Speaking of Speeches...

2. Forget the pity vote! Some novice speakers believe that if they show the audience how nervous they are, apologizing for it, shuffling their papers, stammering, looking down at their feet, the audience will feel sorry for them and forgive any flaws in their performance. That's a major mistake. Audiences will not forgive you for making them sit through a painful presentation-- they'll go for you like sharks around a wounded fish! 3. Forget the notecards! You may have learned in school to make notes on 3x5 cards and shuffle through them while you speak. Unfortunately, this techniques marks you as an amateur in the professional world. Use whatever visual aids you're employing for the audience instead - a bulleted list on an overhead transparency or PowerPoint presentation will remind you of the order of your topics. Any numbers should be on a visual aid anyway -- your audience will not be able to process them by listening only.

4. Customize that PowerPoint! Most of us have seen all of the PowerPoint templates-- again, and again, and again! To get your audience's attention, customize your presentations by creating a new graphic or importing a new image as part of your template. Make it something appropriate for your topic and your audience will be dazzled!

5. Unjingle that jangle! Speakers are often unaware of their own movements when they are speaking. Often, this means that their hands are in their pockets, jingling coins and keys. They don't notice it themselves, but the audience may find it very distracting. I was once near the back of a large room during a conference. I kept hearing a noise that sounding like the air conditioning system was rattling. Everyone was looking around to see where the noise was coming from. Finally I realized that the speaker had set the microphone down on the table-- right on level with his pockets, where he was jingling coins. The sound come over the speakers all around the room-- but the speakers, intent on his message--never noticed!

Most of all, relax. There's nothing you can do in an oral presentation, no stumble, no flub, no faux pas, that people will remember very long IF you act like it doesn't bother you.

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