At the front of the room
I’ve got a speaking gig wednesday evening in
presentation a few times now, I still get nervous at the thought of public speaking. I’m reviewing my notes
for the presentation and I’m also reviewing notes from a course I took
recently from Sage Presenting. It was all about how to bring a powerful presence to the stage. This class was more helpful
and fun than I ever imagined it would be and I’m actually starting to like being in the front of the room. The instructors, Dean and Pete come
from an acting and film directing background. There were plenty of video
playbacks, feedback, “direction” and stretching.
things I most want to remember.
- This one is my favorite. Those of you who are great in one to one conversations but clutch in front of a group will relate. Even though you are in front of a group you can still speak to one individual at a time. Single out one person in the audience, connect with them and deliver a full thought to them before moving on to the next person.
- Tell stories that have an emotional quality to them and speak from the heart. When a speaker connects to the emotion of the story and feels it in the retelling, the audience will feel it too.
- Attention wanders when there is a lot of sameness – so create change. Change volume,
change speed, change emotion, change voice quality and move around the room.
If you plan to be at the talk you will have to tell me how well I implemented these. If you want to improve your speaking skills, check out Sage
Presenting.
