Presentation Power

 

Presentation Power

by Dr. Tony Alessandra

 

 

The number one fear of most adults (even above death) is speaking in public. Yet

the ability to communicate to groups of people is a skill which can make a critical

difference in our careers and in our ability to share information, ideas, experience,

and enthusiasms with others. A study conducted by AT&T and Stanford University

revealed that the top predictor of success and upward mobility, professionally, is

how much you enjoy public speaking and how effective you are at it.

Most of us have experienced more than our share of boring presentations. After

what seems like hours, we still don’t know what message we were supposed to get.

Maybe the speaker put us to sleep with his monotone presentation or we couldn’t

read the small writing on the transparencies, which didn’t seem to match up at all

with what the speaker was trying to say.

To avoid being the source of a “sleeper” presentation, you need to build your

presentation skills. Here are some simple guidelines to overcoming stage fright and

preparing for a successful presentation.

Developing the Attitude of a Successful Public Speaker

Remember that stage fright is normal and be open about it. Sometimes just

admitting that you are feeling anxiety helps relieve it. You should also remember

that you are the expert. The person who asked you to speak believes that you have

something of value to share. The people attending the meeting believe that they

will receive information of value.

Therefore, your primary duty is to understand what your audience needs to know

and prepare the message and supporting materials in a way that delivers your

message clearly and powerfully. Make a strong, whole-hearted commitment to your

audience. Concentrating on them and their needs will help you forget about your

own self-consciousness.

Some additional tips for overcoming stage fright:

o Practice your presentation. Do a pilot test, and if possible, videotape

yourself.

o Establish rapport by using names and eye contact.

o Research your audience. Get acquainted with at least one person in the

audience.

o Relax. Breathe deeply. Visualize yourself successfully presenting

your message to the audience.

o Use your own style. Don’t imitate someone else.

Preparing for Success — Planning

A good presentation requires careful planning and lack of planning is always

apparent. Sure clues are speeches that are too long, too detailed, confusing, vague,

boring or off-track.

The most critical step in preparation is understanding the “what” and the “why” of

your presentation: its purpose. Your purpose should be the broad general outcome

you want the presentation to achieve. Here are three questions you can ask yourself

to clarify the objective of your presentation:

o Why am I giving this presentation?

o What do I want the audience to know or do at the end of the

presentation?

o How do I want the audience to feel?

Focus on the Big Idea

Once you know your audience and are clear about your objectives and purpose, you

are ready to start organizing your presentation. The first step is to find your focus.

This is the Big Idea of your material, the power punch, the one thing you want your

audience to walk away with. One way to make sure you are clear on your focus is

to develop a basic outline of your presentation. Begin by listing no more than five

independent ideas that the audience must understand for the objectives to be

accomplished. Then outline your plan for presenting the necessary detail and

persuasive material needed to allow your audience to understand those points.

This gives you a rough outline of the content of your message.

Getting Their Attention

There are three major sections of a presentation: introduction, main body, and

conclusion. Your first step is to get the audience’s attention and convince them to

listen to you. This happens in the introduction … and this is where many beginning

speakers lose their audience. Grab them with something vitally interesting to them.

Give them an interesting story or example that ties into your focus. Use a strong,

meaningful quotation or a startling statistic.

Be succinct, use simple graphic language, and most of all, never apologize! If the

airline lost your bag and you’re in yesterday’s clothes … if you’re a last minute

substitute for the best speaker in the country … if you have the flu and a 101o

temperature, don’t mention it. Start your speech with power. Make your audience

think they’re going to be informed, entertained or enlightened … don’t let them

think they’re getting inferior goods, leftovers or anything except your best.

The Main Message

Once you’ve gotten the audience’s attention, you need to deliver what you

promised in the shortest, most interesting way possible. Hold people’s attention

during the main body of your message by creating a lot of mini-cycles with

beginnings, middles, and ends instead of having one big cycle that lasts through the

entire presentation.

You should plan a change-of-pace every 10 to 15 minutes so that you can break up

your talk into mini-cycles and keep attention riveted. You can do this by including

appropriate humor, stories, exercises requiring people to move their bodies (even if

it’s just raising their hands) or calls for a verbal response. Keep these change-of-

pace exercises as physical as possible if your presentation occurs after lunch when

much of our energy is diverted to our digestive system.

Remember that the purpose of your presentation is not to present all you know

about a subject — it’s to present what your audience needs to know in a way that

meets your personal objectives as well as theirs.

Conclusion

Many speakers have a dynamite opening and a powerful, interesting message only

to drop the ball at the end. You need a strong wrap up. It serves an important role

for the audience. Your conclusion should repeat your main ideas: don’t expect the

audience to remember a point which they have heard only once. You can signal a

wind-up of the presentation with a phrase such as: “Let’s review the main points

we’ve covered.” Your conclusion should be strong, succinct and persuasive.

Practice and Visualize Success

You know your audience. You know your material. You’ve written a

dynamite speech. The last step is to practice delivering it. Here’s how:

Rehearse aloud. Do this in order to check your timing (you read out

loud slower than you read in your mind), and to make sure your presentation

flows and sounds the way you want it to.

Rehearse at least four or five times. You should feel comfortable

explaining all of your ideas. Don’t try to memorize your speech, however, or

you may end up sounding stale, as if you are reciting or reading.

Rehearse in the actual location of the presentation, if possible. It is

better to work out the technicalities of visual aids, outlets and positioning

during a rehearsal as opposed to the day of your presentation.

Time yourself during rehearsal. During your last few rehearsals, time

yourself so that you can make sure you stay within the amount of time

allotted for your presentation.

Once you have rehearsed your presentation and feel comfortable with the material,

visualize yourself presenting it successfully. While you are comfortably seated, close

your eyes and visualize your entire presentation. See the room and imagine

yourself walking to the front of the room and being greeted by a warm round of

applause. See the audience and feel them anxiously awaiting your message. Hear

yourself begin. Your voice sounds confident and strong. Mentally go through your

entire presentation. See the audience rise and give you a standing ovation when

you finish. Feel your pleasure as people come up after the presentation to tell you

how well you did and how important the message was to them. Bask in your

success. Repeat this exercise until you feel confident and well prepared.

Your ability to speak in front of groups is one of the most important professional

skills you can develop. To truly develop the skill, however, you have to practice it

in front of a real, live audience. Force yourself to find opportunities to speak.

Volunteer at your professional organizations, civic clubs, or church. You might

even consider joining Toastmasters — it offers you a weekly speaking experience in a

supportive, educational environment. Good Luck!

ARTICLE TAGLINE FOR DR. TONY ALESSANDRA

 

Dr. Tony Alessandra has authored 13 books, recorded over 50 audio and video programs, and delivered over 2,000 keynote speeches since 1976. If you would like more information about Dr. Alessandra’s books, audio tapesets and video programs, or about Dr. Alessandra as a keynote speaker, call his office at 1-858-456-0028 or visit his website at http://www.alessandra.com