Essential Presentation Skills - Part 4

In the last blog - essential presentation skills part 3 - we covered steps four to six, how are you going to close, how are you going to open and what will be your memorable visuals, now lets move forward to steps 7 and 8 and then a short summary:

• What is your goal? 
• Who is your audience? 
• What is your content and why? 
• How are you going to close?
• How are you going to open?
• What will be your memorable visuals?
• How will you excite your audience? 
• What is your rehearsal plan? 

How will you excite your audience? 
Your voice will excite your audience, your passion for what you are talking about. But you need to remember do not run through your words in a single tone with no pauses between information it will just sound too boring even though you are passionate. The three important facts are speed, tone changes and pauses.

You need to know what your voice sounds like so record what you are saying and listen – get family members to listen and learn what you believe you need to change. Be critical of your own voice and listen for the tone changes when you would expect to hear them from others – just this practice can help your voice tone.

Your personal mood can have an affect on your vocal projection so you need to spend time working on focusing your attention, focus on the moment and filter out your negative mood factors. Visualize success, fun, enjoyment, passion and repeat to yourself something that make you feel good.

Present a warm and likeable front to your audience smile at them, the action of smiling actually changes the tone of your voice. Stand in a relaxed way but do stand tall do not hunch and look like the beechams powder character.

What is your rehearsal plan? 
Always remember - If you fail to prepare, you are prepared to fail – one of the most important things you can do is rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. You need to know: 

• Write yourself key cards to trigger your thoughts 
• Number your cards so you have a visual flow 
• How long will you presentation actually take 
• When are your visual aids required
• What movements are appropriate to your words 
• Will you meet your goal 
• Will your audience be expecting different 

Summary of Presentation Tips

1. Create memorable moments 
2. Your slide show is not your presentation you are your presentation 
3. Memorable grabs beginning, the middle and the end 
4. Stick to the rule of three 
5. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse 
6. Avoid FEAR – Fictitious Events Appearing Real 
7. Visualize – reflect on a positive performance 
8. Think Visually 
9. Sell your dreams – passion 
10. Repeat, repeat, repeat 
11. Give numbers a perspective and a visual 
12. Enjoy it