The following presentation skills get the speaker to understand the audience perspective.
Many human beings bristle with preconceived ideas, strong opinions, prejudices, sensitivities, whether we care to admit it or not. A public speaker therefore has to respect this characteristic and do as much as possible to minimize the risk of alienating the audience.
Here are 6 valuable presentation skills that will do much to help:
1.Unfamiliar Terms
If you have to use an unfamiliar term or phrase make sure you offer sufficient explanation to your audience so they understand what you are talking about.
Be on guard against sounding superior however or talking down to the audience.
2.Simple Sentences
Opt for clear simple sentences rather than complicated sentence structure. Too often very good thoughts and ideas can be drowned in a sea of words making it difficult for the audience to grasp.
Stimulate your own thinking in this way and you can be sure you will have information the audience will also find interesting.
3.Check Your Illustrations
Regretfully, this public speaking tip is sometimes ignored. Before using an illustration or story, ask yourself whether the subject matter would embarrass anyone in your audience. If there is the slightest risk, use something else.
Additionally, if the illustration or example is likely to cause controversy, leave it out. Your audience will be sidetracked into issues and moral judgments rather than thinking about the point of the illustration or example.
4.Be Convincing
Be sure to research and provide evidence when making bold statements or strong assertions.
Your line of argument will be far more convincing as you back up your main points with proof to corroborate your statements.
5. Practice In Front Of A Mirror
Practice in front of a mirror and take special note of your facial expression. The expression on your face reveals how you are feeling at that moment.
Make sure the emotions and feelings conveyed by your eyes, mouth, and tilt of your head, match the emotions and feelings of your material at that moment so you are not giving out contrary body signals without realizing it.
6.To The Small Group
Adjust your position if you are speaking to a smaller group than expected. Standing on a platform some distance from the group only puts a gap between you and your listeners when they are few in number.
You might consider standing at floor level close to the group for a more conversational, informal presentation.
Final remarks: Some speakers purposely use controversy to stir debate and discussion. The majority however are making a presentation to appeal to an audience, to motivate them toward a certain action, or to impart valuable information.
To do that the speaker has to avoid needlessly putting up mental barriers and obstacles. The 6 presentation skills listed above will do much to help the audience feel at ease and develop rapport with the speaker as he treats them with dignity and respect.
