Is someone listening?
Is someone listening?
I went to a conference some weeks ago and I was really very excited to be there. Very soon I was disappointed by the fact that one speaker was so boring I could hardly follow what he was saying. He had a lot to say, maybe too much, a mistake that occurs to many speakers.
What to do when you want to stay focused on your message, you want not to be boring but want to transmit all the pieces of information you want or need to transmit? Shortly: how could you make that your audience is really listening, following and understanding what you are saying?
- Consider the target group.
Consider what they know, what they should know and why, or what they are going to do with the pieces of information you are delivering in your presentation. Consider their preparation about the topic. If you have a heterogenic group, try to “pick up” different groups.
- Prepare your presentation making a resume of the main message(s).
You should know in advance what is the core message of your presentation. Build your speech around it and keep it clear when you will be talking.
- Do not put too much in the slides of your presentation.
When slides are too full, people tend to read the slides and lose the attention that they are paying to the speaker. Use pictures, short sentences or words, and comment them with the audience.
- Avoid data that are not important for the presentation.
They could confuse the audience. Keep your core message clear.
- Prepare a plan B for the details if someone is interested in.
Prepare a more extended presentation if you want it, just in case someone is interested in details. Hence it is very important that you are prepared, but you do not need to say everything.
- Make a resume of the main topics and messages every now and than.
At the end of “chapters” or main topics, prepare something like “so I have just talked about…”, “all in one we can say that…” to pick up the audience and show them where you are.
- Pause a make a break of some seconds between the main topics
Speaking too quick or without breaks will not help you at all. Speak at an adequate pace, use pauses and breathe between long sentences. Pauses will help your audience “digest” what they are listening.
I wish you a successful presentation and a nice audience!