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Nervous about making presentations? Welcome to the human race! Public Speaking has for many years consistently been rated as adults’ #1 fear. Amazingly, this phobia rates higher than fear of snakes, spiders, flying and other potentially scary things and life events. At the same time, delivering effective and impactful presentations in a variety of contexts in the business world has become a skill crucial to our continued and future success. Think of all the circumstances in which you are asked to lead a discussion, present a proposal or convey new information. As our careers take flight and our business grows, we may be called upon many times to inform, inspire, motivate, encourage, educate, promote, sell, persuade, market and convince many people. Being confident as a presenter is an invaluable asset to take with us through our journey. Developing this confidence takes time. There are many skills to be acquired (yes – the ability to present well is a skill, not necessarily something you’re born with - and as a skill it can be learned!).
One of the elements of skill used by a presenter is the manner in which they support their message(s) visually. Research has shown that (in face-to-face communication), your listeners receive only 7% of the meaning of your communication from the words you say. A further 38% of meaning they derive is delivered by the manner in which you speak (how fast, loud, etc.). The remaining 55% is communicated to your audience by whatever they see. As presenters of information, we should be using visuals to add interest, make strong and emphatic points, keep our audience (and ourselves!) on track, summarise, clarify and add variety. So this brings us to the question of what kinds of visual aids can or should we use? This is a bit like the ‘how long is a piece of string?’ question. The answer depends on many different factors. Here are the Top Ten Considerations in selecting your visual tools. Please remember - there are few 'rights' or 'wrongs' concerning which presentation aids you use. Each will have its own advantages and disadvantages. Your choice should particularly be determined by the context in which you are working. Additionally, when choosing your tools, consider the following:
So when next you are asked to ‘stand and deliver’, you can be confident that you have put the necessary thought into the selection of your presentation aids and the required practice into being able to use them with finesse, professionalism - and pizzazz! © Sandi Givens, 2011 Permission to reprint this article is welcomed provided the following: |
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