Analyze Your Audience
Put yourself in the audience's shoes - try to
understand your listener's level of understanding, their
map of reality, and anticipate what they want to know. Once you know
what your audience wants, you can figure out how to "sell" the benefits of
your topic to them.
Set Your Goal and Keep It Before You
Decide what it is you would like to happen as a
result of your presentation. The
four main goals of any communication are to inform, to request for an
action, to persuade, and to build relationship. Decide which of these goals
you are planning to achieve. Let your listeners know what you want them to
do near the beginning of your talk and again at the end. Present your basic
idea and give them an outline of your presentation that would lead you and
your audience to the desired result.
Do Your Homework
Research your topic –
speak
about something you have earned the right to talk about through experience
or study. Anticipate questions, and make sure you have the facts to answer
them.
"Develop reserve power", advised
Dale Carnegie,
"assemble a hundred thoughts around your theme, then discard ninety... Always
prepare so that you are ready for any emergency such as a change of emphasis
because of the previous speaker's remarks or a well-aimed question from the
audience in the discussion period following your talk... This will give you
reserve power, the power that makes people sit up and take notice."
Seize every opportunity to practice
– no professional in any field performs without
practicing. Remember, your time in front of a group is your showcase.
Making a Powerful First
Impression
The audience will make decisions about you from
your first appearance, your words and the sound of your voice. You can't
make a first impression twice. Plan your opening sentences and practice them
in front of a mirror. Use short sentences. Keep technical information at a
minimum. Grab attention with a joke, an interesting fact, a short anecdote,
a quotation, a positive statement, a provocative question... something
designed to arouse curiosity and get the audience looking and listening to
you.
How To Present with Passion
The Power of Passion
No
matter what you are, we are all in sales.
Selling
is a
transfer of emotions. When you speak, do your listeners sense how
strongly you believe in what you're saying? If you want people to give you
their undivided attention and feel compelled to heed your advice, they must
hear and see in you an unwavering commitment to your message...
More
Plan Your Format and
Delivery
How you give your talk can be
more important than
what you say. Whenever possible speak from an outline. If you
have a formal written speech to deliver, use a marking system in the text to
guide your delivery.
Manage Expectations
Communication is a two-way street.
Before you begin your workshop or presentation, be sure your
participants know what to expect. They will arrive with some
preconceived ideas. Your advance communication about your presentation
needs to be clear to set the
perceptions right so there is
no confusion or disappointment.
Do More than Lecture
There's nothing wrong with lecturing, as long
as you realize the limitations. Lecturing is a way of presenting information
verbally and is teacher/trainer focused. The facilitator speaks and the
learners listen. Learners can become easily bored and inattentive.
Short lectures or verbal presentations of
information need to be enhanced and supported with visuals and activities
directly related to the information being presented. In the classroom, the
teacher can complement his information by assigning extra study or
independent practice. In a workshop, activities are more immediate--small
groups, games, buzz sessions, guided practice, role play,
brainstorming.
The idea is to engage the learners and stimulate them to participate in
their own learning.
Provide for every type of learner –
visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Provide
for everyone with things to see, hear and do. You'll stimulate your
learners, whether in the classroom or meeting room. They'll enjoy it more,
learn more and retain it longer.1
The 10 Key Project Leader
Skills
How To Make an Effective
Venture Presentation
By
Terry Collison
The history of
venture financing is littered with the carcasses of truly worthy
companies that just never made it through financing.
Venture Financing Process
That’s why I’m so dedicated to giving
entrepreneurs the keys to a potential
investor’s brain.
You must plan your pitch based on an awareness
of how the investor is likely to be thinking.
Then you must communicate to the investor that
you intend to present your information in a way that will help the investor
assess whether this opportunity represents a "fit" with the investor’s
interests and capabilities (notice: I didn’t phrase that in terms of
"whether or not this is a ‘good’ investment")...
More
Confidence is the Key...
Plan the Parts of Your
Presentation...
Keep Your Audience's
Attention...
Using Videos...
Don't Dilute Your
Message...
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