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The
P’s and Q’s of Public Speaking - 10 Steps to a successful presentation Avoid
the pain Which
would you prefer - root canal dental surgery without an anaesthetic or a bit
of public speaking? According to the people who research these things, most
of us would prefer the former. Public
speaking is still one of our greatest fears and it turns grown men and women
into nervous wrecks. The mere thought of it turns our tongue to cotton wool,
causes our internal plumbing to act up and our kneecaps to start knocking
lumps out of each other. The
problem is that Public Speaking catches up with many of us at some time both
in our business and personal life. You’re asked to do a short talk at Of
course there’s always the confident people who think “I’m real good at this, lead
me to the podium.” The only thing is that some of these people
could bore your socks off and do more for insomniacs than the strongest
sleeping pills. Maybe
you’ll be lucky enough to be sent on a Public Speaking course by your
enlightened employer. But more likely, when asked to make a presentation
you’ll get hold of a book on speaking, start writing the speech and lose
sleep until the event. Well,
there’s no need for all of this because help is at hand. All you need to
remember are your P’s
and Q’s. Let’s start with the P’s Preparation
When
you sit down to write what you’re going to say, bear in mind who you’ll
be speaking to. Will they understand what you’re talking about; will they
understand the technical stuff and the jargon? If in doubt remember the old
saying “Keep It Simple Stupid”. To quote Make
sure that what you say has a beginning, a middle and an end. Think of some
anecdotes that help reinforce your story. People think visually so paint
verbal pictures for your audience. And always remember, people want to know
what’s in it for them - so make sure you tell them! Place
Have
a look at the venue before the event if you can. It’s not always possible,
however, even if you get there half an hour before, you can check out where
you’ll be speaking. Stand at the point where you will deliver from, imagine
where the audience will be and check that they can see and hear you. You may
even wish to place a glass of water where you’ll be able to find it. Personal
Preparation Before
any speaking event, think about what you are going to wear; when in doubt
dress up rather than down. You can always take things off for a more casual
look. Men could remove their jacket and their tie. Women could remove items
of jewellery. Part
of your personal preparation should include some mouth and breathing
exercises. Practise saying some tongue twisters to give your speaking muscles
a good work out. Take a deep breath and expand your diaphragm. Then breathe
out, counting at the same time, try and get up to fifty and not pass out. As
part of your personal preparation, write your own introduction. Write out
exactly what you want someone to say about you, large font, double-spaced and
ask the person introducing you to read it. Believe me they won’t object and
will probably be pleased and impressed. Poise
and Posture
Whenever
you’re called to speak, stand up or walk to the front quickly and
purposefully. Pull yourself up to your full height, stand tall and look like
you own the place. Before you start to speak, pause, look round your audience
and smile. You may even have to wait until the applause dies down. Remember,
you want the audience to like you, so look likeable. Practise this in front
of a mirror or your family; I’ve heard that children make pretty good
critics. Pretend
I’m
suggesting you pretend you’re not nervous because no doubt you will be.
Nervousness is vital for speaking in public, it boosts your adrenaline, which
makes your mind sharper and gives you energy. It also has the slight side
effect of making you lighter through loss of body waste materials. The trick
is to keep your nerves to yourself. On no account tell your audience your
nervous, you’ll only scare the living daylights out of them if they think
you’re going to faint. Some of the tricks for dealing with nerves are: Get
lots of oxygen into your system, run on the spot and wave your arms about
like a lunatic. It burns off the stress chemicals. Speak to members of your
audience as they come in or at some time before you stand up. That tricks
your brain into thinking you’re talking to some friends. Have a glass of
water handy for that dry mouth. Stick cotton wool on your kneecaps so people
won’t hear them knocking. One
word of warning – do not drink alcohol. It might give you Dutch courage but
your audience will end up thinking you’re speaking Dutch. The
Presentation
This
is it, the big moment when you tell your audience what a clever person you
are and have them leap to their feet in thunderous applause. Okay, let’s
step back a bit - if you want their applause then you’re going to have to
work for it. Right from the start your delivery needs to grab their
attention. Don’t
start by saying - “Good morning, my name is Look
at the audience as individuals; I appreciate that this can be difficult when
some of them are downright ugly. However it grabs their attention if they
think you’re talking to them individually. Talk
louder than you would normally do, it keeps the people in the front row awake
and makes sure those at the back get the message. Funnily enough, it’s also
good for your nerves. PowerPoint
And
for those of you who haven’t heard of it, it’s a software programme
that’s used to design stunning graphics and text for projection onto a
screen. As a professional speaker, I’m not that struck on PowerPoint. I
feel that too many speakers rely on it and it takes over the presentation.
After all, you’re the important factor here. If an audience is going to
accept what you say then they need to see the whites of your eyes. There
needs to be a big focus on you, not on the technology. Use
PowerPoint if you want but keep it to a minimum and make sure you’re not
just the person pushing the buttons. Why
not get a bit clever at using the faithful old Flip Chart, lots of
professionals do. Passion
This
is what stops the audience in their tracks. This is what makes them want to
employ you; to accept what you’re proposing and make them want you to marry
their son or daughter. Couple this with some energy, enthusiasm and emotion
and you have the makings of a great public speaker. Just
think of our old friend Give
your presentation a bit of oomph and don’t start telling me – “I’m not that kind of
person.” There’s
no need to go over the top but you’re doing a presentation to move people
to action, not having a cosy little chat in your front room. That’s
the P’s
finished with so let’s look at the Q’s. Questions
Decide
when you’re going to take them and tell people at the start. In a short
speech it’s best to take questions at the end. If you take them as you go
then you may get waylaid and your timing will get knocked out. Never
– never – never finish
with questions; far better to ask for questions five or ten minutes before
the end. Deal with the questions and then summarise for a strong finish. Too
many presentations finish on questions and the whole thing goes a bit flat. When
you’re asked a question, repeat it to the whole audience and thank the
questioner. It keeps everyone involved, it gives you time to think and it
makes you look so clever and in control. Quit
Quit
when you’re ahead. Stick to the agreed time; if you’re asked to speak for
twenty minutes, speak for nineteen and the audience will love you for it.
Remember, quality is not quantity. One
of the most famous speeches ever - “The Gettysburg Address”, by Right, that’s my cue to quit when I’m ahead. Public Speaking will never be easy for most of us but we can all do it a whole lot better. Alan Fairweather is the author of four e-books in the "How to get More Sales" series. Lots of practical actions you can take to build your business and motivate your team.- www.howtogetmoresales.com **Attn Ezine editors/Site owners** PS: Remember to submit your email address for your FREE e-book - What to do When Customers Contact You - plus our FREE Sales newsletter. Each month , I’ll send you lots of information about how to get more sales (whether you buy any books or not) Home Without Selling The Five Factors Pick the Best Team Motivate Your Team Free Stuff |
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