- Learn to breathe!
This is EVERYTHING. Your breath supports your voice, to enable you to speak with resonance and give you choices about how you use your voice. Volume, pause, pitch, tone….it all starts in your breath. Your breath is also the fuel for your body, so that you are relaxed and natural – non-verbal communication is a critical factor in your audience’s perception of you. Learn to breathe effectively and see the difference it makes.
- Find your message, and make it snappy
As Einstein said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough”. You should be able to condense the core message of your speech in to a 45 second headline that captivates your audience and tells them exactly what you are going to do for them. It’s worth learning to do this, so you can apply it to all your future presentations.
- Do you really need that slide?
Do NOT have slide after slide after slide. Do NOT simply read out what is on your slide. Your slides are there to illustrate and underscore your words: think carefully about what they can add to your presentation.
- Find the story
There will be one, even if it’s not obvious. What excites you about your product? What real-life examples can you give? What’s the story behind the numbers? Learn to use storytelling to take your audience on the journey with you. It’s a skill that’s really worth investing in.
- Practice. Practice. Practice.
I may have mentioned this once or twice! Get comfortable with what you’re doing. Once you’ve got that confidence, you’ll be relaxed enough to play around with your style and let your uniqueness shine through.
Get in touch to find out how to work with me on every one of these, and much more besides, so that you nail your next presentation!