If speaking in front of an audience scares you more than death itself, great, it’s time to get up and do it! When we confront fears that aren’t dangerous to our lives we grow and learn beyond any book. It is by doing that we acquire useful knowledge, not by reading alone.
A Relevant Story
As a kid I had this reoccurring dream. In our basement my father had installed panelling that went from floor to ceiling, wall to wall (yes it was in the 1970’s).
The panelling disguised a door that swung in to a small room where there was a freezer and a wooden bench that housed my father’s tools. A three-foot crawl space was accessed from this room. In my dream I would be floating on the one side of the door with the inexplicably feeling that something dangerous was on the other side.
Night after night I would wake up shivering in fright that something scary lurked on the other side of the door, waiting to hurt me. In my dream one night, and I don’t know where I got the courage to do this, I decided to push through and let the chips fall where they may. I pushed through the door and surrendered, “Come and get me then!" Guess what happened. That’s right, nothing. And I never had that dream again.
Fear paralyzes us and prevents us from growing in our lives. There are many advantages to being able to fearlessly speak in front of a crowd, but none better than overcoming fear itself. The more we confront it, the less power it has over us.
The following are 11 Guidelines for Powerful Presentations
Powerful Presentations Guideline 1:
80-20 Rule:
Realize that 80% of your material must be information your audience already knows. Sound strange? Think of it this way: When we advanced through school each year built on the information of the last. For instance we learned the alphabet, from there we put letters together into words, then when we understood a few words we learned sentence structures, punctuation, grammar, then paragraphs…
80%+ of school is remedial of the previous year. That is how we learn. To make the 80% material interesting you need to simply add your unique personality. Then connect that 80% with the 20% of things they don’t know and you will have them sitting on the edge of their seats. Learning is about making connections. To do this effectively you must know what your audience knows and needs to know.
Powerful Presentations Guideline 2:
Know Your Audience:
Research your audience. What do they know? What do they want to know more about? When you can answer these two questions you are on your way to putting together a powerful presentation that leaves them enlightened and feeling good.
Proper Attire and Grooming:
A suit and tie is not advisable if you are speaking to a “Youth without Shelter" group. They will likely feel you are preaching to them from an “Ivory Tower" perspective. Conversely ripped jeans and a sweatshirt is not advisable attire when speaking in a business setting. Know your audience and dress accordingly.
Powerful Presentations Guideline 3:
Have a Plan:
After you choose a topic decide on how you want to present it. Will you have visual aids? What is your purpose? Maybe you want to inspire action of some sort. Prepare, prepare, prepare…
Know your material. There should be no doubt in the mind of your audience that you have earned the right to talk about this subject.
Outline of a Powerful Presentation:
Introduction: Tell them what you are going to tell them
Body: Tell them
Conclusion: Tell them what you told them
Powerful Presentations Guideline 4:
Practice:
The success of becoming good at anything, including public speaking, is practice. Give your presentation in front of the mirror, notice your posture practice on your family or friends imagine giving your presentation to a thousand people while you practice.
Does your voice project? Could a person sitting in the back row hear you? How much vocal variety are you using, including volume, pitch, and tone? How is the pace, fast, slow, just right?
Powerful Presentations Guideline 5:
Over the Top Enthusiasm:
Enthusiasm originally meant possessed by the Gods. Ignite passion about your subject into the audience light their minds and move their bodies with your words and gestures! They should be sitting on the edge of their seats ready to take action at your beckon call. Indeed, it is difficult to stay tuned-in to a boring monotone speaker.
Let go of your inhibitions and be enthused!
Secrets to Keep Your Audience Tuned In:
Frequently Ask Questions
Every couple of minutes you need to ask your audience a question. You’re not necessarily seeking a verbal reply you are simply engaging their minds. When asked a question our minds automatically reply, whether our voices do or not.
Some popular questions include:
“Are you with me?"
“Do you understand?"
“What does that mean?" This one is good when you’ve just made a point and want to elaborate on it. You pause momentarily then continue.
“True or True?" A great one when you’ve made a point that you believe to be undeniably true. It is framed in a way that seems to give your audience a choice but, of course, they have to answer “True." Albeit silently.
Powerful Presentations Guideline 6:
Make Your Audience Feel Good:
Give lots of praise and be personal. Thank them for being there and let them know how honoured you are to address them. Tell them how 85% of success is showing up. Ask them if they know what the other 15% is. When they scream out, “Hard work!" or “Practice!" Say, “Great answers, but no! The other 15% is Showing Up!" Now they are 100% successful just by being there.
Continue briefly with a story of how you got to be on stage. 99% of that audience is likely scared to death of public speaking. Let them know that you are human and are or were afraid too. Maybe something funny happened to you while speaking one time. Share that with them. And if you flub your lines make a quick joke about it then move on. Now that they’re warmed up present your material with enthusiasm.
Note: Even the best presenters make mistakes while speaking publicly. But they do not let them take them out of the zone. They recover and continue on. Notice how you feel warmed up to them when that happens. If you flub your lines look it as an opportunity to warm your audience up to you.
After all your preparation and practice, when you are up on stage it is time to be natural, human.
Powerful Presentations Guideline 7:
Involve Your Audience:
Tell me I forget
Show Me: I Remember
Involve Me: I Understand
--Ancient Chinese Proverb
Make part of your presentation interactive. One idea could be to cut up three strips of bristle board and color them with markers. On entrance everyone gets three strips red, blue, and yellow (or whatever colors you want).
Then about half way through ask multiple choice questions about what’s been presented so far. By holding up a color they are guessing at the answers. This will engage them and also tell you if your messages are getting through.
If the answers are 90% wrong it’s time to go over that material again. This could be that the percentages in Powerful Presentation Guideline #1 are reversed. Too much new information is overwhelming.
Powerful Presentations Guideline 8:
Communicate One Idea at a Time and Stay on Track:
Often when we are nervous we tend to speak quickly and jumble ideas together. On a cheat sheet you should have a few main points leading through your presentation. If you get off track, bring it back to your main point.
Do not digress into the audiences’ questions. Depending on the size of your audience there will be grandstanders, i.e., people that like to interject forcefully to steal attention away from you and people with their own opinions.
Never tell them they are wrong. You might say, “That’s interesting. I never thought of it that way." Or, “That’s a good point, however, the point I’m trying to make is…" Thank them for their contribution and get back on track by saying, “We have a lot of material to cover, save your questions and comments there will be plenty of time later for that."
Powerful Presentations Guideline 9:
Use Stories:
Stories are the best way to help people learn. We learn by association. A good resource for this is from the Zen philosophy. Google “Zen Stories" and you will find many stories to choose from. Fine one relevant to your presentation. Revise in a shape that fits your presentation and strategically tuck it in.
Powerful Presentations Guideline 10:
It’s Not About You:
Realize that your presentation is not about you. It’s not even about the presentation. It is about how the audience responds to the presentation. When you can direct your attention away from your fear, your self-image, you will have taken the biggest step toward getting intimate with your audience and delivering in a way that suits them.
You have to feel into your audience. You have to know when they are drifting, what puts them on the edge of their seats, what they disagree with. Then respond accordingly. This type of connection takes experiential practice, however.
A great thing to do is to take frequent breaks. Get your audience to stand up, stretch their arms, do a breathing exercise, utilize the color strips. By asking many questions and getting your audience to move you are keeping them engaged.
Powerful Presentations Guideline 11:
Let Go:
After preparing, preparing, preparing and practicing, practicing, practicing let go. When we are too rigidly attached to our material we become unable to respond to unexpected things that will happen. Keep the main goal of engaging your audience and let the audiences’ gestures of approval or disapproval and eager wide-eyed attentiveness or drowsy head-bobbing guide your presentation.
Howard Vernon says to think of your main ideas “like a tree trunk that can branch off in many directions." Be receptive to the audience and let your presentation flow in the direction of their wants, needs, and interests.
A Zen Metaphor for Surviving the Presentation
A Taoist story tells of an old man who accidentally fell into the river rapids leading to a high and dangerous waterfall. Onlookers feared for his life. Miraculously, he came out alive and unharmed downstream at the bottom of the falls. People asked him how he managed to survive. "I accommodated myself to the water, not the water to me. Without thinking, I allowed myself to be shaped by it. Plunging into the swirl, I came out with the swirl. This is how I survived."
To summarize:
The most effective speakers jump at any opportunity to speak publicly, they get out of their own insecurities, focus on the audience, and are personally involved with their messages. The most effective public speakers practice until the material is lodged firmly in their memory then they speak passionately from their heart. Then they let go, trusting that the audience will help direct the flow of material and make it a Powerful Presentation.
» left by stephanie from Alaska (1 year 41 days ago.)
Yeah it has every part of a speech. It was very helpful for my paper that i am writting on giving speeches. thanks, Respond to this comment
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