Top 10 Ways to Butcher Your Presentation and How to Avoid Them

1. Getting there late.

Walking frantically into a room full of people who have been waiting for you to arrive can be an embarrassing situation. Unless you are a magician, you might as well turn around and leave. It would take a miracle to get this audience to forget the inconvenience you have caused them. They probably have already passed judgment on you, deciding you’re an inconsiderate speaker rather than a viable expert in your field. Make the extra effort to arrive at least 1/2 hour before the event begins.

2. Apologizing before you start.

Starting off your presentation with “Uh, I’m sorry that I . . .” is the quickest, most assured way to lose your audience’s attention and leave them cold. Remember, YOU are the expert and true experts have nothing to be sorry for. The audience doesn’t care if you have a cold, woke up late, got caught in traffic, or tripped on a banana skin. All they care about is what information you’re going to give them that will benefit them in the shortest amount of time. Remember Love Story-”Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

3. Not having a clear purpose.

Not having a clearly defined purpose for speaking is like driving to a restaurant in another city without a clue about how to get there. You’ll end up meandering, not really going anywhere, until finally the people in the car with you get frustrated, lose their patience, and take a mental exit, determined never to ride with you again. Decide why you are speaking, and to whom, and stick to it.

4. Pacing while you speak.

Walking back and forth is a BIG distraction to your audience. Not only will their necks hurt after the game of Ping-Pong that you just put them through, but you’ll have them anxiously wondering “Is this ever going to stop!?” Pacing keeps the audience from hearing what you’re saying. Movement is good; it keeps a presentation lively and interesting. However, it’s important to move with a purpose instead of meandering.

5. Swaying in the wind.

Like pacing, swaying in front of an audience is a HUGE no-no. Not only is it a distraction, it may even make your audience seasick. The best way to keep from swaying is to stand in the rooted position, which is when both feet are shoulder-length apart. Standing in this position will create a look of confidence and eliminate the temptation to sway.

6. Leaning on the lectern.

A surefire way to lose your audience’s confidence is to lean on the lectern. Not only does this casual style show a lack of respect to both the audience and the lectern, it also gives the appearance of a sloppy speaker. Treat the lectern as you would your child. Never lean on it, hit it, or leave it unattended.

7. Speaking in a monotone voice.

Speaking in a one-dimensional, monotone voice is boring, boring, boring. If you deliver your presentation using only one vocal pitch and rate, you’ll surely put your audience to sleep. People can’t grasp your message if they’re snoring. Therefore, it’s important to create excitement and keep interest by using a variety of vocal tones, pitches, and rates when you speak.

8. Avoiding eye contact.

The old adage “look above your audience’s head” is a bunch of hogwash and should never be done. If you don’t look at your audience, they’ll soon lose interest and ignore you, too. To reach your audience, you must connect with them. The best way to do this is by looking them directly in the eyes as you speak. That doesn’t mean you stare at them. It means you look at each person for about three to four seconds, then move on to the next person. Be careful not to bop your head from one side of the room to the other. Instead, slowly move from one person to the next in a sweeping motion.

9. Using the wrong hand gestures.

Inappropriate hand gestures such as placing your hands in your pockets or flailing them can be as distracting as pacing the floor. Keep hands and arms comfortably at your side ready to jump up and make a meaningful gesture. The best gestures are those that demonstrate an action or a point of measure. All gestures should add to the understanding of the message, not be distractions.

10. Taking a mental exit.

Forgetting what you’re going to say can really mess up a presentation. It can cause great awkwardness and often is hard to cover up. Typically, speakers forget what they’re going to say because they have either memorized their speech or relied too heavily on their notes. If this happens, simply return to the lectern, look down at your notes, pause and look up at your audience, and deliver the next line. The main message here is to not panic. Never let your audience see you sweat.

For more tips and articles, visit http://www.instantprospeaker.com

How to Use Facial Expression to Improve Your Presentation

Face Facts – Your Speech Depends Upon It!

Apart from your voice, the main point of contact between you as the public speaker and your audience is…, your face. Your face is undoubtedly the most expressive part of your body and can convey meaning and emotion beyond words. For this reason it is a powerful ‘tool’ to use to enhance your presentations, whether it is a simple wedding speech, a sales presentation, sermon or motivational speech.

Something we just take for granted, but did you know that you use no less than twenty different muscles to produce at least fourteen different facial expressions, showing seven major forms of emotion. That’s quite a resource to use and like any other resource needs to be used and not miss-used.

Perhaps one way to illustrate this is to think back to the days of ‘Silent’ Movies, (which I’m sure you are too young to remember!). It was possible to ‘follow the plot’ without words because of the facial expressions and body language of the artist e.g. the great Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Buster Keaton etc. In fact, although some of the silent movie stars were so good at using this, when ‘Talkies’ came in, a few found themselves out of work because they didn’t have good speaking voices and found it difficult to adapt, – but I digress! More recently the late Marcel Marceau (22 March 1923 – 22 September 2007) gained massive acclaim and popularity as he took his skill of ‘miming’ around the world.

Just think, if it is possible to tell a story just by using face and body language, even as demonstrated by those who do not have the use of speech, how powerful it can be to combine the effective use of facial expressions with a well rehearsed and delivered talk.

To be honest, if you are really passionate about your subject and intent on getting your message across you will find that your natural facial expressions will reflect that and provide emotion and feeling to your talk. On occasions, however, it may help to slightly exaggerate a look to emphasize a point. I say ‘slightly’ as, if overdone, it loses its impact or, worst-case scenario, looks comical.

A couple of examples;

When you are making an important statement and use a little trick to emphasize that point by stating, “Would you believe, some people would actually deny….(the statement)”, accompanied by a look of ‘shock-horror’ – and the point is made! Your listener will empathise with your expression and remember the point.

When asking your audience a rhetorical question you have the opportunity to pause, to allow the question to register and at the same time adopt a quizzical look with eyebrows raised. Try it. It works!

When describing a product, concept or situation we often use our hands outspread in a broad gesture (you know the type of action, like describing the size of fish you claim to have caught!). Accompany this with a wide-eyed expression that looks as though you are halfway through the word “WOW” and the hand gesture is much more effective.

Even a frown can be effective, for example when a controversial point is introduced, to convey to your audience that this is something that deserves their serious consideration. Allow time for the audience to see how you are looking and for the expression to register.

As with most situations and across most cultures, a smile goes a long way to winning your audience, and you will find that even with a serious subject you will be better received if your introduction is accompanied by a genuine friendly smile. (And as you will be exercising over half of those face muscles each time you smile it keeps your face in good shape too!)

Virtual Investor Presentations – How To Meet Public Company CEO’s From The Convenience Of Your Desk

Investor meetings are the life-blood of public companies. They can motivate potential investors to invest in a company as well as provide existing investors with information about their investment. To reach new investors, CEOs traditionally engage in road shows traveling from city-to-city to meet with investors. However, today the time and financial costs of travel have skyrocketed for busy executives, as well as investors and analysts. Worse, with today air traffic problems executives find themselves stranded in airports wasting valuable time that could be used to build a business.

Virtual Investor Presentations (VIPs) solve this problem through live virtual investor meetings using the internet to present the PowerPoint and the audio for the speaker’s presentation and Q&A. This allows CEO’s of public companies and investors to attend a live meeting in the convenience of their offices.

VIPs are NOT webcasts of live conference presentations. They allow the audience to interact with the presenter and receive answers to their questions just as they would at the live conference itself.

VIPs don’t replace face-to-face meetings; rather, as part of a comprehensive Investor Relations Program, they complement such meetings. Just as companies use webinars to market their services and products to potential buyers, and then follow-up with one-on-one sales meetings with serious prospects, cost-effective Investor Relations Officers companies use VIPs to introduce their company to potential investors, and then travel for one-on-one meetings with investors anxious to make a commitment.

One of the best benefits of a VIP, is that it can reach a larger, potentially, national audience, since all investors and analysts can attend from the convenience of their offices. This allows the public company to put itself on these people’s radar screens, and then follow-up with them to show that they are delivering on the promise. And when they do, they can announce another VIP to let people know that the company is executing on its growth strategy – something every investor wants to hear!