How to Speak So People Will Listen: Tips for better verbal presentations pptx

In 26 years of coaching thousands of people to be successful presenters, we’ve heard this said many times: “Some people are just natural speakers.” And it’s true that some people are nat

How to Speak So People Will Listen: Tips for better verbal presentations

By Pauline Gravier

From Planning, December 1992

Joe, a conscientious, informed planner, always gets his reports in before they’re due His presentations sound like commodities futures reports, and his audience looks half asleep Frank, also a planner, hands in reports at the last minute, and they’re not always

complete But when he speaks, people listen He sounds as though he knows what he’s talking about

Clearly, Frank has an edge when it comes to plum assignments and even promotion His advantage is the ability to make highly effective presentations to public officials, citizens, peers, and businesses However, he didn’t necessarily start out that way

In 26 years of coaching thousands of people to be successful presenters, we’ve heard this said many times: “Some people are just natural speakers.” And it’s true that some people are natural speakers just as others are natural tennis players or singers But anyone can develop these skills Even fear that paralyzes many of us when we must speak before a group can be transformed into increased energy and used to great advantage

The secret lies in a simple formula: A + P = C: Awareness of proven techniques plus frequent practice equals consistent control These are the steps to success

Be prepared

First, you must decide where you are going That means knowing who your audience will be – concerned citizens or city council members Then think about what they want

to know – how the proposed plan impacts their neighborhood or what kind of tax base expansion can be projected

The next step is to clarify your goal Do you want to reassure the citizens, or do you want to communicate data about the project to the city council?

Let’s assume you’re a planner for a coal company that is seeking a permit for a strip mine

in a rural area Citizens are concerned about the mine’s environmental impact The company eventually intends to restore the sire as parkland If you talk only about the geology of the area, you’ll bore the audience and do little to allay their fears You may even create hostility Instead you should be reassuring the citizens that the company will

be a good neighbor Follow the two-step process: Know your audience, and define your goal

You’ll also have to decide whether to write out your presentation, rely on notes, or

simply wing it The best approach is to write out first but to speak from an outline Winging it is like playing Russian roulette One of these days, you are going to shoot yourself in the head

Writing out a presentation forces you to focus on the important points, cutting out

irrelevancies and ramblings It’s the first step The easiest way to start is stream-of-consciousness Let your thoughts flow without worrying about order or grammar If you would rather talk than write, use a tape recorder, then transcribe to paper or computer Then move segments around into a logical order Don’t worry about the introduction until you have the major points down

Added fillips

Now is the time to think about ways to zip up your presentation Avoid jokes, which can rebound and cause problems Instead, think of humanizing your talk with anecdotes and examples This magazine offers many of both In July, for instances, Sylvia Lewis began an article on growth management with an anecdote about a couple who got

thousands of signatures on a petition to overturn a local wetlands ordinance It was an effective story because it was so specific, giving the names of the couple and describing what they did

Sometimes it’s a good idea to insert a reference to someone you know will be in the audience: “We owe a lot of credit to Jack Phillips for organizing the new Main Street project.” Also, consider including arresting statistics, particularly for an opening: “Four hundred empty apartments in 1989, 1,000 empty apartments in 1990, 1,500 in 1992.” Visual aids – slides, maps, flowcharts, diagrams – may not be appropriate Don’t make the mistake of the planner who makes his entire presentation with his back to the

audience while pointing to details on the screen in front of him

These guidelines are helpful in deciding what visual aids should be used – and how:

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Prepare the speech first The choose visual aids If visual aids were meant to do all the communicating, you wouldn’t need a presentation

Cull the pile The fewer visual aids, the more effective the presentation

Simplify A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but a chart with 1,000 words isn’t worth anything The audience should be able to grasp a message in two or three seconds If you must use words, limit yourself to a few bulleted items

Be creative Overlays allow you to prepare original and colorful maps and graphs

Slow down Introduce each visual aid and point out salient points Then remove it and comment on it Don’t switch to the next visual aid right away If you are using slides, use every other space in the carousel so you have some time to talk between images Cover maps that you’ve tacked up until you’re ready to refer to them

Eyes front Visual aids don’t need your attention; the audience does

Practice

Now read your presentation aloud Listen to yourself Then ask these questions: Have I achieved my goals? Are all my points relevant? Can I cut? Be ruthless Don’t use up all the time allotted to your presentation

After you’ve cut, it’s time to prepare a key word outline, which is what you will speak from The outline should highlight your main points, with just enough words to keep you

on track Now run through your talk again All that practice will give you confidence in your material and free you to establish rapport with your audience

Once you feel confident about what you are going to say, you can focus on

communication These are some of the questions we often hear from people who are nervous about presentations:

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What should I do with my hands? The answer: Be natural Don’t try to be dramatic Natural gestures reflect your personal style Keep your hands out of your pockets – and don’t cross your arms, which can suggest insecurity or hostility to your audience

Where should I stand? Stand next to the podium so you can glance at your outline from time to time Standing behind the podium erects a barrier between you and the audience Don’t sit down unless you’re part of a panel where everyone is seated at a table In such a situation, make an effort to project energy by leaning forward while speaking and turning your head to the other speakers

How does a speaker establish eye contact? Divide the room into several areas and make eye contact with one person at a time in each area Hold the contact until your attention is recognized, at least four seconds Then move on to a person in another area In a question-and-answer session, maintain eye contact with the questioner while the questions is being asked Immediately after, however, turn to the audience, using the same kind of eye contact as for the original presentation That way, people won’t feel left out

When a question-and-answer session becomes heated, a simple technique can help It’s called “listening for a point of agreement.” The rules are simple First, find an honest point of agreement For example, “I agree with you that we have a difficult situation here, and that we need to do something about it.” Next, enumerate the pointes of agreement Never add the qualifiers “but,” “however,” or “yet.”

Should I go to a speech therapist to get rid of my squeaky voice? The answer is no You don’t have to have a powerful or melodious voice to give a successful

presentation However, you can’t afford a colorless voice Watch your pacing

(speeded up for excitement, slow for importance) and inflection (emphasize important words and phrases) Speak louder at some points, quieter at others Use pauses like commas to break up phrases and sentences or introduce thoughts A long pause allows your message to sink in

• How should I dress? “Professional is the key word Don’t use the occasion of a public presentation to try out a new fashion, and avoid distractions like flashy jewelry

or loud ties The main thing is to know your audience A powerful blue suit may put

up barriers in a school auditorium but a sport jacket would be just right Unbuttoned jackets on both men and women suggest openness and honesty

All of these suggestions will help you become a poised, confident speaker Remember, though, that sincerity shows: If you don’t mean it, don’t say it