Keep your audience in mind: Because your audience cannot "rehear" ideas, once you have stated
them, look for ways to help your audience easily follow your ideas.Speak slowly, vigorously, and enthusiastically. Be sure you enunciate your words carefully,particularly if you are addressing a large group. Maintain a conversational style. Talk with the audience,not at them.
Use gestures to accentuate points. Move your body deliberately to aid you in announcing major
transition points. In short, avoid standing transfixed before your audience.
Maintain eye contact with your audience. Doing so helps you keep your listeners involved in what
you are saying. If you look at the ceiling, the floor, the corners of the room, your audience may sense a
lack of self-confidence. Lack of eye contact also tends to lessen your credibility. In contrast, consistent
eye contact enhances the importance of the message. By looking at your audience, you can often sense
their reaction to what you are saying and make adjustments in your presentation if necessary. Be careful;
do not lock eyes with individual members.
Do not memorize your presentation, and do not write your presentation. Otherwise, your speech will
sound as if you are reading it. Use brief notes, written on one page, if possible. Use colored pens to
highlight points. Avoid note cards and several pages of notes. If you suddenly forget what you are trying
to say, and if you have several pages of notes, you can easily lose track of where you are in your notes. If
possible, type the outline of your presentation on one sheet of paper. If you do forget what you are going
to say, a quick glance will usually refresh your memory.
Rehearse your presentation until you are comfortable. Try walking around, speaking each segment
and then speaking aloud the entire presentation. Rephrase ideas that are difficult for you to say--these will
likely be hard for your audience to follow. Be sure to time your presentation so that it does not exceed the
time limit. Keep your presentation as short as possible. Therefore, avoid adding information to your
presentation (and your outline) as your rehearse.
If possible, record your speech. Listen to what you have said as objectively as possible. As you
listen, consider the main issues of audience, purpose, organization, context, content, and style. Listen for
tone, attitude, and clarity. Is the tone you project appropriate for your audience and your purpose? Is each
sentence easy to understand? Are you speaking too rapidly? Are the major divisions in your presentation
easy to hear? Are any sentences difficult to understand?
If possible, become familiar with the room where you will give the presentation so that you will have
some sense about how loudly you should talk and how people will be seated. Also check out for size,
temperature, cleanliness, and proper lighting.
Try not to provide the audience handout material before you begin. To do so encourages your
audience to read rather than listen. If you must provide written material, be sure the material is
coordinated with your presentation. That way, you have a better chance of keeping your audience's
attention on what you are saying.
No matter what type of presentation you are giving, your ultimate success as a speaker and the success of
the presentation depends on your establishing credibility with your audience. Guidelines on planning,
structuring, and delivering the presentations are important because they are designed to build your
credibility with your audience. However, no amount of planning and organization will substitute for
practice, which builds confidence. Practice also enhances and displays your planning and the value of
your ideas.
Overcoming stage freight
Everyone experiences stage fright, speech anxiety, or fear of the audience. Surveys show that fear of
speaking in front of people is one of the greatest fears people have.
The following lists some techniques people use for coping with this freight:
Know the room. Be familiar with where you will speak. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and
practice using the microphone and any visual aids.
them, look for ways to help your audience easily follow your ideas.Speak slowly, vigorously, and enthusiastically. Be sure you enunciate your words carefully,particularly if you are addressing a large group. Maintain a conversational style. Talk with the audience,not at them.
Use gestures to accentuate points. Move your body deliberately to aid you in announcing major
transition points. In short, avoid standing transfixed before your audience.
Maintain eye contact with your audience. Doing so helps you keep your listeners involved in what
you are saying. If you look at the ceiling, the floor, the corners of the room, your audience may sense a
lack of self-confidence. Lack of eye contact also tends to lessen your credibility. In contrast, consistent
eye contact enhances the importance of the message. By looking at your audience, you can often sense
their reaction to what you are saying and make adjustments in your presentation if necessary. Be careful;
do not lock eyes with individual members.
Do not memorize your presentation, and do not write your presentation. Otherwise, your speech will
sound as if you are reading it. Use brief notes, written on one page, if possible. Use colored pens to
highlight points. Avoid note cards and several pages of notes. If you suddenly forget what you are trying
to say, and if you have several pages of notes, you can easily lose track of where you are in your notes. If
possible, type the outline of your presentation on one sheet of paper. If you do forget what you are going
to say, a quick glance will usually refresh your memory.
Rehearse your presentation until you are comfortable. Try walking around, speaking each segment
and then speaking aloud the entire presentation. Rephrase ideas that are difficult for you to say--these will
likely be hard for your audience to follow. Be sure to time your presentation so that it does not exceed the
time limit. Keep your presentation as short as possible. Therefore, avoid adding information to your
presentation (and your outline) as your rehearse.
If possible, record your speech. Listen to what you have said as objectively as possible. As you
listen, consider the main issues of audience, purpose, organization, context, content, and style. Listen for
tone, attitude, and clarity. Is the tone you project appropriate for your audience and your purpose? Is each
sentence easy to understand? Are you speaking too rapidly? Are the major divisions in your presentation
easy to hear? Are any sentences difficult to understand?
If possible, become familiar with the room where you will give the presentation so that you will have
some sense about how loudly you should talk and how people will be seated. Also check out for size,
temperature, cleanliness, and proper lighting.
Try not to provide the audience handout material before you begin. To do so encourages your
audience to read rather than listen. If you must provide written material, be sure the material is
coordinated with your presentation. That way, you have a better chance of keeping your audience's
attention on what you are saying.
No matter what type of presentation you are giving, your ultimate success as a speaker and the success of
the presentation depends on your establishing credibility with your audience. Guidelines on planning,
structuring, and delivering the presentations are important because they are designed to build your
credibility with your audience. However, no amount of planning and organization will substitute for
practice, which builds confidence. Practice also enhances and displays your planning and the value of
your ideas.
Overcoming stage freight
Everyone experiences stage fright, speech anxiety, or fear of the audience. Surveys show that fear of
speaking in front of people is one of the greatest fears people have.
The following lists some techniques people use for coping with this freight:
Know the room. Be familiar with where you will speak. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and
practice using the microphone and any visual aids.
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