zizkao.info

I hope you will learn some good presentation techniques by my pointing out what NOT to do when presenting. Remember the following are techniques to AVOID.

Be late for your presentation, or rush in at the last minute, just in time. This will convince the meeting planner and the audience members of how busy a person you are. You didn’t even have time to call them to let them know you were on the way. It will just make your arrival more dramatic and will also let them know how little you care about them or the impression you are making (or not making).

Don’t worry about your appearance. After all, they hired you for your expertise, not because of the way you look. You were in too much of a hurry to make sure that your clothes were pressed and your shoes were shined. Anyway, you are a creative person who doesn’t worry about looking sharp. Besides, the audience is dressed in casual attire, so why shouldn’t you? Even though we hate to believe it, their first impression of your sloppiness will remain as a lasting impression of you as a non-professional.

Start your presentation with a joke that has nothing to do with your topic. Isn’t this the time-tested formula that speakers have been using for years? How about an off-color joke, at that? That will really cement you as a far-from-professional presenter in their estimation. Or, if you don’t have a joke, you can always start with the lame opening, “It’s so nice to be here with you today.” That will knock them off their seats and get them to sit up and pay attention.

Become known for your large array of mannerisms and/or distracting habits. You can work to add many of these to your repertoire. Some habits to try are: filler words such as “um,” “er,” “you know,” pacing back and forth, swinging your arms, putting your hands in your pockets (jingling change will enhance this habit), picking at your clothes, wringing your hands, smoothing your hair, swaying from side to side, glancing at your watch continually, leaning on the lectern, putting your hand in front of your mouth, and laughing so hard at your own jokes you can’t continue. All of these are guaranteed to keep your audience from remembering anything you told them.

Do not pay attention to your voice and/or speed of speaking. After all, if you have meaningful information, it doesn’t matter, does it, if you speak in a monotone, or speed along so that you can fit it all into your limited time frame. Both of these techniques are guaranteed to cause your audience to “turn off” and take a needed rest. They may even thank you for the break.

Banish all of the techniques that I have highlighted, and you will give presentations that listeners learn from and enjoy. And, you will be asked back!

Imagine that you are listening to a speaker at a conference or even at the head of the boardroom table and you begin to notice that every sentence is connected with the word and. Have you ever heard this before? Nothing could be less interesting than listening to this dull, unimaginative style of addressing an audience except possibly hearing you know at the end of every sentence!

I know a presenter who begins every new idea or sub-topic with the words, “And the next point I want to cover… ” This becomes very tedious and predictable. When your audience knows what you are going to say before you say it, you will lose their attention. The answer is to use one of four types of connectives.

Connectives are a part of good writing skills but they are also a part of good speaking skills. A connective is a word, a phrase or a sentence that not only connects your ideas in your speech or presentation but also shows the relationship between ideas.

1. Transitions – words or phrases that indicate that you have finished one thought and are moving on to another.

Now that I have explained the problem of using the word and to connect all your sentences, let’s look at some more interesting ways of connecting your ideas.

2. Internal Previews – more detailed than transitions, the internal preview lets your audience know what you are going to talk about next.

In talking about the use of good connectives, I’d like to first discuss the transition.

3. Internal Summaries – one or more brief sentences in the body of the speech which gives a summary of your previous point or points. Internal summaries are very effective because they reinforce what you have previously said.

Now that we’ve seen the difference between the transition and the internal preview, let’s look at the 3rd connective which is the internal summary.

4. Signposts – a brief statement, a number. or even a question which indicates where you are in your speech and places the focus on your key ideas.

The most important thing to remember about connectives is that they move you from one idea to another, often reinforcing that which has been said and preparing your audience for what is to be said.

Adding interest to your delivery, connectives are a vital part of a good presentation and are very beneficial in helping you coordinate your ideas as well as helping your listeners organize that which you have said.