by Eszter Hargittai
As Jerry Seinfeld once noted, at a funeral, most people would rather
be in the casket than giving the eulogy, since public speaking stresses
people out more than death. But giving talks doesn't have to be such a
frightening affair.
Whether you're giving a talk at your local library, updating your
colleagues on work progress, or presenting to a large group of
strangers, there are some simple steps that should help make public
speaking a better experience - for both you and your audience.
Presentation format
Before
you start planning your presentation, find out from the organizers how
much time you have and what format they envision for your talk. Will
you be part of a panel or will you be speaking alone? Will you be in a
regular session or are you the dinner speaker? Do you have 15 minutes
or an hour? Do they prefer to leave time for questions? If yes, does
that come out of the allocated time you have been quoted? It is
important to know what is expected of you so you can be well prepared
and not have to scramble last minute to readjust your talk due to
unanticipated logistics.
Audience
Get information about who will be attending your presentation. Will
the head of the company be there or just co-workers? Are all
participants experts at the topic or will there be novices present? Is
there a mixed group of people representing different backgrounds or is
everyone on the same page regarding technicalities? Depending on the
audience, you will have to spend some time giving varying degrees of
background on the material and explaining certain concepts.
Location
If you have the opportunity, take a look at the location before the
time of the talk. It will help you visualize the context of the event
and ensure that you are not caught off guard by peculiarities of the
space.
The take-away message
If someone who missed your talk were to ask an audience member in
the elevator to sum it up, what would you like that person to say?
Focus on that message. Start out with this summary statement in mind
and build your presentation around it.
Outline
Once you have an idea of your presentation's main message, spend
some time thinking about the structure of the entire talk. All of the
material you cover should contribute toward communicating your core
message effectively. Start by writing an outline of the talk including
main sections and subsections.
Strong start
The
first couple of minutes of your talk should be the most prepared and
polished. You want to get off to a good start. Those are likely to be
the most nervous moments so it is best not to leave anything to chance.
By being well prepared, you can convey your messages with confidence.
It is important to establish early on that you are prepared and are
worth people's attention.
Motivation
Spend a bit of time up front talking about the inspiration and
importance of your message. Listeners should get a bit of background on
what motivated your work or project in the first place. What may be a
fascinating topic to you may not be to the next person so don't take
for granted people's interest in the issues you are discussing. Explain
why they should pay attention and why your comments matter.
Timing
People rarely want to listen to someone for longer than the allotted
time. Few people are such amazing speakers that an audience can't get
enough of them. Do not assume you are one of those few. Wrap up your
talk on time. To achieve this goal, ask someone to give you time cues
by indicating when you have five minutes left, two minutes and when you
have run out of time. Once you get the last notice, you should stop
talking.
A common pitfall for presenters is to add unprepared introductory
remarks to their talk. The temptation of addressing previous speakers
is great, but beware. If your total alloted time is 15 minutes (a
frequent limit with many speaking engagements), adding a 3 minute intro
(not to mention longer!) will use up 20 percent of your time. However,
this is something no one ever builds into their talk. Either prepare
for this or let go of the temptation to add commentary at the last
minute.
Flexibility
Organize your talk and know it well enough to have the flexibility
to skip certain parts or expand on others depending on the
circumstances. For example, if you do add a last- minute introduction
(as per the previous point), be flexible to skip a part of the prepared
content.
Confidence and enthusiasm
You have been chosen as a speaker because you know your topic. Make
sure that you exert confidence during your presentation. Don't
apologize for what you don't have with you to present or what you do
not know. Rather, focus on what you can talk about and discuss the
material with confidence. This does not mean that you should be
arrogant or patronizing. It means that you should look comfortable
covering the material.
Be sure to enjoy your talk and show your enthusiasm about the
content. Your interest in the topic will be contagious and will likely
result in a more engaged audience.
Question-and-answer session
If there is a Q segment then be sure to keep a polite demeanor
throughout. Thank people for their questions and feel free to praise
them for good points. If you are not sure how to respond to a query
then express your appreciation for the insightful comment and note that
you will look into it.
Practice makes perfect
Practice the presentation a few times: more if you have less
experience, less if you are a more seasoned public speaker. It can be
especially helpful to give the talk to someone who is not in your field
and is not intimately familiar with the material. This is helpful in
seeing whether you have made the talk too narrowly focused or overly
technical. Such a practice session does not have to involve the entire
talk, it can consist of telling someone about your presentation outline.
Don't write out the material word-by-word and don't plan on reading
text even if you do have it all written down. Having the text written
out and parts of it memorized will constrain you. Memorize the
structure of the talk and the outline, but not every word.
Contact information
Finish by giving the audience some contact information, including an
email address and Web site when applicable. Mention that you welcome
people's feedback and they should feel free to ask you questions either
after the session or by sending you email.
Do you have any more tips for making one's next public speaking
engagement less terrifying? Let us know in the comments or at tips at
lifehacker.com.
disclaimer: this is a copy-paste from lifehacker.
all the credit goes to them / the author
powered by performancing firefox
