How would you feel when you are in a situation you are not sure how to come out of, and someone comes along who tells you how s/he was in the same situation, but did certain things to get out or told you how s/he was able to use her/his knowledge or know-how to help someone else find solution to the challenge? Certainly you will listen to such person.
When speaking before people, your desire is to have them listen to you, you want them to follow you. Unfortunately they won't listen to you if you don't have a message for them. I have said before that a message can (amongst others) stem from a personal experience or an area of knowledge. Let's expand on them a bit here.
On personal experience, please take note of the following:
1. Your personal experience must be relevant to the listeners. Don't tell your listeners things about you that are irrelevant to the presentation.
2. Personal experiences help build your credibility as you deliver your speech. Your audience see in you what is possible in themselves.
3. If you are a beginner in speaking, you may find it difficult to know or remember what to say before an audience, but if you build what you're saying around a story, your story (where applicable), you will easily flow with the audience.
On your know-how (skills) and what you know, consider these:
1. Some presentations are technical in nature and requires that the person presenting understands what they are saying. You'll loose your audience if you appear to them like a quack.
2. An audience will listen to you if you tell them about a need you met in the past, are meeting now or will meet in the future, using your know-how. In that case, they are rest assured of committing themselves in your hands knowing 'you got them' and will pay attention.
3. It is equally important to be aware of certain things happening around and make references to them when making your presentations. That way, you are assuring your audience that you exist in the moment. News items, current happenings in your field will do the trick.
Remember, your audience pay you attention to deliver a message; get it right!
In the next episode, I will discuss the audience expectations further.
When speaking before people, your desire is to have them listen to you, you want them to follow you. Unfortunately they won't listen to you if you don't have a message for them. I have said before that a message can (amongst others) stem from a personal experience or an area of knowledge. Let's expand on them a bit here.
On personal experience, please take note of the following:
1. Your personal experience must be relevant to the listeners. Don't tell your listeners things about you that are irrelevant to the presentation.
2. Personal experiences help build your credibility as you deliver your speech. Your audience see in you what is possible in themselves.
3. If you are a beginner in speaking, you may find it difficult to know or remember what to say before an audience, but if you build what you're saying around a story, your story (where applicable), you will easily flow with the audience.
On your know-how (skills) and what you know, consider these:
1. Some presentations are technical in nature and requires that the person presenting understands what they are saying. You'll loose your audience if you appear to them like a quack.
2. An audience will listen to you if you tell them about a need you met in the past, are meeting now or will meet in the future, using your know-how. In that case, they are rest assured of committing themselves in your hands knowing 'you got them' and will pay attention.
3. It is equally important to be aware of certain things happening around and make references to them when making your presentations. That way, you are assuring your audience that you exist in the moment. News items, current happenings in your field will do the trick.
Remember, your audience pay you attention to deliver a message; get it right!
In the next episode, I will discuss the audience expectations further.
© 2017, Emeka Akpa. All rights reserved
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