When you arrive at your presentation venue, there may be changes or “emergencies” to manage.  Create an action plan in advance to stay confident and cool.

Be Prepared to Shorten your Talk

If the host explains that you have 20 minutes, not 30 minutes cut content.  If there’s time, HIDE slides before you present.  If no time to HIDE, present every slide like a quick 30 second commercial, keeping your voice conversational and deliver your opening and closing as planned.

Be Prepared to Control a “Runaway”

You have a “runaway” if your speaker is going far beyond their allotted time, answering questions with TMI or piling on everyone else’s response.  Exercise leadership.  Stand up, applaud their enthusiasm and have them wrap up.  In Q&A, step in, applaud their knowledge and return control to the panel.

Be Prepared to Repeat

Listeners often repeat the same question or ask about something that you’ve already presented.  What to do?  Pause, smile and answer the question.

Laverne A. S. Caceres, M.A. is a nationally recognized presentation skills and shortlist interview coach and founder of The Professional Voice in Los Angeles, California.  She and the firm have been featured in the LA Times, the Daily News, SKY Magazine, IOMA’s Litigation Report and on KNX News Radio

Effective gestures help you emphasize a point, make you appear more confident and make your messages sticky. Always practice in advance so that they appear effortless. Try these:

The Half Hammer – Use this for emphasis of a key point. Bend your elbow, raise your arm 45 degrees from your waist, keep your hand flat and lower the “hammer.” If presenting to a larger audience, raise the hammer above your shoulder.

High/Low – Imagine that you’re comparing “low” customer satisfaction in the industry versus “high” customer satisfaction with your service. Draw a “low,” horizontal, invisible line below your waist. Then raise your arm to draw a “high” invisible line. This gesture also works in reverse if you’re highlighting an important “low” value.

The Seesaw – Consider the space on either side of your body as the ends of a seesaw. As you present “option 1,” hit the space to your right with an extended arm. Then offer “option 2,” and hit the space to your left. This gesture works well when you are presenting old/new concepts.

Ground Zero – Always balance gestures with quiet hands by returning to ground zero: arms flat at your side, loose fingers and shoulders pulled back.

Did You Know…

With our 4 hour workshop, “The half-day huddle”, you can advance each speaker’s skills and have them back at their desks by noon. Call us and learn more about it!

Laverne A. S. Caceres, M.A. is a nationally recognized presentation skills and shortlist interview coach and founder of The Professional Voice in Los Angeles, California.  She and the firm have been featured in the LA Times, the Daily News, SKY Magazine, IOMA’s Litigation Report and on KNX News Radio

When you use a large number in your presentation, add context and make that number meaningful. For example: “We are the largest courthouse designer in California. That means that 1 out of every 4 new courthouses was successfully designed by our firm.” Adding context also makes your point “sticky” and memorable.

Laverne A. S. Caceres, M.A. is a nationally recognized presentation skills and shortlist interview coach and founder of The Professional Voice in Los Angeles, California. She and the firm have been featured in the LA Times, the Daily News, SKY Magazine, IOMA’s Litigation Report and on KNX News Radio

1.     Partner introductions – Instead of a self-introduction from each team member, have them introduce the next speaker.  Standing side by side, speaker 1 can brag on speaker 2, mention shared experience and the value that person brings.  Speaker 2 looks at speaker 1 and the panel, smiles broadly and stands tall.

2.     Shared slides – Speakers appear more cohesive and relaxed when they banter back and forth on the same issue.  Speaker 1 can start the topic and then speaker 2 can add an example or a benefit.  Both speakers can be up at the front or one at the front and one seated at the table.  This requires careful rehearsal but also gets you extra points from the panel.

3.     Drop a name – In a short presentation, there may not be time for all team members to speak.  As speaker 1 describes their role, they can mention a team member by name to show how work is coordinated.  They might mention a team member’s name and specialty relative to the issue they’re presenting and how it will benefit the project.  When you drop that name, look at that person and ensure they look back at you.

One more thing.  Send your team out to lunch or dinner together as a quick way to bond.  Most people bond faster on a personal level as they learn what they have in common.

Laverne A. S. Caceres, M.A. is a nationally recognized presentation skills and shortlist interview coach and founder of The Professional Voice in Los Angeles, California.  She and the firm have been featured in the LA Times, the Daily News, SKY Magazine, IOMA’s Litigation Report and on KNX News Radio.

Contact Laverne.

Check the list below so you’ll know what’s “in” and what’s “out.”

OUT:   Fillers such as “well”, “uhm”, “like”, “actually”, “basically” and overused phrases such as “24/7” and “at the end of the day.”

IN:   The (still) most powerful word we have: “you”.  In a presentation you can expand that to “your project”, “the benefit to you”, “you can”, “you’ll see” and “made for you.”

OUT:   Negative words and phrases that confuse the listener.  Are these examples necessary? “I’m not saying I’m an expert.”  “We don’t want things falling through the cracks.”

IN:   Use an active voice instead of a passive voice to sound stronger.  Change “we are planning to” to “we will.”  Instead of “I am thinking about” use “I will develop,”

Here’s one more.  The fancier the word, the more likely you are to confuse or lose your audience.  Use conversational language that most listeners understand.  They might not recognize an “altercation” but almost everyone has seen a good “fight.”

Laverne A. S. Caceres, M.A. is a nationally recognized presentation skills and shortlist interview coach and founder of The Professional Voice in Los Angeles, California.  She and the firm have been featured in the LA Times, the Daily News, SKY Magazine, IOMA’s Litigation Report and on KNX News Radio.