Today’s blog post is about presentation skills and how vitale they are in you achieving success in both business and in life.
Now before we go any further, please let me clarity that I’m not talking about being a motivational speaker or a professional speaker. I’m talking about your ability to communicate your ideas in a way that is effective and impactful.
No matter what you do for a living, we all have circumstances where we need to communicate with, and influence others in a group situation. You could be in sales, you could be in management or could be the leader of an organization. You could be the leader of a soccer club or even a little league coach. The bottom line is, how you present your ideas will impact your results.
Now, if you are a CEO, an executive, or anyone in a leadership role in a corporation, presentation skills are paramount; and the lack of those skills will literally place a ceiling on your career.
I’ve been blessed to be able to make a living, speaking to companies all over the world about success, and with that being said, I am passionate about helping others increase their effectiveness at conveying their ideas in a public forum.
So today I’m going to give you a few quick tips, and I have a gift for you.
First of all, let’s address the mental aspect of giving a talk in public. Here’s a general rule to follow: when people meet, the person who is most certain, always influences the other person or the other people. How does that relate to you speaking in public? When you walk in front of the room and start your talk, it’s natural for people to judge you. Why? Because that’s what human’s do. With that in mind, you must start off your talk exuding confidence and certainty – and you can do that in the following ways:
1. Walk and Stand Strong (expanded upon in video)
2. Speak Clearly
3. Look at your audience – Eye Contact
Now, moving forward with a couple more tips: you must have an agenda, which means you have specific points you are going to hit. There’s nothing worse than listing to someone who is rambling from subject to subject, and just can’t seem to finish a point. Get clear on what you’re going to talk about.
Lastly, close your meeting or your talk with an action step. What I mean by that is, what do you want them to do? Before you start your talk, you must ask yourself the following question: What’s my outcome? What do I want them to do?
Once you know your outcome, you can formulate your talk and make certain that when you complete your message, your audience knows what you want them to do.
You can use these simple ideas whether you are talking to an executive or sales team, or you’re talking to your kids.
There’s only so much I can share in this short video format, yet if you take these 5 ideas and run, you will show improvement. For those of you who have the desire to learn more, I have a gift for you.
Just look at the navigation bar above and select 3 Free Speaking Tips. Enter your name and e-mail address and I’ll send you 3 videos that will really help you make some progress. No obligation.
Start today being conscious about how you present yourself to others. Implement the 5 simple tips, and you’ll notice the difference.
Let’s go out and have an amazing month.
Dan
