Welcome the participants

Be at the entrance of the room. You will not be able to speak to everyone but the few you speak with
are the chances to start developing  rapport. Show to the participants how important they are, again
you are not the hero, they are.


Step into the screen 

Organize the meeting room so that you can stay in front of the screen and in front of the beamer. Do
not hide in one corner, be in front of the audience. You should have enough space in between the
beamer and the first row.  

If you have to speak from behind a podium, request portable microphone so that you can move. You
should have no walls in between yourself and the public. This is the first basis to develop rapport. You
should look alike as much as your participants.


How to build and present the introduction 

What you have started realizing is that you have been developing 3 sets for your presentation :

ü  the PowerPoint sketch

ü  the oral draft

ü  the hand out 

Your introduction will of course be prepared in advance. You will  know the start of your preparation
by heart. That will help to relieve the stress. We will now review 8 techniques to start with a strong
introduction :  

ü  Introduce with a strange problem

ü  Tell a story or anecdote

ü  Give an amazing fact

ü  Ask a question for which you do not expect answers

ü  Give a puzzle

ü  Ask for information

ü  Tell a joke

ü  Give a famous quote

ü  Tell a strong statement 

For example, I could start with a famous quote, written on the flipchart. I would then ask the
author name.  If nobody would answer, I would simply tell that everyone has until the
end of the session to find the author name, saying “without accessing internet with a big
smile on my face”.

A puzzle could be a set of 3 or 4 numbers relating to the subject. Participants will be invited to find out
the meaning of those numbers. 

You can combine those techniques, making them short. I often combine the quote, the author
question and then move to the strong statement. This statement must make sense but would
be an idea that not everyone could have really realized. Or that could be one of your mottos,
"I have a dream", "something is in the air today"… 


Delivering the oral presentation

Remember that you have been writing either an example, a question, a story or a joke for each of your
slide. That is part of your oral sketch. Transition is also part of your presentation. Guide the audience. It
is important to show the audience that you know where you are going. Use transitions : "we have
covered the subject A, we will move now to the subject B". Structure verbally your presentation. It will
help the audience understand how the presentation moves. Next time that you look at a TV
documentary, pay attention to the transition. You will notice that they are also built to keep the
audience attention, to make the audience stay on that program and not to zap.


Move in the room

Move from time to time along the front of the meeting room. After some time, you can move into the
room, I mean right in the middle of the meeting room. The audience will feel that you are part of the
group. Move so that each participant think that you come to see each of them. That will be natural
anyway after a few presentation. When I show videos, I stand right at the back, telling the audience
that they will be looking at the screen now. I watch the video like they do and move back to the front at the near end of the video projection.

Handle questions

Often presenters cut the participant asking a question. It is in a way natural as you may feel you are
losing control. So observe yourself when you receive questions. Ask the name of the participant,
she/he will feel proud. And thanks him/her "Thank you, that is an excellent question". That
will encourage the participants to ask more questions. Repeat the questions : that will show you
listen and you understand and also help to make sure everyone has heard the question. If you
expect participants to be positively responsive to what you say, behave the same way towards
what they say. To create interaction or if you feel not fully comfortable in replying to the question,
send back a question to the audience "Anyone would be interested to share his or her point of view
on that?"

In case the question goes out of track, or covers an upcoming subject, simply explain that you will
cover that question in part C. When entering part C, refer to the question addressed earlier. That
will show that you care and that you are in control.


The use of the flipchart

Simply write in big letters otherwise the last rows may not be able to read. The flipchart can be used
to elaborate your explanation, or to list the answers that you receive to your questions. Be visual with
your flipchart as you have done with your slides. Graphics speak more than words!


Handle secret discussions in the meeting room

Participants may feel so at ease that they may start to speak in between themselves. You are in control
and you have shown it already. Your objective is to ensure everyone hear you. Step in the discussions.
Ask the participants to share their thoughts. That may also reveal that you may not have been clear
enough or other aspects you did not think of.


Use descriptive words to show enthusiasm

Also use some qualifiers to keep lively what you say and stress some words, move away from flat
speaking. Qualify what you say with words such as :

Bright – Promising – Generous – Attractive – Excellent – Enormous – Amazing – Successful –
Dramatic – Unbeatable -  Astounding - Astonishing – Unbelievable – Marvelous – Wonderful -
Splendid – Startling – Invincible – Massive – Intense – Brilliant – Dazzling – Incredible –
Stunning – Striking – Impressive – Remarkable – Astonishing – Powerful – Staggering

Develop your vocabulary too. If you keep repeating "amazing", you will not surprise the audience.
Develop a liking for words. When you hear an unknown word, or words you have already heard but
that you do not use, write them down. Look for the definition and memorize them. Keep the list in
your pocket and read the new words when you have time.

Finally, record yourself when rehearsing. You could video tape yourself but an audio recording can be
great source of learning. Become aware of what is called filler words such as euuuhhhh, ummm. Stop
saying filler words when presenting. The audience will get the impression that you are looking for what
to say. At home, rehearse and when you hear yourself saying a filler word, simply stop, breathe and
start saying the sentence again.  You should see improvements with this technique.


Survival techniques
 

If you face a problem during the presentation, simply breathe deeper and pause shortly, keep smiling.
Remember the steps until they become natural. The following are common issues that may arise, and
how you should consider them.  

I am running out of time >> So I will give you now the main points on that part…

I am talking non sense  >> Perhaps I did not make that clear, let me rephrase..

Too complicated >> Let me rephrase what I just said

Too fast >> so let's just recap on that

I forgot to say one thing >> I should just mention one extra thing when I..

My sentence is too long >> Well, let's focus on the first idea now..

Just prepare yourself to the idea that something may go wrong. Therefore you should know how to get
out of the situation. Simply learn by heart the above situations and the corresponding verbal reactions.
When a situation arises, you will behave automatically and confidently. A tennis performer keeps
repeating and repeating the same gestures until he/she becomes professional. Repetition is one
learning technique.

You should know by heart the closing. The last impression is as important as the first one. Your closing
must be strong. 

Closing the presentation

The following techniques can be used :  

ü  Announce that you are close to the end

ü  Make a summary of the main ideas presented

ü  Call for action

ü  Tell a story

ü  Close with inspiration like giving a quote

Knowledge or decisions without actions are useless. The audience should leave ready for actions. At
the end, give a silence. Let the audience applause if they feel like it.

If you want live exemples about all those techniques, you may watch our videos on presentation
skills and presentation best practices .

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