Mastering Quick Presentations

Short and Sweet: Mastering Quick Presentations

You have to make a major presentation, and suddenly you're asked if you can get your message across in five minutes! Don't panic. For today's television generation, sound bites can be more powerful than lengthy dissertations. Here's how to compress your speech without losing impact.

1. Don't apologize or mention that you usually have much more time. Be confident that you can communicate in five minutes.
2. Begin fast. Start with an attention-getting statement such as, "Your job won't exist five years from now," or "In the next five minutes I want to convince you that the best action you can take is..."
3. Use a strongly visual story. Illustrate your points -- how it is now, how it will or could be -- with a story so vivid that the audience can "see" it.
4. Divide your five minutes into three parts. Present a problem, a payoff, and your point of view. This will make your short presentation a complete thought. Think about what you uniquely have to say in five minutes that will entice the audience to listen, and punctuate your speech with your point of view: "The #1 piece of advice I can give you today is..."

by Patricia Fripp

[published in INC.com]

Patricia Fripp is a San Francisco-based executive speech coach and professional speaker on change, teamwork, customer service, promoting business, and communication skills. She is the author of Make It, So You Don't Have to Fake It and Get What You Want! Fripp also served as a president of the National Speakers Association. She can be contacted via e-mail, at 800-634-3035, or through her Web site Fripp.com.

Elevator Pitch

An elevator pitch is a presentation you make to someone in a very short time.  Imagine riding in an elevator and from the time the doors close to the time someone gets to their floor you have to convince them of something.

Think of it as a very compressed presentation you have to make in under a minute.

Click here to see a slideshow on tips on how to make an effective elevator pitch.

Overcoming Fear Of Public Speaking

How to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Did you know that public speaking is the # 1 fear in North America? The second greatest fear is death! If you have the fear of public speaking, you are not alone. You must first recognize what "fear" is. Fear is the anticipation of pain. Is your fear real or imagined?

Steps

1. Realize the source. The source of your fear is this: not knowing what will happen when you are in front of people, giving your speech or presentation. Your fear is not that you don't know your topic. It is that you don't know what will happen when you step to the podium or table.
   • The fear of being judged, making a mistake, not measuring up, getting hurt either mentally or physically can get in the way of a good performance (speech, seminar, sales presentation, etc). Remember that people in the audience really want you to succeed. Nobody is standing there hoping you'll be boring or bad. If you are coming from an authentic place, and you cover the material with clarity, you've won 3/4 of your inner battle with fear.
2. Face Down Your Fears. If you feel your knees turning to jelly out of fear, remind yourself that fear stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. Almost certainly, whatever it is that you're frightened of won't happen. If there is a real worry, for example you've forgotten an important prop, do something about it and then stop worrying. Remember, you can always rationalise yourself out of fear.
3. Learn how to enroll and engage your audience. If you haven't yet taken a professional development course on public speaking, consider finding a public speaking training course appropriate for your needs. Learning the art of public speaking can enhance your results in a boardroom, in a sales presentation, and even accelerate your climb up the corporate ladder. It is a must-skill for any executive and/or business owner.
4. Breathe Deeply. Practicing a breathing exercise before you go on will relax your body and mind. Here's one that you can do anywhere, even in the wings. Stand still and feel the ground beneath your feet. Close your eyes and imagine yourself suspended from the ceiling by a thin thread. Just listen to your breathing and tell yourself there is no rush. Slow your breathing until you can count to 6 seconds of in-breath and 6 seconds of out-breath. You'll now go on in a totally relaxed and confident mood.
5. Relax. Relaxing is the art of letting go. There are many ways to let go. You can imagine you're made of rubber and go wibbly-wobbly. Or you can sit in front of a mirror and make a horse's laugh with your lips. Why not lie on the ground and pretend you're floating? Or, just collapse on the ground like a limp doll. Letting go un-tenses the body and makes you more at ease and relaxed.
6. Make use of the wall push. The wall push was a technique used by Yul Brynner, star of the musical "The King and I". This is what you do. Stand about 18" away from a wall and place your palms flat on it. Push against the wall. As you push, your abdominal muscles will contract. As you breath out, hiss and contract the muscles below your rib cage as if you were rowing a boat against the current. Do this a few times, and you'll banish all feelings of stage-fright.
7. Recognize that can't see your nervousness. When you're walking out onto the stage toward the podium, no one knows you're nervous. Your stomach could be in knots and you feel like you're going to be sick, but you really aren't showing nervous behavior. Sometimes, with public speaking, you think that people may notice you're nervous. This makes you even more nervous. There are only a few subtle cues that show a person is nervous and they're so small, that the ordinary person wouldn't put more than 1 second into them. Don't worry so much. People don't see that extreme nervous beast inside you.
   • Bluff. Stand tall, with shoulders back and chest out. Smile. Even though you don’t feel happy or confident, do it anyway. You will look confident and your body will fool your brain into thinking it is confident.
8. Know that adrenaline sends the blood rushing to the fight/flight centres of your brain at the base of the skull. Place your hand on your forehead and press gently on the bony points. This will bring the blood to the parts of the brain that need it to present your speech best.
9. Practice. Find business organizations, networks and clubs in your area (such as Toastmasters) that can afford you the opportunity to practice. Remember to choose topics that you are already an expert on. Speaking on a topic that you are not familiar with will increase your stress, and impede on your performance.
10. Buy some recording software, and record everything on your laptop. Review it to see where you can improve. Have speaking pros attend your live presentation to give you feedback. Allow yourself the opportunity to learn more every time you go out.
11. Prepare. Make sure you know the material that you're going to cover. Make a detailed outline, and break it into basic points to memorize. Include subpoints and the title of speech. Here is an idea to help you build a speech that flows well:
    • Associate each part of the outline into a "room" in your house. Your first point is your entry room. The second point is your hallway/kitchen/living room (as you step through your house in your imagination), etc.
    • Associate each subpoint with pictures on the wall. Have the pictures demonstrate something that will help you remember your point. The more ridiculous, the better the speech will stick (as long as you don't get distracted).
    • The morning of the presentation, walk through "the house" in your mind to "decode" the memorization technique.

Video

Tips

• Remember, even the top professionals learn something new every single time they go out!
• Remember that when you are asked to speak, if you are coming from a place of service, you can't go wrong. Remember, it's not about you. It's about them - your audience. You are not the star, they are.
• Be authentic.
• If you go to school, volunteer to read the text when the class is reading textbooks.
• Don't take anything personally.
• Remember, you don't look as nervous as you feel.
• It gets easier. Practice is a good thing.
• Only you know what you are supposed to say or do so it's OK to change things during the presentation. (It's OK not to be word-for-word as your wrote it)
• Trust yourself.
• Tell yourself, "One is admired when looked upon by others."
• SMILE and try to make some jokes to cover your nervousness. The audience will laugh (but in a good way, of course!) and think that your really funny. Don't try to be humorous in serious situations such a funeral or an important meeting though, or you might get into big trouble!
• If you think the people you're talking to will judge you too much, think that they're not themselves. Think that they're you're siblings or friends. People who respect you and won't judge you if you do a mistake.

Warnings

• If you don't know the answer to a question, ask the audience if anyone knows the answer to the question (you don't have to admit you don't know it...you just ask the audience).
• Don't give a wrong or uninformed answer. Defer to a later time and ask "is it okay if I get back to you on that on the break. I want to make sure I cover the subject well, and get you the right answer".
• (avoid standing behind podiums, tables or any physical barrier between you and your audience).
• Avoid death by power point! Overuse of power point will put your audience to sleep!

Things You'll Need

• Optional materials for presentations:
• Flip Chart, Flip Chart Paper, Markers, Promotional Material, Microphone, Music Stand (to hold your notes), Lots of Water (drink lots), and confidence that you will do great at your presentation.

Related wikiHows

• How to Write a High School President Speech
• How to Write a Speech
• How to Relax
• How to Be Calm in a Stressful Situation
• How to Cope With the Fear of Fire
• How to Overcome the Fear of Injections
• How to Overcome the Fear of Marriage
• How to Not Be Afraid of Performing Music or Speeches
• How to Be a Public Speaking Superstar

Sources and Citations

• [1], Lead Trainer Paul Tobey Career Training
• http://searchwarp.com/swa17799.htm

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Be Charismatic

How to Be Charismatic

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Have you ever noticed how some people captivate everyone they speak to? No matter what they look like or how much money they have, they can just walk into a room and instantly be the center of attention. When they leave, people think highly of them and want to emulate them. That's charisma, a sort of magnetism that inspires confidence and adoration. Like beauty, luck, and social position, charisma can open many doors in life. Unlike these other qualities, anyone can become more charismatic.

Steps

1. Relax. Charisma is all about channeling your energy to other people. If you channel stress and anxiety, people will be repelled. If you channel relaxation and tranquility, people will be attracted to your calmness, and they'll want to be more like you. Remember, many people may be just as nervous as you are....so, take a breather, relax.
2. Look confident. Charisma isn't the same thing as confidence, but appearing confident can make you more charismatic because your confidence will put others at ease and inspire faith in your abilities. Ensure you use adequate eye contact to appear confident and interested/
   • Improve your posture. Nothing conveys confidence like good posture. Stand or sit up straight, but not rigidly. When you meet someone, give a firm handshake and look the other person in the eye. (Please do not squash rings. Ouch!) Display positive body language while you're talking to someone and even when you're just waiting around. Sit facing the person or people you're talking to, uncross your legs and arms, and keep your hands away from your face. Look at ease, and don't fidget or convey nervousness.
   • Be anyone's equal. No matter to whom you are talking, treat them as an equal. If you're talking to a potential employer, a group of wealthy donors, a child, a stranger, or an attractive guy or girl, for example, don't put them on a pedestal or talk down to them. Be respectful of other people, of course, but respect them as equals, and expect that they will accept you as such.
3. Develop a warm personality. If you are stuck up, no one will feel that they have to listen to you. Enjoy the company of other people. Appreciate them for their differences and welcome them into your life.
4. Get in touch with your emotions. Research has shown that people who are generally believed to be charismatic feel emotions strongly, and they are also able to relate to what others are feeling. Ironically, in many societies, the suppression of emotion is considered desirable. Don't be afraid to feel anger, pain, sadness, or elation, and don't be afraid to communicate your emotions. Also be aware that there is a difference in suppressing your emotions and controlling how you express your emotions. It is this control which is truly desirable. Always be genuine - fake emotion rarely appeals to anyone.
5. Match your body language to your speech. Perhaps the defining characteristic of charismatic people is the ability to use body language effectively when communicating. Gesturing is important, but good gestures aren't arbitrary.
   • Watch how other people gesture. Notice how some speakers' gestures appear fake or out of sync with their message. These people come off looking shifty or uncertain as a result. Other speakers use body language exceptionally well. These are generally the more effective communicators and appear more trustworthy and competent. These people are often successful actors, religious leaders, and pundits. Look for good and bad examples of the use of body language. Pay attention, and learn.
   • Think about your own gestures. When you speak, does your body language back you up, or do you look nervous, uncaring, or bored? If you're passionate about something, do your gestures communicate this, or do you play it cool?
   • Practice in a mirror. Watch yourself in the mirror and give a speech or even pretend to hold a conversation. What are your eyes doing? How about your hands? Do you look like the shifty politician or the charismatic one? Could someone know what emotion you're trying to convey even if they couldn't hear you? Practice regularly, and make note of what you need to improve.
6. Think before you speak. Reduce the fluff and filler material in your daily communications. Try to make every word count, and think about how you're going to phrase something before you open your mouth. If you don't have something important to say, remain silent. With continuous effort, the right words will come to you more easily. It may seem surprising but limiting the amount you talk will make what you have to say more interesting.
7. Speak with conviction. Like gesturing, the way you say something can be just as important as what you say. Say something important and say it with conviction. Speak at a relaxed pace and speak clearly. From this baseline, vary your tone, rhythm, volume, and pitch to emphasize your most important words and to keep your speech interesting. Record yourself speaking, and ensure that your phrasing complements your message.
8. Treat people as they want to be treated. Make each person you meet feel as though he or she is truly important, regardless of your first impression or that person's reputation. If you make people feel good about themselves, they'll be drawn to you and hold a higher opinion of you.
   • Listen actively when others speak. Give someone your full attention when he or she is speaking to you. Make good eye contact, and nod in agreement or make brief interjections, such as "I see," or "Okay," to assure the person that you are listening and you're interested in what he or she has to say. A brief touch on the upper arm can emphasize your agreement or empathy with something someone says, and it can make the person feel connected to you.
   • Make people feel special. Learn and remember people's names, and address people by their names. Smile genuinely when you greet someone. Compliment people freely, but genuinely, and accept compliments graciously and without any fuss. Convince them that doing what you want them to do is what they want or is good for them.
   • Mimic body language of those you are conversing with, so that you can get closer to them in a non-verbal fashion.
9. Look people in the eye when you're talking with them. Don't stare them down, but don't glance around the room or look everywhere but at them. Engage them with your eyes, not just your voice.

Tips

• Developing charisma is an art. The general guidelines above can help you be more charismatic, but your charisma must come from within you and must reflect you as an individual or it will appear fake. Fortunately, everyone has the ability to be charismatic, and it simply needs to be coaxed out. Practice and take note of what works and what needs improvement.
• Don't mimic others. People with well-developed charisma have a remarkable ability not only to sway people's opinions but also to cause others to emulate their personalities and even gestures. At the same time, however, research has shown that charismatic people do not emulate other charismatic people. Their individuality sets them apart.
• Have a message. Don't be afraid to be controversial, to push the envelope. If you believe in something or feel strongly about it, communicate that in a respectful way. Your charisma will help people be accepting of your ideas.
• Take an acting class. Actors and charismatic people use the same techniques to captivate their audience and evoke emotion.
• Join a Toastmasters Club to develop communication and leadership skills with others who have similar interests.
• Put it all out there. People tend to hide thoughts and feelings from each other without any bad intentions, but everyone warms up to someone who is totally honest without being awkward or weird about it. Some things would be weird, but wording them right can be a bit charming. Of course, there are a few exceptions; don't say anything that will make people feel uncomfortable or want to leave and back away from you.
• Being charismatic isn't the same as pleasing people. Charismatic people don't care about what others think. They are just totally charming and charismatic on their own.
• Be honest. People don't like 'sheep'; people who suck up to others and are afraid to give honest opinions, on the other hand don't be frank. Charismatic people don't offend others, they give honest opinions without making someone feel bad about themselves
• Talk about other people, you may not realise how annoying and underwhelming it is when someone is unable to discuss a different subject to themselves. These people come off as arrogant, cocky, undereducated, uncaring, boring, but most of all uncharismatic. Never point this out to someone you know
• Another path to developing charisma that is truly effective is to meditate and to lighten up. Dropping seriousness and self-concern makes one more charismatic.

Warnings

• Consider your audience and be careful not to offend them. It can be good to be controversial, but being offensive can make people feel uncomfortable. Challenge, but do not offend.
• Don't try to fake charisma. You can learn charisma, but trying to be charismatic without practice can make you seem bizarre and untrustworthy.
• Success requires more than charisma. If you don't have the skills or dedication to do what you set out to do, you will most likely fall short.
• Don't be viciously critical of your audience. The people you want to connect with and influence should always get a shot of positive, real compliments to how cool they are. Criticizing individuals will make you sound petty or jealous. Save your criticism for broad issues without singling out individuals unless a public figure like a politician says something so idiotic you must speak to it - or mock it. Don't pick on the little guy. Also make any critical comments amusing if not satirical and humorous.

Related wikiHows

• How to Have Presence
• How to Be Charming
• How to Build Self Confidence
• How to Be Popular
• How to Be Nice
• How to Become a Philosopher
• How to Smile
• How to Be Romantic
• How to Have Sex Appeal
• How to Use Body Language to Keep a Guy Wanting More
• How to Spread Laughter
• How to Spread Good Cheer

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Be Charismatic. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

The Good, Bad and Ugly of Powerpoint Presentations

This link directs you to a site where they provide detailed information related to Powerpoint presentations.

Click on the title to read.

PowerPoint Presentations:The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Using Silence In A Presentation

Instead of Fumbling� Pause
Using Silence as a Powerful Tool in Speaking

The indomitable Robert Byrd, one of the true orators in the U.S. Senate, once rose in that august hall to praise the simple pause. This device, Byrd argued, was one of the essential tools used by the great Greek orators, after whom Byrd modeled his own rhetorical style. Byrd wondered aloud why public speakers did not use this device more often to raise the impact of their remarks. “Those orators,” Byrd noted, “often hesitated in the midst of a speech, not hitting immediately upon the word they wanted.” They paused deliberately, for good reason.

"There can be an art in the use of a pause. I find nothing wrong with a pause. It does not have to be filled with a you know. This phrase, like so many others,” Byrd added, “betrays a mind whose thoughts are often so disorganized as to be unutterable—a mind in neutral gear coupled to a tongue stuck in overdrive."

Fillers Weaken Our Phrases
Most speakers fill the gaps in their speech by fumbling along with meaningless filler words and phrases instead of using a simple pause. Perhaps it’s because we're uncomfortable with silence. Or because we're worried someone might, you know, jump in and, like, cut us off. Why do we use uh’s, and like’s, and you knows at all? As in, “I'm, like, uh, you know, convinced we’re on the right track.” All those fillers accomplish is to dilute what we’re saying, especially if we’re out to persuade our audience. They rob our speech of strength, often making us seem unsure or tentative.

Get Rid Of Them
Instead of using fillers, use silence. Develop your ability to use a focused pause to punctuate your speech. Here's how:

Pause when you are searching for a word. Most people “Uh” and “Uhm” when they look away to find a word. Instead, fall silent for a moment, but keep your eyes focused on the eyes of a listener. Once you get comfortable with this approach, you’ll find you think faster when you’re focused.

Take a breath. Make sure you breathe at the end of every major phrase or sentence. The benefits of this are more oxygen for your brain (good for thinking on your feet); more energy for your voice because you'll have more air for your phrases; good new breathing habits for staying cool under pressure; and finally, you’ll experience a growing comfort with pauses. Your audience will appreciate these pauses all the more if your material is complex, technical, or includes ideas that are novel or challenging.

Speak in Short Phrases. Take an article from a newspaper, for example—preferably one that advocates a point of view. An op-ed piece or editorial might do it. Better yet, pull an actual speech off the internet. Mark it where it makes sense to pause. First, whisper it/ pausing at each mark./ (Whispering is good/ because it forces you/ to use a lot of air.)/ Then, speak it out loud,/ pausing in the same way./ Do this with a different paragraph/ every day./ You will soon have taught yourself/ a valuable lesson.

Silence Is Your Ally
Pause longer than you think you should. For most of us, two or three seconds at the end of a major phrase or sentence may feel like an eternity. Our sense of time changes under pressure because, if we're speaking to a group, our rapid heart rate will convince us a second is a minute. But two or three seconds of silence is bliss to our listeners. Such a pause gives them time to digest what we've said, and lends significance and credibility to our speech.

Let us now pause to praise the pause. Silence... is golden.

[from www.totalcommunicator.com]

This

18 Tips For Killer Presentations

To be a good presenter you must practice, practice, practice.  To be an expert you must continnually learn the craft and be open to suggestions and tips.

Here are 18 tips to enhance your presentations.  Click on the title to read the article.

18 Tips for Killer Presentations

[from lifehack.org]

Presentation Tidbits

Good tidbits on presentation skills and tips.

Presentations

Presentations and reports are ways of communicating ideas and information to a group. But unlike a report, a presentation carries the speaker's personality better and allows immediate interaction between all the participants.
A report is the orderly presentation of the results of the research which seeks truth and interprets facts into constructive ideas and suggestions (Gwinn, 2007). A report is normally built on research that finds, develops, or substantiates knowledge. Once all the facts are collected, they are then organized and presented in a report designed to meet a need for specific information.
A presentation is created in the same manner as a report; however, it adds one additional element — The Human Element.
A good presentation contains at least four elements:

Click here to read the rest.

[from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadpres.html]

The Bar Graph

A bar graph, also known as a bar chart (could also be called a column graph), is a graph that uses bars on the common x-axis and y-axis chart.  The bars can be verticle or horizontal.   Additionally, mutliple bars can be placed to show comparisons or different values.

The bar graph is perhaps the easiest graph for the audience to understand.

Let's look at a typical bar graph:

In the above graph, the y-axis (verticle line on the left) shows values from 0 to 5, while the x-axis (bottom line) shows four categories.  The blue bars represent the value of each category.

Let's look at another bar graph:

In the above graph, the bars go from left to right.  In a bar graph, the bars can go from top to bottom or right to left, there is no difference, only preferences.  In this bar graph the y-axis shows four neighborhoods, while the x-axis shows the number of residents in thousands.  In thousands means that for example, Hilltop has approximately seven thousand residents.  Seven equals seven thousand.

Let's look at another bar graph:

In the above graph, as you can see, the shapes of the bars are cylinders.  Again, this is just a preference of the presenter.  In this graph, there are three bars for each category.  The three bars represent yes, no or undecided.  In this graph, it shows a comparison of these against each category.

Presentation Mistakes

As much as we try to focus on the success of a presentation, we should also be aware of mistakes we make during a presentation.

Click on the title below to read the article about the ten worst presentation habits.

The 10 Worst Presentation Habits

Speakers can be their own worst enemies. Here are our expert's tips on how to make a presentation sing

By Carmine Gallo
[from businessweek.com]