G E N E R A L I N F O R M A T I O N
Who will be attending?
How does your topic relate to the attendees?
Does this group understand the technical language you may use in your presentation?
How long do you need to speak and/or conduct a training session?
What is the preferred style to present? This question will be appropriate for events outside of the coaching courses.
Will there be Q & A?
What is the name of the sponsoring organization and key contact information?
A B O U T T H E A U D I E N C E
What is the audience size?
What are the basic demographics of the audience (age, gender, nationality, education level, socioeconomic level, etc.)?
What are some of the related interests of the group?
What will be the disposition of the audience (friendly, supportive, neutral or hostile)?
What is the knowledge level of the audience regarding your presentation topic?
A P P E A R A N C E
It is extremely important as a presenter to project a positive image.
Audiences evaluate not only what is presented, but also who presents it. They may think the information you present is great, but if they are unsure of who is delivering it, you still may not convince your audience to do what you want them to do. Remember the messenger is just as important as the message. Research shows you have seven seconds before your audience starts forming an opinion about you. That's not a lot of time to put your best foot forward. The key factors in a speaker's image include dress, attitude, tone and knowledge. Fine-tuning these factors can help you develop a powerful image. Below are some tips to help you develop the image you want to project to your audience!
Dress
Your dress should communicate a professional image.
Dress should be conservative unless you know otherwise.
Clothes should be clean and neatly pressed.
Shoes should be shined.
You should evaluate the level of dress of your audience and dress one level up.
A T T I T U D E
The only attitude that is appropriate for a presentation is an upbeat positive one! No audience wants to listen to an unenthusiastic, disinterested speaker. If you don't have a positive attitude about what you are talking about, why should your audience? There may be an occasion when a speaker should have
something other than an upbeat attitude, but this is the exception and not the rule.
T O N E
When speaking with your audience, your tone should be confident but not authoritative. The trick is to speak to your audience in a way in which you convey yourself as knowledgeable and confident, but not authoritative or overbearing. Be sure you speak slowly enough for the audience to follow you.
People are frustrated by fast speakers and tend to view those speakers as nervous. When covering the important points, slow down. Audiences will focus in on those specific points, and such concentration will help them retain
information after the presentation is over.
K N O W L E D G E
Make sure you know what you are talking about! There is nothing more frightening than giving a presentation about something you don't know about.
Take the time necessary to research anything you don't know.
M A K I N G E Y E C O N T A C T W I T H Y O U R A U D I E N C E
People speak with their eyes as well as their words. One of the best ways to make your audience feel a part of the presentation is through effective eye contact. By making eye contact with members in your audience, you will get their undivided attention and keep them interested in your presentation. A standard rule of thumb is to make eye contact with an audience member for three to five seconds or for the duration of a phrase or thought. Be careful not to hold eye contact too long or the audience member may feel intimidated by your stare. In addition, be careful not to have roller coaster eyes-darting glances to audience members all around the room. That is not considered eye contact.
If possible, try combining eye contact with names. Occasionally incorporate audience members' names when speaking to them. Addressing people directly
and making strong eye contact with them will keep an audience involved and interested in your presentation.
T I P S F O R U S I N G Y O U R V O I C E E F F E C T I V E L Y
Make sure you speak loud enough for the audience to hear you. Nothing is worse than having to strain to hear a speaker present. So, before you begin a presentation, have someone stand at the back of the room and tell you if you can be heard.
Don't speak in a monotone voice. The easiest way to put an audience to sleep is by speaking in the same voice for a long period of time. Make sure you use natural speech patterns — with highs and lows — instead of a flat monotone.
Alternate the pace of your voice. By speaking at different speech rates for short periods, you can add energy to your speech pattern. Just look at the way you speak in normal conversation. You will notice that sometimes you speak quickly and sometimes you slow down.
Slow down for important points. By slowing your speech rate for key points, you can emphasize important points.
Use the pause. Silence is an excellent exclamation point. By slightly extending a pause, you can add emphasis to a key point in your presentation. All presenters pause naturally, but the best presenters plan their pauses for maximum impact!
Drink water. Before presenting, have a glass of water. Water can prevent potential voice problems during a presentation. You can also use a sip of water as a pause in a presentation.
Bonus Tip!
Check out the national news! News anchors provide some of the best examples of effective voice usage.
Bonus Tip!
When you make eye contact with your audience, you force yourself to focus on them! In turn, you are less likely to read from a script.