PREPARE FOR YOUR NEXT PRESENTATION
There are few skills that will bring more opportunity than the ability to excel in Public Speaking.
Most Speakers make several mistakes, but there is one that grates on me the most. It is gestures that don’t make any sense to the context of the talk. I have started to notice that some speakers try to calm their hands by using plastic movements on a pulsating move. An excellent speaker uses gestures every phrase, not sentence.
- Do you use your hands too much? Hands are for emphasis, not counting, not calming your nerves. I watched a very good speaker choreograph too many gestures. Her hands moved far too often. Even if you use body parts to learn your speech, I don’t recommend broadcasting your mind map to your audience. Unless you are a sign language interpreter, minimize your hand movement.
HAND GESTURES ARE KEY ELEMENTS IN YOUR PRESENTATION
- How much time should you put into preparation and practice? How you answer this question, more is better. I have heard of a salesperson who claims that the only rehearsal he and his team get is in the car on the way to the meeting with the buyer. It depends on how important the business is to you. If it is a job for hundreds of thousands of dollars, don’t you want to show the client how much you value him/her?
- Are you prepared? Do you have a marker that has ink for your notes? Is it big enough for people in the back of the room to see? Do you have a microphone? A Lavaliere? Flip-chart? Your computer and PowerPoint?
- Do you have a vocal routine to warm up your voice? Do you know that biggest problem facing teachers who speak all day long for a living, is vocal nodules? They think they can abuse their voices without consequences. Learn to warm up your voice and modulate it. Call me or another trained voice coach for vocal instruction to improve your Public Speaking .
- Do you know how to practice? Read your speech from beginning to the end, without interruption for a few days. Put the page down and practice ideas not words. Prepare a mental map of the speech. Be sure to finish each rehearsal session. Only make a few changes at a time don’t start over writing your presentation. This is the most important: get feedback from the office staff, from your spouse, from your children.
STEVE JOBS NEEDED TO REHEARSE HIS PRESENTATIONS YOU MIGHT CONSIDER THE IMPORTANCE OF REHEARSING YOURS
- Drink and Eat in moderation. Don’t eat anything libel to make you sick. You can eat after you are finished. I speak from experience.
- Stay away from toxic people. Only say nice things to people. When you are preparing to speak, focus on your goals.
- Visualize your speech going well, people laughing when you planned, wild applause and people running to the back of the room with handfuls of cash to buy from you. Anything else could hurt your performance.
Whether you speak professionally, or sell in an office; these tips will improve your chances of being successful in Public Speaking.
CONNECT WITH ME TO IMPROVE YOUR PUBLIC SPEAKING
If you have some different ideas, please share them with me.