6 Tips To Present Like A Jedi Master
- By Georgie Cousens
- Published 12/3/2010
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- Unrated
Have a speech to make, you do? Hmmm... Learn to present like a Jedi, you must!
Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking, and even the most confident speechmaker has a twinge of anxiety before they stride out in front of their audience. Know that your secret weapon, young Padawan, is a well-constructed, visually appealing slide deck or presentation. This is not just eye candy lumped with vital stats for your audience, this is your wing man while you're presenting. Nail those slides (rope in the professionals if you have to) - and the Force will be with you.
Be one with these presentation-making tips...
The early bird. Arrive early so that you have more than enough time to hook up the projector, organise your hand-outs and set up a flip chart. Sit in the back row and make sure your slides are readable. Store your presentation on more than one medium: burned to disk, on a USB flash drive, and on your laptop - you never know!
Who are these people, anyway? Know your audience. Know who the decision-makers in your audience are. And for good measure, know who their assistants are. Pretend that you're in the audience; ask yourself what you'd like to get
from this presentation.
Mouth like the Sahara desert. If your mouth has suddenly gone dry, press your tongue hard against the roof of your palate for a few seconds, and your saliva buds will do the rest. Keep a bottle or glass of water close while you're speaking.
If you can read this... you've lost your audience. Simply reading from your notes is a big no-no! Make eye contact often, and slow down your speech if you're one of those nervous, warp-speed talkers. Pause for emphasis when you make an important point. Project your voice to the back of the room.
Atten - tion! It's inevitable; your audience will take a mental vacation halfway through your talk. This is your cue to flip the 'Off' button on the projector, and switch to a flip chart for a few minutes. Other ideas: do a quick poll by show of hands, or pull an 'Oprah' and ask them to look under their chairs for something you placed there earlier.
20 questions... It's tricky: you want to interact with your audience and get them to put their hand up BUT you're worried they'll ask something you don't know. Open the floor for questions by asking a question of your own first. If you don't know an answer, be sincere and say, "I will investigate and get back to you on that" and stick to that promise.
Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking, and even the most confident speechmaker has a twinge of anxiety before they stride out in front of their audience. Know that your secret weapon, young Padawan, is a well-constructed, visually appealing slide deck or presentation. This is not just eye candy lumped with vital stats for your audience, this is your wing man while you're presenting. Nail those slides (rope in the professionals if you have to) - and the Force will be with you.
Be one with these presentation-making tips...
The early bird. Arrive early so that you have more than enough time to hook up the projector, organise your hand-outs and set up a flip chart. Sit in the back row and make sure your slides are readable. Store your presentation on more than one medium: burned to disk, on a USB flash drive, and on your laptop - you never know!
Who are these people, anyway? Know your audience. Know who the decision-makers in your audience are. And for good measure, know who their assistants are. Pretend that you're in the audience; ask yourself what you'd like to get
Mouth like the Sahara desert. If your mouth has suddenly gone dry, press your tongue hard against the roof of your palate for a few seconds, and your saliva buds will do the rest. Keep a bottle or glass of water close while you're speaking.
If you can read this... you've lost your audience. Simply reading from your notes is a big no-no! Make eye contact often, and slow down your speech if you're one of those nervous, warp-speed talkers. Pause for emphasis when you make an important point. Project your voice to the back of the room.
Atten - tion! It's inevitable; your audience will take a mental vacation halfway through your talk. This is your cue to flip the 'Off' button on the projector, and switch to a flip chart for a few minutes. Other ideas: do a quick poll by show of hands, or pull an 'Oprah' and ask them to look under their chairs for something you placed there earlier.
20 questions... It's tricky: you want to interact with your audience and get them to put their hand up BUT you're worried they'll ask something you don't know. Open the floor for questions by asking a question of your own first. If you don't know an answer, be sincere and say, "I will investigate and get back to you on that" and stick to that promise.
Georgie Cousens
Georgie is Creative Director at Ideaseed, a specialist presentation design studio based in Sydney. As Creative Director she herds an international gaggle of creative geniuses who put the 'wowzers' back into presentations, motion graphics and design. Visit Georgie at IdeaSeed.com.au.
View all articles by Georgie Cousens