Discussion
Crack a joke right at the start, once they have laughed it will help you relax.
I have only ever had to do talk in front of that many people once and i was totally cacking myself until the first chuckle.
If it is not the kind of subject where humour is acceptable, then i have no clue
I have only ever had to do talk in front of that many people once and i was totally cacking myself until the first chuckle.
If it is not the kind of subject where humour is acceptable, then i have no clue
This has just reminded me of one of my worst moments...
I had the unenviable task of shutting down a call centre (not for the first time
) and after telling the management team on a one to one basis that they were going to be made redundant it was becoming quite clear to everyone else that something was going down. So I bit the bullet and pulled the whole site together (c45-50 people) and made the announcement to them all in one go.
I was very nervous and must have sounded it as some of the staff even felt sorry for me for having to 'do the deed'
I had the unenviable task of shutting down a call centre (not for the first time
) and after telling the management team on a one to one basis that they were going to be made redundant it was becoming quite clear to everyone else that something was going down. So I bit the bullet and pulled the whole site together (c45-50 people) and made the announcement to them all in one go. I was very nervous and must have sounded it as some of the staff even felt sorry for me for having to 'do the deed'
No problem - I do this kind of thing for a living.
Plotloss is right - a little humour at the start really helps you get off on the right foot.
A couple more tips:
Give the audience a genuine smile before you say anything - hold it for a few seconds and they will smile back at you.
Speak at about half the speed you think you need to. It will sound slow to you but right to the audience. We all have a tendency to speed up when undertake public speaking.
Finally - top tip for effective public speaking:
Tell them what you are going to tell them.
Tell them.
Tell them what you have just told them.
In other words, tell them what you are going to be covering in your talk, deliver the bulk of the talk, then recap and summarise.
Hope that helps.
Plotloss is right - a little humour at the start really helps you get off on the right foot.
A couple more tips:
Give the audience a genuine smile before you say anything - hold it for a few seconds and they will smile back at you.
Speak at about half the speed you think you need to. It will sound slow to you but right to the audience. We all have a tendency to speed up when undertake public speaking.
Finally - top tip for effective public speaking:
Tell them what you are going to tell them.
Tell them.
Tell them what you have just told them.
In other words, tell them what you are going to be covering in your talk, deliver the bulk of the talk, then recap and summarise.
Hope that helps.
something slightly different 10 mins prior may help
waynester said:
My boss has asked me to give a presentation lasting 45 minutes to approximately 150 delegates!!
I haven't had to do anything like this for years, even then it was nowhere near 150..!!
Straw poll: Who enjoys/fears this sort of thing?
Also, any calming tips?
Sorry, I'm not helping am I?!
Make sure you grab your audience's attention right from the start and keep the presentation flowing so their attention never waivers!
Practise until you're virtually word perfect.
Good luck
Don't be afraid of silence. If you pause between slides instead of rambling on about nothing to fill the space it actually makes people pay attention more.
Also, if you say something strange/wrong it may sound awful to you, but the audience may not even notice, just keep going.
I always make my presentations very light-hearted and encourage questions feedback, but this can make it harder to get through the slides.
Don't read from the slides.
Write the slides yourself, even if you rewrite another pres word for word. This way you will know what is on each slide without constantly looking back at the screen - I find the worst thing when presenting is to be giving a presentation written by someone else.
And remember, everyone is listening to you, you are the star who has what they want to hear. Feel good/proud that you are standing there.
>> Edited by Targarama on Wednesday 19th January 10:58
Also, if you say something strange/wrong it may sound awful to you, but the audience may not even notice, just keep going.
I always make my presentations very light-hearted and encourage questions feedback, but this can make it harder to get through the slides.
Don't read from the slides.
Write the slides yourself, even if you rewrite another pres word for word. This way you will know what is on each slide without constantly looking back at the screen - I find the worst thing when presenting is to be giving a presentation written by someone else.
And remember, everyone is listening to you, you are the star who has what they want to hear. Feel good/proud that you are standing there.
>> Edited by Targarama on Wednesday 19th January 10:58
Great tips already.
I hate to disagree with the emminent suggestions, but don't overdo the humour. Best to pop it in when you're comfortable! It could all go horribly wrong (for example, you can cut out that swastika joke straight away!!!)
Talk to all your audience.
Every one of them.
Get eye contact and make sure they're with you.
(Which is the same as saying don't talk at the slides!)
Also, in preparing a presentation tehre is a lot of detail (far too much for here) about how a structure should help you.
In general, split your time up:
20% "INTRO"
60% "PPPP"
20% "SQRT"
was how I learnt!
To keep it simple, remember what you are doing can be best summed up as:
"Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em. Tell 'em. Then tell 'em what you just told 'em."
I hate to disagree with the emminent suggestions, but don't overdo the humour. Best to pop it in when you're comfortable! It could all go horribly wrong (for example, you can cut out that swastika joke straight away!!!)
Talk to all your audience.
Every one of them.
Get eye contact and make sure they're with you.
(Which is the same as saying don't talk at the slides!)
Also, in preparing a presentation tehre is a lot of detail (far too much for here) about how a structure should help you.
In general, split your time up:
20% "INTRO"
60% "PPPP"
20% "SQRT"
was how I learnt!
To keep it simple, remember what you are doing can be best summed up as:
"Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em. Tell 'em. Then tell 'em what you just told 'em."
If i have to make a speech or do a presentation, I go and find a quiet bog beforehand to do voice warm-ups. OK, it feels a bit silly, but it helps when you come to project your voice. It also avoids the squeakiness when you're nervous and makes you feel like you're in control.
It works for me
It works for me
I've done a lot of presenting in various roles - and would agree with the advice so far on here.
A few additional tips :
Time : 45 minutes is a very long time to continuously hold an audiences attention : can the length be reduce to (say) 15 or 20 minutes : or can you split / share with a co-presenter - which is a lot easier for you and more engaging for the audience.
Slides : keep them VERY simple , each slide should have a "point" or message to it : aim for a max of 1 or 2 major messages or conclusions from each slide.
"So what" : Each slide should answer the "so what" question about its content - if it doesn't : don't use it.
Purpose of presentation : You need to be very clear about what you are trying to achieve from the prsentation : design the material / slides / messages from the point of view of the listeners / audience : what is the "value" to them : keep it simple.
Preparation : practice the presentation to a couple of colleagues beforehand - and ask for feedback, you will then be able to adjust the delivery or messages and feel much more relaxed.
hope this helps .
A few additional tips :
Time : 45 minutes is a very long time to continuously hold an audiences attention : can the length be reduce to (say) 15 or 20 minutes : or can you split / share with a co-presenter - which is a lot easier for you and more engaging for the audience.
Slides : keep them VERY simple , each slide should have a "point" or message to it : aim for a max of 1 or 2 major messages or conclusions from each slide.
"So what" : Each slide should answer the "so what" question about its content - if it doesn't : don't use it.
Purpose of presentation : You need to be very clear about what you are trying to achieve from the prsentation : design the material / slides / messages from the point of view of the listeners / audience : what is the "value" to them : keep it simple.
Preparation : practice the presentation to a couple of colleagues beforehand - and ask for feedback, you will then be able to adjust the delivery or messages and feel much more relaxed.
hope this helps .
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