Zig Ziglar manual I picked up at a seminar 20 years ago. Finally, experience with Toastmasters….best thing you can do for yourself if you want to get over presentation jitters
To be effective, need to cover these 5 areas Each is important Failure in one area brings down the entire presentation
While poor performance in any one of the 5 areas can hurt your presentation, this can be the most fatal. MUST ask: What do you want me to talk about and then STICK TO IT! Part of prep is timing and I’ll address that in the next slide MUST ask: who will I speak to and what will they get out of my presentation? Example: I can use the same slides w/junior high students but I would have to change things to accommodate them….their experience and maturity level is so different from yours that adjustments would be absolutely necessary.
While part of preparation, I list separately because I see it abused SO often! Always ask….how much time do I have and then plan for that.
55% of what you communicate about your attitude and feelings comes through your body language! If you are stiff, you are telling people you are ……????? Nervous? Scared? Unsure of yourself? Let’s talk about several key components of body language….
Posture, posture, posture…..do I sound like your mother yet? There is an “ideal” posture for speakers….. squared shoulders is obvious but…. slight lean forward….Zig Ziglar calls this the “ready position” … you’re ready to roll! Gestures…. What should you do with your hands? (Sue….pocket change? Buttons, pen, papers, twiddling) At sides if not specifically gesturing for effect
Very specific advice here and again, based on a Zig Ziglar seminar and reinforced in any speaking workshop or class you’ll attend…. The 3-5 seconds can be called an “eye clasp”….just as you clasp someone’s hand in a shade for just a few seconds to make that important “contact” You might also hear that it helps to look slightly above someone’s eyes if it makes you uncomfortable to make direct eye contact
No dancing please but no stiff boards either! Also depends on your venue….is it a formal speech behind a lectern or a presentation such as this? If you have room, MOVE a little but just don’t get to the point of annoyance. Movements need to appear natural rather than rehearsed…..if you are not comfortable and have to force the gestures, practice more!
Nearly 40% of what you communicate orally is a result of your voice…not the message itself but simply the SOUND! Volume is critical of course…..oftentimes audience members in the back won’t tell you they can’t hear you so you need to ask if there’s any doubt Err on the loud side ‘ Haven’t run into too many people who don’t have vocal variety…..we do this naturally but there are those who have to work at it….if you are one of those….do just that….work at it practice by reading passages from books out loud childrens’ stories are great for practice
To use or not to use? To answer that question, particularly in regard to PowerPoint, you need to ask yourself, “What is the purpose of using visuals?” Does the audience need a focus for this type of presentation? (particularly important if presentation is more than 15 minutes) Do they need reinforcement of the material…are there specific things they may want to remember? Is the material so complex that a visual will help them understand? If you answer yes to any of these, you should have visuals. When NOT to use visuals…. EXAMPLE: NHS induction Speech under 15-20 minutes from a lectern
Note that I specifically referred to PowerPoint in the previous slide when asking whether to use or not to use…. Any time you can effectively use some sort of visual – DO IT! PPT is noted specifically because it sometimes gets overused. Props….always nice and effective in getting the attention of the audience Flip charts….not very common anymore but don’t discount….can be very useful if you don’t have appropriate tech available….nice “back-up” too!
Tips for using PowerPoint or other electronic presentation media VERY important NOT to show LOTS of text….no one can read it anyway Sans serif type…..not something widely discussed but important to note….studies show that it’s easier to read on a screen while serif type is easier on paper.
Rehearse with a timer! DON”T memorize….can be dangerous if you forget a line best to run through a couple of times with brief notes and then expand notes if you think needed
Quick recap comments Questions you might have about presenting material….. Don’t have all the answers but maybe through group discussion we can solve issues!