There is no doubt that you can find hoards of information about public speaking on the internet. And, while they may focus on one particular idea, most of the writers will probably tell you much the same thing including: - Smile,
- Acknowledge your audience,
- Speak with emotion,
- Know your material,
- Know your audience,
- Use visual aids as an aid only; i.e. do not put your entire presentation on the screen,
- Move on stage,
- Visualize yourself as a success,
- Don’t read your material.
There are certainly many more things that I could add to this list; however, the one that is usually missing is the idea to treat your audience as if you were having a conversation in your living room. If you listen to those who are skilled at presenting, they sound like they are talking to you and not at you. Their goal is communication, to educate, inform, persuade or motivate. It is likewise your response to them which is part of the communication process. So how do you deliver your material like you were having a conversation? 1. Create your material and then practice it out loud several weeks in advance. Do no memorize it; do not read it. Just learn it. Treat each section (opening, subtopics, closing) as a block of information. 2. Make eye contact with your audience before you even open your mouth to speak and acknowledge all in the room. Remember that in addition to those in the center of the room, you have a right side and a left. 3. Speak with color, with life, with emotion not just with the vocal variety of your voice but also in your facial expression and body language. 4. Discover your ‘real’ voice. In doing so, you will learn to breathe with the support of your diaphragm, without a doubt, the best means of controlling nervousness in any form of public speaking. (By the way, your ‘real’ voice sounds a lot better than your habitual one.) 5. Believe in yourself. If you approach the audience thinking you will fail, I doubt you will be successful. Instead of focusing on what can go wrong, focus on what can go right. If you make a mistake, correct it and move on. Your audience is not expecting perfection so do not strive for that which is unattainable. Strive for excellence. If you can incorporate these 5 steps into your presentation, I guarantee you will be having a conversation with your audience, truly the best means of delivery in public speaking. The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. For more information on upcoming workshops, visit Nancy's Voice Training Workshops.
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