Experienced speakers use techniques to make them more interesting to listen to and to help them hold the attention of their audience. Try some of the following the next time you give a presentation.
1. Practice, practice, practice
Rehearsal is essential to speaking well. It will help you keep to a time limit and will allow you to try out various techniques in a low-pressure environment. It will also help you to know your material well, which makes it easier to remember and stay on point. Practice standing and speaking so that you get used to delivering a talk before you have to give it to your audience.
2. Speak, don’t read
Don’t simply read your talk, word-for-word, from a paper. This gets pretty boring for listeners. Spoken language is less formal and wordy than written language, so reading makes you sound stiff and will dampen any sense of energy or spontaneity in your performance. Reading from a paper forces you to look down, instead of speaking to the audience. Instead, if you have a ‘script’, turn it into notes that you can talk from, and glance at only occasionally. It’s less important that you capture the text word for word than that you present the main ideas in a natural and relaxed way (this is where rehearsing helps - it not only improves your performance skills, it enables you to better remember what you want to say).
3. Be yourself
Even in a formal speech, allow your personality to come through. When you’re nervous, it’s easy to tense up and become a little awkward or wooden, but make an effort to stay natural. Smile and make eye contact. You will establish better rapport and credibility if you are being yourself, and your audience will listen more if they can see you as genuine, even if it means being a little less technically perfect.
4. Aim for a positive state of mind and a confident attitude
Try to project confidence, even if you don’t feel it. Remind yourself that you can do it, and that the audience want you to succeed. Visualise a positive outcome. Harness your nervous energy and tell yourself that you are excited - that you have interesting, engaging materials to share with the audience. As you walk to the front of the room, carry yourself in a confident manner. Stand straight, look at the group, take a breath, and smile. Concentrate on what you will tell the audience, rather than your degree of nervousness. This will help you forget your nerves and focus on your topic and your listeners, so you’ll be better able to get them engaged in your speech.
5. Use verbal signposting
Giving an indication of what will be coming later in your talk is an effective way of maintaining audience interest. Use transitions to draw your audience a ‘road map’ of your presentation. For example:
“In a moment I’ll provide some interesting examples, but first ...”
“There are four ways of preventing this. Firstly - secondly - thirdly - finally”
You can also link ideas or sections of your presentation to help your audience follow the overall structure:
“ As I mentioned earlier, the first method was unsuccessful ...”
6. Use examples, illustrations and humour
Use examples or verbal illustrations to create interest. Choose them to suit your audience. An example that comes within their experience of the audience can create interest, a humorous remark can ‘break the ice’ and establish rapport, especially early on.
7. Ask questions and invite participation
Asking questions of your audience throughout your talk helps hold their attention and interest. It also develops a connection between you and the group. Asking questions means you are inviting them to participate and drawing them in to a mutual thinking process. For example:
“Who can estimate the number of individuals left permanently injured by road accidents?”
“Can anyone suggest some alternative uses for plastic bubble wrap?”
“Someone’s home is broken into every seven minutes. Can you believe it?”
You can also speak directly to individual audience members, if appropriate. For example:
“I take it from your reaction that you’ve read something similar, Sarah . . .”
8. Be aware of eye contact and body language
Make eye contact with the audience to help establish a connection. Glance at the faces of group members and don’t be afraid to meet people’s eyes, but don’t stare - use the 3-second method. Look straight into the eyes of an audience member for 3 seconds at a time. Aim for direct eye contact with a number of people, and every now and then glance at the whole group while speaking. Eye contact not only establishes a bond, it can help you register your progress. Faces can indicate interest, confusion and boredom, so you can gauge reactions to what is being said.
Body language is also important. Standing, walking or moving about with appropriate hand gesture or facial expression is far preferable to sitting down or standing still with head down and reading from a paper. Use audio-visual aids or props for enhancement if appropriate and necessary.
9. Learn from the Pros
A great way to learn what good speakers do is to watch them give speeches, note what works and what doesn’t, and adopt these examples into your own style. Note which lecturers are particularly interesting - attend class and watch what they do. Watch some TED Talks online. They tend to be high-quality presentations and provide some great examples.
10. Be aware of technique
Pace
Speaking to an audience requires a pace slower than normal conversation. Nervous speakers tend to speed up, so avoid this. Try varying your pace to create different effects. Try: slow measured speech for a point which is serious or needs emphasising speeding up a little to lend excitement or urgency
Pitch
Aim for a comfortable, medium pitch. High-pitched voices can sound harsh, and a high pitch is often due to shallow breathing and nervousness. Deep, steady breathing and a deliberate attempt to lower the pitch will help reduce nerves. Variations in pitch can be effective. For example, pitch could be raised to add emphasis to a question. However, use with care; too frequent use of high pitch can irritate an audience.
Tone
Tone is the vocal quality which expresses feeling. It can lend warmth and sincerity to your voice or reveal how strongly you feel about a topic. This can evoke a similar response from the audience. In academic presentations, a harshly critical or judgemental tone should be avoided.
Volume
Your voice should be loud enough for the listeners in the back rows to hear comfortably. You can also vary volume to make your talk more lively, but avoid shouting.
Pausing
Inexperienced speakers are often afraid to pause; they see pausing as a failure in fluency, but experienced speakers use pauses to good effect. Pausing can focus attention on what has been said or what is about to be said, can also allow the audience to digest information, or can be used to prepare them for a change in ideas.
* Adapted from: Pitman, 1988, Business Communication.
Too often, a conversation results in wasted time — and nothing productive to show for it. Whether you’ve run into someone at a conference or you have a scheduled call, you can use specific tactics to have a more meaningful conversation. Here are 13 ways to add meaning to your conversations:
1. Don’t get too excited about your next thought.
People can tell when you aren’t truly listening because you just can’t wait to spit your next thought out. Before they’ve finished, you’re already eager to tell them about an amazing experience you had. Make it a point to listen before you speak. If your story’s really interesting, it will still be interesting in five minutes.
2. Ask good questions that show you’re engaged.
One of the best ways to show engagement is by expressing a natural curiosity for what the other person is telling you. Make it a point to ask at least one question before moving on to the next topic. Gathering details makes it more likely that you’ll be able to establish a connection with the other person or find a way you can lend a hand.
3. Do your homework without being creepy.
There’s a thin line between properly preparing yourself for a conversation and being creepy. Before you have a planned conversation, take a look at the person’s LinkedIn or Twitter account to get an idea of his tone, interests, etc. You’re always at an advantage when you know more about a person. It will be easier to relate to him — and you might avoid an awkward conversation or two.
4. Try to genuinely relate.
Some of the most important conversations we have are with those people who have “fan clubs” trying to form relationships with them. They can spot a fake bonding opportunity from a mile away. Don’t force the conversation. Try to hit on something the other person is passionate about that you’re also interested in. That way, the rapport is genuine and the person is more open to talking in-depth about the subject.
5. Don’t waste people’s time.
Credit: //haltonsbec.wordpress.com/2011/07/04/roc-in-halton-return-on-conversation/
Most people appreciate it when you value their time. Sometimes, you can have a more meaningful conversation in 15 minutes than you can in an hour. What’s important to cover is how you can help each other out. Be genuine about delivering value and cut to the chase early.
6. Let people sell themselves.
Always get the other person to talk about himself first. Then, you’ll be able to sell yourself more naturally. If he’s interested in what you have to offer, you can naturally transition into a pitch that interests him — and doesn’t feel forced. A lot of times, a person will self-identify a need right after you talk about what you do.
7. Ask how you can add value.
It’s important to always ask people how you can add value for them. You may think you know what will help them, but they know better than anyone what they value. You’ll be surprised how many opportunities come up to connect people when you know what they actually prioritize.
8. Do what you can to help.
Simply offering a helping hand will differentiate you. Anybody can have a conversation offering to help someone out, but a small percentage actually delivers on their promises. People will value your relationship more when you actually provide what you’ve suggested: a contact, a tool, or even a sounding board.
9. Reach out in meaningful ways.
I recently had my first child, and a variety of people reached out to have a quick conversation expressing their excitement. It meant a lot that they truly cared about a meaningful moment in my life. You stand out when you make it a point to recognize milestones in people’s lives.
10. Decrease personal barriers.
There’s an assumption that you need to be super professional when first talking to someone. In my experience, most people like real conversations that don’t force them to act like people they aren’t. If you see an opportunity to joke around or personalize a conversation, take it — even if it’s early. It will decrease barriers from the start, and the shift will enable you to have a better conversation.
11. Listen and remember key points.
What does she do for fun? What is she passionate about? These things are important to remember. The next time you touch base, ask for an update. If you know she loves to travel, ask her when her next trip is. If it seems like she left an imprint during your last conversation, she’ll take you more seriously.
12. Hold back on sharing how awesome you are.
As a young entrepreneur, I couldn’t stop myself from talking about my accomplishments. However, as I get older, I realize that the most awesome people don’t have to pitch everyone on how awesome they are. People will naturally think you’re awesome as the conversation develops.
13. Recognize other people.
If you’re having a conversation with multiple people, or if someone’s spouse is standing nearby, make a point to include “the outsiders” in the conversation. Too often, people are so focused on speaking to one person that they forget to include someone who could turn into a cheerleader for them after they leave.
Run through this list the next time you go to a conference or event where you’ll encounter a lot of people. The fresher these tips are in your mind, the higher the likelihood that you’ll actually implement them. As a result, you’ll experience far less wasted time — and an increase in opportunities from everyday conversations.
John Hall is the CEO of Influence & Co., a company that assists individuals and brands in growing their influence through products and services ranging from creating and publishing bylined articles to facilitating in residence programs for brands and much more. Influence & Co., one of the leading providers of high quality expert content to the world’s top publications, is the creator of Contributor Weekly. Connect with John on Twitter or Google+.