Standing up in front of a room of peers or potential investors and delivering a concise and persuasive presentation can be daunting for anyone. The many challenges associated with public speaking and learning the skills to deliver an impactful presentation can directly influence the success of your work, brand, or company.
Speechworks has decades of experience coaching Fortune 500 business leaders, salespeople and entrepreneurs in a wide range of sectors, helping them to prepare and deliver action-driving presentations. Continue reading for tips on how to successfully connect with your audience and present your ideas in a way that has the desired impact and furthers your goals.
Stay Organized and Simple
Business presentations do not need to be complicated or laden with information that is not directly aligned with the interests of your audience. Streamlining your message to a few key points that focus on the needs of your listeners will help your audience stay engaged and interested. Simple, direct statements presented creatively through storytelling, analogies, or anecdotes are great ways to interest your audience and keep them captivated no matter the subject.
Connect with your Audience
Identifying and utilizing a personal style that connects with your audience will help you build speaker-audience relationships. Eye contact, as well as authentic physical and facial energy, play a huge role in your physical presence – and how your message is received. Speaking clearly and with confidence will show your interest and excitement in the content you are sharing, keeping your audience engaged.
To connect with your audience, you must be able to read the room and adapt to shifting energies. To be persuasive, take a moment to understand the environment you have stepped into and identify how your material will align with your audiences’ needs. To do this well takes research and a willingness to adjust your delivery without compromising organization and simplicity.
Build Credibility
Question and answer segments provide a great opportunity for speakers to build credibility by demonstrating knowledge and expertise. Keeping responses short and to the point will maintain the interest of all listeners and keep you from getting lost in the weeds. If asked a question you don’t know the answer to, avoid bluffing a response – everyone can see it, and no one appreciates it. Instead, turn the question back to the audience or simply admit that you do not know that piece of information. Trying to stumble through an answer you are not prepared for is a surefire way to lose credibility and potentially leave a poor last impression.
Practice
The best way to improve your skills is with practice. By speaking aloud, recording yourself, and practicing in front of a mirror, you can better understand how your voice projects, how your physical energy can be perceived, and how tempo can affect your presentation, among other things. The self-awareness found during practicing is key.
Learn From Experts
Speechworks is committed to helping leaders, professionals, and teams learn, develop, and refine the skills needed to communicate clearly and persuasively. Knowing that public speaking is uncomfortable for a lot of people, our talented, top-tier coaches are experts in fostering an enjoyable and supportive learning environment where you, your leadership, and your teams will learn, practice, and see an immediate impact from their time and effort in our workshop. We teach our strategic approach and trademarked formula that outlines a methodology for developing organized and simple messages that can be modified for any situation, whether for a sales presentation, keynote address, board meeting, or weekly staff meeting.
The Speechworks Persuasive Speaker Workshop is structured to coach business leaders and professionals through the fundamentals of creating and delivering simple, persuasive business presentations. Participants gain skills that will prepare them to pitch to potential clients, provide project updates, obtain buy-in from stakeholders, or speak at an industry event.
In addition to offering our services in person at our Atlanta offices, we can also travel to your location, as well as offer virtual programs. All workshops can be tailored to fit the specific needs of your organization. We serve clients locally, nationally, and globally, impacting people and businesses all over the world. Contact us today to learn more about improving your company’s communication and develop the skills to speak persuasively.