Welcome to my blog! Here you will find tips and techniques that help you
deliver a compelling and effective presentation. Remember there are only
two secrets to create a powerful and successful presentation, preparation and practice. Do these
well then you will impress your audience. Read on!
At some point in your life, it's likely that you are going to be asked to deliver a speech or presentation. Focusing on the following five areas will significantly help you develop more confidence and reduce fears: preparation, organization, audience rapport, visual aids, and delivery.
In the next several posts, I will discuss in details each of these areas. Information is based on Business Communication: Process and Product by Guffey/Rhodes/Rogin.
1.
Knowing Your Purpose
The most important part of your preparation is deciding what you want to
accomplish. Whether your goal is to persuade or to inform, you must have a clear
idea of what you are going to deliver and what you want your listeners to
remember at the end of your presentation. The clarity of your message has a big
impact on your audience. It also helps if you have a strong emotional
connection to your message. Your audience will always remember how you made
them feel.
2.
Knowing Your Audience
A second key element in preparation is analyzing your audience,
anticipating its reactions, and making appropriate adaptations.
Pretend you are telling one of your best friends about a first date. Now
imagine that you are telling one of your parents about the same date. Chances
are you are probably going to alter your story somewhat. You are going to
change your tone, your word choices, and probably edit certain details.
Thinking in terms of your audience is a critical step as you prepare for
crafting a speech or presentation.
By anticipating your audience, you have a better idea of how to organize
your presentation. Other elements, such as age, gender, education, experience,
and the size of the audience, will also affect your style and message content.
Analyze the following questions to help you determine your organizational
pattern, delivery style, and supporting material.
· How will this topic
appeal to this audience?
· How can I relate
this information to my listeners' needs?
· How can I earn
respect so that they accept my message?
· What would be most
effective in making my point? Facts? Statistics? Personal experiences? Expert
opinion? Humour? Cartoons? Graphic illustrations? Demonstrations? Case
histories? Analogies?
· What measures must I
take to ensure that this audience remembers my main points?
If you have agreed to speak to an audience with which you are
unfamiliar, ask for the names of a half dozen people who will be in the
audience. Contact them and learn about their backgrounds and expectations for
the presentation. This information can help you answer questions about what
they want to hear and how deeply you should explore the subject.
I’ll write about the organization topic in the next post. Happy reading
and please share your comments below. I look forward to reading your thoughts.
