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Effective
Presentation Skills:
Important Steps to Take When
Planning - Delivering - Evaluating Effective Speaking
Presentations
1. Coached
speakers know that there are three stages to speech-making: the
pre-speech stage, the actual delivery stage, the post-speech
(evaluation) stage. The longest, most stressful and intense
stage is the preparation process. If done correctly, effective
planning and development enable the actual delivery of the
presentation to be a most enjoyable and fulfilling experience.
2. Before
deciding what you will talk about, you need to spend time to
decide what kind of image and impression you want to make in the
presenter role. How do you want your listeners to view you? What
is your speaker attitude and stage presence?
3. Develop the
philosophy that ‘it is not what you say, it is how you say it
that counts’ AND ‘just because you are speaking does not
guarantee (in any way) that they will be listening.’ Your
responsibility is to attract, retain, and maintain a
relationship with your audience.
4. Select and
develop your thoughts / topic / main points according to the
occasion (setting, reason for gathering, the agenda, etc.), time
requirements, your knowledge and your comfort zones, your time
availability to commit to the planning of this speech, the
demographics and expectations of the audience, your goals and
objectives.
Remember: To
your own self be true.
Remember:
W.I.I.F.M. is the mindset of your listeners: ‘what’s in it for
me’ rings loudly in them and helps them to decide whether or not
they will listen to you.
5. In planning
your speech get listeners to attend to you and tell them what
you want to say; then keep them listening while you say it; and
then let them know you are finished saying what you just said.
6. Follow the
3X Rule: listeners tend to remember ideas that are restated
(repeated, re-shown) at least three times. Don’t state your
important ideas with one-shot.
7. Listeners
tend to listen in pictures. Word your presentation with shorter
sentences filled with descriptive and vivid examples, stories,
anecdotes, illustrations to get listeners to feel, see, hear
your ideas. Transfer the technical jargon (your lexicon) into
their vocabulary. Word your speech presentation so that it is
easy on your listeners’ ears as well as your tongue.
8. Coached
speakers know that for every one minute of speaking time, it
takes approximately two hours of preparation time. This includes
rehearsal time, too. Dress-rehearse for the magical number of
six times (6x). As Harvey Mackey stated: "Perfect practice make
perfect."
Practice aloud
and in the exact same way you plan to deliver your speech (at a
lectern, standing, notes, eye contact, body movement and
gestures, sitting at a conference table, using AV equipment,
etc.)
If you plan to
rehearse in front of selected listeners, coach them on what to
evaluate. Help them to criticize you.
9. If you plan
to use notes for your extemporaneous speech, then make them easy
on your eyes – easy to use. Include bullet reminders at
using16-18 fonts, signpost reminders for pausing / slowing down
/ eye contact, etc. Try to rehearse without use of your notes,
and only refer to them to jog your memory.
If you are
using more than one note card or note sheet, be sure to number
each one.
10. Make time
to evaluate honestly your performance (via video-taping and/or
audio-taping or an immediate self-review.) If you choose to
elicit feedback from others, be sure to invite their input with
an open welcome. Extend this invitation before your speech
delivery and with a request as to what you want them to observe
and evaluate.
11. Plan an
opener (introduction) after you put together the body of your
presentation. Stephen Covey wrote: "…begin with the end in
mind…’ First know with what ideas and feelings you want your
audience to leave and then plan how to achieve this goal. Open
with some kind of attention-getting device such as anecdotes,
quotes, startling statements, stories, humorous remarks, 3 to 4
rhetorical questions, etc. AVOID: ‘ I am going to talk about…’
for your first words. Be sure you help your listeners to know
what your actual focus will be. (Preview your speech: ‘I would
like to thank a few special people’; or ‘today, I will help you
to understand the impact of learning by the seat of one’s
pants….’ )
If you are
introduced, of course, you will initially need to thank the
person and organization for the introduction and the opportunity
to speak.
12. Plan your
closing after you plan your introduction and body of the speech.
Do not fall in love with your voice by dragging on your ending.
Leave them with impact. End with quotes, stories, humorous and
applicable thoughts, appeals, opening questions, etc. Sound and
look finished (without saying ‘thank you’). Avoid: ‘that’s it…’,
‘I am done…, ‘that’s all I have to say….’
"…One who forms
a judgment on any point but cannot explain himself / herself
clearly might as well never have thought at all on the subject…"
- Pericles –
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