Presentation
Skills: 6 Ways To Avoid Alienating Your Audience
The
following presentation skills get the speaker
to understand
the audience perspective.
Many
human beings bristle with preconceived ideas,
strong opinions, prejudices, sensitivities,
whether we care to admit it or not. A public
speaker therefore has to respect this characteristic
and do as much as possible to minimize the risk
of alienating
the audience.
Here
are 6 valuable presentation skills
that will do much to help:
1.
Unfamiliar Terms
If
you have to use an unfamiliar term or phrase
make sure you offer sufficient
explanation
to your audience so they understand what you
are talking about.
Be
on guard against sounding superior however
or talking down to the audience.
2.
Simple Sentences
Opt
for clear simple sentences
rather than complicated sentence structure.
Too often very good thoughts and ideas can be
drowned in a sea of words making it difficult
for the audience to grasp.
Stimulate
your own thinking in this way and you can be
sure you will have information the audience
will also find interesting.
3.
Check Your Illustrations
Regretfully,
this public speaking tip is sometimes ignored.
Before using an illustration or story, ask yourself
whether the subject matter would embarrass
anyone
in your audience. If there is the slightest
risk, use something else.
Additionally,
if the illustration or example is likely to
cause controversy,
leave it out. Your audience will be sidetracked
into issues and moral judgments rather than
thinking about the point of the illustration
or example.
4.
Be Convincing
Be
sure to research and provide
evidence
when making bold statements or strong assertions.
Your
line of argument will be far more convincing
as you back up your main points with
proof to corroborate your statements.
5. Practice In Front Of A Mirror
Practice
in front of a mirror and take
special note of your facial expression. The
expression on your face reveals how you are
feeling at that moment.
Make
sure the emotions and feelings conveyed by your
eyes, mouth, and tilt of your head, match the
emotions and feelings of your material at that
moment so you are not giving out contrary body
signals
without realizing it.
6.
To The Small Group
Adjust
your position
if you are speaking to a smaller group than
expected. Standing on a platform some distance
from the group only puts a gap between you and
your listeners when they are few in number.
You
might consider standing at floor level
close to the group for a more conversational,
informal presentation.
Final
remarks: Some speakers purposely use
controversy to stir debate and discussion. The
majority however are making a presentation to
appeal
to an audience, to motivate them toward a certain
action, or to impart valuable information.
To
do that the speaker has to avoid needlessly
putting up mental barriers and obstacles. The
six presentation skills listed above will do
much to help the audience feel at ease
and develop rapport with the speaker
as he treats them with dignity and respect.
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Your Presentation Skills With The Online Workshop
Next:
Effective
Public Speaking: Let Your Body Do The Talking
Tag:
presentation skills, public speaking,
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