Presentations are about more than content. Your content won’t be helpful to anyone unless it is delivered in a way that keeps people engaged and interested in what you are saying. To do that, you must inject a little style into your delivery to help people stay on the edge of their seats instead of slumped over and snoring in their chairs. Here are a few suggestions to help you present with style.
Use Effective Transitions
Do you like roller coasters? One of the things that make them fun and exciting is that as soon as you get comfortable with the direction you are headed – surprise! – the floor drops out from under you or you hit a switchback that turns you in a new direction. Part of the attraction of the ride is that you don’t know exactly what is going to come next, so you pay attention and hold on for dear life.
Well, in a slightly less dramatic way, transitions (sometimes called “segues”) serve the same purpose. As you move through each point of your presentation, it is important to come up with creative, distinct ways to connect the new point with the previous points, so that everything flows together logically in the most memorable way possible. Unfortunately, most speakers give very little thought to transitions. Too often, their transition may consist of nothing more than a dry statement such as, “Okay, now that we have talked about nails I am going to move on and talk about nail guns.” Not exactly scintillating, is it?
There are a variety of options at your disposal to help you punch up your transitions. You can make transitions by changing stage position, interjecting a dramatic pause (this always makes people sit up and pay attention because they can’t be sure exactly what you are up to and they get curious), using visual aids, giving out a handout, picking up a prop or sharply increasing the energy of your voice. Do anything that breaks the pattern of what you were doing in the previous segment as you clearly introduce what you plan to say next.
For verbal transitions, one-liners, anecdotes, and questions work well. Also, people seem to like and require mid-course summaries, so it is sometimes a good idea to lead into the next transition by saying, “Now that we have discussed nails, nail guns, and tool belts, let’s move on to ? (dramatic pause!) ? power sanders.” No matter what you do, keep that roller coaster in mind, and try to throw in some twist and turns in your delivery that will keep the focus on whatever is coming next.
Short and Sweet
One of the worst mistakes you can make as a public speaker is talking too long. Not only will your audience stop listening, but some of them will start to get very irritated with you once they realize that you told them everything they wanted to hear 20 minutes ago but you won’t stop talking. It doesn't matter if your entire speech was brilliant and life changing. If you talk too long, they will forget the good ideas you had and focus on the fact that you just wouldn’t shut up. How do you avoid this? Simple; say what you have to say, don’t say anything that absolutely doesn’t need to be said, and sit down.
Wrap it Up With A Bang
Before you sit down, give them a well thought out closing. The last thing you say may be the most remembered. You must put as much time into selecting and practicing your closing as you put into any other part of your presentation. Your closing can be humorous, motivational, challenging, thoughtful, or it could restate your point in a different way. This ending segment will have a strong influence on what the audience takes home with them when you are done. If you haven’t done so at some point during the presentation, this is a great time to ask the audience to make a decision or take some kind of action. Most of the time, presentations are intended to motivate people, so now is the time to get them to sign on the dotted line, so to speak. A lot of otherwise engaging presentations don’t make an impact beyond the walls of the meeting room because the audience wasn't moved to action. If you haven't asked them to do something by now, the closing is your last chance.
Whether you use humor, tell a moving story, read a poem or issue a final summary followed by a resounding challenge, give your audience one final reason to care about what you said in a way that will, at least in some small way, alter the direction of their lives.
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January Presentation Tip of the Month -- Roll Tape
If you want to hone your presentation skills, one of the most effective things you can do is to digital video recording your practice sessions, and then replay and review each session to identify and correct problem areas. Make note of any distracting mannerisms. Listen for a relaxed pace and pitch. Observe body language to eliminate stiffness, fly-away arms, etc. And make sure you are smiling and making eye contact at all times. It is really true; a picture is worth a thousand words, and the picture you see on the digital video recording is the same one your audience is going to see. As you practice and tape and practice and re-tape, keep asking yourself, “Is this the picture I want them to see?” Don’t quit taping until you can say “yes!”
