How to Give a POWERFUL Presentation: Eight Steps to an Awesome Speech

PREPARE FOR YOUR AUDIENCE Know who they are, then give 'em what they want. Knowing your audience and what they expect is the most important aspect to a successful presentation. V Whn Are Theu? what's thelr education? Occupation? Position In the company? Age? Background? Experlence? What Do Theu Expect? Do they expect formality or Informalty? How long do they expectyou to speak? Are they expecting to be Instructed, Inspired, or something else? LEAVE WITH A PUNCH OPEN WITH VIGOR V Why Are Theu There? Did they choose to be there or are they required to be there? Are they happy about It? will they likely be tired, excited, nervous, or something else? 2. Finish strong. Make it clear you're done so they know when to clap. Don't ever finish by just saying "thanks" or "I'm done" or "that's it; any ques- tions"? Lead into the "thanks" and ask for questions after your pithy close. Grab 'em early, and keep 'em hooked. Start with pithiness and punchiness and you'll enjoy the fruits of a captivated crowd. Here's a list of the ten best ways to open with awesomeness: V Call 'em to Action Tell a Story Human belngs love storles. A lot. Pull Out an Object If It's Interesting, let 'em see it. If appropriate, give your audience something to do. It may be as broad as changing the world or as specific as changing their toothbrush. But make it clear and make it count. Use Impressive Statistics Not Just any statistic. A "wow" statistic. Do a Demonstration Show 'em how It's done. Don't Justtell 'em. V Make a Contrast Say Something Provocative Make 'em think. Or squirm. Just back It up. Share a Personal Anecdote You've been there, done that. So share It. "We can do or we can do ; which will you decide?" V Tell Another (short] Story Give a Quote A good quote. One that makes you think. Tell a Relevant Joke Give an anecdote that puts emphasis on the message. Make it short, but make it powerful. Make sure It's funny. And relevant. V Give a Good Quote Develop an Imaginative Scenario "I want you to close your eyes. Now Imagine." Ask a Question Get 'em Involved. Walt for their response. Find a quote that is relevant, credible, and awesome. Leave your audience with something to ponder and post on their fridge. HOW_TO GIVE A UNIFY THE MESSAGE WEAVE IN THE STORIES Bring 'em home and tie it together. You've covered an array of things-now let's hear how they call connect. POWERFIL PRESENTATION If you tell it, they will listen. People love stories. They like to know how stories end. They're intrigued by the plot, the conflict, the conclusion. If you ever seem to be losing your audience, just say, "let me tell you a story." Watch in amazement as they suddenly perk up and listen. Of course, make sure the stories are relevant and have a purpose. Good stories have five things: V Bring the Beginning Back End where you started. Come full circle. If you started with a story, remind 'em the purpose. If you gave a statistic, tell 'em how it makes better sense now. Wherever you started, pull it back in. Purpose The story must have a purpose. What will your audlence galn from the story? V Summarize Key Points Reality Make It real. Don't make things up or exaggerate. Use real people, real places, real problems. Remind your audience what the main points are. Keep it simple. Narrow the focus into three or four things, reiterating what you told them bore, only much quicker. V Characters We need somebody to cheer on. Care about. Root for. Glve personality and put It In context. V Connect the Dots Conflict You've told a few stories, laid out some facts and statistics, explained a process or. But don't leave anything left wanting. Connect the dots for your audience and they'll leave filling fulfilled. what's the Issue? Bulld the whole story around It. Resolution Don't leave 'em hanging. Let 'em know how It ends. EIGHT STEPS TO AN AWESOME SPEECH FRAME THE CONTENT EXPRESS WITH VISUALS Give it structure, keep it organized. Let your audience know where you're headed, where you're at, and where you've gone. Transition, layer, and build towards a finish. Think you're a visual learner? You are. Think your audience might be as well? They are. People remember information almost twice as well if an image is attached to the sage. Text isn't near as effective. Make your slides simple, congruent, and beauti- ful. And use lots of pictures and simple diagrams. Provide a Road-map & Stay on Course F E) Shortly after beginning, tell 'em where you're headed. Then stick to the plan. No veering off, no tangential excursions. Simplify the Slides V Give 'em Signposts Reduce the text to few, if any words, per slide. No paragraphs, limited bulleted lists, and no complex charts, tables, or data sets. Use very simple backgrounds (plain white or black is a good option). Simple is almost always better. Remind your audience where you're at and where you're headed. Take them smoothly to the next point. "This brings up.," "now to switch gears from. I want to now..." Use Relevant Pictures, Not Goofy Clip-art , let's move to...," "so we just did. R Use images of people, things, and processes that are relevant and interesting. Avoid cheap, pixelated, and unrelated or non-useful stock photos and clip-art. V Build Towards the Finish V Be Design Savvy Know your ultimate goal and head towards it. Each section of your presentation should build on the previous. Don't bounce back and forth, avoid repetition. RELATE WITH DELIVERY Use two fonts-one for headings, one for everything else. Repeat a visual element on every slide (like a logo or thematic icon). Make colors match and reduce all visual noise. Relate to your audience and they'll relate to your message. Be smooth, be confident, be extemporaneous. DO V Make Eye Contact DON'T X Look at Notes, Screen, or Elsewhere V Smile Of ten V Move Naturally X Appear Bored or Uninterested X Have Awkward Nervous Ticks V Speak Loudly V Intonate Vour Voice X Speak Softly or Mumble X Sound Robotic, Choppy, or Monotone X Slouch, Lean, or Sway V Keep Good Posture TheVisualCommunicationGuy.com | 2015