Page 59 - Effective communication Skills by Dale King

If you can’t be emotionally invested in your presentation, don’t do a

presentation. You have to show emotion to get people to listen to you. If your
presentation calls for you to get angry about some statistics, then get angry. If
you propose some solutions, get excited about them. Use vocal inflections to
put texture to your words and become animated on stage. If you don’t have
emotional inflection, you should just let a robot do your presentation.

Keep the Presentation Moving

I’m not talking about moving around on stage but in developing your
presentation. Be sure that each new piece of information you give will build
on what was before it. People lose interest in movies if nothing exciting
happens. They will put a novel down if the author takes two pages to describe
a setting. Our brains are wired for action, suspense, and drama. This holds
true for your audience. They are results-oriented, content-driven, and time-
pressed.

Think about the difference between a canal and a river. A canal is slow
moving where a river is constantly changing and dynamic. In order to please
your audience’s desire for variety, create your presentation like rivers instead
of canals. Be sure that something is constantly happening, especially if you
are doing webinars where your audience might become distracted.

Soft and Loud Voices Are Powerful

Speaking in just one tone will bore your readers to death, even if you manage
to get some emotion into it. Some sections might be more important or
compelling than others. Use soft and loud voice to accentuate these
differences. Talk low when you can afford for the audience to trail off a bit,
and then get louder when you want to drive a point home.

Make Your Point

The biggest pleasure that an audience has is grasping what you are talking
about right out of the gate. They will resent you if you don’t give them this.
Give them one point, make this point early and make it often and your
audience will carry you out on their shoulders.

Change Up Your Talking Pace