Tips
on Giving Speeches and Presentations
Giving
speeches and presentations is one of the most basic ways that an activist
can communicate their ideas. Every activist should have at least a little
experience with public speaking.
Speaking
Tips
Feeling
some nervousness before giving a speech is natural and healthy. It shows
you care about doing well. But, too much nervousness can be detrimental.
Here's how you can control your nervousness and make effective, memorable
presentations:
-
Know
the room. Be familiar with the
place in which you will speak. Arrive early, walk around the speaking
area and try practicing using the microphone and any visual aids.
-
Know
the audience. Greet some of the audience as they arrive. It's
easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.
-
Know
your material. If you're not familiar with your material or are
uncomfortable with it, your nervousness will increase. Practice your
speech and revise it if necessary.
-
Relax.
Ease tension by going for a walk, doing some basic stretching, chatting
with colleagues.
-
Realize
that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting,
stimulating, and informative. They don't want you to fail.
-
Don't
apologize. If you mention your
nervousness or apologize for any problems you think you have with
your speech, you may be calling the audience's attention to something
they hadn't noticed. Avoid pointing out your own imagined inadequacies,
your audience has a higher opinion of
you than you think.
-
Concentrate
on the message -- not the medium. Focus your attention away from
your own anxieties, and outwardly toward your message and your audience.
Your nervousness will dissipate.
-
Turn
nervousness into positive energy. Harness your nervous energy
and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm.
-
Gain
experience. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to
effective speaking.
[Excerpted
from "10 Tips For Successful Public Speaking" http://www.toastmasters.org/tips.htm
with modifications by the editor.]
Tips
for handling Q & A
-
If
you don't hear the question or understand it, ask the questioner to
repeat it.
-
Try
to keep calm, even if your audience is hostile or upset.
-
Always
respect the questioner, even if you do not like the question or the
manner in which it is posed.
-
Don't
feel offended if someone asks you a question that you feel you already
answered in your presentation or a previous question, they may not
have heard or understood the information previously presented.
-
Honesty
is the best policy, if you don't know the answer to something, admit
it - you can offer to get in contact the person later with an answer.
[Excerpted
from "Handling Q & A"
http://www.ecn.ab.ca/toast/qa.html]
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