When you’re an engineer presenting at a user meeting or customer conference, you are the expert on the topic you plan to deliver to your customers. Remember, your audience does not want to know everything you know; they just need to know about the subject of your presentation.
You can connect with your audience, regardless of how tech-savvy they are, or aren’t! This approach will help ensure that your message gets across.
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Criticism, also known as feedback, can help us improve our presentation skills.
No one enjoys being criticized, but if you want to succeed, you must overcome your natural instincts and actively seek out feedback, good and bad.
After years as a professional speaker, I understand. Some years I faced my critics, also known as my audiences, every week. Not only do they rate me with their applause and laughter (or lack thereof), but frequently they’re also asked to complete written evaluations for the meeting planners. Naturally, all speakers want their meeting planners to look like heroes, so we do everything possible to keep in top form.
For me, this means that I embrace and value feedback. I would study those evals and listen to comments, no matter how off the mark they seemed. Even though I’ve been an executive speech coach and a professional speaker for decades, I still ask professional peers to be my toughest critics and give their feedback.
If you want to improve, you must develop a positive, flexible, and creative attitude toward feedback. Here are eight practical ways to make criticism a plus and harness the power of feedback for success.
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Are you speaking too quickly? It can happen unconsciously. Sometimes public speaking can trigger an adrenaline rush. You might feel charged with energy or a bit nervous.
If you’re speaking too quickly, you are likely to lose your audience. You jeopardize the overall success of your message.
For some speakers, speaking too quickly is coupled with a rise in voice pitch which makes even a knowledgeable speaker sound like Minnie Mouse.
Pay attention to audience feedback. If one person reports a problem with understanding you, this may be an individual perception or opinion. But if several do, you need to time yourself.
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Your presentation can be powerful and persuasive when you connect with your audience both intellectually and emotionally. Eye contact is essential to creating an emotional connection with an audience of any size. This is true whether you’re speaking one-on-one or delivering a formal presentation from the stage.
Eye contact gives you an edge in business. It’s a proven factor in the persuasion process. It demonstrates confidence and increases likability. I explain the importance of eye contact, how much is enough, and how you can practice to improve the way you use eye contact in your business and sales presentations in this short video from Fripp Virtual Training. Enjoy!
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By July 2018, Robert Fripp will have been getting out of vans and tour buses as a working musician for 57 years and a professional musician for 48 years. Would you like to know how he went from a tone-deaf 12-year-old with no sense of rhythm to an internationally acclaimed musician? In his own words?
While you might already know my brother, Robert Fripp as one of Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists,” you may not know him as a superb and entertaining speaker. He has an extraordinary ability to connect with an audience both intellectually and emotionally.
Robert captivates and reveals everything you ever wanted to know about him in The Wit, Wisdom, and World of Robert Fripp in His Own Words, available through Robert FrippVT. Robert went from novice to master and you can too.
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My brother Robert Fripp is an internationally acclaimed guitarist and a founding member of King Crimson. His discography includes an innovative performance on David Bowie’s Heroes. Remarkably, Robert is as brilliant a thinker, writer, and speaker as he is a musician. Experience The Wit, Wisdom, and World of Robert Fripp in His Own Words when you subscribe to Robert FrippVT.
I asked Robert to share his thoughts on what it takes to be a hero. He said that heroes aspire to embody three qualities:
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You’ve edited and fine-tuned a written version of your talk. Now you’re going to rehearse it. You might think practicing your delivery is too much trouble. Or, maybe you feel like you don’t have time to rehearse? Rehearsal is essential to the success of your presentation. (Don’t think you can skip it.) You’ll be glad you did.
How to Rehearse
1. Record yourself reading your talk out loud to check on timing and emphasis.
2. Prepare outline notes. Even though you’ve dedicated significant amounts of time and energy to creating a written version of your presentation, you’re NOT going to read it! Nothing will put an audience to sleep faster. Instead, you’re going to speak directly and spontaneously to the audience, maintaining essential eye contact.
Both in your public speaking and writing. Here are a few of my inside secrets on editing to ensure that your presentation is a success. A “pithy” presentation is “to the point” and “forcefully expressive.” That’s powerful. The word “edit” is commonly misused as a synonym for “delete.” However, “edit” actually means, “correct, revise, or adapt.”
For example, “today” might be the most overused, impact-diluting word used in presentations and business communications. Simplify where you can without sacrificing meaning.
What makes someone a brilliant conversationalist? Brilliant conversationalists engage others by asking excellent questions. You can improve the quality of all of your conversations, professional and personal, when you ask good questions and then listen, really listen, to the responses. This is also one of the best ways to get smarter.
Maybe you know of my brother Robert Fripp, the legendary guitarist? He’s one of Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of all time. You might not know that he’s also a thoughtful and erudite writer and speaker. In truth, Robert is one of the most brilliant people I know and he listens well. He’s said:
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Stand still at the start of your presentation. Your audience members need a moment to become accustomed to the sound of your voice, your style of speaking, and sometimes your accent. After this, incorporate movement into your presentation, only if your movements are purposeful and support your message.
Learn how to make your movements match your words. Unconscious expressions of nervous energy will detract from your message.
My friend and fellow speech coach, Darren LaCroix shares these excellent techniques to help you make the most of the stage during your presentation:
Receive free, on-going Fripp webinar invitations, sales and presentation skills information, and special discounts from Executive Speech Coach, Sales Presentation Trainer, and Professional Keynote Speaker, Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE. As an added bonus, sign up now and receive a free copy of Patricia Fripp’s How to Present and Teach in the Virtual World.
