April 14, 2008
Practice Makes Perfect Presentations
Public speaking doesn't have to be nerve-wracking
Special to the Worcester Business Journal
There you are, about to present...You are feeling excited, anxious, and maybe even nervous. What have you done to make sure you get the results you want? Here are 5 steps to help you get the most out of your next presentation so you can get the results you want every time you speak in public.
1. Decide what you want your audience to go away with.
Sit quietly, close your eyes, and imagine you have just completed your presentation and the audience is getting up to leave. What are they saying to each other? What are they feeling? What are they now motivated to do? Once you can answer these questions, you are ready for step two.2. Write out your entire presentation.
Most people do not take the time to write out their presentation. They know what they are going to say and just wing it. But the problem with that is, you won't make as much of an impact as you could have. Whether you are speaking to an audience of 10, 100 or 1000 people, you have an opportunity to get those people to do what you need them to do. Isn't that worth preparing for? Maybe you want your audience to do business with you, donate money to a charity, or stay awake during your staff meeting. The more prepared you are, the greater the results. That's why you also need to do step three.3
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Practice your presentation out loud. Read your presentation out loud several times. You will end up revising and perfecting your presentation by coming up with better words, better phrases, and even better content. Add those revisions to your presentation, print out a clean copy, and continue practicing out loud. You will end up knowing it so well that you won't even have to try to memorize it. The only memorization you need to do is in step four.4. Memorize your opening and your closing.
You must have an opening and a closing. Too often I see people miss out on two very important opportunities to grab the attention of the audience, get them interested in the subject matter and put them in the right frame of mind. People also fail to send their audiences away in action mode and to remind them of what you want them to do, think or feel. To really make an impact, read on to step five.5. Keep your audience engaged throughout your entire presentation.
There are three powerful ways to do this: 1. Tell personal stories. 2. Give real life examples. 3. Get your audience involved by asking them questions. These techniques will not only keep your audience engaged, but your message will get across with much more impact and they will remember more. These 5 steps to a great presentation will make you feel more confident, comfortable, and charismatic. It will also free you up to connect more with your audience, have fun with your presentation and get the results you want!Jacki Rose is the author of "11 Steps to Powerful Public Speaking," www.jackirose.com.
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