Everyone fears public speaking no matter however great person he/she is! You shall never know how easy it is to deliver speech to public unless and until you are totally prepared. What you should be aware of is the content that needs to be presented in front of the audience. Well I still remember the days when we used to give presentation and even the first day of my presentation where my topic was post natal environment. With poorly no idea as in how to dress at presentation and what innovative things can be done at presentation the presentation was a mess for sure however the talks were good. But later you get to learn a lot from your own experience as well, hence everyone of you can share in their own experience as in their first presentation experience anywhere may be in college or at office etc. my experience says you need to think of the following:
Hence you need to write content in modules that allow you to miss some out some content if fallen short of time.
Have cue cards that act as a reference to the content you will be delivering to public Write in large letters that are easy to read without needing to stare. Too much detail will confuse and make the presentation stunted.
Have deep knowledge about your subject matter that you intend to cover. Ensure that everything happens in a smooth flow. Cue cards are written when the whole presentation is planned. Cue cards are there to remind you of the running order with pointers within the presentation.
A brief introduction of your to the audience is essential, befriend your audience before the address. Because it becomes easier to speak in front of friends rather than strangers.
Decide in advance the format your time will take. Remain in control of your time and you will present a confident dynamic presentation. No matter how content-rich or persuasive one's presentation is, a presenter would never succeed in communicating effectively with his audience without this presenter-audience relationship known as rapport. The opening segment of your presentation is the opportunity to build rapport with the crowd, gain their attention and trust and warm them up for a great time with you. Becoming a competent, rather than just confident, speaker requires a lot of practice
Take into consideration the following things too:
- Excessive small talk among your audience members
- People dozing off intermittently
- Facial expressions of boredom
- Languid body language
- People excusing themselves repeatedly to leave the room
Considerable eye contact is made and heads nod in agreement with the issues you raise. Because eye contact with the audience conveys sincerity.
Lastly, as a presenter or public speaker, you should use your body language to "win over" your audience.
So by conveying positivity to your audience members with a sincere smile, you would have instantly created preliminary rapport with them, thereby ensuring that you have won at least half your presentation battle.
Allow yourself and your audience a little time to reflect and think.
Tell audience that you will be giving out an outline of your presentation so that they will not waste time taking unnecessary notes during your presentation.
Come early and practice with your PowerPoint once or twice in that room. Preparation can do a lot to remove your speaking anxiety.
Nervous and inexperienced speakers tend to talk way to fast. Consciously slow your speech down and add pauses for emphasis.
When two topics relate to one another draw an arrow to connect them
Then take a break. Sit back. Look at your mind map.
Whatever your visuals may be, keep them simple and don’t put too many words on them.
Lot of people present to the audience what they want to hear, instead of what they need to hear.
Show some movement when speaking, but naturally you may forget to do so but it is essential.
If you don’t do something unique compared to all the other presenters the audience has heard, they won’t remember you.
You are branding yourself when you speak, so make sure you do something unique and memorable.
I would love to know more about your presentation experince too hence do keep writing on the same, would love to read it!