(No speaking techniques. Just 3 things you usually forget before a presentation!)
Picture this: The atmosphere in the locker room was buzzing with nervous energy. The incessant shuffling of one footballer’s feet were like fingers crawling against a chalkboard as it drew glares from the rest of his teammates, who were fidgeting about, struggling to contain their anxiety. Out of the blue, the door swung open. The coach trudged in and levelled a stern countenance at all of them. His nostrils were flared, and his heavy breathing filled the quiet room. A cacophony of murmurs and whispers emerged as baffling looks plastered across the players’ faces.
Then…the coach uttered with a raspy voice, “This is not over…this match…is not over. I’ll not go through the strategies and techniques right now. There’s no use in doing that now. I’ll just say 3 points…
…one, remember your training.
…two, play your damn hearts out.
At that moment, the coach’s chest was swollen with gusto and his fist was clenched. However, just when he was about to deliver the final point, the entire team jumped onto its feet and hollered in unison, “WE CAN’T LOSE!”.
This is what this article is all about. We wish to provide you with 3 points to quickly run through just before your presentation in order for you to frame your mind and deliver your best!
You ready? Let’s go!
1.Mind your attire!
Yes, you are not seeing wrong – ATTIRE (this is not a fashion related message)! Let’s be pragmatic. First impression counts and a lot of deep-seated and stereotypical misperception will be built on it. You enter your boardroom, classroom or meeting room, take centre stage, in front of your audience; the prying eyes of your audience members start to move around your body and impressions subsequently form (e.g. taste, class, attitude towards work/ this presentation, heritage, culture, confidence level, emotional intelligence etc.) Verily, you may be screaming in your head – “This is unfair! This is superficial! They don’t know me!” – and the last thought is spot on, they don’t know you! Appear sloppy and you portray sloppiness. Walk in with sandals dressed in a coffee-stained and grubby t-shirt, you are conveying a message about your work attitude and confidence level. Personal opinion? Blue is a safe choice – it conveys openness and inclusivity.
2.Don’t forget to breathe!
Tactical pausing also allows strategic breathing to deliver powerful speeches. You breathe for these three reasons (besides oxygen to stay standing):
- a) elimination of filler words – inhalation can prevent filler words such as “um…” and “you know…” from lowering the quality of your speech and irritating the audience. Try it! Take a deep breath and as you do, try uttering out loud “um”.
- b) build power for the next phrase – charge yourself up, swell up the chest and with added gusto, deliver the next phrase with vigour and power!
- c) make negative energy work for you – any excessive adrenaline coursing through your body can be concentrated while you inhale and when you exhale, it is being channelled to do point (b)!
3.Enjoy yourself speaking
I know this is easier said than done. Thank you for the breakthrough thought Darren. Here I am, shaking, staring at my laptop, no eye contact and rushing through my lines, flustered at whether I would fluff my lines and there you are telling me to enjoy it.
Many a time, speakers or presenters just wish to get it over and done with, skip the process and embrace the relief of concluding the presentation/speech.
Okay, how about this…recollect an experience where you watched a diffident presenter, body closed up, shoulders hunched, head hang downwards, reading a script with a monotonous voice. Compare it with a flamboyant speaker strutting across the stage with impeccable diction. Which one do you want to be? Which one looked like he/she was enjoying the stage? Did they smile and exude high energy? Did they share with you, not in a haughty and arrogant manner, that they were happy, excited to be in front of everyone? You have to raise your standards to that level, picture that and get into that character whenever you take the stage, believe me, you will enjoy that magnitude of confidence and attention.
When you allow yourself to enjoy the presentation process, that doesn’t mean you will consequently eliminate all lapses, failures, hiccups etc. There will always be undesirable occurrences throughout any presentation. Even so, it’s okay!
Watch our YouTube video to find out why: https://youtu.be/hHQ63OQ1U74
If you’re keen to take your public speaking & presentation skills (either business/corporate presentation or kids class presentation) to the next level so that you may public speak and present with flair and charisma, feel free to check out our offerings below!
For more about Public Speaking Courses for Kids/ Children:
https://publicspeakingacademy.com.sg/group-classes-students-age-9-18/
For more about Public Speaking Courses for Adults:
https://publicspeakingacademy.com.sg/courses-and-programs/group-classes-for-adults/