by The Open University
Available in 42 free installments
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Mind-reading ? similar to the use of the question. Anticipate the audience's preconceived ideas; bring these into the open and correct them if necessary. ?If I were a member of the audience tonight, I might be expecting just another "pep- talk" on safety at work. But this evening I have something more valuable to propose??.
Quotation ? perhaps the easiest method to use and often the most effective. The quotation should be from a well-known person or author known to the audience, and strictly relevant to your subject.
Facts and statistics? used sparingly they can get the audience to rise to the occasion. Most business or technical subjects offer many facts which will interest and inform your audience. Choose them carefully, make sure they are accurate and keep them simple. Contrasting facts can be particularly interesting: ?Annually, during the 1970s, the average number of working days lost through strikes was six million, yet the average lost through industrial accidents and sickness was 300 million?. Don't be too detailed ? no audience can take in numbers like 6,454,100, without plenty of time and reinforcement from visual aids. Even then, rounded figures and percentages are easier to grasp.
Joke ? if your experience tells you that you can do this well, then it may be worth risking it. But people's sense of humour differs radically, and if the joke falls flat you are worse off than before. Again, it must be well told, relevant and brief.
Informal ? for informal occasions: for example, ?Only a few days ago Mr Brown and I were discussing the problem of??. Mr Brown is on your side at once and you have avoided giving the impression of ?making a speech?.
Anecdote ? must be well told, relevant to the subject, brief and, if possible, personal (the willingness to laugh at yourself usually wins an audience over).
Shock ? not just the gimmicky opening, firing revolvers or letting off explosions, which can often go wrong and is always difficult to sustain. Shock can be created through the effective use of words: ?training is a waste of time and money?? pause to allow the shock to take effect, then: ?unless it is aimed at developing the team rather than the individual.?
Topical story ? as opposed to the humorous story. Everyone likes a story ? but only if it is skilfully chosen and told. Ideally it should have an intriguing twist and must lead into the subject.
Having a ?title? slide ? or OHT with the title of the presentation and your name on it. This gives the audience something to look at and takes attention away from you if you are feeling nervous at the start.
Here are some other ideas which can help you through the first few minutes of your talk:
Learn the first few minutes off by heart from your script. This will help you get over the ?stage fright? of standing in front of an audience, perhaps for the first few times. The fact that you have learned it off by heart means you don't have to think about the first few minutes. After that you will feel more comfortable as you will begin to settle in to the presentation.
Tell people how long you will speak for, when you plan to take questions and if there are any handouts at the end. There may be various elements to your presentation (e.g. after a short while you may want some ?audience participation? in the form of group work). This gives the audience something to look forward to. Telling them when you will take questions is important as you may not want to be interrupted until you have reached certain parts of your presentation or even at the end. There is nothing more off-putting to a speaker than to have the ?flow? of an argument broken by a member of the audience asking a question which you were just about to explain.
