by Rick Baker
On Mar 4, 2010
This blog provides a sampling of what experts have to say about how to give compelling presentations.
We should only give public presentations if the following circumstances exist:
- We love to give public presentations.
- Our boss tells us to give public presentations.
- Both 1 and 2 apply.
I wish I could say I made that up. I did not. I read it somewhere, some time ago.
Here are some more pieces of advice…
From Dale Carnegie’s book ‘The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking’, to make sure your mind is in the right frame to improve your public-speaking skills:
- Take heart from the experience of others
- Keep your goal before you
- Predetermine your mind to success
From Peter Urs Bender’s book ‘Secrets of Power Presentations’, a speech has to have at least one of four objectives:
- To inform
- To entertain
- To touch the emotions
- To move to action
A good presentation covers all four objectives.
From Stephanie Palmer’s book ‘Good In A Room’, the secrets of rapport:
- Allow yourself to really care about the other person and to be curious about who he or she is. Empathic interest creates trust.
- Common ground cannot be faked or fudged. Rapport requires honesty.
- The warmth that signifies true rapport is not something you can force.
- Keep the spotlight shining on the buyer.
*****
I will never forget my first two ‘engagements’, when I was called
on with short notice to speak to major groups of business people.
But, I certainly hope the audiences have forgotten them.
*****
My next blog will be on Networking…