Talking in front of a group of friends is drastically different than giving a speech to a number of co workers or colleagues in class or work. However, the basic principles that govern great communication are the same. You may not be aware of it when using them in everyday conversations, but they really come quite naturally to anyone. This article will give you an overview on how you can understand and leverage these skills you already have!
1. Use Body Language- Effectively using hand motions or gestures when talking is a crucial aspect of oral presentations. Most people are too nervous to do more than stand or switch feet while presenting, but if you just imagine talking to close friends it all becomes more natural and you won’t be so fearful.
2. Be Firm- When talking to your friends, you usually don’t have doubts or speak softly, right? So why do so in a presentation? Talk with a strong voice and make sure your face expresses confidence in what you’re saying.
3. Avoid Reading from Notes- Having a few note cards is alright, but don’t rely on them to do the talking for you. Make sure you have a good grasp of what you’re going to say before the speech even arrives, and then get up and say it!
4. Keep The Audience’s Attention- This is something you also have experience doing with friends, and that can easily be accomplished with other groups of people. Keeping the focus on you can seem challenging depending on the environment, but it’s not nearly as difficult as it seems. If you through in a relevant interlude, and react to what’s happening with the audience or perhaps ask the audience to chime in with their opinion on a part of your topic, then it becomes easier to be heard.
5. Use Humor- Humorous anecdotes sprinkled throughout your oral presentation can keep the audience awake and focused on you as well.
6. Utilize visual aids- Hand outs and diagrams or charts, if allowed and prepared well, are great ways to get your audience not only interacting, but interested in what you have to say much more than if you simply talked to them. This is just the same as when you explain a story to a family member or friend and mime it out with things around you.
7. Know When to Stop Talking- Everyone whose ever said the wrong thing will probably be good with this one- if you know how to speak well and explain your views, then chances are you won’t get antagonistic looks. If you are badly received by your audience, however, you should know when to call it quits and wrap things up. Alternatively, you can keep talking but change things up and make them a bit more fun for the audience.
As you can see, communication as a whole relies a lot on these basic things, and you can become a better presenter if you learn to utilize every day methods of getting your point across in formal speeches. These tips will hopefully get you off on the right foot when you’re giving a speech.