PRDV008: Preparing and Delivering Presentations

To present effectively, you need to find your unique voice and style. We begin this segment by watching examples of speeches by three former U.S. presidents. Each politician is highly skilled in the craft of speaking. They have spent years honing their speaking skills with techniques related to their voice, body language, and eye contact. As you watch, try to identify what makes each one unique.

While writers use headings, fonts, and punctuation to draw attention, delineate relationships, and express importance, presenters use nonverbal intonation to highlight essential information.

Nonverbal communication encompasses everything from paralinguistics – how we use our voice (tone, rate, pitch, accent) and bodies (facial expression, eye contact, gestures, posture, stance, clothes, and jewelry) to communicate information. For example, we can speak softly or loudly, use hand gestures, or change the tone or intonation of our voice to express or convey emotion and engage our audience.

A poor speaker can destroy a well-written presentation, while a dynamic presenter can use their voice to salvage a substandard one. The four most essential tools for enhancing your delivery are dynamics, pacing, tone, and fluency.

Dynamics refers to the volume of your voice. For example, a speaker might speak more loudly to express surprise or excitement or to add emphasis. They might soften their voice to engage their audience after they have described an emotionally intense concept or idea. How did the speaker use voice dynamics in the video we just watched?

Pacing refers to the speed at which you present your ideas. For example, you might talk faster to build tension or cover material your audience already knows. You might speak more slowly to explain a complex concept or describe an emotional issue. How have the speakers you've watched adjusted their pacing to emphasize certain material? Were those techniques successful?

When you present to an audience, your voice should sound comfortable and engaging, as if you were explaining something to a friend and having a conversation with each individual. Avoid the temptation to read from a script, outline, or notes. Reading to your audience makes you seem distant, unprepared, and boring. Audience members who traveled to attend your live presentation will probably wish they had stayed home to read the transcript.

While the speakers we've listened to probably delivered their remarks from a written manuscript, they still speak in conversational styles. Think about presentations you have heard where the presenter read the words without investing meaning into them.

As you prepare, record yourself and listen as you present from your written manuscript. Do you incorporate a conversational tone, or do you sound as if you are reading your presentation?

Fluency refers to the natural flow of your words and ideas. Presenters who demonstrate effective fluency pause in the appropriate places, such as after commas and periods, and for an appropriate length. Ineffective fluency describes taking breaks in the middle of sentences or between ideas, making it difficult for the audience to fully understand your central message.

Pauses are one of the most powerful tools presenters have at their disposal. For example, you can pause when you tell an emotional story or before the end of the narrative to hold the audience in suspense. You can pause after you make a dramatic statement so the audience has time to properly grasp your tale's significance. You should pause while explaining complex concepts to let your audience take notes or organize their thoughts before you move on to a new idea.

How we sit, stand, tilt our heads, and rest our hands can communicate a lot to our audience. Our body language speaks to our credibility, confidence, passion for the topic, and relationship with each audience member. Whether you are presenting face-to-face or online, think about what your audience can and cannot see. Use nonverbal communication strategies like hand gestures, facial expressions, and other types of body language to your advantage.

Our hands are powerful tools we can use to relay messages, enhance our words, or demonstrate something complicated to explain without a visual aid. For example, ask someone to describe a spiral staircase without using a hand gesture.

Expectations for eye contact often vary by culture. For Western audiences, good eye contact is essential to building trust and projecting confidence.