Presentation Skills 3/3
– To be aware of how the use of body language can improve message transmission;
– To understand how to deliver an impactful performance;
– To practice presentation skills.
– accentuate;
– complement;
– substitute;
– contradict
… a talking point.
Your voice has certain characteristics you are born with and you can learn to use it by playing with most things you can influence like articulation, pace, volume, intonation, pitch, colour.
A good speaker realises that appropriate facial expressions are an important part of effective communication. In fact, facial expressions are often the key determinant of the meaning behind the message. People watch a speaker’s face during a presentation. When you speak, your face – more clearly than any other part of the body – communicates to your audience your attitude, feelings and emotions.
Gestures support your presentation. They help to keep your audience awake. Use your hands to evoke emotions such as enthusiasm, passion. Though it is important not to exaggerate and repeat them too much or overdo it. They should be used according to your personality and natural way of being and it’s perfectly OK not to use them though you prevent yourself from using a form of support.
Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53HTS-gxD9w
For a presentation where you have to be standing, make sure to engage your audience with a relaxed and open posture. Your gestures and how you hold yourself during a presentation convey as much as words might.
One really important piece of advice is to face the audience rather than turn your back to them.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgGdKAnK5vY
The eye is inevitably attracted to a moving object, so any body movement you make during a speech invites attention. Too much movement, even the right kind, can become distracting to an audience.
Never move without a reason.
Moving your body in a controlled, purposeful manner creates three benefits:
1. Supports and reinforces what you say;
2. Attracts an audience’s attention;
3. Burns up nervous energy and relieves physical tension
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoLWKMIcQmw
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK3jSXYBNak
We’ve talked about how to create and support the narrative through words, presentation flow and visuals. Eventually, we’ll see how to refine presentation to make an emotional connection with the audience. This final step is essential for anyone who wants to talk, walk, and look professional.
How you say something is as important as what you say, if not more so. Body language and verbal delivery account for 60-90% of the impression you leave on your audience, depending upon which study you cite.
Pay attention to your body language. Maintain eye contact, have an open posture, and use hand gestures when appropriate. Don’t be afraid of using your hands. Research has shown that gestures reflect complex thinking and give the listener confidence in the speaker.
Vary your vocal delivery by adding inflection to your voice, raising or lowering your volume, as well as speeding up and slowing down. Also, let your content breathe. Pause. Nothing is as dramatic as a well-placed pause.
Practice, practice, and practice some more. Don’t take anything for granted. Review every slide, every demo, and every key message. You should know exactly what you’re going to say, when you’re going to say it, and how you’re going to say it.
Record your presentation. Spend a couple of hundred euros on a camcorder and record yourself. You don’t need to record the entire presentation. The first five minutes should give you plenty of information. Look for distracting body language and verbal tics, or fillers. When possible, review the video with someone else.
Dress like the professional you want to become, not for the position you currently have. Dress a little better than everyone else in the room.
Fun Fact: when Steve Jobs was looking for funding at the bank, he dressed in an expensive suit.
So dress a little better than everyone else in attire that are appropriate for the setting you are in.
Great presenters talk to the audience, not to their slides. They make strong eye contact because they have practised effectively.
Don’t read from notes except in special circumstances in which you must follow a step-by-step process, such as a demonstration.
When you must read from notes, create no more than three or four large-font bullet points on one note card or sheet of paper. Create one note card per slide. If you’re using speaker’s notes in Keynote or PowerPoint, keep your bullet points to no more than three or four. One is even better.
Bad one about visual simplicity…
Despite the extensive preparation that goes into a presentation, things don’t always go according to plan. Nothing should put you off guard, because an important element of the exercise is to have some fun!
Treat presentations as “infotainment.” Your audience wants to be educated and entertained. Have fun, it’ll show.
Never apologize. You have little to gain from calling attention to a problem. If your presentation encounters technical issues, acknowledge it, smile, and move on. If it was not obvious to anyone but you, do not call attention to it.
Change your frame of reference. When something does not go exactly as planned, it did not “go wrong” unless you allow it to derail the rest of your presentation. Keep the big picture in mind, have fun, and let the small stuff roll off your back.
– Treat your audience as King
– Spread ideas and move people
– Help them see what you’re saying
– Practice design, not decoration
– Cultivate healthy relationships