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Most oral presentations, regardless of their length, can be divided into two to five main points. Five is about
maximum number of points from one talk that listeners can be expected to remember.
You cannot speak well unless
·You have prepared well. There is no short cut here. ·Are confident which comes through depth of knowledge. ·Have faith in audience. If you assume they are going to laugh at you in any case, you can not sound good ·A rehearsal will help in boosting up confidence. ·Write points on which you are going to speak. It will not be a good idea to mug up things you are going to say. It does not leave ant flexibility with you and if you forget you know what you will face.
Points to Consider
·Body Movements. Control your unnecessary body and hand movements. Movements must be to support what you are saying and should be used to make gesture. ·Eye Contact It is considered as one of most important factors of nonverbal communication. Nothing will enhance your delivery more than effective eye contact with your audience. Eye contact is important for three reasons. First, it lets listeners know that you are interested in them. Most people like others to look at them when talking. Second, effective eye contact allows you to receive nonverbal feedback from your audience. With good eye contact, you can gauge effect of your remarks. You can determine if you are being understood and which points are making an impact and which are not. You will be able to detect signs of poor understanding and signs that listeners are losing interest. Then you can adjust your rate of delivery or emphasis. Humor. Humor is of great use in breaking monotony and to draw attention of audience. Do not use it in isolation and it try to bring it naturally in flow and commensurate with what you are to deliver ·Intelligibility. What you are saying should make sense to those listening and not only to you. It will be better to take an independent view from some of your friends. ·Statistical and Visual Support. It will be more convincing if you can support of some valid data, best if you can support with some paper cuttings, photographs or even with video clippings. ·Time Management. Managing to restrict yourself to time limit will probably require a little rehearsal. Just keep an eye on watch or may be use one of your friends to prompt you about time. ·Use of Voice as discussed already in first chapter it is better to use heavy voice for which you have to practice. Make it a habit to use heavy voice as a routine it will help you. ·Give enough pauses and repeat important points. You should not be too quick to speak, give time for things to be digested by audience and repeat if you feel it necessary. ·Overuse of pet words such as "OK," "like,'' and ''you know'' should be avoided. These expressions serve no positive communicative function and only convey a lack of originality by speaker.
There are two most Important points that should not be forgotten
·Key is to make it interactive so that it does not become monotonous. They do not loose interest because they are involved in it ·And Just “KISS” (Keep it Simple Stupid)
A word about Gestures
Gestures should form an essential part of act and should look natural and should be used to support your point. Gestures may be used to clarify or emphasize ideas. By gestures we mean purposeful use of hands, arms, shoulders, and head to reinforce what is being said. Fidgeting with a paper clip, rearranging and shuffling papers, and scratching your ear are not gestures. They are not purposeful and they distract from verbal message. Placing both hands in your pockets, or behind your back, or in front of you in a fig leaf position severely limits their use for gesturing. Holding your shoulders and head in one position during talk will also rob you of an effective means of strengthening your communication.
Although gestures can be perfected through practice, they will be most effective if you make a conscious effort to relax your muscles before you speak, perhaps by taking a few short steps or unobtrusively arranging your notes. Effective gestures are complete and vigorous. Many speakers begin to gesture, but perhaps out of fear, they do not carry through and their gestures abort. Comedians get laughs from audience by timing gestures improperly. A gesture that comes after word or phrase is spoken appears ludicrous. Good gestures should come exactly at time or slightly before point is made verbally. Poor timing results from attempting to "can" or preplan gestures. Finally, good gestures are versatile. A stereotyped gesture will not fit all subjects and situations. Furthermore, larger audience, more pronounced gestures would need to be. As with all aspects of communication, gestures must fit situation. You should not adopt a dynamic, forceful mode of delivery if by nature you are quiet and reserved. As with movement, gestures should spring from within. Effective gestures are both natural and spontaneous. Observe persons talking with each other in a small group. You should try to approximate same naturalness and spontaneity of gestures when you are speaking. Suggestions for Nervous Speakers
Consider following suggestions for coping with nervousness.
Enthusiasm is key when practice is over and you are ready to deliver talk. At times you may talk on subjects that you find dull, but as you get more involved, subject becomes more interesting. There is no such thing as a dull subject, only dull speakers. It is important to be enthusiastic about your subject, because enthusiasm can replace fear. And more enthusiastic you are about subject, more involved audience will be both with you and what you are saying. Hold good thoughts toward your audience. The listeners in audience are same ones that you enjoy speaking with in a less structured environment. Most audiences are made up of warm human beings with an interest in what you have to say. They rarely boo or throw vegetables. Most listeners have great empathy for speakers and want them to do a good job.
Do not rush as you begin to speak. Many speakers are so anxious to get started that they begin before they are really ready. The little extra time taken to arrange your notes will generally pay big dividends. When you are ready to begin, look at various parts of audience, take a deep breath, and begin to speak.
Writing and Reading. Enough has been said on these subjects in chapter one.
Author has 28 years of experience in the field of Teaching and Management. He is M. Tech from IIT Kanpur and has worked in different capacities including Signal corps Indian Army, Regional Manager for a Telecom Company. Currently he is Associate Professor with ITM, Gurgaon that is rated as best Engineering colleges of North India.
