Speak
clearly.
Do not eat your words. Enunciate clearly. During your practices,
check for the correct pronunciation of specific words.
If you cannot pronounce them correctly, choose a synonym.
Use
rhythm and drama.
Go slowly. Pause when appropriate. Change your voice volume
to emphasize important points. Spice up your talk with some
dramatic silences.
Breathe
in and out.
Sounds like silly advice! Well, one of the most common difficulties
speakers experience is maintaining a normal breathing pattern.
Usually, they lose their air as they talk, finishing their
last phrases gasping for air. A way to prevent this is learning
some of the breathing methods described in the Breathing
Techniques screen.
Release
the tension of your shoulders.
I have named this tension the "hanger syndrome" because
it feels as if you are wearing your shirt or jacket with the
hanger still on. Relax your shoulders before and during your
presentation. The closer your shoulders are to your ears, the
more tension you feel in your neck and the back of your head,
and the more anxious you feel. The exercise to release this
tension involves exaggerating it. Take your shoulders even
closer to your ears, hold that tension for a moment, then relax.
Repeat
two or three times. This way, you can learn how it feels when
your shoulders are relaxed, and work to keep them that way
in the future.
Be
brave, look at people.
I have had several discussions with people who lecture. Some
of them advise staring at people during your presentation and
some prefer to make no visual contact. My choice is to make
eye contact with the people in the room. I think looking at
people helps you to overcome your anxiety over time and keeps
them attentive!
Let
the tremor in your voice come in and go out.
Everybody's voice will show some tremors from time to time.
Tremors are unavoidable. Whenever they happen, change to a
slower pace, breathe more deeply, and let the tremor go away
by itself.
Move
around.
You cannot be standing up and sitting down at the same time.
By the same token, you cannot be moving and freezing at
the same time. Moving around will calm you down!
Make
your point.
Deliver the best information you can, and make your point(s).
Let people know the results of your research by stating
your main point(s) clearly. They are there to learn, so
let your audience learn something from you.
Intersperse
colorful details.
Introduce interesting details now and then, throughout your
entire presentation. Colorful details will engage people's
attention.
Lighten
up.
Remember the song "...keep loose when things get tight..." No
matter what kind of problem you run into, or what kind of mistake
you can make, as long as you are in control of yourself you
will be able to do something about it.
Use
a powerful end.
Finish with a relevant summary, a clever closing remark, or
an important question. These will round out your presentation.
Have
fun!
I know this "ain't gonna" happen at first. But, if
you use some or all the techniques described here, you get
to the point of having fun during your presentation. The audience
is there to learn, and you have something they can learn from.
If you do a good job your audience will appreciate it, and
you will enjoy the experience.
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