by Gilda Bonanno LLC www.gildabonanno.com
Recently, someone asked me for my top 3 quick tips for making a great speech. It was difficult to narrow them down, but I've listed them here:
- Focus on the audience. You're not ready to speak in front of an audience unless you can answer the question "why should the audience care about what I'm going to say?"
- Practice, practice, practice. It's not enough to think about what you're going to say or flip through your notes while you're sitting at your desk. Practice means that you actually open your mouth and say the words out loud in as close to the real environment as possible.
- Don't use PowerPoint/KeyNote slides. If you are asked to use presentation software, resist. If you are required to use it, then be careful. Remember that you are the presentation and the slides should aid your presentation, not replace you. Avoid text-heavy slides and instead, use high-quality images to connect to your audience and tell your story.
Let me know what you think -- what are your top 3 tips?