Wednesday, August 22, 2007

How To Give A Great Presentation

In the following article, what principles could you apply when presenting your ministry. The information that is sent you way, is not for reading purposes only. May God help us all to relay His truth the best way possible.

Public speaking can be very stressful. I know that whenever I get up in front of a crowd I go through a panic moment. It takes a lot of discipline, practice and preparation to put on a good presentation and even knowing what you need to know can be hard.
A year or so ago I wrote on the subject of first time speaking. Since that time I’ve been able to use many of those tips as well as some new tricks to help get myself ready for speaking engagements. I also had a chance to spend time with a speaking coach which helped more than I’d have ever guessed.
Now when I’m speaking, while not 100% comfortable, I do feel much better and I’m able to not only make it more fun for me, I think I pass along that good feeling a bit more to my audience. I’ve got several good tips, tricks and resources that will hopefully help some of you. These things should help whether you’re speaking at a large conference, giving a small internal presentation to you coworkers or classmates or giving a sales pitch. They’re pretty universal.
Mental and Physical Preparation Before Your Presentation
I’ve found that the more prepared I am, the more confident I feel. This makes for a better presentation. As you get comfortable speaking you’ll naturally feel more confident and the need to prepare (and time it takes) will not be so important. For newer and first time speakers I think you should spend as much time as you can getting ready. Well, don’t make yourself crazy, just make sure you know and feel comfortable with your material and practice a few times.
If you’ve never spoken before a meeting with a speech coach can really help. They talk with you, get an idea of your style and will offer you some specific advice on how to address the crowd, what your particular problems might be and more. For example when I went I was told:
Speak slower.
Talk to individuals in the crowd.
Think before you speak. Take pauses.
These things were (and still are) very, very helpful for me to remember when I’m speaking. Going over them before I get up there reminds me and helps me be more calm and confident.
A few other ways to prepare yourself:
Drink lots of water.
Get a good night’s sleep.
Eat.
Breathe.
Visualize a positive outcome.
Hang out with the other speakers (if there are any) and ask them questions and for advice. This always helps me as they will usually build you up.

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