Welcome to Alanis Business Academy.
I'm Matt Alanis and this is the episode 137: How to Deliver an Effective Presentation.
In our last video we walked through some of the different elements involved in preparing
for some kind of presentation.
If you haven't viewed that video you can do so by selecting the link above or going to
the Alanis Business Academy YouTube channel page and searching for episode 136 titled
How to Prepare an Effective Presentation.
In this video we're going to discuss some helpful tips to improve your delivery.
Regardless of the content of your message, the audience won't pay attention long enough
to really appreciate it unless your delivery is polished and professional.
This certainly highlights the importance of practicing the delivery of your presentation,
which we discussed in last week's video.
But what can you do during the presentation to really enhance the overall effectiveness
of your communication efforts?
The first element to any attempted communication is the grab the attention and interest of
the audience.
This helps to set the tone for your presentation and build rapport with your audience.
Beginning a presentation with: my name is Matt Alanis and I'll be presenting my SWOT
analysis, fails to accomplish this.
Instead, try beginning with a shocking statistic, a question to get the audience thinking, or
maybe even a short applicable story that ties in with the content of your message.
Starting with a rhetorical question like: Why should a suicide bomber buy life insurance?
is particularly effective because the answer isn't obvious and encourages the audience
to listen with the hopes of discovering the answer.
However you choose to kick-off your presentation, be sure that it relates to the content of
your message.
The second element to incorporate into the delivery is some kind of blueprint, which
is designed to give the audience the structure of your presentation.
With a blueprint you communicate to your audience what you intend to cover so that they know
what to expect.
In addition to being a common courtesy, this also helps the audience understand your topic
and see how it will all fit together at the end.
With regards to the actual delivery, you'll want to come across as polished, but not to
the point as it sounds like you're simply reading from a script.
Speaking in front of a live audience should come across as natural and referring to note
cards or even a script will likely affect your ability to speak naturally.
Using note cards or scripts can also affect your nonverbal communication as well.
If you absolutely need some type of reference while speaking, try writing down a few keywords
instead of entire sentences.
These keywords can serve as mental markers and allow you to determine what you should
be discussing in your presentation.
For example, you may write down the word monetary policy, which can serve as a cue for you to
discuss monetary policy as well as some of the tools under monetary policy.
You may even list the name of an article that you want to discuss.
Whatever you do, it's important that seeing that particular word, question, or phrase
helps to jar your memory so you can move into that area of your presentation.
Referring to scripts or comprehensive notes I find only causes the speaker to read from
them, even though they know the information.
The next thing that you can do to really improve your public speaking is to remove the physical
barriers between you and your audience.
This includes podiums, lecterns, and other physical objects that establish a barrier
with your audience.
Instead, try to stand in front of your audience.
This may seem a little unnerving for some as we often use physical barriers as a comfort,
but it really helps to engage your audience if there is nothing in between you and them.
In addition to removing physical barriers, you can also incorporate effective nonverbal
communication.
Since a majority of communication is made via nonverbal means its important that your
eye contact, posture, and hand gestures all compliment what you are saying.
Try to vary your eye contact to avoid speaking entirely to one side of the room or one person
specifically.
This prevents part of your audience from feeling neglected and disengaging from the presentation.
One technique to try while speaking to boost your confidence is to find those handful of
audience members that will nod there heads during the presentation.
This can provide some positive feedback, which is especially important at the beginning of
the presentation when the presenter is trying to find their rhythm.
While speaking, be sure to stand upright and avoid slouching or leaning against anyone
object.
This can be a distraction to the audience and also affect your voice quality.
Standing up straight allows a presenter to project their voice, while also portraying
confidence.
When speaking its also a good practice to incorporate hand gestures to compliment your
speech.
Be careful not to use these too loosely as they can serve as a distraction to the audience.
Instead, use controlled movements.
One technique you may want to try is keeping your elbows near your sides when speaking.
This prevents the speaker from flailing their arms about, which is likely to be a distraction
to the audience.
For examples, conduct a quick search online of some notable speakers to get a feel what
what types of mannerisms they use and model your own after these.
The last thing to keep in mind related to nonverbal communication is your actual movements.
Standing in place during the entire presentation is likely to affect your audience's attention.
Instead, try to move around the room.
You certainly want to avoid pacing back and forth as this tends to reflect negatively
on your confidence level.
But selecting a few spots and moving periodically between them during your presentation can
be a great technique to maintain the attention of your audience.
Regardless of how you present information the best thing that you can do is to treat
the entire experience like an experiment.
So don't be afraid of trying some new and then evaluate the effectiveness of that particular
change.
Soliciting feedback from your audience in the form of a brief survey can also give you
further insight into some opportunities that you may have as a presenter.
This has been How to Deliver an Effective Presentation.
For questions please leave them in the comment box below and I'll do my best to get back
to those in a timely fashion.
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you while you sleep.
Thanks for watching.