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Public Speaking and Presentations –Do’s and Don’ts

Michael D. Remington, P.E.

November 4, 2014

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Agenda

• Importance of Public Speaking• Strategies for Becoming a Better

Speaker• The Audience• Coping with Nerves• Tell a Story• Tips for Effective Presentations• How to End• Questions?

Public Speaking

• We all have to speak in public from time to time, whether talking in a team meeting or presenting in front of an audience.

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Importance of Public Speaking

Even if you don’t need to make regular presentations in front of a group, you will find many situations where good public speaking skills can help advance your career and create opportunities.

Importance of Public Speaking

Good public speaking skills are important in areas outside your job:

• Making a toast at a friend’s wedding

• Giving a eulogy for a loved one

• Motivate a group of volunteers at a charity event

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Importance of Public Speaking

Being a good public speaker can: • Enhance your reputation

• Raise your self-confidence

• Open up numerous opportunities

Importance of Public Speaking

While strong speaking skills can open doors, poor speaking skills can close them.

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Importance of Public Speaking

• We can do this well or we can do this badly.

• How we speak in public strongly affects how people think of us.

• Because of this, speaking in public causes most people considerable concern and anxiety.

Nerves!

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So What Should I Do?

Better Public Speaking

You can overcome your nervousness and perform exceptionally well by:• Preparing thoroughly

• Practicing

• Checking out your equipment in advance to make sure it works.

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Strategies for Becoming a Better Speaker

• Plan appropriately

Using Visuals

• Heighten interest.

• Practice your speech with all your visuals.

• Check equipment ahead of time.

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Strategies for Becoming a Better Speaker

• Practice

•Look for Opportunities

•Toastmasters

Strategies for Becoming a Better Speaker

• Have handouts ready and give them out at the right time.

• Let your audience know you will be giving them an outline of your presentation so they don’t waste time taking unnecessary notes.

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Strategies for Becoming a Better Speaker

• Engage with your audience

The Audience

• Know the needs of your audience and match what you say to their needs.

• Establish rapport with your audience.

• Keep the audience interested throughout your entire presentation.

• An interesting speech makes the time fly, a boring speech is always too long.

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The Audience

The Audience

• People want you to succeed.

• Don’t apologize.

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Strategies for Becoming a Better Speaker

• Pay attention to body language

Cope with Nerves

• Many people say their biggest fear is Public Speaking

• Fear of failure often the cause

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Cope with Nerves

Cope with Nerves

Public speaking can trigger “fight or flight” response:• Adrenaline courses through

bloodstream

• Heart rate increases

• Sweating

• Breathing becomes fast and shallow

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Cope with Nerves

• A certain amount of pressure can enhance performance.

• Change your mindset so you can use nervous energy to your advantage.

Cope with Nerves

• Stop thinking about yourself, your nervousness, and your fear.

• Remember you are trying to help or inform your audience.

• Your message is more important than your fear.

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Cope with Nerves

• Individuals are less intimidating than crowds.

• Think of your speech as a conversation with one person.

• Focus on one friendly face at a time, talk to that person as if he/she is the only one in the room.

Tips for Effective Public Speaking

• Tell great stories.

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Tell a Story

Tell a Story

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Mapping Your Presentation

• Put what you have to say in a logical sequence.

• Outline what will be told.

• Tell them where you are going.

• Refer back to what you said earlier. Tie loose ends up, remind your audience.

Mapping Your Presentation

• Audience will be happier if they know where you are in your speech, and where you are going.

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Tips for Effective Public Speaking

• Do NOT read your presentation.

Tips for Effective Public Speaking

• Don’t read everything!!!

• Never read “Hello. I’m happy to be here”.

• Write how you talk.

• Say it simply, straightforwardly, in your own words.

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Tips for Effective Public Speaking

10 20 30 Rule of PowerPointGuy Kawasaki’s guidelines:

• 10 slides

• 20 minutes

• 30 point font

Watch Recordings of Your Speeches

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Tips for Effective Public Speaking

• Bring the Energy!

Bring the Energy

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Tips for Effective Public Speaking

Be Yourself.• Sounds like typical advice, but

absolutely important to remember.

• The more you try to act like someone you’re not on stage, the more people will see through you.

Pace

• Normal conversation speech is done with rapid bursts of sound.

• Public speaking pace should be slower, more deliberate.

• What may seem too slow to you is likely just right for the audience.

• Aim for a slow pace, with lots of pauses between ideas.

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Pace

• Don’t race through your presentation and leave your audience, and you, out of breath.

Notes

• Write/type with VERY LARGE fonts, and lots of spacing.

• You will not be able to peer at it closely – it is a script and you will be acting it out, not ‘reading’ it.

• Reading statistics is safer than memorizing.

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Speaking from Memory

This is an excellent way to speak if:

• you have a talent for it• other people agree that you do• you relate well to audiences, can think on

your feet• you have given the same speech many

times before, or• the occasion is informal so lapses will be

forgiven.

Do What Works Best For You

Remember:• Memorizing potentially dangerous

• Speaking off the cuff is risky, best done at informal occasions

• Reading a speech can be dull, is safest method

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Do What Works Best For You

• Small note cards with abbreviated notes, lead-in phrases, important words or other cues works well (if you practice).

• Remember the Story

Make Analogies

Give examples.

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Give Details

• Give details but not too many.

Think About How It Ends

Be prepared to wind up quickly or condense the final stories.

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How To End

Repeat your major points.

How to End

Don’t fade away.

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How To End

• Your audience is afraid of Q & A.

• Ask for written questions?

• Have some of your own?

How To End

• Questions: If you’re not sure everyone heard the question being asked, repeat it before answering.

• What if you don’t know the answer to a question?

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Questions?