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Practice Makes Perfect!

Learn to watch yourself carefully.

You can’t become a great performer without rehearsing.

Did I say, “Rehearse”? Yes, because there is no substitute for it. Many executives say that they don’t like to rehearse because “it takes the spontaneity out of their presentations”. Baloney! Even the greatest stage and screen actors rehearse so they will know exactly where the “spontaneous” moments will fit into the presentation. Use a mirror and watch yourself perform the presentation. When you do it in front of a mirror you will get used to looking at your audience when you speak.

Don’t look at the podium, screen, or presentation boards when you are presenting. Don’t read the presentation—deliver it. LOOK AT YOUR AUDIENCE. It is easy if you practice. “Grab” a sentence or point from your notes or the screen. Hold it in your mind, then look up and deliver it to your audience. Repeat that process over and over. Don’t be a reader—be a performer! Great presenters rehearse, just as great actors do.

Know How To Leave The Stage

Close well.
Tell them what you told them.

When you started you told them what you were going to tell them. Then, in your presentation, you tell them. When you are done, simply tell them what you told them.

Summarize your presentation by focusing on the most important points you made. People can usually remember three things. Tell them the three things you want them to take away. Then thank the audience and ask for questions. If you have closed well, any questions should come from the things you told them were important.

Remember, this is the “Show Business” part of the business world. The finale is a very important part of the show.

Be Prepared For Questions

Questions can kill you if you are not ready for them! Be prepared!

You have done a great job and you finish by asking for questions. Someone gives you a killer question and you panic. Suddenly all your hard-won credibility is destroyed because you don’t know how to handle tough questions.

Focus on the questioner. Find out exactly what they want to know. Are they trying to impress their boss or just “bust your chops”? Have they misunderstood something that you have said?

Don’t fake an answer. Tell them you will get back to them with the answer. If someone else knows the answer defer to him. There are entire chapters of presentation skills books that are devoted to the subject of handling tough questions. Buy one and read it.

Give Yourself A Helping Hand

A picture is worth a thousand words

Don’t be afraid to gesture!

We all seem to have a hard time deciding what to do with our hands when we are speaking. Use them to help the listener “see” what you are saying. Make pictures with them. Use them to drive home a point.

Practice in front of a mirror until you are comfortable with the way your hands work with you. Don’t repeat any one gesture constantly or you will drive the audience crazy. Don’t keep your hands in your pockets, folded in front or behind your back, and don’t leave them hanging at your side for the duration of your presentation. Doing that makes you look like you either don’t care or you are nervous. Mix up your gestures. Move casually and gracefully. Use your hands to help you. When you speak slowly your hands can keep pace very nicely and will help you be a more powerful and professional presenter.

How to Speak

S-P-E-A-K
C-L-E-A-R-L-Y,
S-L-O-W-L-Y,
L-O-U-D-L-Y

I have rarely heard anyone speak too slowly or too loudly in a presentation, seminar, or new business pitch. In my workshops it is harder for me to get people to slow down and speak up than it is to do just about anything else. (I must add that when I have heard that rare person speak too slowly, it put others in the audience and me to sleep). But the most common problem today among speakers is “fast talking”, a distraction that loses more audiences than you can imagine.

Speak in syllables. Use proper grammar. Don’t run words together. Just pronouncing all the syllables and words clearly and precisely will set you apart from most public speakers.

So that everyone can hear you, imagine that you are recording your presentation and the microphone is in the wall at the back of the room. When you go to a stage play the actors speak loudly and clearly. They adjust their performance to the size of the audience and the room. They exaggerate the enunciation and the volume. Speak at a pace and a volume that is easy to listen to.

Remember, this is show business. You are a performer and you have to act like one. Exaggerate your pronunciation, volume, and pace.

Stop For Distractions

Remember it is your show. You are in command. If people start talking among themselves while you are presenting, STOP! Politely ask them whether they have a question or if they need a break. Don’t try and compete. Get them to focus on you.

If there is any kind of distraction in the room that is bothering you, it is probably bothering your audience too. My favorite is the assistant who comes into the room in the middle of a presentation and sidles down the side of the room to hand a phone message to someone. No matter how quietly or unobtrusively they enter the room, the audience will follow them around the room. The focus is no longer on the presenter. Stop and let them deliver the message. Don’t try to compete.

Eliminate a potential problem by waiting until the focus can get back on you and your “show”. Just as a nightclub comedian has to learn how to handle hecklers, you must learn how to handle “distracters”. It takes practice, patience, and self-confidence, but you can do it.

Forget About “I” Focus On “Them”

Talk to  the people, not at  them.

Watch the eyes!
Whether it is one person or a room full of people, talk to their eyes. Spend your time “visiting” with the audience. Look at different people just as you would in a conversation with a group of friends. Talk to everyone in the room including your fellow presenters.

Remember you are communicating. You can’t do that if you are not focused on the audience. Look the audience in the eye to get the feedback you need.

Never turn your back on the audience. Don’t make the mistake of constantly looking at the screen or other visual aids instead of looking at the audience. It is rude, distracting and very confusing. If you must point something out, place your hand on the spot and turn back to the audience. Next time you are watching the TV news, observe how the weather person from your local TV station does it. They talk to you, not the map on the wall behind them.