Being able to give a clear, confident presentation that leaves an impression is a crucial skill to professional advancement. Don’t miss out on important opportunities because of your public speaking skills! Take a look at our three tips below to help take your presentations to the next level:
1. When giving a presentation, repetition can go a long way towards making sure everyone is on the same page and taking home the same message. To be as clear as possible, restate your main point several times during the presentation to make sure the more important messages are received. As Dale Carnegie once said, “Tell the audience what you’re going to say, say it, then tell them what you said.”
2. Memorize the opening and closing of your speech. People will typically remember the first and last things they heard the most clearly, so you want to ensure these parts of your presentation are strong and clear. Also, nerves are often the worst at the beginning of a presentation, so by having your opening memorized, you can focus more on relaxing and presenting in a confident way rather than worrying about how your words are coming out. For the rest of your presentation, practice enough so that you are comfortable with the material, but not so much that you sound stiff and over-rehearsed.
3. If you stumble over your words, don’t pause to apologize. Odds are the fumble wasn’t as noticeable as you think, and pausing to apologize is more disruptive than the original mistake. This can detract from your message and make it seem as though you are unsure of yourself.
Want to learn more? Take a look at the following video by Corporate Speech Solutions Founder and President, Jayne Latz, for more great tips on perfecting your presentation skills!
Let Corporate Speech Solutions help you to gain the confidence in your skills so you can stand up and present to any crowd. For information on the New York Based Speech and Accent Reduction services offered by Corporate Speech Solutions please give us a call at 212-308-7725 or visit us on the web at www.corporatespeechsolutions.com. Not in NYC? No problem! We also provide Skype and video conferencing services.
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