April 5th, 2009
Visual aids are an important part of many presentations.
The most commonly used media are the flipchart and computer-based presentation programs. Here are some suggestions for making the most of your visual aids:
Flipchart
A flipchart mounted on a portable easel works best when used with a relatively small audience – 20 or fewer people. A flipchart can be prepared prior to your presentation. You can also write or draw during your presentation – especially to record audience responses. Use bold colors, but avoid using ink that bleeds through the paper. Don’t look at your flipchart when speaking. If you must write on the flipchart, pause, then resume speaking when you’re done. Use small strips of masking tape to facilitate changing from one page to the next.
Computer-based visuals
The technology is rapidly changing. These days, using a laptop computer and presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint is the norm. Add a screen and other equipment, and you can produce and display dramatic visual aids, including animation and simulations. Computer-based visuals are becoming the standard for most technical, educational or business-related presentations. Useful for large and small audiences, they can convey simple as well as complex information. If you use a remote control, you can change the visuals while walking about the room. To accomplish this you’ll need a data projector, a device that accepts output from a computer and projects it onto a screen. Plan to create the visuals in advance, to ensure all of the electronic components work together and be sure to rehearse with them.
Keep your visual aids:
- Visible
- Simple
- Colourful, but don’t let them upstage you
- Justified by the content — not too many or too few slides
For effective PowerPoint shows:
- Don’t read the slides to your audience!
- Make your text large.
- Choose colours that make the text easier to read.
- Use bullet points instead of full sentences.
- Don’t let the text or graphics fly around too much.
- Avoid charts and diagrams that are hard to see.
Most Importantly – Remember, you control the presentation; don’t let it control you. PowerPoint should be a “visual aid” – not the entire show
Tags: visual aids
Posted in Tips | No Comments »
April 5th, 2009
When things beyond your control go wrong, the only thing you can control is your reaction to them.
Just as the sailor at sea is at the mercy of the elements, so is the speaker. The sailors batten down the hatches in rough weather; what does the speaker do in when the microphone won’t work? Or when the lights malfunction? Or when the music in the next room is too loud?
The following article from the Toastmaster magazine, written by Bob Hope’s Emmy Award winning head writer Gene Perret, offers examples of intrepid speakers who rode out the sometimes stormy seas of the speaker’s podium. Among his dos and don’ts:
- Don’t: Blow your cool.
- Do: Maintain your dignity.
- Don’t: Surrender to the situation.
- Do: Your best under any circumstances.
- Don’t: Continually refer to the problem.
- Do: Keep your sense of humor
Tags: speakers, toastmaster
Posted in Tips | No Comments »
April 5th, 2009
Feeling some nervousness before giving a speech is natural and even beneficial, but too much nervousness can be detrimental.
Here are some proven tips on how to control your butterflies and give better presentations:
- Know your material. Pick a topic you are interested in. Know more about it than you include in your speech. Use humor, personal stories and conversational language – that way you won’t easily forget what to say.
- Practice. Practice. Practice! Rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using. Revise as necessary. Work to control filler words; Practice, pause and breathe. Practice with a timer and allow time for the unexpected.
- Know the audience. Greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers.
- Know the room. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.
- Relax. Begin by addressing the audience. It buys you time and calms your nerves. Pause, smile and count to three before saying anything. (”One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand. Pause. Begin.) Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.
- Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and confident. Visualize the audience clapping – it will boost your confidence.
- Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They’re rooting for you.
- Don’t apologize for any nervousness or problem – the audience probably never noticed it.
- Concentrate on the message – not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties and concentrate on your message and your audience.
- Gain experience. Mainly, your speech should represent you – as an authority and as a person. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. A Toastmasters club can provide the experience you need in a safe and friendly environment.
Visit a Blue Tongue Toastmasters meeting!
Tags: audience members, blue tongue, blue tongues, confidence, conversational language, giving a speech, nervous energy, public speaking, smile, timer, toastmaster, toastmasters, toastmasters club, toastmasters meeting, visual aids
Posted in Tips | No Comments »
