Public Speaking: What You Should Know Before You Open Your Mouth: Part 2
In this post, we will consider the final three don’ts of public speaking.
I have also included some tips on “selling the sizzle” of your message.
4. Enunciate
Unless you are at a ventriloquists’ convention, do relax your jaw muscles and move your lips when you are speaking.
When you slur or drop the endings of words, or swallow the first and/or last consonant of a word will leave people guessing what you’ve just said.
For example, saying “wif ‘im” instead of “with him”.
Mispronouncing words will not win your audience over either. Some commonly heard examples are, “noo-ke-lar” instead of “nuclear” or “aakks” instead of “ask”, or “seveneen” for “seventeen”.
5. Verbal Diarrhoea
We all have a tendency to speaking a lot quicker when the adrenalin is pumping and our hearts are racing.
You have probably spent hours writing and carefully crafting your presentation. Don’t waste this opportunity.
Your listeners have to process what you have just said, especially if it is the start of a logical sequence of ideas. Remember, you are taking them on a journey with you.
As difficult as it may seem at that moment, remember to slow down the speed at which you are giving out information.
In order to avoid looking nervous, pause (count 1 and 2) and then proceed with the next point. Do not be uncomfortable with silence as it is okay to have these breaks in your presentation.
6. Wimp out words
Finish your presentation on a high, and leave your audience believing every word you have just uttered.
When a speaker uses insipid terms such as “well, if things go according to plan..” or “we are hopeful that..” or “it is very possible if…” does not fill them with confidence that you can deliver whatever it is you are selling or pitching to them.
On the other hand when you say “I have every confidence that this service or product I am offering will fully meet your company’s needs..”, it doesn’t leave much doubt in their minds as to what you’ve just said.
Is it a matter of appearing confident and believing in what you are selling? Yes, indeed.
Why?
They sense a strong level of conviction from you.
This brings me to the “sizzle selling” aspect.
When you walk past a food stand selling ribs on hot coals, what hits you first? Is it the smell of hickory smoke on the barbeque, or the aroma of the ribs and that sizzling sound of the sweet and sticky marinade dripping on the glowing coals.
I put it to you that it is the whole deal (and by the way, did that description make your mouth water?).
Let’s say that you are selling a service of delivering home cooked meals to busy executive women with families. It would be dead boring if your said precisely that.
When you pitch to these women the valuable time they can share with their husband and kids instead of being stuck in the kitchen after a 10 hour day in their jobs, everything takes on a new perspective.
You follow up by saying that you have planned for them highly nutritious two course meals for each evening of the working week. These meals only require 15 mins in the oven and dinner is ready. Of course desserts are available as an added option.
The guilt factor they may have had about neglecting their family just went out the door.
Is the cost of this service the predominant factor in their minds when they are tossing up whether or not to take you up on your offer?
What do you think?
You have engaged them at an emotional level, and remember that in any competition between the heart and head, the heart always wins.
Yours in health, wealth and happiness
Adapted from Excelle.Monster.com
Public Speaking: What you should know before you open your mouth (Part1)
I am preparing a seminar where I will address an audience of professionals, predominantly male members of the medical fraternity. The room screams dark suits (single breasted), cuff links, polished leather pumps and old school ties.
I check that my Powerpoint slides are in the correct sequence, with text of a size that can be easily read by people seated at the back of the auditorium.
As I go through a mental rehearsal of my presentation, I think of the occasions when I was an audience member and how I formed my impression of the speaker the moment he/she opened their mouth.
The first 10 seconds are crucial-I will either pay attention or mentally switch off based on their opening stanza (don’t you love the opera/theatre analogy).
It is a given that the speaker is dressed appropriately for the occasion. I don’t know about you but I find that women (or men) who wear a lot of jewellery especially metal bracelets that jangle with the slightest movement to be a distraction.
Folks, you want to sell the message here, not have their concentration broken each time you wave your hand.
Similarly with ear rings-leave the big gold hoops to the gypsies at carnivals.
Your speech pattern: Listening to a presentation that is unpracticed and stilted is similar to reading a document that has punctuations at inappropriate points.
It does not make sense and it irritates the person listening to you.
There are 6 fundamental don’ts that will help you present in a professional manner, 3 of which are covered in Part1.
1. Filler words:
Starting a sentence with non-words such as “err,” “um,” “ah,” “you know,” or “like” indicates to the listener that you are nervous and unprepared. It is a pity if you really know your subject matter but come across as lacking in confidence in your material.
To avoid this, pause, breath and smile. Then pick one person in the front row and speak to them as if they were the only person in the room.
When you regain your composure, look around and address another person and so on.
The “pause and breath” method is also a good strategy when you lose your trend of thought.
2. Rising inflection:
A rising inflection at the end of every sentence makes you sound like you are asking a question rather than stating a fact. (When I hear this, I am almost compelled to give you an answer!).
It is important that you come across as the authority on that subject, and not tentative nor timid especially if you are making an important pitch for business.
By bringing your intonation down at the end of a sentence you appear more in control and certainly more convincing.
3. Grammatical errors:
In a casual or social setting, informality may be the norm. However, the usage of incorrect grammar during a presentation will cause the audience to question your educational background.
Using phrases such as “youse” for “you” or “ain’t” for “isn’t” and “he don’t,” for “he doesn’t” are not appropriate.
Do yourself a favour and speak in complete sentences. Even better, make sure that the tenses agree.
Next post I will cover the other 3 don’ts and tips on “selling the sizzle” of your message.
Yours in health, wealth and happiness
(Adapted from Excelle.Monster.Com)