Think about the last talk or presentation that really stuck with you. Was that easy, or did you really have to think hard to come up with one? Too many presentations are easy to forget, which is a shame. And that's a huge problem, since the only reason the speaker gave the talk was to tell you something.
But there are four simple things you can do to make sure that your spoken messages are always understood and remembered.
Even though they seem obvious and simple, these are:
- Know why you're giving the presentation.
- Keep the message simple and to the point.
- Be prepared
- Be clear about what you want to say.
Know what you want to accomplish:
Before you start writing your speech or presentation, you need to know exactly what you want to say, who you want to say it to, and why they might want to listen. To do this, you need to ask yourself: Who? How? When? Where? Why?
Who do you want to talk to? What do they like, believe, and care about? What do they all have in common? What makes them different?
What do you want people to know? One way to answer this question is to think about the "criteria for success." How do you know if you've said what you wanted to say?
How can you best get your point across? Language and nonverbal cues like body language and facial expressions are the most important things here. Keep your audience in mind when you choose your words and nonverbal cues. Plan a start, a middle, and an end. If there is enough time and space, think about and prepare audio-visual aids.
When? Here, timing is important. Develop a sense of timing so that people will see and hear your comments as relevant to the issue or topic at hand. There are times to talk and times to stay quiet.
Where? How does the conversation take place in the real world? You might have time to go to the venue and move the furniture around, for example. If you are using audio or visual aids, make sure they are available and easy to see.
Why? To get people to listen to you, you need to know why they should, and if you have to, you need to tell them.
The Value of Keeping Things Simple:
Less is more when it comes to how you say what you want to say. You're giving your audience headlines. If you give them too much information, they'll be overwhelmed and bored. They don't expect to learn everything there is to know about the subject after hearing your presentation, so keep it simple.
If you use slides, each one should only have a few bullet points, one sentence, or a very simple diagram.
Preparation:
If you don't plan, you plan to fail. In fact, it is the most important thing that determines how well you communicate. When you can, schedule meetings, speaking engagements, and presentations far in advance. This will give you the time you need to prepare your messages. For every minute of a presentation, you should spend thirty minutes getting ready.
Not all communications can be planned, though. In this case, preparation might mean knowing a lot about what's going on in the office, so you can talk and write with the knowledge you need to be effective.
Delivery Went Well:
Your audience will remember how you give your speech or presentation for a long time. Again, the most important thing is to be ready if you want to keep people's attention. Some good ways to keep your presentation interesting are:
- Use examples to show what you mean.
- Keep a positive body language and don't just stand behind a podium.
- Don't speak too quickly. Even here, less is more. Pauses are effective.
- Change the tone of your voice.
- Use visual aids.
Presentations and public speaking can be scary, but they can also be fun and rewarding if you give yourself enough time to prepare and practise. A speaker who is enthusiastic and sure of what they are saying will leave a lasting impression on their audience.
