We all learned about the three parts of a speech in high school: the introduction, body and conclusion. You remember … ‘Tell ‘em what you’re gonna say … say it … and tell ‘em what you said.’ Nothing new here.
Effective Presentations
Surviving Questions
What you do with audience questions has a critical impact on your results, often more than the overall content itself. I’m pleased with the positive reader reaction to previous articles that discussed several effective strategies for handling those questions – hold them until the end, invite them anytime or the two hybrid strategies described in detail last month.
So … someone asks a question. Now what do you do? Here are some Best Practices to help you survive and thrive during the Q&A.
Two Smart Alternatives
Looks like last month’s piece on handling audience questions generated lots of interest, especially about the Two Smart Alternatives I said would be in this month’s ‘Communicate Confidently!’. So … here you go.
As discussed last time, choosing which audience question strategy – anytime or only at the end – is not easy because neither one works best for all presenters, all messages and all audiences. But here are two smart alternatives for this dilemma, … two hybrid strategies that involve the best features of both approaches.
Any Questions?
It’s time to add some Best-in-Class strategies for handling audience questions to your growing Workplace Presenter’s Tool Kit. What they ask and how you respond can make or break your credibility, impact your confidence and influence your outcomes.
If you thoroughly planned and prepared your presentation, that detailed process should help you anticipate 90% of the questions 90% of the audience will ask 90% of the time. Not bad odds for sure.
Learn it … Don’t Memorize It
Here’s one of my favorite rants about a practice I Don’t Get – memorizing a presentation.
What makes a speech effective?
Here’s a summary of my thoughts responding to a reporter’s question about what makes an effective speech:
Hindle Gets Presentations
Last month’s BookShelf entry author, Tom Hindle, offered a simple and fast refresher of 101 tips for creating and delivering presentations. He really gets it, as this sampling indicates:
Make Your Delivery Noteworthy
Seems hard to believe, but something as small and potentially insignificant as your speaker notes can make the difference between good presenters and great ones in the eyes of your audience. And, after all, their perception is your reality.
101 Presentation Tips
‘Making Presentations’, by Tim Hindle, part of the DK Essential Managers series, DK Publishing, NY, 1998. A quick review of 101 tips for creating and delivering presentations … a good simple refresher.
Smile Through the Pain
One simple way to deal with Presentation Anxiety is to Smile Through the Pain. My good friend Jim Smith, the Executive Happiness Coach here in Cleveland knows a lot about how smiles can impact your happiness. And his current blog discusses the Power of Smiles – https://mail.aol.com/webmail-std/en-us/suite.