by Gilda Bonanno LLC www.gildabonanno.com
It
is one thing is to know something intellectually and another thing is to actually
do it, and do it consistently.
This
applies to public speaking skills, too. “Doing
it” consistently is what matters.
Several
years when I was teaching a public speaking class, a few of the participants
remarked, "we already know this stuff." However, when I watched their presentations
later that day, it was clear that even though they claimed to know “this stuff”
about the fundamentals of good presentations, they hadn’t practiced it
consistently.
Instead,
their presentations were full of filler words (like "um" and
"ah"), the organization of their information was jumbled and hard to
follow, their slides were overcrowded with too many words in tiny font and
their message was vague.
In
order to be a good presenter, you have to go back to the basics of presentation
content and delivery. Master these
basics through repeated practice and feedback, until they become a regular,
consistent part of how you present. Then
you’re ready to say, “I know this stuff” and “I do it.”
For
a review of the fundamental building blocks of good presentation skills, check
out my articles: