We all have short attention spans. This is exacerbated in these days of communication delivered in truncated, rapid-fire bytes.
So you have to set up your presentations so that you do something frequently to keep attention.
Change your delivery style.
Support your words with a new visual.
Challenge with an activity for audience involvement.
Tell a story. Whatever techniques you use, introduce them often and vary them.
Each will have its own impact, but make sure that impact supports your chosen image and message.
The Back of the Napkin
by Dan Roam
Management consultant and lecturer Roam begins with a watershed moment: asked, at the last minute, to give a talk to top government officials, he sketched a diagram on a napkin. The clarity and power of that image allowed him to communicate directly with his audience. From this starting point, Roam has developed a remarkably comprehensive system of ideas. => http://bit.ly/SDH4D0
The introduction to your speech should
– Build credibility
– State your objectives
– Overview the elements
– Lead into the main point
and give a short background for the points to follow
Great speakers seem to stay on track effortlessly. Their presentations are tight and focused. Do you find yourself, on the other hand, sometimes, with too much information, or getting off the point of your story or presentation?
One simple trick to tighten and focus your presentation is to define the message; the central message of your presentation – what one thing do you want the audience to take away?
This message can be called a thesis statement or a theme. It can be given a number of names, but you need to be able to state it in one sentence. One sentence. That way you will stay focused on the outcome when you are planning.
Keep the sentence in front of you as you are preparing your content. Whenever you find a useful piece of information, ask yourself if it contributes to your one-sentence message and how well. When you are choosing the parts of your story, or the supports for your points, ask if they contribute to your one-sentence message and how well. When you are interacting with your audience in Q&A or an ad lib session, ask yourself that same question. Am I contributing to that one-sentence message and how well is what I am saying supporting it?
One sentence – one of the secrets to tightening and focusing your presentations.
Lost for ideas for your next presentation? …
Lizzie O’Leary, Bloomberg TV’s Washington correspondent, gives her tips on how to effectively tell a story using data.
Many tools can be implemented for success in delivering your speech, whether you are giving a speech to a public audience, talking with members of a company board meeting, or simply offering a sales presentation. Such tools comprise explaining detailed examples, designing statistical charts, in addition to providing influencing testimony. Below, we will add another public speaking skill to the list and explain four special tips for using “evidence” in a influential speech. => http://bit.ly/xIEIsj
Using a pertinent activity as an opening gets the audience’s attention because it makes them active. It gives them the opportunity to move physically which makes them more alert and comfortable. It lets them learn and participate with one another. Finally, it put you in charge. That’s right, when you cede temporary authority to your audience you get larger in their minds. => http://bit.ly/w3bOZG
Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Phrases to Use to Communicate Your Strategy and Vision When the Stakes Are High
by Alan M Perlman
Any successful leader will tell you: Giving a strong presentation is the most immediate and powerful way to set goals, form strategies, and sell your vision-to both internal and external audiences. Perfect Phrases for Executive Presentations not only tells you how to plan and deliver your address, but also provides phrases for every part of the speech or presentation. => http://bit.ly/z76FV8
“Vague and mysterious forms of speech, and abuse of language, have so long passed for mysteries of science; and hard or misapplied words with little or no meaning have, by prescription, such a right to be mistaken for deep learning and height of specu”
John Locke
