One of the best tools for improving your presentation skills is to video-record yourself as a means of practice. While you may think this is a bit extreme, it really isn’t: you will learn so much by watching yourself on video. A lot of people are recorded during their presentation, but imagine the advantage if you record yourself beforehand so that you can correct your mistakes as well as the ‘tics’, the ums, ahs & uhs, and any other mannerisms you may not like.

The first step, however, is to practice your material out loud. I tell this to my clients and my students over and over; and still, I have people that don’t practice their material. My question is why?

If you were to give a piano recital, you would practice; if you were to enter a golf tournament, you would practice; if you were to take a driver’s test, you would practice. What makes you think you can give a presentation or deliver a speech without practicing? Going over it in your mind is not practice…saying it OUT LOUD is!

After practicing your material, do it again with your camcorder on. [As an aid for my clients, I place a huge stuffed gorilla on the sofa and 'Goofy' on an adjacent chair so that my presenters feel like they are talking to an audience. Dolls and mannequins will also work.] Go through your entire presentation and then play it back and study it. Decide what you like and what you don’t like.

Then ask yourself an important question. Overall, did you enjoy your presentation? Forget the mistakes, just look at the entire piece and judge it in its entirety. Mistakes are not important at this particular time. Was your delivery good? Did you convey what you wanted to say in an entertaining, enjoyable, interesting manner? Feeling good about your presentation skills is an important acknowledgement because if you enjoyed it, so too will your audience.

If, on the other hand, you didn’t like it, ask yourself why.

Did you acknowledge your ‘audience’ or were your eyes glued to your notes or your script? Did you show any emotion in speaking or was your face frozen in fear? Did you move during your delivery or were you standing perfectly still? Did you read to your audience or were you able to sound conversational? (Remember: this is not a reading at the library or Barnes & Noble!) Were there a lot of ums and ahs or was your speech smooth flowing?

These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself about your style of delivery; but, more importantly, ask yourself if you are able to correct these faults on your own or could use some training.

Just as all musicians and athletes have had training so too should those involved in public speaking. Most people are not born natural speakers; it takes practice; it takes constructive criticism; and, it all begins by recording yourself on a camcorder first.

The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. Visit Voice DynamicYour Least Developed Tool! and watch Nancy as she describes

That which makes the voice truly interesting to listen to is color. Color is the life, the emotion, the animation one exudes in talking, be it at the lectern, in the sales meeting, over the phone or in a one-on-one conversation. Through my many years as a voice specialist, I have discovered some very interesting correlations between the professions we choose and whether we speak with color. At the top of that list are athletes, research scientists, and CPA’s who often exhibit little or no expression in their delivery. (Please understand that I am generalizing.)

Color is heard not only in the voice but is seen in one’s facial expression as well as one’s body language. Harrison Ford is a wonderful example of excellent facial expression, excellent body language. The tone of his voice is somewhat static – he doesn’t display a lot of variety in his voice – but as an actor in the types of roles he plays, he almost doesn’t need vocal variety: his face and his body display or ‘speak’ every emotion he is feeling.

Step 1

To see just how expressive you are (or aren’t!), watch your face in a mirror and say the following statement – She said yes – as if you were delighted. Now say those words again – She said yes – as if you were disappointed. Did you notice a difference in your facial expression between delight and disappointment? If there was no difference, then you probably need some work.

Step 2

Let’s work with – She said yes – again. This time when you look in the mirror, smile when you say it and nod your head up and down just a bit. (Don’t overdue it.) Did you notice a difference? Now when you say – She said yes – I want you to frown and shake your head back and forth as if you were sad or disappointed. Was there a difference? If you noticed a difference, then you’ve just taken the 2nd step to speaking with color.

Step 3

Record yourself saying – She said yes – the first time as if you were delighted (you just found out you won the lottery) and the second time as if you were disappointed (your mother-in-law is coming to visit for 6 months). Play back the recording. You should notice quite a difference if you can ‘act’ in those two manners. I’m not advising you to act in normal conversation; however, expressing some emotion after finding out you just won the lottery or discovering your mother-in-law’s impending visit is normal. It is natural. It is what most people do.

When I teach color I explain to my clients that I want them to straddle the fence, meaning too much color is as bad as not enough color. Sometimes a client will exaggerate his/her ‘color’ which is not what I’m looking for. Exaggerated color is seen on the stage. That is the only place for it. Exaggerated expression sounds ridiculous because it is inappropriate. So if you already express emotion when you speak beware that you don’t go too far in improving on your delivery.

At the lectern, however, I often find that many people who are normally quite expressive have a tendency to lose their life, their color, their emotion. They are so overcome with panic and fear, that they don’t allow themselves to be expressive. Their voices become flat and their faces pale as they spit out a pile of words with little or no emotion. If this sounds like you, then you need to change.

A colorful delivery of your presentation or your speech is what is going to grab and keep your audience’s attention. When you can be expressive on the podium, then you are on the path to becoming a dynamic public speaker.

The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group session in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. Visit her website at: http://www.voicedynamic.com

Practicing for presentations can waste more of your key personnel time then almost any

other business activity. The possible exception being useless meetings! To maximize your

planning efforts just follow these 5 easy steps. You will find that you can streamline the

process and make Presentation Practice much more productive.

*There must be One Person in Charge. This person has responsibility for scheduling,

coordinating and, perhaps most importantly, communicating with all of the presentation team

members. Preferably this is a staff position working in Business Development who can be

assigned the job. Never put a busy executive in charge of the day to day process.

*Select the Presentation Team Early. Be sure to determine who is required to be a

presenter. Almost always the client wants to meet and hear from the people working

directly on the project, not just the sales group.

* A detailed presentation schedule is mandatory. Everyone must understand what the plan

is. At a minimum the schedule needs to show the following: Presentation date and time.

Team practices and who needs to be present along with where and when practices will be

held. A block of time needs to be allocated for preparing visual aids. They can be power

point slides, presentation boards, handouts, leave behinds, or anything else that may need

to be created for the presentation. The schedule needs to be distributed to all team

members as quickly as possible to allow maximum time for individuals block out times in their personal schedules.

*When practices are scheduled everyone must be prepared to practice. This sounds redundant

but I can’t tell you how often I have heard people complain over what a waste of time a

practice session was. Having a room full of people waiting for someone to finish the power

point presentation slides is not where you want to be.

*Communicate everything pertaining to schedule with everyone as quickly as possible.

Again, numerous times I have seen practice sessions rescheduled without letting everyone

know. The result is always a conference room of senior staff with nothing to do! They

didn’t know the practice had been rescheduled.

Try these steps and you will be surprise at how much more productive your Presentation

Planning will become.

Allen Jossim is a retired executive and freelance writer with much presentation and public

speaking experience. Please go to his blog Public Speaking – You Can Do It! where helpful information

is always available. Allen Jossim has sold stamps and collectibles on ebay for 12 years. He also is a successful freelance writer. Allen is a retired executive from a major international commercial construction firm who enjoys living in rural north Georgia with his wife, dogs and cats!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Suzanne_Guthrie

Article Storehouse | How to Build a Powerful Presentation from Scratch – Part 1 of 2

How to Build a Powerful Presentation from Scratch – Part 1 of 2

By: Andy Grant

In this two-part series, we’ll explore the finer points of crafting a powerful presentation. During part one, we cover the basics – but don’t be fooled by the simplicity of these tips! All the best presentations have these characteristics in common.

1. Less is more.

Let’s face it – we live in the age of Twitter communication, where anything longer than a sentence starts to lose our interest. We’re constantly being bombarded with information at every turn, so it pays to keep things brief. Sound bites rule! Of course you’ll want to have supporting information to back up any bold declarations you make, but there is something to be said for brevity. Don’t be afraid to end early…nail this presentation and you just might get invited back to speak in more detail on your chosen topic!

2. Keep it relevant.

The lecture format is passe’. Keep the mood fresh and engaging, invite questions and audience participation, and if you have a longer presentation, incorporate an activity or exercise that gets people involved while driving home a key point. Use current references and analogies, don’t be afraid to weave in pop culture references if you can make it relate to your key point (assuming this is a match for your audience).

3. Be enthusiastic.

Odds are, you can fondly remember a teacher from your grade school days and you may remember things that he or she taught you – even if you didn’t particularly like the subject itself! Likeable people keep us interested and engaged, and enthusiasm is contagious. Bring your own passion into your presentation and your audience will sit up and take notice — even if the very same material would have bored them on paper.

4. Know when to hold ‘em

It is positively baffling how many speakers and presenters don’t know how to simply and effectively use audiovisuals. Used properly, these tools can enhance a presentation, drive home key points, and keep the focus where it belongs: on the speaker. Anything else becomes a distraction that leads to boredom. Look around – there are plenty of articles here on this blog that demystify the proper use of rental projectors and audiovisual support. Read up on the subject matter and you can master this quickly and easily!

5. Meat and potatoes

Be sure to structure your presentation so that it has plenty of meat (valuable subject matter, new information, useful tips, etc.) as well as potatoes (such as supporting explanations, demonstrations, hands-on experiences, and exercises or material designed to reinforce the key points). A presentation that’s “all-meat” often gives too much new material without allowing for integration, which may result in a much lower retention of the information by the audience. Similarly, an “all-potato” presentation lets the participant walk away feeling as though they learned nothing new or useful. As a presenter, it’s up to you to strike a balance.

By following these simple steps, you can ensure that your presentation packs a punch and keeps your audience engaged.

Author Resource:-> Need an LCD projector rental for your next business presentation or after-hours get-together? Renting a projector is as easy as 1-2-3 at http://Projector123.com. Discover the fast, easy, affordable, hassle-free way to procure a professional grade rental projector today.

Article From Article Storehouse

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So, you have the MBA degrees and the 15 year experience to back it up? Yet, you still lack the ability to communicate ideas to colleagues, juniors or your CEO? If the answer is yes, you’re not alone. Too many people in the corporate world lack effective presentation skills and this keeps them back from fully conveying brilliant ideas to others. Improved presentation skills can help you deliver more concise and passionate presentations that are not endlessly monotonous, irrelevant and non-persuasive.

The Reasons Behind Poor Presentation Skills
One of the main causes for less than impressive presentation skills is the fear of public speaking. Few of us relish the idea of standing up in a room full of people and conveying a message or idea to them. Unfortunately, most people, instead of polishing their presentation skills, opt for the use of fancy PowerPoint tools to substitute for the anxiety they feel while presenting to an audience. Such tools are no doubt important, but they cannot be used in place of preparedness, research, or enthusiasm for the topics of presentation. These tools are, at best, useful for adding value to an already well prepared presentation.

How You can Improve Your Presentation Skills
All audiences cannot be addressed in exactly the same way. In some cases, an audience may be favorable to you, in many others, they may be distrustful. The same standardized presentation will not work for all cases. Different presentation skills need to be used relative to the audience you are presenting to.

For a truly, effective presentation, making eye contact with your audience is a must. Whether it is a small group or a larger audience, creating and maintaining some degree of eye contact will help the audience connect with the presenter and dissolve any feelings of discomfort they may have. The most successful speakers constantly move about on the stage to engage their audience. Movement is a time tested method for conveying your ideas with emphasis. Your physical posture should be confident and full of energy and enthusiasm.

Equally important is your passion for the product or idea you’re selling. Audiences are quick to gauge when you are not sincere about your message. In other words, if you don’t believe in it yourself, you will never be able to convert others to your way of thinking regardless of the flowery prose or slick slides that you use. Learning the secrets of the best presentation skills will enable you to convey the benefits of your product or message to the members instead of giving them a whole lot of information about something they may not necessarily have any interest in. Honing your presentation skills will help you to better connect with your audience which will create a better chance of convincing them of your message and converting them to your point of view.

These are just a few ways by which you can better your presentation skills. You can benefit immensely from presentation skill training programs and seminars. They will help you overcome the any presentation issues that you may have and will pave the way toward a more successful career.

Michael Jeffreys is the president of Seminars on DVD, a premiere provider of video based training for businesses and individuals, featuring renowned experts and speakers. Learn more at: http://www.SeminarsOnDVD.com.

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Author: Anne Warfield

In order to improve communication with others you need to make sure you are always conveying that you respect them as a person. Sadly, I must say I often see this trait missing especially between employees and managers.

Here is a quick test that will help you know if you always convey that you respect the other person. Give yourself a point for all the ones you do consistently.

1. You bring pen and paper to meetings and take notes to show your interest and the importance of what is being said.
2. You respond to all phone calls and emails within 24 hours even if it is only to say you will not have an answer until later.
3. You sit up with your shoulders back, plant your feet firmly and make eye contact during meetings and discussions.
4. With management, you appropriately challenge ideas always looking at what can be done to improve things. You never challenge by saying things are “stupid,” “won’t work,” or by rolling your eyes.
5. You realize that bottom line your job is to support upper management in reaching the company’s vision. Therefore, you take it upon yourself to look at what you need from your manager in order to do your job better taking full responsibility for your job.
6. You do not interrupt while others are talking.
7. During arguments or heated discussions you repeat back what you think the other person said before you say your piece. That way you avoid misunderstandings or reading in to what the other person said.
8. Any disagreement you have with a person you take straight to him/her rather than gossip about it behind their back.
9. When listening to a person you make eye contact 70% of the time.
10. You believe that people are trying to do their best.

Score:

9-10 points You really try to make everyone you come in contact with feel valued. You are probably targeted as a leader and someone that people look up to.

7-8 points You will be respectful of those you feel deserve it but sometimes may be seen as not a team player. People may see you as “hot or cold.”

6 or less You probably come off as a person with a “chip on their shoulder.” People are more likely to take what you say negatively because they feel you don’t respect them so they are not going to want to respect you. I recommend that you look at whether you are in the right workplace for you or if you need to find an environment where you can show a greater degree of respect for others. Life is too short not to be happy at work.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/presentation-articles/am-i-communicating-with-respect-10-steps-to-communicating-respectfully-2454559.html

About the Author

When people want to know how to say the right thing at the right time, they call Anne Warfield. As the leading Outcome Strategist, Anne helps people negotiate, present, sell and lead by managing perceptions, since perceptions become reality. She does this by showing you how to speak so people WANT to listen to you.

The first thing that run through your mind right after you assigned to give a presentation is: how can I structure my presentation in an appealing manner so that it looks efficient? and the second question that follows soon after is: “how can I convey my presentation’s purpose in a way that appeals my audience?

So, the first thing to consider even before you jot down any word is to pursue the following three-steps-approach to guarantee a great presentation in all its aspects.the followings are the same course of action that professionals use in every piece of their prizewinning presentations.

1) Plan

Many public speakers exaggerate in focusing in the content of the presentation while ignoring the audience which is a part and parcel of the whole process.so, giving the addressees their natural part of focus is the one factor that either fail you or make from you a successful presenter. You wonder “how can I achieve that? ». An accurate response would be to answer the next basic questions:

-who is going to be in the audience? -Their background,age,sex? -How can I sell them into my arguments? -What is this presentation intended to do? -What do they want to hear about ? -What specific topic do they want to focus on more? etc

So, by finding the precise responses to them,you will be able to understand more and more the people whom you are talking to and consequently get them agree upon whatever you said.Another thing to pay a close attention to is : “does the occasion have any special prerequisites that may be peripheral to the presentation?”.You should plan the presentation so as everything fits according to the desired presentation’s outcome.

2)Organize

Inappropriate cloths,poor grammar,out-dated stories and dirty jokes may be an easy-to-bear flaws by the audience however,the only thing that could not be overlooked by the listeners is a terribly organized presentation.Bad organization is one of the rare flaws that the viewers cannot put up with as the efficacy of the massages will be damaged tremendously.conversely,the effectiveness of the message can be considerably increased by clear and plausible organization .Organization is such a powerful tool that keeps the audience’s attention focused on what you have to say.here’s a quick tips on how to keep the speech organized.

-start with an outline -give a quick hint on the structure your presentation will follow -open with your body with an attention catcher. -Lay out your major point to be crystal clear,to the point,cohesive,and convincing. -Be as simple as you possibly can as simplicity is what everybody tends to. -Watch out time,otherwise you’ll end up with a sleepy audience.and -Always remember less is more.capture the gist of the presentation in one short statement.

3) Deliver

After planning and organizing,we have reached the delivery stage which all what you’ve done built upon.all what you’ve prepared up to this point is worthless if you don’t manifest it at the stage.As we said,your foremost concern is your audience,so how could you come to impact them to the point that they give literally their full attention?.Studies have shown that the opening and the ending are the most impressive parts of the presentation,therefore, the key here is to focus on them,right?

The first impressions given to the audience about you could lead to an entirely different outcome if no first impression has done.so what you need to do here is to identify the charisma and credibility in the people you meet or see in the television,observe the way they stand,sit,talk,react and gesture,these are what make whatever they utter impressive regardless of how important it is.Take a pen and a paper and write down what do they have in common.here’s what you may find out :

-they stand tall with a straight back,keeping their shoulders relaxed. -Holding eye contact with the audience reinforces their messages. -walking while they are talking,this adds a sort of dynamism to their presentations. -They keep the speed of presentation at a controllable level. -they take as much as space as they possibly can,making their movement wide,upward and outward…etc. All in all,you need to keep yourself vivacious,enthusiastic and passionate through the presentation.Don’t be hasty to start or to finish as these parts are the most memorable parts of all the presentation.If everything is done as it should be ,Congratulations enjoy your applause.

SIMON GARMAH is an executive Communications Consultant and Coach. He is president of Lifestyles Communications, Inc. which helps individuals communicate in the new global and virtual world. His website is http://public-speaking-tips1.blogspot.com

<br>A successful presentation starts with the presenter owning the room. When you know and own the room, you will be a more powerful and confident presenter. That leads to more successful presentations for you.
<br>
<br>Consider this
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<br>While strolling in your neighborhood you will feel more comfortable and confident than in a strange town. A sports team usually feels stronger when playing at home. Delivering a presentation is certainly a competitive sport. Why not do it on your home turf?
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<br>As a presenter, how do you own the room? “Owning the room” is a feeling that you can generate within yourself by knowing the room. How do you know the room?
<br>
<br>Know the room
<br>
<br>Knowing the room for your presentation might mean arriving the day before your presentation. At the very least, arrive one hour before your presentation. Don’t breeze in 10 minutes before you speak and expect to “own the room”.
<br>
<br>Get into the room before your presentation – preferably when no one else is there. This will allow you to make the following preparations.
<br>
<br>You can see the room and start visualizing how you will present and how your audience will look. Visualizing yourself presenting in the room is an effective way to prepare for your presentation. You will feel more comfortable and more powerful if you’ve been in the room before your presentation.
<br>
<br>If the room is not the right size for the audience expected you can plan what to do to alter the room to make it appear to be smaller or arrange for another room.
<br>
<br>You can check the setup of the room. Become familiar with the layout of the seating, tables, doors, curtains and other characteristics of the room. Walk around the room and sit in different seats so you understand better how the audience might or might not see you and your visuals during your presentation. Look for blind spots.
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<br>Arrange for the seating to be changed to your preferred arrangement. Sometimes this might mean making those changes yourself. (I’ve done this the night before an important presentation.)
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<br>Play with the switches. Test all the lights, AV and climate control switches. Tape the ones that should not be changed. Discover the ones that give you the settings you want so you can set it quickly or explain to an assistant how to do it.
<br>
<br>Check all the doors to learn which ones are noisy – so you can tape the latches with duct tape. Which are the outer halls that need a “Do Not Enter” sign taped on the outside? Where are the washrooms so you can direct people? hich are the emergency exits in case they are needed?
<br>
<br>Rehearse walking on and off the stage so you don’t trip. I’ve done it and seen it happen. It’s surprising how simple things like walking on stage can be nerve wracking when you are giving a presentation.
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<br>Stand on the stage and deliver parts of your presentation. Move about the stage to feel comfortable and find the cracks or creaky boards that you will need to avoid. Check the position of the speakers while speaking on the microphone to avoid feedback. Test the microphone when the AV people are there. Often they test the microphone with one of their staff then they disappear.
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<br>One More Presentation Tip
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<br>Change or move something to make the room yours. Close the curtains, move some chairs, put a small table on stage… It might not be much but any small change that you make can help you feel better when you take the stage.
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<br>I’ve delivered over 1,000 presentations and I’ve noticed that a good room setup can influence the energy of the audience and success of your presentation.
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<br>Know the room and you will own the room. Your audience will marvel at your confidence and presentation power.
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<HR>
© George Torok helps business leaders, managers & sales professionals deliver million-dollar presentations. He offers <a href=”http://www.torok.com/presentation/coaching.html”>presentation skills coaching</a> and presentation skills training. For more free presentation tips visit<a href=”http://www.presentation-skills-success.com/”>http://www.Presentation-Skills-Success.com</a>  To arrange a media interviews call 905-335-1997<br>
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A course on how to improve communication skills was one of the best courses I took in community college. The teacher for that course kept the class interesting, engaging and informative. In fact, I can still recall the tools and techniques that I learned from that course.

I was discussing the process of clear communication with a friend just the other day. The communication process begins with the speaker sending the information to the receiver. The receiver will then take in the information and reiterate in his/her own words. The sender will then confirm that the listener received it the way it was intended to complete the communication process.

Let me share what I remember from that course to those who wish to speak in public. Now, I won’t get into the metaphysics of how information can be misinterpreted, unheard, neglected, or abused. I will stick with the basics for how to improve communication skills as I learned them and as I try to practice them.

I think that you’ll agree with me when I say that public speaking is difficult for the average person. I can remember an ad that was saying that speaking in public is the number one fear of people and death is only number two. Anyway, let’s go back to the topic of how to improve communication skills.

You should first think of the topic you will be speaking on. Then realize how much you love the subject and focus on your love for the subject. Shift your focus from how you will speak to what you will speak on. You also have to forget all about being afraid if you want to learn how to improve communication skills. The next thing you should do is to stand tall, and speak out. You should get a good thing going with the acoustics in the room if you speak out over the heads of the audience. There is no need to try to hide the notes since we all understand that notes are involved. You should hold them in your hand at chest level when you refer to them. You don’t need a podium unless you are nervous. If a podium does not relieve your nerves a bit, then you should refer back to the first suggestion on how to improve communication skills.

Taking ownership is also crucial for speaking well in public. You will learn how to improve communication skills by owning that stage, pulpit, podium space, or head of the table area in the conference room. Never forget to look at the listeners. They need you to be good, kind, and direct because you have knowledge of something they know much less about.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning How to Improve Communication Skills. Visit our site for more helpful information about How to Improve Communication Skills and other similar topics.