Effective Presentation - What Makes an Audience Listen

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Analyze Your Audience

Put yourself in the audience's shoes - try to understand your listener's level of understanding, their map of reality, and anticipate what they want to know. Once you know what your audience wants, you can figure out how to "sell" the benefits of your topic to them.

Set Your Goal and Keep It Before You

Decide what it is you would like to happen as a result of your presentation. The four main goals of any communication are to inform, to request for an action, to persuade, and to build relationship. Decide which of these goals you are planning to achieve. Let your listeners know what you want them to do near the beginning of your talk and again at the end. Present your basic idea and give them an outline of your presentation that would lead you and your audience to the desired result.

Do Your Homework

Research your topic – speak about something you have earned the right to talk about through experience or study. Anticipate questions, and make sure you have the facts to answer them.

"Develop reserve power", advised Dale Carnegie, "assemble a hundred thoughts around your theme, then discard ninety... Always prepare so that you are ready for any emergency such as a change of emphasis because of the previous speaker's remarks or a well-aimed question from the audience in the discussion period following your talk... This will give you reserve power, the power that makes people sit up and take notice."

Seize every opportunity to practice – no professional in any field performs without practicing. Remember, your time in front of a group is your showcase.

Confidence is the Key – Predetermine Your Mind To Success

That's the main secret of being a good presenter: you have to be confident to show confidence. You must be inspired by the deep belief in your cause. To have faith in yourself and your message, explore all phases of your subject and ask yourself how your talk will help the audience to get what they want. Careful preparation provides the solid ground you need to support your self-confidence. Tell yourself you can do it, that you are more qualified than any member of the audience to give this particular talk.

Plan the Parts of Your Presentation

List all points you plan to cover. Group them in sections and put your list of sections in the order that best achieves your objectives. Begin with the most important topics. When you put your talk together, keep in mind why your audience would want to hear what you have to say.


Plan Your Format and Delivery

How you give your talk can be more important than what you say. Whenever possible speak from an outline. If you have a formal written speech to deliver, use a marking system in the text to guide your delivery.

Making a Powerful First Impression

The audience will make decisions about you from your first appearance, your words and the sound of your voice. You can't make a first impression twice. Plan your opening sentences and practice them in front of a mirror. Use short sentences. Keep technical information at a minimum. Grab attention with a joke, an interesting fact, a short anecdote, a quotation, a positive statement, a provocative question... something designed to arouse curiosity and get the audience looking and listening to you.

How To Present with Passion

No matter what you are, we are all in sales. Selling is a transfer of emotions. When you speak, do your listeners sense how strongly you believe in what you're saying? If you want people to give you their undivided attention and feel compelled to heed your advice, they must hear and see in you an unwavering commitment to your message... More

Manage Expectations

Communication is a two-way street. Before you begin your workshop or presentation, be sure your participants know what to expect. They will arrive with some preconceived ideas. Your advance communication about your presentation needs to be clear to set the perceptions right so there is no confusion or disappointment.

Keep Your Audience's Attention

Promise to tell the audience how they can get something they want.

Outline the agenda – knowing your order increases attention.

Never take your audience for granted. People have very short attention span. Not more than 15% of their brain power is required to understand the language and grasp what you mean. Don't let the remaining 85% of their brain to do daydreaming. To keep your audience with you, you must build in new devices – make your message visual, build anticipation, create a conversation cycle, use role-play practices – to keep your listener's mind 100% occupied.

The sound of your voice makes a great difference. Practice projecting enthusiasm. People aren't going to be influenced by a lifeless voice. To hear yourself speak, record your voice during a phone conversation or practice your presentation using a tape recorder. Then make necessary changes.1


Do More than Lecture

There's nothing wrong with lecturing, as long as you realize the limitations. Lecturing is a way of presenting information verbally and is teacher/trainer focused. The facilitator speaks and the learners listen. Learners can become easily bored and inattentive.

Short lectures or verbal presentations of information need to be enhanced and supported with visuals and activities directly related to the information being presented. In the classroom, the teacher can complement his information by assigning extra study or independent practice. In a workshop, activities are more immediate--small groups, games, buzz sessions, guided practice, role play, brainstorming. The idea is to engage the learners and stimulate them to participate in their own learning.

Provide for every type of learner – visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Provide for everyone with things to see, hear and do. You'll stimulate your learners, whether in the classroom or meeting room. They'll enjoy it more, learn more and retain it longer.1

Using Videos

Videos can be effective training aids if you edit them carefully and use at the appropriate times. Videos can illustrate an idea and put it into action. The theme of the video must correspond with the main points you are discussing. Show only the parts that are related. Remember, the video is not the entire presentation, it just supports the main points. Give the participants suggestions of what to watch for. A question and answer period, discussion and/or a handout should accompany the video.