— Eye contact, facial expressions, posture, motions, gestures.Why is it helpful? It is natural and a part of . to clarify meaning;
it is extremely visual
to vent anxiety
to maintain interest
to stress The golden guideline is “Be natural and relaxed!” |
* Favorable body
* eye contact
to keep audiences’ attention (Asian audience might feel aggressed.) facial expressions must be natural and friendly:
raise eyebrows to show surprise –
open eyes large –
squint your eyes –
curl your eyebrows
* the hands
Lots of possibilities to stress, to identify.
to express genuineness or reflexion
Be conscious of what you finish with your hands
If you are unhappy, hold notes or cards to occupy them
arm – motions backward and forward to suggest circulation.
Open arms to consist of or welcome ideas
* body movement
to suggest a modification of focus
keep audience’s attention
move on to emphasize
relocation to side to show a transition gesture
up and down head motions are motions to indicate significance or acknowledgement pen or pointer to show part, place (on an openness).
shrug shoulder to indicate I don’t understand or care.
* posture.
stand straight however unwinded.
( do not slouch or lean sideways).
Lean forward to emphasize however.
No hands in pockets.
Unfavorable body language.
Stopping working to make eye contact.
Do not take a look at your notes all the time.
Looking at the screen/board suggests your back is relied on the audience cutting contact Don’t gaze, or look blankly into people’s eyes.
Avoid swaying back and forth like a pendulum.
Avoid raiding walls.
Understand your anxious tics.
Do not fold your arms like a barrier.
While one hand in a pocket provides an extremely unwinded posture, both hands in pockets looks too casual and ought to be avoided.
The Voice.
The voice is most likely the most important tool of the speaker. It brings many of the material that the audience removes. One of the quirks of is that we can quickly inform others what is incorrect with their voice, e.g. too quickly, too expensive, too soft, etc., however we have trouble listening to and changing our own voices. There are 5 main terms used for specifying vocal qualities (Grant-Williams, 2002): * Volume: How loud the noise is. The objective is to be heard without screaming.. Good speakers lower their voice to draw the audience in, and raise it to make a point. * Tone: The characteristics of a sound. An airplane has a different sound than leaves being rustled by the wind. A voice that carries fear can frighten the audience, while a voice that carries laughter can get the audience to smile. * Pitch: How high or low a note is. Pee Wee Herman has a high voice, Barbara Walters has a moderate voice, while James Earl Jones has a low voice. * Pace: This is how long a sound lasts. Talking too fast causes the words and syllables to be short, while talking slowly lengthens them. Varying the pace helps to maintain the audience’s interest. * Color: Both projection and tone variance can be practiced by taking the line “This new
policy is going to be exciting” and saying it first with surprise, then with irony, then with grief, and finally with anger. The key is to over-act. Remember ‘s words “All the world’s a stage” — presentations are the opening night on Broadway! There are two good methods for improving your voice:
1. Listen to it! Practice listening to your voice while at home, driving, walking, etc. Then when you are at work or with company, monitor your voice to see if you are using it how you want to. 2. To really listen to your voice, cup your right hand around your right ear and gently pull the ear forward. Next, cup your left hand around your mouth and direct the sound straight into your ear. This helps you to really hear your voice as others hear it… and it might be completely different from the voice you thought it was! Now practice moderating your voice.
Questioning
Keep cool if a questioner disagrees with you. You are a professional! No matter how hard you try, not everyone in the world will agree with you! Although some people get a perverse pleasure from putting others on the spot, and some try to look good in front of the boss, most people ask questions from a genuine interest. Questions do not mean you did not explain the topic good enough, but that their interest is deeper than the average audience. Always allow time at the end of the presentation for questions. After inviting questions, do not rush ahead if no one asks a question. Pause for about 6 seconds to allow the audience to gather their thoughts. When a question is asked, repeat the question to ensure that everyone heard it (and that you heard it correctly). When answering, direct your remarks to the entire audience. That way, you keep everyone focused, not just the questioner. To reinforce your presentation, try to relate the question back to the main points. Make sure you listen to the question being asked. If you do not understand it, ask them to clarify. Pause to think about the question as the answer you give may be correct, but ignore the main issue. If you do not know the answer, be honest, do not waffle. Tell them you will get back to them… and make sure you do! Answers that last 10 to 40 seconds work best. If they are too short, they seem abrupt; while longer
answers appear too elaborate. Also, be sure to keep on track. Do not let off-the-wall questions sidetrack you into areas that are not relevant to the presentation. If someone takes issue with something you said, try to find a way to agree with part of their . For example, “Yes, I understand your position…” or “I’m glad you raised that point, but…” The idea is to praise their point and agree with them as audiences sometimes tend to think of “us verses you.” You do not want to risk alienating them. Preparing the Presentation
After a , a fan rushed up to famed violinist Fritz Kreisler and gushed, “I’d give up my whole life to play as beautifully as you do.” Kreisler replied, “I did.” To fail to prepare is to prepare to fail
The first step of a great presentations is preplanning. Preparing for a presentation basically follows the same guidelines as a meeting (a helpful guide on preparing and conducting a meeting, such as acquiring a room, informing participants, etc.) The second step is to prepare the presentation. A good presentation starts out with introductions and may include an icebreaker such as a story, interesting or fact, or an activity to get the group warmed up. The introduction also needs an objective, that is, the purpose or of the presentation. This not only tells you what you will talk about, but it also informs the audience of the purpose of the presentation. Next, comes the body of the presentation. Do NOT write it out word for word. All you want is an outline. By jotting down the main points on a set of index cards, you not only have your outline, but also a jogger for the actual presentation. To prepare the presentation, ask yourself the following: * What is the purpose of the presentation?
* Who will be attending?
* What does the audience already know about the subject?
* What is the audience’s attitude towards me (e.g. hostile, friendly)? A 45 minutes talk should have no more than about seven main points. This may not seem like very many, but if you are to leave the audience with a clear of what you have said, you cannot expect them to remember much more
than that. There are several options for structuring the presentation: * Timeline: Arranged in sequential order.
* Climax: The main points are delivered in order of increasing importance. * Problem/Solution: A problem is presented, a solution is suggested, and benefits are then given. * Classification: The important items are the major points. * Simple to complex: Ideas are listed from the simplest to the most complex. Can also be done in reverse order. You want to include some visual that will help the audience understand your presentation. Develop charts, graphs, slides, handouts, etc. After the body, comes the closing. This is where you ask for questions, provide a wrap-up (summary), and thank the participants for attending. Notice that you told them what they are about to hear (the objective), told them (the body), and told them what they heard (the wrap up). And finally, the important part — practice, practice, practice. The main purpose of creating an outline is to develop a coherent plan of what you want to talk about. You should know your presentation so well, that during the actual presentation, you should only have to briefly glance at your notes to ensure you are staying on track. This will also help you with your nerves by giving you the confidence that you can do it. Your practice session should include a live session by practicing in front of coworkers, family, or friends. They can be valuable at providing feedback and it gives you a chance to practice controlling your nerves. Another great feedback technique is to make a video or audio tape of your presentation and review it critically with a colleague.