Presenting at Your Peak

You are working on presentation skills—using language, your voice, your body, and presentation aids to heighten the impact of the ideas you are presenting.

1. Speak up. Ideas presented with energy and a dynamic voice will reach listeners not only at the level of understanding, but at an emotional level as well. Dynamic means loud-soft, fast-slow, and high-low. Practice is the key. As you practice, you will gradually develop an ear for monitoring your own voice so that you can murder unwanted monotone.

2. Dress up. Ideas are received more readily when a speaker meets and exceeds the dress standards of the listeners. When you look good, you automatically sound better to your listeners.

3. Move up. Practice posture and movement that conveys confidence in your ideas. Stand firmly on both feet. If you have nothing for your hands to do, let them hang comfortably at your sides. Don't feel confident? Practice is the solution.

Learning Activities

Practice, practice, practice! How many times should you practice your presentation aloud before giving it? You can not practice too often or too much. If you really want to improve, practice on at least three consecutive days. Emerson said, "Those things that we persist in doing become easier, not that the nature of the thing has changed, but that our ability to do it has increased."

Watch this video clip borrowed from Dancing With The Stars (results show, October 27). DWTS interviewed Nadia Comaneci (Olympic Gymnastics Gold), Gregg Louganis (Olympic Diving Gold), and Bill Walton (former UCLA and NBA star). Hear what these champions have to say about the importance of practice in preparing the mind and body for performance.

© Frank Richardson, 2009.

email: swpubs@xmission.com

web: frank-richardson.com

Say It With Style

We have shifted our focus from building great speeches to delivering great speeches. In short, we should agree that becoming an effective speaker depends not only on what you say, but how you say it. All of our discussion (and all of the preceding blogs) are intended to help with what you say. Now, let's talk about how you say it.

First, be aware that language choice serves three key purposes as you speak:

1. Word choice helps make your ideas simple, bold, and memorable.

2. Word choice awakens emotions in your listeners.

3. Words paint mental pictures.

Learning Activities

These are a few guidelines you should try to follow:

1. Avoid jargon (unusually specialized or obscure words) and its equally fatal companion, doublespeak.

2. Pronounce nouns, pronouns, and verbs correctly as shown in this list—

Syllable emphasis

moun tain' instead of mount' un

Lay ton' instead of Layt' un

cer tain' instead of cert un'

The infamous d/t swap

matter instead of madder

battle instead of baddle

Dropping the "g" (sorry Sarah Palin)

going instead of gonna

needing instead of needin

Pronoun Slurs

our instead of ar

we'll instead of will

I'll instead of ahl

you'll instead of yul

he'll instead of hill

she'll intead of shill

Vowel errors

mail instead of mell

pillow instead of pellow

just instead of jist

get instead of git

3. Try to increase emphasis on important ideas by using parallel words or phrases:

We won't be satisfied until . . . .

We won't be satisfied until . . . .

We can't be satisfied until . . . .

4. Increase the visual power of your ideas by using figurative metaphors:

"living on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of prosperity"

"Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred."

"battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of brutality"

Try some new approaches with your language. Have a little fun.

© Frank Richardson, 2009.

email: swpubs@xmission.com

web: frank-richardson.com

Putting the Power into PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is the industry standard for preparing and delivering presentations in business, education, health-care, and the professions. Follow these simple guidelines to get the biggest bang for your buck with most listeners:

1. Select a solid, dark color background and use it consistently throughout the presentation.

2. Select type in contrasting colors (white, yellow, etc.) so that it will be easily readable. Use a simple typeface.

3. Use large type sizes that are easily readable by groups of viewers (text 32 pt., titles 44 pt.).

4. Avoid slide transitions and goofy sounds that distract from your message. Fade and dissolve are the best transitions for most viewers.

5. Whenever possible, make a statement with the slide title instead of just using a heading.

6. Cite the sources for your support on the slide and say them aloud (i.e., foxnews.com).

If you will do these few things, your viewers will be able to see, read, and understand your ideas easily. They'll think you are wonderful and will thank you.

Please watch the attached sample presentation. Try to see how the presentation follows the guidelines listed above.

© Frank Richardson, 2009.

email: swpubs@xmission.com

web: frank-richardson.com

Citing Sources

As an improving public speaker or presenter, you should practice citing your sources until it becomes second nature for you. Remember that an effective citation tell readers who said or wrote it, where the information can be found, and when it was published. Citing a source of support this way probably takes less than ten seconds, but it adds much to your credibility as a speaker.

When citing a web site, limit the address to nationalgeographic.com. Don't recite the www or any /slashed additions. But, do give the full web address to the home page (i.e., Mothers Against Drunk Driving at madd.com). Don't be afraid to cite as often as you can.

Learning Exercise

Formulate a source citation for the following sentence taken from Time Magazine, Oct. 19, 2009, p. 16: "Less than 20% of schools cook school lunch from scratch; many rely on packaged reheatable foods."

© Frank Richardson, 2009.

email: swpubs@xmission.com

web: frank-richardson.com

A Solid Foundation

Imagine building a fifty-story skyscraper in a sand box. Of course, it won't work. Every structure needs a solid foundation. In speaking, we refer to the thesis sentence and the main points of your speech as the foundation.

The thesis is the entire speech boiled down into one simple declarative sentence. That sentence should tell your listeners: 1) what your topic is, and 2) what you intend to say about it.

Suppose your topic is "dangerous dogs." Those words should be in the thesis sentence. In fact, they will usually be the subject of the thesis sentence.

Decide exactly what you want to say about "dangerous dogs" and finish the sentence with that.

Some Examples

"Dangerous dogs should not be kept as pets."

"Dangerous dogs can be tamed by training."

"Dogs are dangerous because they have been mistreated."

"Dangerous dogs eat less dog food." (presumably because they get part of their nutrition from those they bite)

Another sample topic: "stronger borders with Mexico." A possible thesis sentences would be:

"Stronger borders (your topic) protect people on both sides (what you intend to say about the topic)."

Then you can explain the thesis with main points like these:

“A stronger border will reduce smuggling.”

“A stronger border will cost you less in taxes and insurance.”

“A stronger border will build a better relationship between the two nations.”

Learning Activity

Take another look at the thesis for your up-coming speech. Is it as simple as the sentences shown above. Remember, a simple sentence has no ands, ifs, or buts. It doesn't ask and question, and it doesn't tell people what to do. It just makes a statement that you believe in and are prepared to convince your listeners of through the use of sound support (NETS).

Good luck.

© Frank Richardson, 2009.

email: swpubs@xmission.com

web: frank-richardson.com

Sneak Preview for Exam #1

While all of your classmates are wondering what to study in preparing for Exam #1, you will know exactly because you visit Dr. Richardson's blog. Here are four real questions that you will see on the exam. Listen for the answers as we discuss Chapter 9 in class. Way to go, Dude. You're already ahead of the crowd.

1. In which part of the speech should the speaker especially slow down, pause as needed, connect with the listeners, and give emphasis to the main points and thesis?

2. How long can the speaker expect the listener to wait for a statement of the thesis before the listener loses interest and goes on to thinking about something other than the speech?

3. Mary's speech focuses on how her mother's actions shaped her personality. What is the best speech design for Mary's speech?

4. As a speaker, you should be cautious about using which kind of attention getter?

© Frank Richardson, 2009.

email: swpubs@xmission.com

web: frank-richardson.com

Give Them a Map

You've found a topic that excites you.

You've decided exactly what you want to say about it.

You've stated your idea in a simple, declarative sentence—a thesis.

You've searched out Numbers, Examples, Testimonies, and Stories to support the idea.

Now, you will organize your main points into a presentation that is easy to follow.

It's Easy to Follow a Map

1. Select two or three main points that directly support your thesis. Write them as full sentences, just like the thesis. The thesis and main points are the foundation of your speech. For example:

Thesis sentence: “Pets teach children life's lessons.”

Main points:

• “Pets teach children to deal with birth, illnesses, accidents, and death.”
• “Caring for pets teaches children responsibility.”
• “Children with pets learn to respect other living things.”

2. Preview the main points at the beginning of your speech. Review the main points at the end of your speech. This follows the old advice, "Tell them what you are going to tell them. Then tell them. Then tell them what you told them." That is sound advice.

Learning Activity

1. Write your thesis statement .

2. Select two or three main points that support the thesis. These are also presented as full sentences.

3. Preview the main points in your introduction and review them in your conclusion, i.e., "Today I'm going to give you three reasons why you should get your child a pet. . . ." (Give the three reasons. Explain them in the body of speech. Move to the conclusion.) . . . . "Please remember these three reasons for having a pet. . . ." (Repeat the three reasons.)

It's so simple. And it works. You have just made it easy for your listeners to follow you by giving them a map. Well done.

© Frank Richardson, 2009.

email: swpubs@xmission.com

web: frank-richardson.com