Category Archives: Presentation Skills
Presentation Skills Training
One of the questions that I’m frequently asked is how long does it take to develop presentation skills? Of course, training for presentation skills depends on a number of factors but I’ll offer a few guidelines in my years of experience. These are the important variables when planning your presentation skills training: How comfortable are … Continue reading
Advanced Business Presentation Skills
One of the more advanced presentations skills that you should aim to acquire is learning to speak to the interests of the audience. Most presenters speak about what’s important to them, not what is important to the audience. People with advanced presentation skills approach each presentation in a different manner. They first ask themselves – … Continue reading
Body Language
By some estimates, 65% of a message is transmitted by body language. A presentation must be emotional. Body language is an emotional tool enhancement available to any speaker. Your body has to communicate that you passionately care about the topic. Imagine someone who did not move their body nor made facial expressions while speaking? Wouldn’t … Continue reading
Public Speaking Confidence
The Active Voice Always remember to use the active voice rather than the passive voice. In the active voice the subject does something, whereas in the passive voice something is done to the subject. The active voice will force you to deliver the sentence with more emotion. As we’ve already learned the core of a … Continue reading
Double Meaning
Sometimes one will use words that have a double meaning and create a play on words. Double meanings can arouse the audience and perk up their attention as they ponder the double meaning. This is an example from the commencement presentation called “Wear Sunscreen” written by Mary Schimch: “Don’t expect anyone else to support you. … Continue reading
Dialogue
Dialogue I remember listening to one presentation where the presenter described a conversation that she had with her sister about childhood envy. This was the main point of the presentation and the effect and emotional impact could be heightened by actually going through the dialogue. It was a mistake for her to say: “My sister … Continue reading
Analogies
Analogies This technique is particularly effective for educational presentations. You are trying to take a concept that the audience is familiar with and relate it to something unknown. For example, I remember one Silicon Valley presentation about the data security risks of using wireless Internet. This topic was presented to an audience that was not … Continue reading
Advanced Presentation Skills
One of the great difficulties any presenter will face is keeping the audience’s attention. At some point you will look into the crowd and see their eyes begin to glaze over while other people will start checking their Blackberries. In this lesson, we’ll discuss some advanced presentation skills that help keep the audience’s attention. In … Continue reading
Conversational Tone In Your Speeches
It is important to remember that a speech should be conversational in nature. A speech is not an essay. You should think of the speech as if you were having a conversation. The only difference is that there is a large group of listeners. Think of the way that you speak with your friends over … Continue reading
Six Steps To Conquer Your Fear Of Public Speaking
Everyone knows that public speaking is commonly ranked as the top fear in the world. Stage fright tops bugs, death and a fear of heights. Why? Here are six tips to help you conquer your fear of public speaking immediately. Secret #1: Accept That You Are Just Beginning The fear of public speaking is not … Continue reading