Speak Like A Pro

3 core principles
• Connection
• Credibility
• Confidence
Audience
• 1 thing to do when we have to do a presentation: to know our audience
• The spotlight should not be on us, but on our audience
• What does the audience need from me?
• Ask yourself these questions:
o Who is my audience?
o What does my audience want?
o How does my audience feel about my topic?
o What does my audience already know about my topic?
o What does my audience need to know to understand my presentation?
o What questions might my audience have?
o What parts of my presentation might make them resistant or skeptical?
• Audience analysis
o Ask yourself these questions:
 What do you want your audience to KNOW or THINK as a result of your presentation?
 How do you want your audience to FEEL as a result of your presentation?
 What do you want your audience to DO after hearing you speak?
• Craft your 12-word message: In 12 words or fewer, what do you want to say to your audience?
o It will help you shape the content of your presentation and decide what to leave out and what to include
Structure your content
• The power of 3 (can be 2 or 4)
o Think about your presentation at the highest possible level, from start to finish
 What are the 3 most important ideas or concepts that I need to discuss with the audience
o For each point identified, do the same (and again at lower level if needed)
• The power of repetition (x3)
o Introduction: Tell what you are going to tell
o Main content: Tell them
o Conclusion: Tell what you told them
Storytelling
• Stories are 22 times more memorable than fact alone
• Great stories in the workplace are
o Specific
 Real-like examples: Put a face on complex issues
o Lively
 Add details, even not on the purpose on your presentation
 Add dialogs
o Relevant
 Should be crystal clear for you and your audience
 Do not leave them guessing
 Make it easy and accessible
• https://www.fastcompany.com/90297323/use-these-techniques-from-professional-speechwriters-will-help-get-your-point-across
• Build your own story bank
o One story I want to tell is…
o This story makes listeners feel…
o The point of this story is…
o One detail I will use to enliven this story is…
• Choose examples from
o Your own life
o Clients
o Third parties
• Practice out loud
Delivery skills
• Eye contact (make listeners part of a conversation)
o No sprinkler
o Not looking over the head (near the back wall)
o 3 to 5 sec per person
o For very large audience, mentally draw a start in front of you and look at each branch of the star as if it were 5 faces
• Hands
o Gesture above the waist and beyond your shoulders
o Should not have Velcro attached to your elbows. Keep air under your wings
o The bigger the room, the bigger the audience, the bigger the gesture
o Can keep arms/hands at our sides
o Try clasping them loosely at your waist belly button
 loose clasp
 cupped fist
 finger tent
o do not wash hands
o do not play with rings, watch, bracelets
o do not put your hands in your pocket
o do not hold and click a pen
o Keep loose, open
• Stand
o Balance your weight
o Feet are hips distance apart
o Let shoulders fall comfortably down your back
o Do not balance your weight on only one hip
o Do not cross legs
o Can practice the posture when waiting in line
• Filler words
o Like, so, you know…
o Start getting aware of when you use fillers
o Pausing and be silent instead of using filler words. Silence is a friend
o https://sayitlikeso.com/
• Sound natural
o Vocal variety
 Slower, faster
 Louder, softer
 Not flatline like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhiCFdWeQfA
o Use talking point (keywords) instead of script
• Pace yourself
o Slowing down your pace
o Pause between ideas
o Speech should be punctuated by silence
o Slow down on specific words or ideas that you often use in the speech
o Train by recording yourself
Think and speak on your feet
• PREP
o Point
o Reason
 Do not skip the reason. Use the word “because”
o Example
o Point (same one you started with)
 Repeat just 1 time, not 2 or 3 times
• PER
o Point
o Example
o Relevance
• What
o What
o So What
o Now What
• PPF
o Past
o Present
o Future
Anxiety
• 4 square breathing
o Before presentation
 Seat in your chair
 Feet flat on the floor
 Close eyes
 Notice how you are breathing
 One hand on the stomach
 Feel your hand moving when you inhale / exhale
 Few Deep breathes
 Inhale (4 sec), hold (4 sec), exhale (4 sec), hold (4 sec) / several times
 Move toes, fingers, and open eyes
• Name it
o Fear is the most powerful when it is vague
o Visualize your fear as an entity separated from you, like a person we can talk to
o Name it
o Calm down your anxiety, speaking to the entity
• Getting excited instead of trying to calm down
o Powerful soundtrack
o Brief and brisk exercise
o Pep talk