Tips for Talking

Want to NAIL your next presentation? Visit our Services & Rates page to find the perfect seminar to book, and/or contact us to discuss your needs. In the meantime, check out these great resources regarding ANXIETY with public speaking, ATTENTION-GETTING ideas, and TIPS FOR GREAT SPEECHES.

"Three Tricks to Pulverize Presentation Anxiety"

By Mike Polites, Owner and Corporate Trainer for Training Group Inc.

If you’re like most people, the thought of getting up to speak in front of an audience is not only intimidating, but the nervousness and anxiety can start days before you speak.  Follow these tips to help calm the nervous and put anxiety in its place:

Prepare!  Prepare!  Prepare! – Most people are already nervous when they are asked to deliver a presentation.  The best way to beat that anxiety is to ensure that your materials are ready several days in advance.   If your speaking outline, notes, attire, slides, and other visual aids are all ready to go a few days ahead of time, and you have rehearsed at least ten to twelve times on your own, you should feel confident and ready to roll!

Think Positively! – What goes on in your brain affects what comes out of your mouth.  If your mindset is, “Gosh, I hate speaking in front of others,” or, “Man, I really don’t want to do this because no one cares what I have to say,” then congratulations! You’ve just set yourself up for failure. But changing your mindset to, “Hey, here’s a great opportunity to connect with my clients,” or, “Wow, I get to practice a newfound skill and make an impact on this audience!” then you are much more likely to have success. 
 

Get to Know Your Audience – Arrive early and have some informal conversations with the audience. Welcome them. Ask questions. Build a little rapport. You will be less nervous during your presentation if you take the time to chat with your audience beforehand when possible.
 

Exercise! – I’m not talking about running a marathon before your presentation. Something as simple as stretching or even a little mini-massage to the neck or shoulders can help get the blood flowing and reduce nervousness.

For more on this topic and many others, talk to Mike@TrainingGroupInc.com about training your company.

"Three Ways to Get Their Attention"

By Mike Polites, Owner and Corporate Trainer for Training Group Inc.

If you’re giving a presentation, you’ve got about a minute to grab the audience’s attention and reel them in so they listen to the rest. But how can you do that? Here are three surefire ways:

Stories – A good, well-rehearsed story has the potential to engage them right away. For added impact, don’t tell them the end, the moral, or result of the story (if applicable) until the end of your presentation. Refer back to “that story I told when I began,” and at that point, close with the end of the anticdote.

Quotations from Notable or Familiar People – This strategy I like to use a lot, especially if you find something relevant to your topic. My favorite is: “You can get anything you want in life, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” –Zig Ziglar, Author and Motivational Speaker 

Humor – Exercise caution with this tactic. When used appropriately and well-timed, it can win over an audience immediately. When used inappropriately and/or ineffectively, it can turn an audience against you.  

BONUS TIP – You can use any of the aforementioned tips as part of your conclusion as well!

For more on this topic and many others, talk to Mike@TrainingGroupInc.com about training your company.

"Three Tips for Turning a Good Speech into a Great Speech"

By Mike Polites, Owner and Corporate Trainer for Training Group Inc.

You’re giving a presentation next week to your clients. Your content is done. You picked the perfect attire to impress them. Even your slides and visual aids are enough to impress anyone. But, what about your delivery? If you really want to make an impact, and you don’t want to sound like the teacher from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (“Bueller.  Bueller.  Bueller.”), then remember these three methods for turning a good speech into a great speech!

Vocal Variety – This is the absolute BEST way to not sound boring. From time to time throughout your presentation, alter your tone, volume, rate, and pauses. Ex: During your introduction and conclusion, perhaps speak at a faster rate and maybe slightly louder. But when you have statistics or a story, slow it down and speak slightly softer. This will take a little practice to master.

Movement – I’m 5’1” tall, so I’m not a fan of podiums. If you have the opportunity to remove barriers between you and your audience, do so. This will allow you the freedom to move about. The best way to do this is to avoid pacing, but rather, move at your main points. For instance, say you’re talking to your new client about some changes your company is making. Begin with change #1 over on the right, and then talk about change #2 by moving to the left, then moving toward the middle for your final point/change. What happens is that it helps you, as the speaker, separate your points in your mind so you stay on track. And bonus – it helps the audience recall your points later, too, because physically, you were in a different spot when you presented each one. Hand gestures are also a great way to incorporate movement into your presentation. Try to keep them natural, but do include them when rehearsing. 

The Eyes Have It – It’s pretty simple, really. If you’re not looking at your audience, you’re not connecting with them during your presentation and possibly losing impact. Establish consistent eye contact using one of two techniques: 1.) The Triangle Technique: first you look toward the back left, then the back right, then the front and center. Follow that with looking to the front right, front left, and back center. 2.) The Scan Technique: this technique has you simply scanning your audience.  Look at a different person for about 3-5 seconds, about the length of a sentence. Any longer than that, it may get weird! 

For more on this topic and many others, talk to Mike@TrainingGroupInc.com about training your company.