Public Speaking is one of the most feared and avoided tasks among modern civilizations. Apparently people would rather run naked through a crowded room or die of drowning than speak in front of a group of people. The good news is that unlike drowning, speaking does get better and easier the more you prepare and practice, not sure about the being naked part.

We are going to look at some simple techniques and tools that will set you apart from others and get you to a point where you can walk into a room with confidence knowing that you are confident, capable and prepared to handle whatever is requested from you. Winston Churchill said, “The best unprepared speech I ever did, was the one I prepared the night before.”

As an Entrepreneur you will be required to be prepared to pitch yourself, your business and your ideas to people at the drop of a hat. This week we will take you through the preparation of the following presentations;

  1. Personal Elevator pitch
  2. Business Elevator pitch
  3. Tips on Visual Aids
  4. More tips on presenting

The rules of any presentation are simple: Keep it simple. Unless you are presenting a scientific notation to a bunch of PhD graduates at MIT, keep it simple. People do not enjoy getting bogged down by detail. They are never impressed by your ability to show off how clever you think you are by using big words and techno jargon. Simple wins every time.

At the end of your pitch there are six questions that, if you could ask your audience, would grade the success of your presentation;

  1. Can they repeat your main points?
  2. Could they visualise what you were saying?
  3. Will they remember this tomorrow?
  4. Could they relate it to their own lives?
  5. Did they respect what you were saying?
  6. Do they want to talk to you afterwards?

Wow, heavy questions, but worthy of keeping in mind as you prepare your presentation.

Let us know of some of your presentation ‘YES’ and ‘OH NO’ experiences.