Your presentation leverages three gears – Content, Structure and Delivery. Mesh these three gears for a successful presentation.
Master the Pause to become a Powerful Communicator
It might be the most difficult communication skill, the dramatic use of silence. Consider that the most effective technique is to say nothing. That means, that sometimes, you need to stop talking. The use of the dramatic pause might be the most powerful tool in your communication toolbox.
Why do Zoom presentations suck and what to do about that?
It’s not your imagination. Zoom or virtual presentations do suck both figuratively and literally. They sap energy and magnify flaws. Presenting online is challenging. What might you do to improve? Understand the challenges, adapt your presentation delivery, and enhance your skills.
Five Habits of Effective Public Speakers
Imagine your success when you consistently deliver more effective presentations. You can do that when you develop the habits of effective public speakers. Success in any pursuit is the result of establishing smarter habits. Study and adopt these five habits of effective public speaking.
Engage Your Audience with Three Types of Questions
Questions are much more engaging than statements. Use questions throughout your presentation to keep your audience interested. Sprinkle these three types of questions within your presentation to make it feel more like a conversation instead of a lecture. Use all three types of questions and you’ll keep your audience actively engaged during your presentation.
Why So Serious? Are you cold to your audience?
Heath Ledger, as the Joker, delivered that line in the Batman movie, The Dark Knight. The Joker delivered that line as he explained the permanent smile on his face.
What’s most relevant to you is a question that more business presenters need to ask themselves when they speak.
Why so serious?
Intended vs Unintended Messages: What did you mean?
You control the message you send, and you can make it more successful when you understand the filters and adapt your message to successfully pass through the filters unchanged.
These are the challenges you face with your intended message.
Use Rhetorical Questions in Your Presentation
Use rhetorical questions during your presentation to better engage your audience. This technique is simple and powerful. It’s surprising that more speakers don’t make better use of this technique.
This works especially well, when delivering detailed technical information. That means this is an effective technique for engineers, scientists, economists, IT experts, and other technical specialists.
Three Tips to Begin Your Presentation with More Confidence
Those opening moments of your presentation are critical to establish your credibility and confidence with the audience. Don’t waste that time trying to work up your confidence. Instead, start with confidence and convey that with your first words. You owe that to your audience before you can expect them to listen to your presentation.
How to Find Your Stories
How and where can you find stories to support your messages?
These stories are not the ones you tell to entertain your friends. These are stories to help you reinforce a point.
Tell your stories in conversations, meetings and presentations to be more effective in conveying your messages. You might wonder, “Where can I find my stories?”
The short answer is “All around you.”