Presentation
Skills: What To Do Before And After You Open Your
Mouth
The
following 5
presentation skills
will ensure you open every presentation in a confident,
interest-arousing style that will capture the attention
of your audience:
1.
The Minute Before
In
the minute before you are introduced or invited
to speak, take three
deep breaths.
Breathe in deeply through the nose, hold it for
2 or 3 seconds, and exhale slowly through the mouth.
This
simple exercise does much to relax a speaker
so the introduction is delivered with maximum impact.
2. Wait For Attention
If
when you get up to speak there is still a lot of
noise or distraction among the audience WAIT!
Just
maintain a relaxed facial expression and
gaze around the hall as you wait for the audience
to settle down. If that doesn't work, then still
maintaining a relaxed facial expression, and with
your voice controlled, not revealing any hint of
irritation, mention how it is good to see everyone
present and encourage
everyone
to take their seats.
Alternatively,
tactfully say something like: "When everyone
is settled we'll begin the program."
3.
First Words
This
public speaking tip can make a huge difference to
the attention you get from the audience as you start
speaking:
As
the first words you speak act like
a funnel to channel the attention
of your listeners into the subject you are presenting,
make sure you give them a lot of thought.
Write
out the first 1-3 sentences of your presentation
and fine
tune
the exact wording. Learn them by heart so the launch
into your subject is confident and unfaltering.
4.
Variety Of Openers
Get
used to using a variety
of openers for
interest arousing introductions. Your first few
words are key to capturing your audience's attention
so put some thought into them.
You
could use:
5.
Length Of Introduction
Make
sure your introduction is in proportion
to the length of your presentation.
If you are speaking for 30 minutes an introduction
of 3 or 4 minutes is acceptable. If you are only
speaking for 10 minutes then 30 seconds to 1 minute
is enough to state a few simple introductory sentences
to channel
the attention
of the audience into your main subject.
Make
sure the relationship between your introduction
and the body of the presentation is not a case of
the tail
wagging the dog!
New,
inexperienced speakers often start a presentation
in a faltering way which advertises the fact they
are lacking in confidence and increases their own
feelings of nervousness. Use the 5 presentation
skills above and launch into your
presentation confidently every
time taking the audience right along with you.
Transform
Your Presentation Skills With The Online Workshop
Next:
5
Presentation Skills To Keep Your Audience Riveted!
Tag:
presentation skills,
