Page 54 - Effective communication Skills by Dale King

Chapter 7: Tell Stories Without Losing Listeners

Giving a presentation can be either really bad or really good. Even
presentations that are “okay,” like the ones that have been put together fairly

well but they just don’t stand out, will end up being bad and it is mainly for
just one reason: They are boring. Giving a boring presentation will kill your
reputation. They could turn a room of attentive professionals into a room of
zombies who are counting each slide and checking their phones.

The best practices for presenters, and this include structuring and practicing
the presentation, are extremely important to create a quality show. But it is
the little things, the body language, and the speaking that keeps your

audience’s attention.
There are two types of attention: neck up and neck down. Neck down is when

the listener is completely riveted to the speaker and they can’t help but pay
attention. Neck up is when they have to make themselves pay attention.

In the English language, attention is “paid” because attention is valuable.
When a listener “pays” attention, they reward you with the most valuable
currency available.

Giving a one-way presentation is the worst way to give another person

information. It takes effort and discipline just to sit and listen to anyone speak
for any amount of time. You can make it easy on your audience by following
these guidelines:

With the first three, you are required to know your target audience. You need
to do some work and know what your audience is interested in, their level of
experience, and their background knowledge.

Never Make It Too Hard or Too Easy

You might have heard the concept “flow.” This is a state of being where you

are being fulfilled by what you are doing and where you can be completely
engaged. In this state, your mind won’t ever wonder, and you will lose track
of time. If you say that a speaker is compelling, this is because you were
caught in a state of flow. Your ultimate goal is to get your audience into this
state.