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Steve Boyd on line - Newsletter In this issue: Cameras have certainly become advanced in recent years.
The casual photographer no longer has to worry about when to use a
flash, advance the film, or even focus! But
in developing presentation skills, the ability to focus is still a key to
effectiveness. Focus enables you to create a presentation to meet the
specific needs of your audience; when
you separate the audience you are speaking to from other audiences, you are
focusing your material in a way that will make you successful. Focus on preparation. In
actually preparing the presentation, focus should occur in three dimensions:
·
The general purpose of the presentation is the first consideration.
Are you informing, motivating, or entertaining?
·
Second, consider the desired response.
Answer the question, "What do I want my audience to do or believe
as a result of this presentation?"
·
Finally, formulate your thesis. This
statement is the essence of your presentation in one thought, and the entire
presentation should be centered around that thesis. When you fulfill these three, you have focused your preparation. Focus on presentation. During
the presentation, focus on audience response.
Begin by looking for the friendly faces; focusing on these people will
help you relax and ease any nervousness you might feel.
As you speak, watch for visual signs that people are listening, but
also look for signs that indicate the audience is not understanding, is
getting bored, or disagrees with what you are saying.
Focusing on the feedback of the audience will help you adapt your
presentation while you speak. As
you near the end of your presentation, focus on the best way to leave a
message for the audience to take with them.
Audiences remember best what you say last, so concentrate your
conclusion on summarizing your main points and giving an action step that will
motivate the audience to focus on whatever your speech was meant to achieve. Focus on evaluation. After
the presentation is over, take time to focus on how well the presentation
went. One of the first things I
do when I return from a speaking engagement is to compile a summary evaluation
both of parts that went well and of parts that could be improved.
Taking the time soon after the presentation to evaluate what happened
will make your next presentation more effective.
We learn most how to improve presentations by focusing on the last one
we gave and learning from its strengths and weaknesses.
Look over your outline during this summary time and see what parts you
omitted or what you added on the spur of the moment.
These observations often help you zero in on what parts of the
presentation you feel most comfortable with and what areas need development. Focus is essential to success in any endeavor in life, from photography
to presentation skills. It is
especially important in speaking to focus on the audience and target points
before speaking, on audience response and the message you want your audience
to retain during your speech, and on analysis of the presentation once it is
completed. With these focusing
techniques in mind, the picture you leave with your audience is sure to be a
clear one effectively communicating your purpose. A
question I’m often asked is, “Sometimes I’m nervous and anxious about
the presentation. How do I keep
from rushing through the presentation when I feel that way?”
First,
look for a reaction to what you are saying from members of the audience.
Becoming more conscious of your audience instead of thinking about
yourself will help you slow down naturally.
The nodding of the head or the look of concentration will let you know
that you are getting your ideas across and will help you focus on
communicating with your audience. If there is a puzzled look, you will more than likely give a
little more information and become more concerned with your message. Second,
pause briefly at the end of a thought. Counting
to three mentally is a mechanical way to give your audience a moment to ponder
what you have just said. Find two
or three places in your speech where the pause is very useful in emphasizing a
point and mark your notes to remind you to pause at those places in your
presentation. Finally,
take a step between points. Just
the physical movement will slow down your delivery.
When you move from the introduction to the body of the speech is a good
time to take a step toward your audience.
When you start to tell a story is another appropriate place to take a
step. Certainly moving to the
screen to illustrate a point from your visual is also a good opportunity to
move. Consciously
incorporating these tips will help you soon to be doing them automatically;
then your audience will not be distracted by your frantic delivery and
will more easily understand your message.
TURNING
YOUR MEETINGS FROM DULL TO DYNAMIC "If
something is urgent, do it yourself. If
you have time, delegate it. If
you have forever, call a meeting." Executives
and many other employees spend a substantial amount of time attending
meetings. Unfortunately, the time
spent in these many meetings is not always profitable. One reason for this is because meetings are frequently
conducted ineffectively, often because they are too long. Other complaints about meetings are that they cover
irrelevant material, are repetitive, and lack direction. It
has been said that the camel came into existence as a result of a committee
meeting. Fortunately, meetings do
not have to be conducted in such a fashion.
Here are some suggestions for making your meetings run more smoothly
and efficiently. First,
distribute an agenda to participants or display it on a flip chart so people
can see both a beginning and an end. This
closure helps participants' morale during the meeting and helps you stay on
your topic. If possible, distribute the agenda a day before the meeting
to give participants a chance to look it over so there are not surprises.
People relax when they know what to expect.
Discussion is less inhibited and attendees are better prepared to
contribute. Second,
arrange the seating so that people can see one another easily.
This encourages participation and no one feels left out of the
discussion. Also, try to conduct
the meeting in comfortable surroundings;
a well-lighted room with no outside distractions is an effective
environment for discussion to take place. Third,
set a time limit for discussions. If
you know ahead of time that the issue to be discussed has the potential to go
on for hours, say, "Since we know well the background of this topic, we
will limit discussion time to 20 minutes."
Put a premium on time; this will help focus attention on agenda items. Start and end the meeting on time. Fourth,
give everyone a chance to make contributions.
If a few participants dominate the discussion, it discourages others
from getting involved. The result
is lost momentum. Draw the quiet
people out by asking them direct questions, such as,
"Does anyone who has not spoken care to comment?" Or, "Sue, what is your opinion of...?"
To prevent one or two from dominating the discussion, you might say,
"Excuse me, John, before you continue may I ask if anyone has a comment
on the point you have just made?" Fifth,
make the content of the discussion important.
If someone's comment cannot be heard by everyone, repeat or paraphrase
it. Participants who cannot hear
a discussion soon lose interest. Allow
for disagreements within the group. Let
minority viewpoints be heard and encourage them. At various points in the meeting, summarize what has been
said so that there remains a sense of direction for all. Be positive in your approach to what people have to say;
assume that talking out problems will allow you to find solutions. Sixth,
stay on the subject. Do not stray
away from your agenda items. Agenda
changes should be made at the beginning of the meeting.
The middle of the meeting is not the time to bring up new items or
those irrelevant to the discussion at hand.
When a person begins to stray from the topic, you might say, "That
is interesting, but that is probably a topic for another time." To summarize regularly what has been said during the
discussion reminds participants to stay on target.
To remind people about items requiring formal action is another way to
prod people to stick with the agenda items. Whether
a meeting is profitable or not depends to a large degree on how the meeting is
conducted. Keeping the above
points in mind will increase the possibility of a successful meeting.
As one wise person put it, "People are never so likely to settle a
question rightly as when they discuss it freely."
A properly conducted meeting makes that possible.
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| About Steve Boyd | Products | Contact Steve Boyd | E-Mail Steve Boyd | |||||||||
| Dr. Stephen D. Boyd 31 Winston Hill Fort Thomas KY 41075-1047 Phone: 859-441-6520 | |||||||||
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