Details, details and more details of public speaking

By Ellen Egan

When preparing your public speaking presentation you may wonder how detailed your presentation should be.  What is the successful balance between being too general when your audience is interested in an in-depth analysis of your topic and providing a mind-numbing set of details that bore the group.

Once again, we go back to the audience analysis part of your public speaking preparation.  Find out what your audience’s expectations are before you write the outline of your presentation.  also, be sure to find out their background and knowledge of the topic, so you don’t give an introduction to astronomy at NASA.

Once you have a clear picture of your audience’s current knowledge, bias and expectations, you can begin to write your outline.  As you begin the outline, focus on 3 to 4 key messages that you want to get across in your presentation.  As you are writing your speech, keep referring to these key messages and be sure that everything that you are adding into the presentation supports these key messages.  If you keep on focus, you are less likely to get off track and into a mire of unnecessary details.

If you are speaking about a complex topic, use a flip chart or PowerPoint presentation to give visual support to the details of your topic.  if the topic is complex, try to give a couple of examples of each major point that you are expressing.

Keep in mind the three basic questions of Who is your audience?, Why are they there? and What do they/you want to get out of the presentation?

If you can keep these things clearly in mind, you can write a focused, successful speech.

To your success,

Ellen

Your appearance is part of your public speaking message

By Ellen Egan

The old adage that you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression is true with public speaking as well.  One of the first bits of information that your audience with absorb about you is your appearance. 

Preparing your appearance is part of the preparation for your public speaking engagement.  When doing your audience analysis (covered in previous posts to this blog) one of the questions you should ask about your audience is how formally will they be dressed.  My general rule is to dress slightly more formally than my audience.  This gives the impression of professionalism and respect. 

From my experience, software programmers in California and bankers in Boston will both have expectations and preconceived notions about your knowledge and experience based on your appearance.  If everyone in your audience arrives in shorts and flip-flops and you turn up in a pinstriped suit, there will be a definite mismatched feeling within the group.  The same is true for the reverse.  Once again, go to your audience analysis and think of the expectations of your audience and prepare your appearance accordingly.  Have your appearance send out the message that you are someone who they feel comfortable with and that they want to listen to.

To your success,

Ellen

Don’t forget…an important public speakng tip

By Ellen Egan

It seems like a small thing to mention.  It seems really obvious.  Certainly it’s something everybody remembers…isn’t it?

Don’t forget to introduce yourself.

I can’t count the number of times that I have been in a conference room or assembly hall and a speaker steps up to the podium and immediately launches into their speech.  Even if they are the most knowledgeable person in the world on their topic, they should be introduced or introduce themselves to their audience.  Even the President of the United States is introduced before delivering a speech.  It’s just good manners. 

It also shows that you are interested in connecting with your audience and establishing a rapport with them.  You are beginning to build a relationship with your audience.  You don’t have to go into great detail about your personal history and blood type and all that.  Just a few words on who you are, your interest in your topic and why you are there to speak with the group will suffice.

Please, while introducing yourself, smile and make eye contact with the audience.  Imagine that you are at a party and introducing yourself to someone.

Then, you can move onto your topic and you will have begun the process of building a relationship with your audience.

To your success,

Ellen

Parking questions during public speaking

By Ellen Egan

What about questions during your presentation?  Should you answer questions as they come up in order to encourage audience participation?  Or, should you deliver the entire presentation and then ask for questions in a more formal manner?  Or should questions be avoided altogether?

Certainly you should take questions about the information presented in your presentation.  In fact questions are an indication of an interested, participatory and engaged audience.  They are a mark of a successful presentation.  Personally I prefer to take questions during the presentation rather than the more formal lecture-style of answering questions only after the presentation is finished. 

However, there are times that, in order to keep to the flow and the timing of the presentation, it is necessary to put a question on hold until later in the presentation.  Sometimes the question will be answered shortly within the presentation.  If this is the case, you can ask the participant if it is OK to “park” the question.  Then, you can put a note on a flip chart or on your notes in front of you or ask someone to write it down.  Either way, you want to make a small show of taking note of the question so that the audience knows that you will address it later.

Then, when it is time to address the question, you can say something like “and related to our earlier question from……”  and repeat the question before answering it.  This shows respect for the audience participation and that you are able to bring questions into the flow of your presentation.

To your success,

Ellen

A couple of small public speaking tips

By Ellen Egan

I went to a formal presentation the other day for my husband’s work.  There were several short presentations, so I got to spend time with my hobby – watching other presenters.  They were all clearly masters at their chosen profession, but not necessarily at public speaking.  I wanted to pull one or two aside and give them a couple of small tips.

• If you are concerned that your hands might shake when delivering your speech, don’t hold a full sheet of paper with your notes.  Don’t have notes if at all possible.  Or, hold small cards or a half sheet of paper – the shaking is less noticable.
• Please try to remember to breathe.  You need to breathe to be able to talk.  Also, remember to breathe fully from your diaphragm rather than your shoulders.  It will calm you and give your voice greater strength.
• Smiling works wonders with warming up your audience. 
• As always, remember to look out at your audience and make eye contact. 
• I will do a blog on working with your voice as that is a whole topic.  For now, try to remember to put some warmth and modulation in your voice.  It’s very difficult to listen to monotone.

I hope these tips are helpful.

To your success,

Ellen