Your personal style and the subject matter of your speech should dictate the types of props you can use. For example, don’t use a humorous prop with a serious subject. Props can be simple or complex – they don’t have to be elaborate – the key to using an effective prop is that it should help convey your message – no more, no less.
Your presentation should be interesting - regardless of topic. Don’t drone on and on and on for days about some boring little detail - tell them the facts and get out of the way. Don’t be one of those public speakers who can’t shut up - who loves the sound of their own voice so much they just can’t seem to stop talking. Believe me, your audience will be too polite to say it, but they’ll wish you put a sock in it.
Don’t feel that you have to cover your entire subject in excruciating detail in order to deliver a good speech – hit three or four high points (depending on the length of your speech) and end it on a conclusive note. There is no need to bore your audience with hours of minutiae – hit the main points and stop.
Identify an action plan – you need to explain to your audience – in precise detail – how your audience can succeed at what you’re inspiring them to do. They need a roadmap for success.
Not at all. But consider this - if your audience isn’t listening – if you’re boring them, you’re not delivering your message in an effective manner. And if you’re not getting through to them – you’re wasting your time and your message is being lost. You don’t have to become a comedian to be a good, but you do have to know when to use humor to get your message across.
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?
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.
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.
Like it or not, public speaking is part of the entertainment industry – and even if your message is a serious one – audiences still want to be entertained. If you’ve been hired by an organization or a service club to stand up and deliver a message, you need to be able to do just that – or you won’t be invited back. Nor will you receive any recommendations to address any other group they might be connected with.
The single best way to avoid all that public speaking terror is to know your material. Be familiar with your subject, and you’ll relax. If you know your subject, if you’re the expert in the room - why on earth would your audience scare you? What is there to be frightened of if you know your topic more thoroughly than they do? You’re there to teach them what you know about a particular subject or topic.
Some speakers find it easy to use props to help keep them on track with what they want to say during their presentation. For example, I know one man who wears a different hat for each segment of his speech – he changes the hat and replaces it with another when he goes to the next segment. The hats remind him of key points to cover in each portion of his speech.
Using humor in your presentation is another effective tool, but be very careful to tailor your use of humor or jokes to your audience. How many times have you gone to watch or listen to someone giving a speech and been bored to tears? The speaker obviously hasn’t polished their public speaking skills – they speak in a monotone, their stories are lame – and they apparently have no sense of humor. Even if the message they’re trying to deliver is an important one – they’ve lost their audience.
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?