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Analyze Your Audience
Put yourself in the audience's shoes - try to
understand your listener's level of understanding, their
map of reality, and anticipate what they want to know. Once you know
what your audience wants, you can figure out how to "sell" the benefits of
your topic to them.
Set Your Goal and Keep It Before You
Decide what it is you would like to happen as a
result of your presentation. The
four main goals of any communication are to inform, to request for an
action, to persuade, and to build relationship. Decide which of these goals
you are planning to achieve. Let your listeners know what you want
them to
do near the beginning of your talk and again at the end. Present your basic
idea and give them an outline of your presentation that would lead you and
your audience to the desired result.
Do Your Homework
Research your topic –
speak about something you
have earned the right to talk about through experience or study. Anticipate
questions, and make sure you have the facts to answer them.
"Develop reserve power", advised Dale Carnegie,
"assemble a hundred thoughts around your theme, then discard ninety...
Always prepare so that you are ready for any emergency such as a change of
emphasis because of the previous speaker's remarks or a well-aimed question
from the audience in the discussion period following your talk... This will
give you reserve power, the power that makes people sit up and take notice."
Seize every opportunity to practice
– no
professional in any field performs without practicing. Remember, your time
in front of a group is your showcase.
Confidence is the Key
Predetermine your mind to success.
That's the main secret of being a good
presenter: you have to
be confident to show confidence. You must be
inspired by the deep belief in your cause.
To have faith in yourself and
your message, explore all phases of your subject and ask yourself how your
talk will help the audience to get what they want. Careful preparation
provides the solid ground you need to support your self-confidence. Tell
yourself you can do it, that you are more qualified than any member of the
audience to give this particular talk.
Plan the Parts of Your Presentation
List all points you plan to cover. Group them
in sections and put your list of sections in the order that best achieves
your objectives. Begin with the most important topics. When you put your
talk together, keep in mind why your audience would want to hear what you
have to say.
Plan Your Format and Delivery
How you give your talk can be
more important than
what you say. Whenever possible speak from an outline. If you
have a formal written speech to deliver, use a marking system in the text to
guide your delivery.
Making a Powerful First Impression
The audience will make decisions about you from
your first appearance, your words and the sound of your voice. You can't
make a first impression twice. Plan your opening sentences and practice them
in front of a mirror. Use short sentences. Keep technical information at a
minimum. Grab attention with a joke, an interesting fact, a short anecdote,
a quotation, a positive statement, a provocative question... something
designed to arouse curiosity and get the audience looking and listening to
you.
How To Present with Passion
No matter what you are, we are all in sales.
Selling is a
transfer of emotions.
When you speak, do your listeners
sense how strongly you believe in what
you're saying? If you want
people to give you their undivided
attention and feel compelled to heed
your advice, they must hear and see in
you an unwavering commitment to your
message...
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Keep Your Audience's Attention
Promise to tell the audience how they can get
something they want.
Outline the agenda – knowing your order
increases attention.
Never take your audience for granted. People
have very short attention span. Not more than 15% of their brain power is
required to understand the language and grasp what you mean. Don't let the
remaining 85% of their brain to do daydreaming. To keep your audience with
you, you must build in new devices – make your message visual, build
anticipation, create a conversation cycle, use role-play practices – to keep
your listener's mind 100% occupied.
The sound of your voice makes a great difference. Practice projecting
enthusiasm. People aren't going to be influenced by a lifeless voice. To
hear yourself speak, record your voice during a phone conversation or
practice your presentation using a tape recorder. Then make necessary
changes.1
Manage Expectations
Communication is a two-way street. Before you
begin your workshop or presentation, be sure your participants know what to
expect. They will arrive with some preconceived ideas. Your advance
communication about your presentation needs to be clear to set the
perceptions right so there is
no confusion or disappointment.
Do More than Lecture
There's nothing wrong with lecturing, as long
as you realize the limitations. Lecturing is a way of presenting information
verbally and is teacher/trainer focused. The facilitator speaks and the
learners listen. Learners can become easily bored and inattentive.
Short lectures or verbal presentations of
information need to be enhanced and supported with visuals and activities
directly related to the information being presented. In the classroom, the
teacher can complement his information by assigning extra study or
independent practice. In a workshop, activities are more immediate--small
groups, games, buzz sessions, guided practice, role play,
brainstorming. The idea is to
engage the learners and stimulate them to participate in their own learning.
Provide for every type of learner –
visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Provide
for everyone with things to see, hear and do. You'll stimulate your
learners, whether in the classroom or meeting room. They'll enjoy it more,
learn more and retain it longer.1
Using Videos
Videos can be effective training aids if you
edit them carefully and use at the appropriate times. Videos can illustrate
an idea and put it into action. The theme of the video must correspond with
the main points you are discussing. Show only the parts that are related.
Remember, the video is
not the entire presentation, it just supports the
main points. Give the participants suggestions of what to watch for. A
question and answer period, discussion and/or a handout should accompany the
video.1
How To Make an Effective Venture
Presentation
By
Terry Collison
The
history of venture
financing is littered with the carcasses of truly worthy companies that
just never made it through financing.
That’s why I’m so dedicated to giving
entrepreneurs the keys to a potential
investor’s brain.
You must plan your pitch based on an awareness
of how the investor is likely to be thinking.
Then you must communicate to the investor that
you intend to present your information in a way that will help the investor
assess whether this opportunity represents a "fit" with the investor’s
interests and capabilities (notice: I didn’t phrase that in terms of
"whether or not this is a ‘good’ investment")...
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