SPEAK WITH CONFIDENCE

The last post was on how to create a presentation. Creating it is one thing, delivering it to a live audience is another.

So here are some tips to improve you confidence level.

Start small. Find opportunities to talk to small groups about something you are passionate about.
Sit down at first. As you get more comfortable, stand up to speak. Get comfortable using a microphone.

Fake it. Musicians learn if they make a mistake, the audience is less aware if they just roll with it, rather than drawing attention to it. The same is true of public speaking. Okay, maybe the words didn't roll out like you'd planned. So what. Just resume the talk.

Adjust your style. Years ago, I was invited to give a presentation to a women's business club. Unbeknownst to me and two other presenters, their bosses, many of them male, were in the audience too. During the preliminaries, I took out a dinner napkin, and re-fashioned the presentation for a broader audience. It was a big hit.

Be passionate. Have you ever heard a college professor drone on, pace back and forth or look at the floor? How about all three at the same time. If you want to be a good presenter, talk to the audience like you are sharing an important life changing secret and you don't want them to miss out.

Never bore your audience. Use good intonation. Keep them on the edge of their seats. Use an interactive style when appropriate. Watch their faces. If you have a good topic, and presentation style, it will hold their attention.

Record it. Watch yourself and improve your delivery.

Build on strengths. If you can speak confidently for one minute without collapsing, you are a great success. Try speaking to different audiences and age groups.

Expand your repertoire. If you have mastered speaking on one topic with confidence, consider developing additional presentations. 

Affirm yourself and use humor.  " Ah, I can handle this". "Okay, just step into a roll like you're in a play". Well, it wasn't perfect, but at least its a start". "This was a lot better than the last time". "With practice I could make a go of this".

HOW TO GIVE A PRESENTATION

Public speaking is purportedly a difficult task for many, so here are a few guidelines to help.

First, write out what you want to say. Grab your audiences attention with a related quote, powerful statistic, joke or brief moving story.

Beginners just need to choose a topic.

Decide three things you want to say about the topic.

In the introduction, briefly state those three points.

Then develop each topic into one full paragraph.

To help the audience predict what you will do next, become an expert at writing transitions.
A transition is usually one sentence that sums up the preceding topic and introduces the next topic.

Finish by writing a conclusion. The conclusion is a summary of the three topics you talked about.

Until you become proficient, color code your presentation. For instance, shade all your transitions the same color. This will allow you to visually assess whether all the transitions are in their proper place.

Visuals are very useful. Another great technique is to engage the audience by asking questions, or to invite hands on participation to illustrate the point.