PRESENTATION preparation & SKILLS

PRESENTATION preparation & SKILLS High School Business Heroes Arnie Strub Entrepreneur-in-Residence McMaster University DeGroote School of Business 12 March 2012

PRESENTATION DESIGN Consider designing your presentation backwards • Know your purpose. Start with the destination and work back to the opening. You will write your speech faster and clearer if you start with the end in mind. • Write the closing line that hammers home your message. Then write the points to support that close. Then write your opening that launches you into that presentation.

PLAN, REHEARSE, DELIVER • A great presentation does not just happen. It is planned, rehearsed then delivered with flair. • A good presenter is one who learns the skills of presentations - not one who hopes for talent to carry them. • Public speaking is a set of skills not a talent. You can be a good presenter if you learn the skills for presentation success. • Great presenters start as poor speakers – then they get better.

ENGAGING YOUR AUDIENCE Consider using one of the following: • Ask a rhetorical question: “Isn’t it frustrating when you…” “Have you ever found yourself…’ • Add/Use a prop: “I’m going to pass the device around so you can all see how lightweight it is.” “As you’ll see in the brochure, the before-and-after shots are quite amazing.” • Demonstrate something: “Once you click on this link, the drop-down box will appear.” “This yoga position is especially good for your back.”

PRACTICE YOUR SPEECH Experiment with your rate of speech, pauses, dynamic builds, vocal variety, gestures and movement. There are a number of steps that should be included in your preparation. • STEP 1: Read your speech several times silently to yourself.You still have the opportunity at this step (and the next) to make changes in your script. Is the grammar correct? Does it flow from one idea to another? Have you included transition sentences between major points? • STEP 2: Read the speech several times aloud. You are still practicing alone at this point. Shut the door and let yourself hear the presentation. Does it sound exciting/motivating/stirring? Do you include vocal variety? Are you speaking too fast or too slow? • STEP 3: Now get on your feet and practice it, alone, in front of a mirror. Watch yourself speak and take note of your gestures, eye contact and facial expressions. • STEP 4: Videotape yourself giving the speech.The camera catches everything, good and bad, and you’ll be able to see every little facial expression, gesture and nervous habit. Record yourself again after making adjustments and see how you’ve improved. • STEP 5: Incorporate any equipment and props you plan to use—overheads, Powerpoint, flip chart, etc. You need to practice with it, otherwise you’re only rehearsing part of your presentation. • STEP 6: Continue rehearsing the speech aloud as much as possible. This will keep it fresh in your mind and you’ll continue to find new and interesting ways to say it. • STEP 7: Visualization. Picture yourself being introduced, walking to the lectern, speaking confidently and the audience applauding. The brain records these pictures and will increase the likelihood of presenting a successful speech.

GROOMING • “God is in the details”– Aby Warburg“The devil is in the details”– English Proverb • Whichever one you believe, the point is – details matter. Shined shoes, white teeth, clean fingernails, and combed hair convey respect for ourselves and respect for others.

WARDROBE • “The apparel oft proclaims the man.”– Hamlet, Shakespeare • Most of us take others at face value and we believe what we see is what we’re going to get. How do you want to be perceived by others? • Take control of your appearance and let it tell the world who you are and what you want. Your image will speak for you before you even open your mouth! What’s yours saying about you?

ETIQUETTE • “Life be not so short but that there is always time for courtesy. ”- Ralph Waldo Emerson • Etiquette is a kind of universal language. It allows us to meet, greet, dine, travel, and do business together comfortably. Knowing the nuances of business and social etiquette can help you develop long-term relationships, build your business, and enhance your career. It provides polish to business dealings and communicates to others that you are a person with class and sophistication.

Look and sound your best • Look your best • Smile. You look your best when you smile. You look most trustworthy, friendly and confident when you smile. Don’t grin like a fool all the way through your speech. Instead smile before you start. Smile when you say something important. Smile when you end. Make it a warm friendly smile. When you smile you look confident and help to improve the confidence of your audience. Smile. • Sounding your best • Drinking water before you speak will lubricate your vocal chords. Breathing deeply and slowly will allow you to project your voice and pause when you want to – not when you need to. Speak slower that you normally speak. The audience needs to hear you, think about it and internalize it.

DEALING WITH NERVES • BEFORE THE PRESENTATION: Seethe room where you’ll be presenting and test all of the equipment. • IMMEDIATELY BEFORE YOU SPEAK: Practice deep breathing exercises to slow your racing heart. Try shoulder shrugs, head rolls and leg and arm shakes to relieve body tension. Warm up your face muscles by chewing in a highly exaggerated way. • While waiting to be introduced, do not sit with your legs crossed. Sit with both feet on the ground and let your arms dangle at your sides. • AT THE LECTERN: Before you begin speaking, establish eye contact with a friendly face in the crowd, smile and take a breath. Glance down at your opening word. Now you are ready.

…and finally • Final Words of Encouragement for you • Public Speaking is a set of skills. It is not about talent. It is a set of techniques practiced, rehearsed and delivered. • No one has ever delivered the perfect speech. But you can and will deliver a powerful and effective speech. • The skill of public speaking is both an art and a science. The more you learn and practice the science, the easier the art will work for you. It will take time, practice and energy. And those are the elements of greatness. • For success with your presentations: • Speak well • Speak effectively • Speak with confidence • Speak to make things happen

Thank you&good luck High School Business Heroes Arnie Strub Entrepreneur-in-Residence McMaster University DeGroote School of Business 12 March 2012

PRESENTATION preparation & SKILLS