Creating Audience-Centered Presentations can be a key to your career success in the job you have … or the job you want. And adding some new, different or better tools to your Workplace Presenter Tool Kits is simple … but not necessarily easy.
Presentations
Gesturing BEST Practices
Looks like you enjoyed our discussion of Gesturing Worst Practices last month. Except, of course, for those of you who thought I was describing what you do – sorry about that! So, how do you gesture more effectively? Fasten your seat belts for a quick spin around Gesturing BEST Practices.
Hand It To Your Audience
My executive coaching clients often ask what they should do with their hands when presenting. Short answer – use them effectively to add value to their message and audience. Presenters have two wonderful visual aids – and what they do, and don’t do, with them also says a lot about their confidence and credibility as a presenter.
Slow Down … You Talk Too Fast!
Once you’re comfortable speaking up with more volume and vocal energy, it’s time to slow you down. An important component of your vocal delivery, your pace or rate of speaking can also impact your audience’s attention, interest and opinion of you. So can your ability to pause effectively.
Your Own Words
A regular reader enjoyed the ‘End Strong’ feature piece last month and it prompted him to ask a question. ‘Do you have an opinion on opening or closing a presentation with quotes from other people? I heard long ago that you want the audience’s first and last impressions to be of your own words, not those of someone else.’
End Strong
Audience-Centric presentations should end, not just stop. And they should end strong. Introductions are critically important because you’re ‘Telling ‘em what you’re gonna say.’ Now, we focus on the equally important summary or conclusion, where you’re ‘Telling ‘em what you said.’
The Eyes Have It!
If I only had time to teach my executive coaching clients one presentation delivery skill, it would be to maximize their eye contact. Properly done, it produces several positive results for both audiences and presenters. Nothing says more about credibility, power and confidence than what presenters do – and don’t do – with their eyes. Everything else is a ‘B’ priority. So, here’s your quick overview of why The Eyes Have it!
Start Strong with a Power Intro
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.
Harness the Power of Your Words
Effective workplace communicators and presenters have learned to harness the power of their words. Whether delivering a message over the phone, in writing or in a presentation, effective word choices do make a big difference in how the message is understood, appreciated and turned into action.
Good Slides Make Bad Handouts
A client recently engaged me to create and deliver a workshop for an employee group. During our planning discussion, I recommend not using slides, given the audience, content and objective to create a more lively and engaging discussion. Slides tend to create the opposite impression.