Friday, August 12, 2011

Public Speaking: Gearing Up For The Stage

So now you’ve booked your slot, and you’re going to stand up in front of a bunch of people and talk. What happens now? The first thing to do is to relax. If you prepare enough, you WILL be fine. In fact, prepare hard enough and you’ll be GREAT.
Once you have figured out the main points of the presentation and have a structure around that, it’s time to analyze your audience so that you can be strategic in how you address them.
Remember that good presentations are entertaining as well informative. So whatever your subject and audience, try to find ways to make the content and delivery enjoyable with some research, imagination, and humor.
Analyze your audience
Sussing out the audience will help you to hone in on the specifics of getting your ideas and concepts across effectively. Think about what their relationship to you is, for instance addressing internal stakeholders such as staff will require a different approach from external stakeholders such an Industry Regulatory board.
Consider the power dynamics between yourself and the audience, if you are in a position of power, then you need to try to make them comfortable, but if the reverse is true, you will have to establish your credibility early on. Think about the degree of formality the occasion calls for. Have you interacted with them prior to the presentation? Is there a shared level of understanding? Are they likely to welcome your ideas, or challenge them?
Factor in the kind of audience action or response required if your objectives are to be met. If appropriate, you can plan to stimulate memories, feelings and emotions. For instance, if you are meeting potential investors, you may want to leave them so excited about the potential impact of your business that they feel compelled to put funds towards it. However, this only works when you have figured out the audience, and you have the skill to deliver the presentation effectively.
Choose your style
A great delivery is crucial to the success of your presentation. You may have excellent products, fresh ideas, and boast the latest innovations, but if this information comes out wrong or if your style is off the mark, your success rate will be diminished. Your style is expressed by your choice of words, the length and structure of your sentences, and the tone you use to address your audience.
Generally, you want to appear and sound confident, intelligent, enthusiastic, and genuine. Ensure that the approach you use suits the occasion and matches the audience. Build in these considerations when you go about filling in the details of your presentation so that your approach is on target for the audience, and is consistent with your chosen style.
Puseletso Mompei offers Communications and Media training for corporate executives, spokespersons, managers, entrepreneurs, government officials, diplomats, academia and public relations officers. Visit www.kwazicommunications.co.za for further information. View more articles by Puseletso Mompei.

Source: http://www.ideate.co.za/

No comments:

Post a Comment