When recently coaching business leaders, as they prepared for various presentations, I kept hearing the same question again and again….
Your input and interest have been the inspiration for many of the articles featured in SpeakerNotes. You’ve emailed questions, reflections, and comments, and I appreciate each and every one. Based on your feedback, here’s a recap of the three tips that really resonated with the SpeakerNotes community:
Even enthusiastic presenters can sometimes overlook the importance of having your listeners truly grasp your message. For speakers, “getting it” is a commitment to yourself and your audience — it is recognizing the influence you have, and sincerely wanting to connect with your listeners and inspire them to action.
On the other hand, simply aiming to “get through it” is not the engaged mindset of the successful high-stakes speaker. And your intention — or lack thereof — is certain to come through in your presentation. If you are distracted and not personally engaged, your audience will allow their minds to wander to more pressing matters as well.
Most presenters realize too late that they’re sabotaging their effectiveness by not paying an equal amount of attention to the “how” as well as the “what” when they’re speaking. I’m sure you’ve witnessed a situation where a speaker’s words were contradicted by their body language or voice. Chances are, these contradictions made you question the presenter’s credibility.
So if you’ve ever wondered how to make eye contact with an audience of thousands, the eight ways for conducting an audience poll, or when it’s perfectly appropriate to bribe audience members, flip through the pages of Boring to Bravo. It’ll quickly have you cheering “Bravo!” and eagerly awaiting Arnold’s next book. The latest release by current NSA president Kristin Arnold, Boring to Bravo is a compendium of techniques (90, to be exact) that you can use to reinvigorate your next presentation.
“Top-Notch Power Tools”, Part I, gave you some hands-on tools —from my favorite timer to a must-read blog — to make a good presentation even better when the stakes are high.
Now, let’s continue the conversation with a discussion of intangible resources — things that you don’t go out and buy, but that can make a significant difference in the strength and effectiveness of your communication nonetheless.
Hot off the press, Nancy Duarte’s book, Resonate, present visual stories that transform audiences is quite simply, remarkable! You don’t…
From a high-stakes sales call to a keynote broadcast around the world, top-notch speakers rely on a presentation toolkit filled with their favorite resources — both hands-on tools and those that are a bit more intangible. Here’s a peek at my Top 5 favorites.
Although not difficult to learn, there’s no doubt that mastering a teleprompter takes practice, or in some cases the guiding hand of a presentation coach. Collaborating with Teleprompter Operators Andrea Sawchuck and Bethal Bird we developed these 11 Tips to Become a Teleprompter Pro.
10 Tips to maintain direct, roving and continuous eye contact during your next present.