How to Give a Great Speech

Would you love to give a speech or presentation, but think you can’t get up in front of an audience? If you can talk to another human being, an animal or even an inanimate object, you can speak to an audience full of strangers who want to know what you know because they feel it will be beneficial to them. In this article, you will learn the 3 Secrets to a Great Presentation.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Preparation – learning about your audience and the choice and organization of your material.
   
   Know your audience –You are being asked to give a speech or presentation because you are perceived to be an expert in your field. Your audience is not. They have come to learn from you, so the first question to ask is “Who am I speaking to?” You will, for instance, use a different approach and language for doctors than for laymen, even though the topic is the same.
   
   Speak on a topic about which you are passionate so that your enthusiasm and joy shine through.
   
   Organize your material in a clear, orderly and focused manner. Take one point at a time, focus on it and complete the thought before moving on to the next point. This creates a satisfying experience for your listeners.
   
   If you are using stories or quotes from another source, name the source; this credit signals professionalism to your colleagues and, it tells the audience where to go to find more information.
   
   In my experience, the best formula for giving a great talk comes from Bob Proctor, a dynamic and in-demand speaker whose advice is to divide your presentation into three parts:
   
   First, tell them what you are going to tell them; second, give them the information; third, in closing, review what you just told them.
   * * * *
   Part 1 – Introduce the material to the audience – give them an overview of the information you are about to impart.
   
   Part 2 – This is what the audience came to hear – the meat of your material; this is where you are of service to every member of the audience. Keep it simple, honest and direct.
   
   Part 3 – Review what you just told them, and wind up your speech; give the audience the one thing from your presentation that you think will be of greatest benefit to them. The mark of a great speaker is leaving an audience both satisfied and wanting more.
2. Practice – honing the skills needed to give a great speech.
   
   How do you get to be a great speaker? The same way you get to Carnegie Hall – Practice, Practice, Practice.
   
   Great speakers know their material inside out and upside down. The better you know your material, the more confident and relaxed you are – and it is to this confident, relaxed attitude that the audience responds.
   
   Practice giving your speech. Visualize yourself standing up in front of an audience, giving them information and entertainment – inspiring them to action.
   
   Speak clearly. Tape yourself giving the speech; can every word be clearly understood? Remember, the audience members are hearing the information for the first time – to benefit from it they have to understand what you are saying.
   
   Listen for intonation and inflection. This is where your desire to communicate and your passion for your material come in – people automatically respond to your enthusiasm and spirit – they are contagious. But, if your speech is pedantic, if it sounds flat and lifeless, the audience will quickly get bored.
   
   Practice good posture. Stand tall, relax, move lightly, preferably only either to change your focus or to punctuate your message. Your body language, especially hand and eye movements, communicates far more to your audience than do your words.
   
   Breathe. The single most important piece of advice I can give you is: take time to breathe. Be silent and breathe in between sentences and in between specific points of information that you especially want to get across to your audience. Breathing not only aerates your brain and relaxes your body, it also allows your audience a moment to digest the material, re-energize and refocus. Find places in your speech to practice relaxing and breathing; practice reconnecting to your audience and allowing them a moment to reconnect with you.
3. Visualize the audience in front of you – practice making eye contact with one person at a time. The most effective speakers connect with one person, finish that thought then make eye contact with the next person. Speaking to a specific individual in the audience makes you emotionally available to everyone, touching each and giving what you are saying weight and meaning. Choose a person in the center of your sightlines, breathe, focus, and speak directly to him/her; change thought, breathe, focus and change eye contact to someone on your right; change thought, breathe, focus and make contact to your right; change thought, breathe, focus and make contact to your left, etc., etc. Focusing your attention on a specific individual makes the material more real to your audience, and keeps you in the present moment; and, believe me, every audience is fascinated by a presenter who is fully present and paying attention to them. Speak to each individual as though they are the most important person in the room – nothing is more attractive and inviting than the sense that you are really being seen, that someone is connecting to you – that is a true high – and that high is infectious – it touches every person in the room – including you.
   
   Practice is not meant to make perfect – that is a fallacy. Practice allows you to be the best that you can be in the moment – and isn’t that the true high of the journey?
4. Performance – presenting your material with passion and enthusiasm; inspiring your audience to action.
   
   If you are like me, performance is truly the fun part of the speaking process. Stepping in front of an audience with both a soupçon of fear – just enough to get your adrenalin going – and the eager anticipation of performance is thrilling. This is the payoff for all the work that has gone before.
   
   Before beginning your presentation, take a moment to breathe and to quietly present yourself to the audience. This moment of stillness and silence captures their attention immediately – your job is now to keep it with the skills you have been practicing.
   
   Now, let yourself go and have fun – and whatever happens, happens. Go through your speech as you have practiced it – just focus on being of service to your audience.
   
   Remember, with each change of thought and change of focus to stop and take a few breaths – this gives you time to gather your energy and the audience space to assimilate what they have just heard; it also encourages a sense of anticipation for what is to come. You can also take questions between each point, or if your presentation is a long one, short breaks, giving the audience time to refocus and re-energize.
   
   Always end your speech on a high note – perhaps with a question or a thought that the audience can ponder – something that will leave them wanting more – that will whet their appetite and still leave them satisfied and enthusiastic.

Tips & Warnings

• You now have my formula for giving a great speech – careful preparation; practice, practice, practice; and an enthusiastic and focused performance. Go get ‘em!