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Making A Difference

Getting Ready to Present

To top of page The Beginning

The most crucial part of any presentation is the first few sentences. It is at this point that you involve the audience. In those first few moments, the audience will decide if you are worth listening to and if they will or will not pay attention.

Professional speakers use several opening techniques to gain the attention of the audience:

  • Personalize the opening so that is makes reference to the organization or group to which you are speaking. ("The Y-ME organization provides a wonderful service in our community, and I am pleased to be asked to meet with you this evening.")
  • Use an anecdote, humorous or poignant, that capsulizes the substance of your presentation. People stories, dramatic examples of how a person's life has been touched by your topic, work particularly well.
  • Begin with a quotation from a person who is preeminent in your field or has said something especially pertinent.
  • Select a current event from the day's newspaper or news broadcast that has a bearing on your presentation.
  • Reveal a part of you by sharing a personal story that will let your audience see the human side of its speaker.
  • Ask a rhetorical question that will make the audience members think about how they relate to your topic.

Spend time on your opening statements. Like the first paragraph of a book, the first sentence in a newspaper or magazine article or the first statement on a radio or television news broadcast, it is the grabber that can make the difference.

Making the Most of the Middle
Once you've established a meaty opening, fill the middle of your presentation with the "objectives" discussed earlier. Back up your major points with anecdotes, examples, statistics, research findings, quotes, excerpts from important documents—the type of material that makes your presentation relevant and believable.

In the course of your presentation, establish your credentials as a speaker. It is not necessary to be too specific ("I was born...I graduated..."), but it is good to make reference to your professional experience. For example, a medical librarian might use phrases in a presentation such as, "In my 10 years working with...," "We see approximately 1,000 clients each year...," "MLA has been active in raising public awareness about access to health care issues.…"

To top of page Presenting

Stage Fright

We all suffer from stage fright when getting up in front of people. A famous stage actor in an interview recently said that he threw up before his first 2,000 stage performances. Most speakers don't throw up, although sometimes they think they might. These pointers hopefully will help you relax:

  • The audience is not as aware of your nervousness as you are.
  • Your nervousness can work for you instead of against you. Because you are anxious to win your audience over to your point of view, the fear that you won't will automatically "pump you up." When your adrenaline starts flowing, your senses become keener, and you should project greater enthusiasm.
  • Also keep in mind that an audience does not know where you are going in the speech. If you skip something, forget to put it in the correct place or leave out a visual, they will not know unless you tell them you have made a mistake. Just keep going and pick up the misplaced information either later in the presentation, or when someone asks you a question.

These final tips may help with your stage fright:

  • Before speaking, take a deep breath and let it out slowly. This relaxes the diaphragm muscles and lets you speak without nervous tightness.
  • Get a grip on your nerves by getting a grip on something else C a piece of chalk, your pen, a prop.
  • Moving around eases tension. Take advantage of this by moving back to the screen and pointing out information.
  • Don't get caught behind a podium. This not only makes you a static speaker, but actually increases your tension since you feel you can't move once you're planted squarely behind your barrier.
  • Smile. In a study at the Chinese University of Hong Kong's School of Education, more than 100 men and women were shown photographs of males and females, smiling and unsmiling. They were then asked to fill out a questionnaire giving their impression of each person pictured. The results showed that a smiling person was perceived to be more intelligent than an unsmiling one. A smile also relaxes you and makes your audience feel more comfortable.
  • Keep a glass of water handy if speaking for more than 20 minutes.
Timing

Timing is also important. Most speakers try to cover too much material both on their visuals and in their speech. One advantage to visuals is that you can gauge your presentation time by the number of visuals you have prepared. If your visuals are designed correctly, you can cover one visual approximately every one to two minutes. Therefore, if you have been asked to put together a 20-minute presentation and you have nine to 12 visuals, you will have 20 minutes of material.

When someone asks you to speak, be sure to clarify how much total time you have. The biggest mistake made by speakers is that they anticipate they have more time to cover the materials than they do. Anyone who has been the final speaker of the day knows what this means. If you are given an hour, design your presentation for 40 minutes. The presentation should take 3/4 of the allotted time.

Dress

It is good to dress conservatively. Suits, vests, ties and dresses are all appropriate.

If you have analyzed your audience thoroughly, you should know how to dress for the situation. Presenting to the Lions Club and speaking at one of your conferences require not only two different types of speeches, but may require two different types of dress.

Creating an Illusion

Any time you are in front of an audience, you are creating an illusion, an illusion of professional skills, of knowledge, of credibility, of enthusiasm, of determination. There is nothing wrong with rehearsing for a total illusion.

The successful speaker gives equal attention to:

  • Content
  • Visual impact
  • Personal impact
  • Ability to persuade

To top of page The End

The end of a presentation is as important as the beginning. You have an opportunity to leave your audience with a memorable message or to encourage them to take action.

The same techniques that work for an opening, work equally well at the close of a presentation. Quotes, anecdotes, examples and personal stories are particularly dynamic in an ending.

Handling Questions

Many presentations end with the speaker asking the audience if they have any questions. From the presidential level of politics to the informal lunch presentation, speakers are increasingly using this technique.

Q&A sessions allow the speaker to directly address issues of greatest concern to the audience. They also expose the speaker to a Pandora's box of subjects related or unrelated to the topic.

The same "be prepared" warning that makes speakers prepare and research presentations thoroughly, makes them prepare for a Q&A session. Rehearse by writing a list of questions that you might reasonably expect to be asked. Ask a relative or friend to rehearse with you and fire questions that you have prepared and any they can think of. Tape the rehearsal so that you can critique your answers for clarity and accuracy.

Stimulating Questions

There is a sinking feeling that accompanies the speaker's call for questions and the dead silence that follows. This can be an awkward moment.

You may have overwhelmed or intimidated your audience or your presentation may have been too technical or sophisticated. Or, you might have done a superb job in covering your topic and your audience felt perfectly content!

Whatever the reason, there are several ways to cope with the lack of questions:

  • Thank your audience for their attention and sit down. Do so with a smile on your face.
  • Build your call for questions into the end of your presentation, leaving one last point to be made following the Q&A session. Introduce the questioning segment by saying "Before I make my final point.…" If there are no questions, continue with, "Since there are no questions, I'd like to finish by saying...."
  • If there is no immediate response, pose a question of your own. "How many of you in the audience…?" Ask for a show of hands and then speak to the point you are making. This technique gets the audience involved on a more informal basis and may lead to questioning.
  • Share a question that was asked of you by a previous audience or by a member of your current audience before your presentation. If you can, name the person who asked.
  • Ask for written questions at the beginning of the presentation. Index cards may be left on certain chairs in the auditorium or passed out by a member of the organization or group. A few minutes before you are ready to conclude your presentation, ask that cards be filled out and passed to the center aisle for pick-up. While many speakers have found this method to be successful, it does remove the human contact from the Q&A session and tends to make it more formal. It is, however, an excellent technique to use if you are confronting a hostile audience.

To top of page Final Words

"An overwhelming majority of American executives take a dim view of making public speeches and business presentations and feel it is something to be endured, a national survey found. Although only 32 percent said that they walk into the spotlight expecting success, 83 percent believed that public speaking skills are critical to career growth."

—Chicago Sun-Times

Psychiatrists tell us the fear of public speaking ranks right up there with the fear of going to the dentist and even the fear of death.

We fear making fools of ourselves. Deep down inside we fear tripping, stuttering, forgetting what we have to say, saying the wrong thing or putting the audience to sleep. In our mind's eye, we see the podium collapsing, our slides coming up backwards, our note cards falling on the floor and the pitcher of water spilling on our feet.

Perhaps it is because we share these fears that audiences are so forgiving and so polite. We accept each other's human frailties and empathize with the stumble and stutter. We don't throw fruit and tend to boo only politicians and leaders of causes.

You will feel most comfortable at the podium:

  • If you know your material;
  • If you have planned your presentation
  • If you have been involved in preparing your visuals; and
  • If you have rehearsed.

Now go out there, take center stage and enjoy!

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