While captivating an audience is a skill that takes years to develop,
there are some simple ways to instantly improve your speaking skills.
The following are simple tips for preparing, practicing, and rapidly improving your presentation kills.
And
as a bonus, each tip includes a link to an awesome TED Talk. Not only
do you get to see great speakers in action, you can broaden your
knowledge too:
1. Always Give the Audience Something to Take Home
Always
provide something specific the audience can do almost immediately. No
matter how inspiring your message, every audience appreciates learning a
tangible way they can actually apply what they’ve learned to their own
lives.
Inspiration is great, but application is everything: never
be afraid to say, “Tonight, think of an employee who is really
struggling… and then tomorrow, do (this) and (this) to try to rescue
them.”
Watch Dan Ariely on how we make decisions
2. Don’t Wait to Answer Questions
If
a question pops up in the middle of your presentation, that’s awesome:
someone is listening! So seize the opportunity. If you would have
addressed in a later slide, skip ahead. (If you’re practiced skipping
around it won’t throw you.)
The best presentations feel like
conversations, even if one-sided… so never ignore the opportunity to
foster that sense of interaction. Never do anything to disengage your
audience.
Read more at INC.
