HOW TO BEGIN A TALK
Whenever I meet a new group of participants in my "Talkpower: A Panic Clinic for Public Speaking Workshops “or one to one online I am always surprised to discover that most of the professional have no idea of how to begin a presentation or deliver it in a professional manner. What I hear is a long recitation of facts and ideas usually spoken much too quickly with many ums and ahas. And when the presentation is over, I do not have a clear idea of what the talk was supposed to be about. So here are some Rules that will help you to develop the skills for professional presenting.
1. before you begin’ to make your notes decide what your talk will be about. This should be a simple specific one-line decision.
2.Then start your talk by saying “Today I’m going to talk about (Fill it in with one sentence that is like a headline. Short and with only one main idea. Like a headline or the title of a book. Example: “Today I am going to talk about the fundamentals of Cyber Security". Stop talking and pause.
3 After you have delivered this line you want to have a pause, so the audience has a chance to fully absorb this information.
In order to have a pause in real time stop talking and squeeze your toes three short squeezes. If you try to make a pause in your head without the squeezes you will find it very difficult to stop talking and pause because you are used to speaking conversationally and in conversation we usually do not pause. If you wish to develop the skills for professional presenting, learning how to pause appropriately is one of the best ways to accomplish. Also, it will help to slow you down.
Take a few moments to practice this little exercise five times every day till next week.
This is your first lesson. More to follow next week.
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