Tips & Bits #15: Market Yourself with Better Speaking and Presentation Skills

Since effective speaking and presentation skills are one key to success, there’s no reason not to bump up your abilities with these simple tips & bits.

Nine Ways to Elevate Your Presentation and Speaking Skills to Black Belt Level

1. Don’t rely on technology.

Talk to and with your audience and only use technology to occasionally support what you’re saying.

2. Avoid needing live Internet connections

Consider instead embedding a video or a screenshot.

3. Don’t switch screens

Flip flopping between your presentation and media player kills momentum.

4. Use a remote

Don’t spend all your time at the keyboard. A remote allows you to roam and connect.

5. Trust your remote

Don’t point your remote when you click it as that only draws attention to it, and away from you.

6. Put issues aside

The audience won’t care what issues you had getting there, either technically or otherwise, so focus on your listeners and what you have to say.

7. Stand your ground

Start by standing at center stage for the first five minutes.

8. Avoid notes if you can

This can be a challenge so if you need an inner prompt fall back on the basic – who, what, when, where, why, and how, and answer those questions for the audience.

9. Go hands free if you can

It’s hard to hold a mic well so get a clip-on mic if you can.

Five Ways to Create More Value in Your Presentations

10. Don’t sell, solve

Aim to position yourself as a resource, not a vendor. Incorporate research when and where you can.

11. Provide value-based marketing materials

Consider providing whitepapers, reports, checklists, and tip booklets rather than the usual handouts which are often just thrown away.

12. Get your talk accredited for continuing education credits

Lots of organizations require continuing education for professional designations. Partner with one of them to meet those requirements in your presentation.

13. Give a freebie

For instance, giving complimentary consultations to attendees adds value to your talk.

14. Form partnerships with noncompeting professionals

This allows you to share expenses, combine knowledge, and offer different perspectives on a shared topic.

Presentation Tips for Public Speaking

15. Speak with conviction

16. Maintain eye contact

17. Speak to your audience, not at them

18. Listen to questions

19. Change direction as needed – if you’re losing your audience, change direction.

20. Pause so audience can reflect

21. Humor is good

22. Know when to stop talking

Here’s a Great Public Speaking blog