The public speaking world is awash with hundreds of techniques to make your presentation/speech 'effective' 'have impact' 'be persuasive', 'entertaining' … the list goes on.
But what purpose underlies all these techniques? It is to CONNECT.
Presenting is communicating and communicating is about connecting with the person/people in front of you.
That's all very well you might say, but how do I connect?
For many people who have to give presentations in English, the most nerve-wracking part is when they have to answer questions. The nervousness doesn't come from the fear that they won't know the answer, it comes from thinking that they won't understand the question in English and will also have problems answering it in a grammatically correct way. At the end of the day, you can control the content of your presentation in terms of what YOU say, but you can't control the questions the audience will ask you.
In the previous post we talked about how to prepare a presentation in English to give you maximum confidence; the more effectively you prepare, the more confident you will feel.
Speak slowly and with pauses: It may not seem natural to you, but it will seem very natural to your audience. To sound professional in anypresentation, we must speak 20% slower than we do in normal conversations.
For many people giving a presentation is an extremely nerve wracking experience especially if they have to give it in a foreign language.
In this post I'm going to give you some tips on preparing the presentation and working on the content. In the next post, I'll continue with delivery and how to deal with questions.
If you have to give presentations in English and are looking for ways to become more confident, following the tips below will definitely help you.
Reconnect with English: At least 20 days before your presentation immerse yourself in English for at least 30 minutes per day. This allows the brain's neurotransmitters to reconnect with the language. Watch a film, read English out loud or listen to a radio station in English.
Structure the presentation with specific phrases: Learn the phrases you will use to open, move through and conclude your presentation.