When practicing your presentation and polishing the material – keep an eye out for jokes or one-liners that you can use. Try to find material that integrates with your style – don’t try to steal someone else’s delivery. The audience will respond to you if you just be yourself.
Let your imagination run wild when trying to imagine props to use. Humor can be introduced into your presentation with some “wild and crazy” props – I’ve seen speakers bring mannequins on stage and throw them around to make a point, I’ve seen people use simple magic tricks and sound-effect machine that make noises like a crying baby or galloping horse to illustrate a point.
Think about how you feel when you have to listen to a boring speaker. Make it interesting for your audience. Not only will they have more fun, but your message will get through, because they’ll be listening to you.
One sure-fire way of keeping your audience attentive and interested is by using humor throughout your speech. Your ultimate goal as a speaker is to get your message across in an effective manner – but does that mean you need to turn into a comedian just so the audience hears you?
Have you ever had the feeling when you get up in front of an audience to give a speech that you’re utterly and completely naked? Not in the real sense, of course, but in the sense that it’s just you, the microphone and the audience. You have no podium to hide behind – no slide projector or pointer – in other words, you have no props.
Come into the room with the attitude that you’re simply having a conversation with a roomful of friends - you’re going to tell them a story about … whatever your speech is about. If you’ve researched your topic, know your material and practiced what you’re going to say, you’ll find it easy to have this mindset.
Vary your presentation - use audio visual props such as flipcharts, PowerPoint presentations, pass out handouts for your audience to read, use different intonations of voice - speak louder or softer - don’t make the mistake of using a monotone. Move around the stage (within reason - you’re not up there to give a Chorus Line review.)
Hone your speaking skills – someone needs to critique your presentation – a friend, colleague or spouse. Have you tried having someone coach you or received instruction on how to be a better speaker?
That doesn’t mean your presentation has to be a “laff-riot” – in fact, your subject matter may not be appropriate for large doses of humor. For example, if you’re addressing cancer survivors, you’d want to tone down the ratio of jokes and one-liners, but if you were speaking to a group of salespeople, you could be a little more free-wheeling. You’ll be the best judge of content, knowing your own message and audiences. Just don’t toss out the humor entirely.
Identify your audience – who is your target audience? Who are your attempting to deliver your message to? Is it teachers? Drug addicts? Can you identify with your audience, and even more importantly, can they identify with you?
Used correctly, props can add a tremendous amount of significance and variety to any presentation and help ensure that your message is received and understood. And that’s what public speaking is all about.
But props can also be a big disadvantage if you use them incorrectly. For example, if you use a pointer in your presentation, don’t stand up there and wave it around in mid-air aimlessly, because your audience may feel that they’re watching a swordfight with only one participant, and become so engrossed in that display that they stop listening to your words. Or if you plan a slide show or a PowerPoint presentation, don’t mix very bright slides with very dark ones, or else you may leave your audience unable to see either one.
Good public speakers follow many of the same procedures and protocols when giving a speech; the basics are the same, just the delivery and style change with the individual speaker. Here are a few common tips that will help you succeed as a public speaker.
Humor can benefit your presentation in so many ways – it can overcome an overly complimentary introduction and tell your audience you don’t take yourself too seriously. It can also make you seem more down-to-earth and less intimidating – helping you form a bond with your audience. And, perhaps most importantly, it will keep attention focused on you – they’ll be waiting for the next punch line, and you can use that opportunity to hit them with your key message. It’s also a good way to illustrate main points or concepts without creating hostility.