The impact of your presentation is not an accidental by-product of a presentation. It is something you create deliberately.

And the first thing to do is to define what it is that you want to create. What exactly is the impact going to be? In other words, you need to define:

How will your audience respond to your speech or presentation?
What will they take away with them and remember?
What will they remember of you?

Why will they think “Wow what a fabulous presentation!”?

Start by defining the purpose of your presentation or speech. What do you want its impact to be?
You may even want to have several– in different parts of your presentation. But they must not be left to chance or you risk creating “Ho-hum …” rather than “wow!”

Then define the message; the central message of your presentation - what one thing do you want the audience to take away? This message - you need to be able to state it in one sentence. That way you will stay focused on that outcome when you are planning

The second of the questions was “What do I want them to remember of me?”

Who are you? How will you be remembered after this presentation?

You cannot be someone you are not, when you present, unless you are prepared to be a performer for the entire production. Insincerity will detract from your speech as quickly as a joke in bad taste. But you can present a side of yourself as the highlight – the side you want your audience to remember.

And the most powerful choice you will make is how you get that image to support your message – how you
put the two together.

This package, this combination of impact, message and image are what people take away from your
presentation. They are the wow you create.

But the pivotal word, there, was “choose” – the impact you choose to make, the impact you choose for your presentation to make.

Whatever you may be trying to achieve, don’t let the impact of your presentation be an accident. Right from the beginning, it needs to be part of the planning. When you are visualizing your production, toying with ideas and possibilities and first drafts, make the impact of you as a person and of your performance an integral part of that process. Visualise it and work it into all aspects of your production planning.

Then you have the foundation for creating the “wow” factor.

Laurence Clarke Powell said ... “Write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow...”

A warm-up routine can be built to give you public speaking confidence. This is the set of behaviours
that will work best for you so that when you begin your presentation you feel confident. (It will also benefit your voice and stance as well, but in this freebie, we are focussing on building confidence.) Just email me and I will send you the warm-up ideas as a set of tips by email.

How will your audience respond to your speech or presentation?
What will they take away with them and remember?
What will they remember of you?
Why will they think “Wow what a fabulous presentation!”?
And how will you create the "fabulous presentation"?
Get a range of ideas and thoughts from the contributors to this free eBook. Just email me, and I will send you the eBook.

Public speaking is just that - speaking, right?

And we focus on what we will say and how we will say it; on how we will stand and how we will move and how we will use eye contact, but always we focus on the saying - the speaking.

Sometimes we forget the value of silence.

Maybe it's because we have had drummed into us the dreadful crime of using an um or an ah, or a y'know to fill the silence while we think. So we focus on fluency, on continuing to talk, and on the next point and the next ... to the conclusion.

And sometimes, in the midst of all that focus, we forget the power of the pause.

...

the power of the pause!

It can refocus audience attention. (Remember how it felt in school when suddenly you noticed that the room was silent and the teacher was looking at you?!)

At the least it interrupts the flow of that continuous speech we were using so that that audience attention is refocused on what we have to say next.

A pause will then add power to your next point ... because that attention is so newly focussed.

A pause will build your confidence, simply because of the power, but also because you had the gumption to stop the flow of speech.

If it is a pause to let you think, then the audience should recognise that and value that you are giving your best to your presentation.

A pause is a powerful way to change tack. You can change from a supercharged, rapid fire delivery style to one that is quieter, slower, more reflective. Again the power is in the change of attention, and in the fact that you have given your audience variety. But the pause has also allowed you to add power to the change of direction.

For all of these reasons ... and there are many more ... you take your public speaking to a higher level when you use the power of the pause.

It’s great to find yourself at the front of the room, speaking clearly, shuffling confidently through your perfectly-chosen slides, seeing looks on the faces of your audience members that seem to say “Yes, I am listening. No, I cannot turn away.”

If only it was always that easy…

It can be helpful to think about attention in terms of presentations in three ways ...=> http://bit.ly/9XkHuQ

From Kevin Leahy ...

Here are some of his suggestions for improving front-line communications and building rapport and trust.

... and there are - seven of them - all very relevant to communication, and just as applicable to public speaking

Read the article here => http://nyti.ms/hzsS5J

The voice of authority is one that any audience will respond to. However, all too often you and I just don't represent enough of an authority figure to command that level of respect from an audience that didn't know us before we started to speak to them. If we want to wrap up our speech in a way that will leave a lasting impression with our audience, we need to find a way to use a voice of authority to deliver our last few words to them...

Bring In Moses

It really doesn't matter what your religious beliefs are (or for that matter, what the religious beliefs of the members of your audience are). That's because everyone knows the story of Moses: he went up the mountain, got some instructions on how to live his life, and came back down with the 10 commandments written on two stone tablets.

What this means for you as a speaker is that your audience is already primed and ready to "receive" 10 commandments from you - and they will instantly associate them with the story of Moses. In fact, they may even start to treat you as if you were Moses and the "10 commandments" that you are presenting to them will be treated as if they come from a higher power.

No matter how this unfolds, presenting your closing points in the form of 10 concise statements makes them very easy to both understand and remember. What you are doing is making it easy for your audience to grasp your main points and to remember them long after your speech is over.

Use An Authoritative Quote To Close

Often times there is a single individual who is associated with the topic that we are talking about. If we're talking about people getting along, Gandhi or Dr. Martin Luther King comes to mind. If it were about space travel then Neil Armstrong would be one of the first people that we'd think about.

Since your audience already knows about this person and the fact that they are somehow a figure of authority in regards to the topic that you are talking about, why not invite them to say a few words during the closing of your speech.

By taking the time to research your subject area and to identify the individuals who are the authority figures for that area, you are already well on your way to winning your audience over. Now take the time to study the quotes that those important figures have made - which one most closely aligns with the closing message that you want to leave with your audience?

When you use a quote from an authority figure, for a brief moment it is as if that person was in the room. With a little luck and if you've selected the right quote, then it will also appear as though they are endorsing or echoing what you've just said. This is what it takes to make sure that your message makes a lasting impact on your audience.

What All Of This Means For You

No matter how fantastic the opening of your speech is or how many powerful points you made during the body of your speech, it's really how you go about closing the speech that will make the difference. Now you have two more ways to do this well.

Using the 10 Commandments closing technique allows you to boil down the main points in your speech into "10 commandments". Your audience will recognize this format and will treat it with additional respect. You can also use authoritative quotes as a way to include an authoritative figure in your closing and make it appear as though they endorse the points that you have made.

In order for your speech's closing to make an impact on your audience, it must have authority. No matter if you choose to create your own 10 commandments or if you invite a respected figure to provide a quote for you to use, adding this kind of authority to your closing will ensure that you end your speech on a high note.

Dr. Jim Anderson
http://www.blueelephantconsulting.com/

Your Source For Real World Public Speaking Skills™

Do you give speeches today, but want to learn how be more effective? Dr. Jim Anderson believes that great business skills are no substitute for poor presentation skills. Dr. Anderson will share with you the knowledge that he has gained while working to improve the speaking ability of both individuals and teams of speakers for over 20 years. Learn the secrets of effective speakers and really connect with your audience during your next speech.

If you want to follow Dr. Anderson on Twitter, he can be found at: http://twitter.com/drjimanderson

Everything that you say or do in your presentation has to be geared to your audience... what you want them to do or think at the end, what they will be receptive to, what their triggers are, the language that they will respond to.

So in researching that presentation to write it, or prepare it, you will also need to research the audience.

Find out as much as you can – their age range, gender, income levels, dreams, needs, wants, culture.

You can gain much from a registration form.

You can ask the event manager.

In your preparation routine, you can mingle with them before your speech.

Then you can use that information in constructing your speech. If you need to persuade, for example, you can use your knowledge of their interests and dreams.

You will choose language that they understand, and that is not irritating or offensive to them, and subject matter to suit that audience - themes, supports, anecdotes all will be tailored to them.

I'm not sure whether researching the audience is more important than researching content. What do you think?

I do know that for the content to be effective, the research you do on your audience will be vital.

Being able to communicate effectively through words has been a much-coveted secret for centuries.

Take the blarney stone in Ireland, for example. The blarney stone is part of the Blarney castle in Ireland and it is tradition that those who kiss this stone are given the gift of the gab. If you want to have the gift of the gab but kissing the blarney stone is out of the question, maybe you could benefit from the 10 basics of communication and public speaking.

=> http://bit.ly/hHWTjX