The Delivery
Next you’ll want to learn how to deliver the best possible presentation each and every time. First you need to warm up your voice, try humming or doing the scales. Vary the rate and the pace of your voice constantly during your presentation. Be conscious of your volume, pitch and tone. Emphasize specific areas with intension to gain your audience’s attention. One of the programs that helped me quite a bit is Carol Fleming’s “The Sound of Your Voice.” I also hired a voice coach who taught me how to throw my voice up to my nasal passage to prevent getting a sore throat while speaking.
Your body language is actually more important than your content. In fact experts say that the presentation is on 3% content and 97% body language and connecting with your audience. Always smile sincerely, let it come from your heart and show through your eyes.
Make sure your posture is open, stand with your arms open and relaxed by your side. Often people have a tendency to fold their arms or put their hands behind their back. This silently conveys judgment and superiority to your audience which is not a good message from a speaker.
If you get nervous, you can use an Aikido technique I discovered. Lean on the left side of your body and it will engage your right brain, which is your creative side. You cannot be judgmental when you are right brain thinking. Left brain thinking is critical, judgmental and logical. The “what if” scenario is generated from the left brain.
Another Aikido technique when you need a burst of energy is to apply pressure with your fingernail at the tip of your thumb. It sends energy to your brain. One other method is to take three deep belly breaths. Hold the breath in your stomach for a count of three then slowly blow out the air through your mouth.
When I first started speaking I would stand up in front of the room and not move one inch from where I began. It took an entire year before I was comfortable enough to move about six inches in either direction. Then I spent another year to learn how to use my hands and arms with any accuracy.