Connecting: Speakers must do more than talk to achieve success

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Marlene Chism, president of ICARE Presentations in Springfield, works with companies that want to build strong business relationships and with individuals who want to be better communicators.|ret||ret||tab|

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I've known speakers who could bore an audience to sleep; yet in their own minds they are great. What is the problem? Lack of awareness is one problem. The wrong content or not knowing the audience is another. Others rely too much on Power Point or prefer to read from notes. All of these challenges prevent a speaker from reaching his or her potential. |ret||ret||tab|

Over the years of attending professional conferences, awards banquets and meetings, I have come to the conclusion that there is indeed one thing worse than the beginning speaker who is terrified of speaking: the person who loves to speak, doesn't like to practice and doesn't think there is room for improvement. A common challenge is unfocused energy and a second problem area is structure. |ret||ret||tab|

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Unfocused energy|ret||ret||tab|

Some presenters are full of energy, yet they are unaware of how some of their patterns distract their audience. While they perceive that they are doing a good job, they lose their audience (and their energy) by pacing the floor. It's OK to use the entire stage. However, instead of pacing, walk purposefully toward a position on the podium and then pause to make a point. |ret||ret||tab|

Another distracting habit, usually because of nervous energy, is clearing the throat repeatedly. Remember when speaking, it's OK to stop and get a drink of water. |ret||ret||tab|

Even seasoned speakers have distracting habits. One tendency is to repeat the same word or phrase repeatedly, such as "are we all on the same page?" (My own habit is to say "does that make sense?") It is great to check in with the audience but moderation is the key. Alternate phrases for variety.|ret||ret||tab|

One tendency I have noticed when coaching others is the inclination to end sentences with an "OK" or a "Yes," asked as a question rather than a statement. For example: "We are going to talk about the new software and some of the existing problems with installation OK?" |ret||ret||tab|

Done too often it can appear as if the speaker is asking permission instead of checking in. Speakers should tape-record the presentation to heighten awareness of distracting patterns. |ret||ret||tab|

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Process and structure|ret||ret||tab|

Many presenters have brilliant content, yet they are hard to follow. Some speakers skip around with little order and no transitions, forgetting that their audience may not have the same level of background knowledge as they do. When a speaker becomes difficult to listen to, the audience tunes out. An outline with good transitions keeps a speaker on track.|ret||ret||tab|

Another benefit of an outline is to keep the audience from controlling the presentation. Inexperienced speakers get off track by allowing the audience to take over. I remember getting ready to hear one speaker and thinking it was going to be great. His voice was smooth, he had a nice manner, but before getting one-third of the way into his presentation he lost control. The audience kept asking question after question. Many of the questions were either irrelevant or part of his ending presentation, yet he got off track by attending to every question. He didn't know how to set the expectations, and he didn't take charge of the crowd. Stating expectations at the beginning will alleviate these problems.|ret||ret||tab|

Another mistake is to go past the allotted time. This happens because the speaker doesn't understand how to organize a presentation or how to structure the development of the presentation. Spending some time assigning a certain amount of time to each item on the outline or agenda keeps speakers on track. While delivering the presentation, a speaker should glance at the agenda to see if he has gone over the allotted time or if there is time to spare. This is a nice perk with a short meeting and a must with a workshop or training.|ret||ret||tab|

Even experienced speakers struggle with process and structure. The seasoned speaker may have a logical order and process to the presentation, but may pack too much information into one presentation. The solution is to either schedule breaks to let the audience absorb and process the information or cut the content in half.|ret||ret||tab|

The difference between an enjoyable presentation and one that is difficult to listen to involves focusing energy and creating structure. |ret||ret||tab|

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