Strengthen the Impact of Your Speech

University life is not just about reading and memorizing course books and giving exams. Presentations and Seminars are equally imperative if not more, for a successful career. This blog is armed with the fundamentals of presenting in the most inspiring manner. Does standing on the podium assertively and presenting with the help of vibrant and well-organized visual aids are the only two criteria considered for rating a presenter?

One should focus on the following 7 aspects vital for putting in order and delivering persuasive presentations:

THE ORATOR: The source of the message is the Orator. Presenters work so hard in preparing their visual aids but forget that those visuals are just aids to their presentation.

THE MESSAGE: Everything that an Orator says or does is considered his message. A presenter should focus on the content, style and structure of the message because it is his or her responsibility to get across what the audience wants to hear.

THE AUDIENCE: All listeners are the audience. They are analyzed on the basis of their age, gender, marital status, geographic location, education and career. A multi-page questionnaire is a big help to gather information about them. Proper audience analysis ensures right speech to the right audience.

THE CHANNEL: This refers to the channels of communication including non-verbal, pictorial and aural. Enhanced results are achieved when many channels of communication are used.

THE FEEDBACK: It is the process through with the speakers gets to know how his or her message has been perceived by the audience and then responds to his or her listeners’ reactions.

THE NOISE: There are two types of noise:

External noise: Talking, coughing, shifting patterns, poor acoustics, temperature (too warm, too cold), poor ventilation, and visual interference such as poor lighting, or an obstructed view.

Internal noise: Noise can crop up if the orator doesn’t discern the audience or if the orator is perplexed or vague about what he or she wants to put across. Repeating and restating, and usage of both verbal and non-verbal channels of communication help combat noise.

THE SETTING: It is the PLACE where the presentation is made. Find out ahead of time what the amenities are. This leads to a properly planned delivery taking care of the essentials.

An effective speaker will convey his or her thoughts in a clear, concise and powerful way by dealing with all these 7 aspects at the same time.