1. Gaining support |
A. Something good and even necessary |
2. Fear |
B. Overcome persuasion and presentation fears |
3. Structure |
C. An element of a presentation |
4. Having a “heckler from hell” |
D. A common fear of public speaking |
5. Presenting sometimes… |
E. A way to cope with fear |
6. Finding a quiet place |
F. Has an infinite number of solutions |
Answers:
1.) B
2.) A
3.) C
4.) D
5.) F
6.) E
Multiple-Choice
1. No matter how _________ your ideas are, you still have to get people to support them.
a. Visionary
b. Creative
c. Far-reaching
d.
Good
2. Persuasion takes _____________ .
a. Power
b.
Preparation
c. Purpose
d. Humor
3. In many ways, fear is just another word for _______ .
a.
Common
sense
b. Anxiety
c. Apathy
d. Nothing left to lose
4. Which of the following is an element of a presentation?
a. Packaging
b. Scope
c. Structure
d.
They are all elements
True / False
1. _____ Trying to relax before a presentation is impossible.
2. _____ Every presentation, no matter how long or short, should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
3. _____ The information you present should always fit the time.
4. _____ Video clips and body language are as important as your voice in an oral presentation.
5. _____ A presentation’s pace means speed of talking.
6. _____ An audience can hear fear in your tone.
Answers:
1. F – It is good to find a quiet place before a presentation.
2. T
3. T
4. F – Nothing is as important as your voice in a presentation
5. T
6. T
Summary
As we have
seen, persuasion takes preparation. You have to know what you are going to say, to whom
you are going to say it, and how you are going to say it. To do this you might have to
overcome some fears, and improve your ability to speak effectively in public.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Test
1. _____ If you have an hour’s worth of material but only 30 minutes to present it, speak twice as fast.
2. _____ Volume and Tone are two vocal qualities.
3. _____ When you give “color” to a presentation, you add different shades to your visuals.
4. _____ When talking to large groups, you can immediately acknowledge or deal with attendees concerns.
5. _____ With small groups, getting to know the attendees is not very important.
6. _____ The audience walking out on you is not a common fear – only a very few people think it will happen.
7. _____ Once you have a bit of experience, you will never have a touch of stage fright again.
8. _____ Fear does many things that are positive for the body.
9. _____ Getting in the moment means giving a good reply right after a tough question.
10. _____ With small groups, you can make the presentation more personal.
Answers:
1. F – The amount of material should fit the time allotted to speak.
2. T
3. F – It means using a different emphasis, pace, and/or vocal inflection.
4. F – No, that’s with small groups.
5. F – It’s very important to remember names and to shake hands with all
6. F – Just the opposite – it’s very common
7. F – Even experienced performers get stage fright over and over.
8. T
9. F – It means focusing on what you are doing at the time
10. T
Bibliography
Say it With Charts:
The Executive’s Guide to Visual Communication, by Gene Zelazny, Dow
Jones-Irwin, 1985.
Information Graphics: A Complete Illustrated
Reference, by Robert L. Harris,
Say it With Presentations: How to Design and Deliver
Successful project/programme purpose Presentations, by Gene Zelazny, McGraw-Hill, 2000.
Speaking Without Fear or Nervousness, by Helen
Sutton, Career Track Publishing & Fred Pryor Seminars, 1997.
The Presentation Skills Workshop: Helping People
Create and Deliver Great Presentations (The Trainer's Workshop Series), by Sherron
Bienvenu, American Management Association, 2000.
Glossary
Persuasion – Getting others to believe as you do
Presentation – Providing information to an audience
Support – Others assisting you in your effort either physically or emotionally
Fear – A psychological state of anxiety or foreboding that causes physiological changes
Learning Objectives
· When presenting orally to an audience, you must take into account content, structure, packaging, your voice, and style.
· All people experience fear when presenting, but there are ways of coping with it.
Q&A
1. How can you use your voice to enhance your presentation?
This can be done in five ways. First, change your volume as you speak. You can make your tone enthusiastic, which is usually contagious. If you’re excited about your presentation, there’s a better chance your audience will be. Change the pitch of your voice so the presentation isn’t monotonous. Don’t speak as if you were double-parked or have all day to kill. Lastly, remember that you are telling a story, so use some colorful, descriptive, or exciting words if you can and they’re appropriate. You don’t have to be too flowery, but think of some presentations you’ve been to that needed help. What would you have done to make them more enjoyable for the listener?
2. How can I overcome my fear of presenting?
First of all, remember that fear is an ingrained part of being human, and it is often a good thing. It gets our bodies ready for a challenge. Secondly, fear often motivates us to be prepared. So “get in the moment.” Focus on what has to be done in terms of presentation preparation. Are all your facts and figures verified? Then, just before the presentation, find a quiet place to relax. Close your eyes and remember a pleasant experience you’ve had. Now imagine yourself presenting to a smiling audience. If you believe you can do it, then you can!
3. How important is knowing the
details of and surrounding the presentation program?
Audience analysis is critical to the success of your presentation. How many attendees will there be? How many presenters? Do you know the attendees personally? If not, are there few enough to meet them? Do you know the organization and the hierarchical level of the attendees in the organization – executives, managers, staff, or line workers? How long is the presentation supposed to be? What if it is cut in half – can you adjust your presentation? What and who else will be on the agenda? Will there be a question and answer session afterwards? Will the attendees be expecting handouts or copies of reports? If you can answer all these questions, you will be more prepared than most presenters will.