Six Steps to Becoming a Powerful Public Speaker
by Sintilia Miecevole
Published on this site: November 28th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
Public speaking ranks right up there in terms of the things
we are afraid to do. Whether it’s the fear of being watched
closely by others, or the insecurity and self-conscious feeling
of slipping up during the presentation, these six tips will
help you give a polished, professional speech that you (and
your audience) can be proud of!
- Know your audience. This is the single best piece
of advice for delivering a presentation. What are there
interests? Their backgrounds? Why are they coming to hear
you speak? What ideas do you have to share with them? Approaching
your speech as more of a “me-to-you” discussion
rather than a full-blown broadcast makes it less stressful.
- What do you want your audience to do as a result of
your speech? What’s really at the heart of your
presentation? By concentrating on the “end result”
rather than slogging through the beginning, you create a
powerful punch that drives home your message instead of
rambling on.
- Share a story. In public speaking circles, this
is called a “hook” – something that gets
your audience’s attention and makes them sit up and
listen. Start off by asking questions or sharing an experience
you had. People like to be active, rather than passive listeners.
By giving them something that they can identify with, you’ll
find that these people are just like you; that makes giving
a presentation a whole lot easier. Be sure your story has
a beginning, a point, and an ending. There’s nothing
quite as bad as telling a story to an engaged audience and
then forgetting why you told it!
- If you’re selling a product, focus on the benefits
instead of the features. People would much rather hear
what a product can do for them than how it does it. Narrow
down your product’s features until you get to the core
of how it solves a problem. If you need help with figuring
out the difference between a feature and a benefit, ask
yourself “So What?” For example, if you’re
selling a vacuum cleaner that has a hypoallergenic filter,
put yourself in the customer’s shoes and ask yourself
“so what?” The answer would be something like,
“It picks up dust, mold and pet dander”. Again,
“so what?” Answer, “You’ll feel relief
from runny nose and sneezing plus itchy, water eyes.”
Now that’s a benefit!
- Powerpoint presentations are great but they can be
overwhelming – or downright boring. Instead, give
your audience something to do by providing them with fill-in-the-blank
flip charts or “team activities”. These help reinforce
and emphasize your message in ways that a computer presentation
simply cannot.
- Make sure your speech ends in a way that reiterates
the beginning. Speakers can get carried away with the
details and leave their audiences asking, “What was
the point of all that?” People naturally digest information
in “chunks”, so focus on the big picture rather
than all the pieces. If the details are just as important,
save it for an after-speech handout that the audience can
take with them and read over at their leisure.
If you keep these six tips in mind, you’ll not only have
an easier time overcoming your fear of public speaking, but you’ll have a very appreciative audience who will in turn be more
receptive and eager to try your product or service. Go get
‘em!
http://www.bornspeaker.com
is Sintilia Miecevole's site with all kinds of speaker
information from keynote, motivational, professional and
dynamic
speakers to car, stereo, motorcycle, outdoor speakers and
much more. Be
sure to visit http://www.bornspeaker.com
for all of your speaker information
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