Presentations, public speaking and talking frogs

Every time I talk to a group about presenting, I like to tell a favorite joke. The one I use most often is like this.

One day, two women were walking down a country road when they came across a frog. The frog looked at them and spoke. “Kiss me and I will become a rich and handsome prince.” The first woman bent down, picked up the frog, carefully put it in her bag, and continued down the path to her house, where she put it in a box.

Each day for the next week, the woman would take the frog out of the box, place it on the table, and wait until it spoke. “Kiss me and I will become a rich and handsome prince.” She would then put it back in the box until the next day.

At the end of the week, her friend couldn’t wait any longer. She asked, “Why don’t you kiss the frog and you will be rich and happy?”

The first woman replied, “You must be kidding. A talking frog is worth more than a rich and handsome prince any day!”

Being able to speak well, perform in front of people and influence others are keys to success in life. You will enjoy reading this article on how to be a better presenter. You’re really going to want to use the things you learn. And I’m going to help you every step of the way. I want you to repeat the following sentence three times out loud. Do not be shy. Find a private place if you must. Now, repeat three times,

“I am a talented presenter. I am influential and compelling.”

Say it with feeling and seriously. This is the beginning of its development.

Beginning

The first and last thirty seconds of your presentation have the most impact, so spend more attention, time, and effort. This is the time when you need to find a way to build excitement, build anticipation, and uncover motivation in your audience. If you haven’t captured the interest of your audience, their minds will wander. Whatever you do, don’t waste any of your precious seconds with “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a pleasure to be here tonight.” Instead, start with an intriguing or opening statement: “Half the people in this room are going to be in an accident next year.” “When I was young, my father gave me this valuable advice…”; “Of all the questions I get asked most frequently, this is the one I hear most often…”

Go to, happening, happened.

As with writing, speaking requires you to fulfill three parts to be complete. You have to tell people what is going to happen, tell them again what is happening as it happens, and remind them what happened at the end. Start by telling them what is going to happen. Everyone is anxious to know what the next few hours or minutes will be like, so tell them. For example, if you’re giving a workshop on presentation skills, try this:

“You’re going to love this article on how to be a good presenter. You’ll definitely want to use the ideas you hear. I’m going to explain it all, step by step.”

planting

Body language is important when giving presentations. Stand, walk, or move with appropriate hand gestures or facial expressions. When you perform in front of an audience, you are acting much like an actor on stage. Present the desired image to your audience. Appear pleasant, enthusiastic, confident, proud, but not arrogant. He acts like you’re relaxed, even if you’re feeling nervous. Plant yourself before making an important point. When you flutter and move from side to side, people are easily distracted. Before you make an important statement that you want them to hear, stop, sit, look at them, and then speak. When you plant yourself, place your feet in place, assume a strong and confident stance, wait a few seconds before continuing, and then speak.

Sound muffled, or not at all.

Speak with conviction as if you really believe what you are saying. His audience knows very little about his subject, so he effectively persuades his audience. Most of us talk too fast, go through slides too fast, and don’t stop long enough for our audience to absorb what we’re saying. Speak slowly, loud and clear, with confidence. Don’t whisper. If you make a mistake, just correct it and continue. No lengthy apologies or apologies.

Talk to a person. When we talk to a person, we use natural communication techniques: visual connection, pauses to allow for understanding, fueling the listeners’ reactions. These natural “ways of being” are often lost when we speak to a group. But if you focus on one person at a time and talk to them as if they’re the only person in the room, you’ll come across as natural and confident. Don’t be afraid of any sound. Silence, the lack of sound, is extremely important, and is not usually well used. Use it intentionally. Plan times when you keep your audience waiting. It may seem like an eternity to you, but 5-10 seconds of silence can be like a punctuation mark. Emphasizes a point and grabs the listener’s attention.

Delivery

Take time to review what you have said. Most people need to hear things more than once, and going back to recent points you made helps make new material relevant and easier to remember. Get feedback when you review, even if you have to ask people directly. You need to assess how your audience is receiving your presentation. If people seem reluctant to talk, let them know that it’s okay.

Use repetition. Use the rule of three to emphasize a point and sway your audience’s imagination.

“People who improve their presentation skills have increasing opportunities than those who don’t.”

“Continuing to improve your presentation skills now will bring you more and more success.”

Feel free to tell stories or relate your own learning experience. Storytelling is one of the most significant ways that people learn new ideas and concepts. Hearing stories or your experiences can make your audience start to think. Add humor whenever appropriate and possible. Whatever you use, make sure you practice it until it’s smooth.

Once again I want you to repeat the following sentence three times out loud.

“I am a talented presenter. I am influential and compelling.”

Say it with feeling and seriously.

gonna, happening, happened

You are really seeing that making good presentations is not as difficult as it seemed. This is a great article and you want to share this experience with others. Of course I’m telling you what’s going on and you should be telling them when you present or speak as well. If your goal is to get people to want to buy your idea, product, or service, tell them it’s happening. Do not be shy.

call to action

I said the first 30 seconds have the biggest impact. They have the biggest impact – in the first 30 seconds. When you’re finishing, the last 30 seconds have the biggest impact. It’s your time to create a lasting image, re-engage your audience, and reveal the next step you want them to take.

Summarize, set up the final image, and provide closure. Avoid coming out with a whimper, using outdated phrases and clichés. Consider these approaches.

“As you reflect on the ideas I have offered you, you notice that presenting is exciting, you see that it is possible for you, the benefits are many, and now you want to take what you have learned and find a presenting opportunity.”

“The more you try to justify not speaking to groups, the more you realize you’re underestimating yourself.”

“I guess we’ve pretty much covered everything. The only question left is how soon you want to get on stage and share your ideas with others.”

going to, happening, happened

You really enjoyed reading this article. You can feel the excitement of entering a new phase of our life. I will be here to help you every step of the way.

There is a final but important point. Know when to STOP talking. End your presentation with an interesting comment or appropriate joke. Leave your listeners with a positive impression and a sense of accomplishment. Concluding remarks should be short and to the point. Thank your audience and sit down.

One last time: I am a talented presenter. I am influential and convincing