Tips for Presenters Having An Impact

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1 The following is a list of tips that I recommend you integrate into your personal presentation style as much as possible. Doing so will leave your audience feeling confident in you as well as your message. If you have any questions, or would like to chat about these further, please feel free to contact me at janet@labourleadership.com. Eye Communication! Eye communication is the number one skill in any communication setting.! Avoid the eye dart the triangle side, middle, side and back.! Our eyes can tell our audience if we would really rather be somewhere else.! Develop extended eye communication. Look a listener in the eye for three to five seconds, then look away, then look back for three to five seconds, then repeat.! Look to the back of the room and don t forget about the people at the front and sides.! Look at an imaginary spot on a listener s forehead, between the eyes. He/she will think that you are looking at his/her eyes and will never suspect that you are nervous. Gestures! Avoid hand and arm movements that are distracting.! Identify your most inhibiting gestures and movements use a VCR/DVD recorder or watch yourself in a mirror.! Become comfortable with keeping yours hands at your sides.! Don t program your movements be natural.! Try to incorporate a variety of gestures into your style. Facial Expressions! Smile.! Remember that your facial expression is easy to read, for example, if you disagree with someone s comment or find it confusing this will often show on your face.

2 Posture and Movement! How we hold ourselves when we enter a room is one of the first things that people notice.! Stand tall present yourself with energy and authority.! Use the ready position both knees bent slightly, legs apart. This position allows you to move easily in either direction.! Use the two-step. Look at someone directly, and then take two steps toward that person. Use short steps and long steps, step forward and back.! Avoid half-hearted moves.! Strike a happy medium between moving around constantly and being stuck in one spot, as if glued to the floor. Moving occasionally will help to keep your audience interested and engaged. Dress and Appearance! You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.! Wear appropriate colours and patterns. Investigate cultural preferences if you will be speaking to an audience in another country or one that is part of a specific cultural group. Do your homework on this one!! Dress one step above what you expect of your audience if they re likely to show up in jeans, then you wear dress pants; if they ll be wearing dress pants you wear a pants/skirt and a jacket, for example.! Avoid over dressing.! Avoid excessive jewelry and make-up. Limit the number of distractions (eyeglasses, bracelets, name tags, etc) to no more than a dozen.

3 Voice and Vocal Variety Take away the visual aspect of any presentation and see how important the vocal becomes. Without the visual, vocal quality accounts for 84 % of the emotional impact and believability. Your intonation and resonance, choice of words and enunciation are all critically important.! Learn to relax clench all of your muscles and then relax repeat several times.! Focus on your breathing breathe from the abdomen.! Project your voice beyond the last row.! Emphasize key words use the poetic pause.! Develop the roller-coaster technique start on a higher note; as you proceed, lower the note and then return to a higher note.! Vary the rate and avoid the temptation to speak quickly. Reserve this high-speed talking for when you want to create excitement. Use of Humour! Most people do not use humour well.! It can be risky.! Avoid jokes; they don t always come off well. And really have no place in presentations.! Avoid any references to politics, religion, cultural differences, genders, etc you are sure to offend someone in your audience.! Be light and lively.! Use humour that is relevant to the topic.! Be yourself don t use someone else s sense of humour.! Think funny be unpredictable.! Keep a journal of one-liners, experiences and anecdotes that you can relate to your topic.

4 Words and Non-Words How many times have you noticed a speaker using non-words such as like and um? Pauses are a perfectly acceptable and preferred alternative to fillers such as non-words. Don t be afraid to leave a two or even three-second pause in the middle of a sentence. Record your next presentation on audio or videocassette. Count your non-words. If you use more than one, you re overdoing it! Don t use jargon that s a sure fire way to turn off an audience. Ensure that EVERYONE knows an acronym before using it in your presentation. Work at building a large vocabulary. Choose words that are familiar to your audience. Articulate clearly. What non-words/fillers do you tend to use? The Natural Self The key to effective public speaking is simply being yourself. To improve your delivery and be more natural, remember the three-by-three rule: Ask a friend to watch your presentation and tell you three things that worked well and three things that need improving. Watch yourself on videotape/dvd. There is no better way to spot your inhibiting habits! Believe that change is possible. Most habits can be changed in 21 days, given practice, repetition and commitment. Rehearse your presentation in front of a mirror or in an empty room. Practice out loud it sounds different than it does in your head.

5 Listener Involvement Did you know that a child s attention span is only six seconds? Well, the attention span for an adult is not that much longer eight seconds! So keep these tips in mind: Find ways to involve your audience to help keep them alert. Be dramatic do something unexpected. Remember to use your eyes to invite involvement. Move around your stage forward and back, side to side. Use visual aids whenever possible and remember that you are your most important visual aid. Use question/answer periods occasionally. Use rhetorical questions to keep your audience thinking. Use volunteers to dim the lights, to write on a flip chart or to demonstrate a point. Develop a repertoire of gimmicks, but don t overdo it. Find things in your presentation that interest you. These will likely interest and excite your audience if conveyed with enthusiasm. Some common types of listener involvement include: Large and small groups discussions Video Brainstorming Case study Role play Simulation Demonstration Guided reflection (your Personal Learning Journal was an example of that) On-site tour Practice session Panel discussion Question period Skit Content based games Best of luck with your next presentation!!