Presenting

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The first thing to address is why you should give time and care to craft the skill of speaking to an audience. I think the following quote summarises it well; Winston Churchill was certainly a great pubic speaker: 

Of all the talents bestowed upon men, none is so precious as the gift of oratory. He who enjoys it wields a power more durable than that of a great king. He is an independent force in the world. Abandoned by his party, betrayed by his friends, stripped of his offices, whoever can command this power is still formidable. Many have watched its effects. W. Churchill

The aspect that I disagree with is that I don't think public speaking is a "Talent", as that word suggests that it is something that we are born with/without. I strongly believe that this is just another skill that is developed to differing levels.

The following are my recommendations for giving a really good presentation. This is advice that I think works well for me, I do understand that everyone will have a different style.

  • Do not ‘wing it’: Many people think that they can give a good presentation, completely ‘off the cuff’. Almost nobody can. Do not try to find this out when you are standing in front of your peers. Preparation and practice is crucial, even if you do public speaking for a living.
  • Semi-script: know what you are going to say in dot points but do not write out and read the entire script. It is always obvious to the listener, as to whether someone is reading or not.
  • Try to smile: even if nobody can see your face, it tends to come across in your spoken word.
  • Keep it simple: Use your own words and your own thoughts and understanding to describe the concept. You could be reading Einstein or Newton but it will be obvious if the work and ideas are yours. Avoid trying to sound too clever or complex at any cost, you want to bring everyone with you.
  • Practice, practice practice: Do stand up comedians perform ‘off the cuff’? You do not need to be rehearsed to the point of a Jerry Seinfeld stand up or an Obama: “State of the Union” speech but practice is so important. Great writers: Cormac Mccarthy, John Steinbeck, Margaret Atwood were not born as great writers, they had to work really hard to be great. Public speaking is no different, it requires plenty of practice.
  • You will be nervous: I am. If you are well practiced, your nerves will calm as soon as you start talking. The more nervous you are, the more practice you will need. I realise that this dot point is the same as before but PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. You will feel like an idiot giving the same presentation over and over and over again in front of the mirror, but the moment you step up to present you will be thankful.
  • Don't hold a microphone unless you absolutely have to, it prevents you from using your hands
  • Watch some pro’s: I liked Al Gore in: An Inconvenient Truth and there are loads of great TED talks. Look at how the professionals convey data and ideas. TED speakers are great http://www.ted.com/playlists/171/the_most_popular_talks_of_all

Comparisons

You might find it fun to compare these three presentations. You don't need to watch them all, Just watch some snippets and consider what you do and don't like.

I think it is good to also watch some people that are not Billionaires who have been doing this for decades. Feel free to flick through some of my presentations in this unit and critique what I am doing well, and what I am doing not so well.

These are interesting talks, again given by a mere mortals:

Good Resources

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