Know Your Audience Talk to a few key folks before your speech preparation. Interview the person hiring you for the presentation. Find out about recent successes. Spend time studying their company website. Doing a little legwork in the beginning pays off with a customize presentation that fits the group and dazzles the audience.
Kick It Off With Pizzazz
An amazing story, startling statistic or humorous antidote is the best way to kick off your speech with pizzazz! Resist the urge to start out with, “Good Afternoon. My name is…” People remember stories, props and interesting tidbits more so than anything. Begin a collection of stories and keep a file folder of interesting stuff you find in newspapers and magazines.
Be Aware of Your Body Language
Stand up straight the entire time. Smile and give eye contact to the audience. If possible work with a lavalier microphone that attaches to your lapel. You can move more freely this way. Be aware of anything to avoid that is distracting like hands in the pockets, fumbling, and looking down a lot.
Manage Your Minutes
Keep your presentation brisk. Focus on 3 steps, 1 concept, or 4 Tips. Make your points memorable by keeping everything simplistic and brief. Avoid a lot of words and bullets in your Powerpoint. Never run over your allotted time even if you want to tell your best story! Leave time for the important stuff and make your presentation flow.
Project Passion
Whatever you are excited about, the audience will become excited about. What action do you want them to take when they leave? Use your voice as a tool. Take a dramatic pause occasionally. Although you want to keep it brisk, you don’t want to talk too fast. There is less passion in your voice when you talk too fast. Just getting through the speech isn’t the goal. The goal is to stir people to positive change and help them step up the level of their game.
No comments:
Post a Comment