Speaking Tips (How to Improve Your Presentation Skills)
Public speaking and presentation skills are some of the most valued skills in business today.
At all levels of an organization, but especially at the highest levels, professionals are called upon on a regular basis to give a presentation – a report, a proposal, or a sales pitch. And often they don’t feel up to the task.
Fortunately, speaking and presentation skills can be learned.
Witt Communications works with leaders — CEOs, presidents, executives, business owners — and technical experts — engineers, scientists, researchers, programmers, analysts, and the like — who want to present themselves and their ideas more influentially.
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Try these speaking tips and see how they work for you.
How to Develop Confidence Speaking
Even experienced speakers get nervous. Instead of trying to eliminate your jitters, turn them into energy you can use to boost your delivery.
How to Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking
Here are the most common reasons people list for being afraid of public speaking with suggestions for what to do to overcome that fear.
How to Build Rapport with your Audience
When you establish rapport with your audience, they become your partners in a dialog. They’ll want you to succeed.
How to Give a Speech
You’ve already prepared and rehearsed your presentation. Here’s what you can do to give a speech you can be proud of,
How to Plan a Speech
Good planning is the key to building an effective speech.
But Is It True? – Speaking the Truth
In a world of sensory and information overload, presenting your ideas better and louder and faster doesn’t work. What does work is simple: tell the truth respectfully.
Connecting with Yourself and Your Audience
You can use this three-step process to gain confidence and to build rapport with your listeners.
How to Introduce a Speaker
In formal gatherings or larger meetings it’s often necessary — and helpful — to introduce the main speaker. If you give it some thought and preparation you will make the event more successful, and you will establish your professionalism.
Hallmarks of Effective Presentations
An effective presentation is like an animated conversation. It’s clear, honest and direct. It seeks to accomplish one goal. And it’s filled with lively detail.
How to Plan a Technical Presentation
Technical experts – researchers, scientists, engineers, and programmers – are being asked more and more frequently to give presentations.
10 Tips for Using Visual Aids
Visual aids are an aid to communication, not a substitute for it. To retain your relationship with the audience, don’t let your visual aids upstage or overpower you.
Effective Handouts
Handouts can improve just about any type of presentation, although their design, use, and distribution require careful planning.
How to Handle Questions and Answers
Depending on your skills and attitude, questions can unnerve and sidetrack you or allow you to clarify and strengthen your presentation.
What to Do When Things Go Wrong
Murphy’s Law – if things can go wrong, they will – applies in spades whenever you’re giving a presentation. Here’s what to do when things do go wrong.
What to Do When Your Mind Goes Blank
The number one fear of most people is the fear of giving a speech. And the greatest fear of all – at least when it comes to speaking – is the fear of having your mind go completely blank .
How to Prepare a Presentation
As you begin strategizing your next speech, ask yourself these four questions.
When NOT to Use PowerPoint
There are times – especially if you’re a leader – when using PowerPoint in a speech makes little sense and may even be counterproductive.
How to Propose a Toast
There are occasions when you want to say a few words to commemorate a person or event, but you don’t want to give a speech.
