Thursday, July 1, 2010

How to Make Effective Presentations

By : Paulgochs

A famous orator of the 19th century - I think it was the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison - finished a particularly emotional speech and was told by a friend that he had been too excited. "You were on fire," the man said. Garrison replied: "I needed to be on fire, for I had icebergs around me to melt." We don't know whether Mr. Garrison melted any icebergs that day, but he certainly had the right idea. To melt icebergs - to get your audience to agree with you, to say "Yes!" - you need to make effective presentations, whether you're speaking to one person sitting across a desk, or 200 people in an auditorium. Here are some tips on delivering successful presentations.



Step 1

Conquer your natural nervousness. You're not alone in your fear of public speaking. Nervousness affects everyone who performs in public, whether they are entertainers, athletes, politicians, etc. It's just a matter of conquering the jitters. Before it's your turn to speak, breathe deeply and slowly to calm down. Reread your notes and rehearse opening remarks in your head. Once at the lectern, think of the audience as your friends and family: Smile.

Step 2

Dive in and make an immediate splash. With a smile on your face, start with sincere - but brief - remarks acknowledging the person who introduced you and the importance of the event, thanking the sponsors, etc. Lighten the mood with a joke or an amusing anecdote about yourself (keep it inoffensive). Give the audience a chance to get used to your presence, voice and style, and to accept you as someone worth listening to.

Step 3

Be authoritative. Your presentation should be intelligent, informative, educational, and whenever possible, entertaining. Don't be afraid to offer larger-than-life ideas that are backed by logic and fact. If you're a good story teller, use anecdotes and stories to illustrate your ideas. Many of the best speakers use multiple stories to create persuasive images in people's minds.

Step 4

Stand tall at the lectern with your head up, feet spread slightly more than normal and firmly on the floor. To convey intimacy with the audience, move closer to the microphone and speak in a lower voice. To convey seriousness and authority, move back from the microphone and raise your voice.

Step 5

Move away from the lectern occasionally. Physical movement reinforces your words and holds the audience's attention. Make your audience follow you. When you move from the lectern with the microphone, stride decisively, then stop and stand firmly facing your audience. Mention one of your key points, then stop again. Offer another point, then stop again. Address a different section of the audience. Return to the lectern in the same way.

Step 6

Maintain eye contact with your audience, whether it's one person or two hundred, and keep smiling. Your audience will be persuaded more easily if they feel you are friendly and warm and on their side. They will become hostile if they see you as cold and remote.

Step 7

Talk with your hands. Use them to illustrate your points. But keep hand gestures smooth and even. Jerky hand movements are distracting.

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