Presenting ideas, solutions, or announcements about your business is really challenging. Public speaking is not for everyone, as only a few people have the power to influence listeners. However, public speaking is usually based on skills—and skills can always be improved.
Anyone can deliver a stunning keynote presentation if he or she learns how to. In case you have one coming up, remember these 4s before you deliver your speech:
Start With An Impactful Statement
Photo by Ted.com
Your opening must be memorable. Start with a question, quote, philosophy, or scenario. It doesn’t matter what type of opening it is as long as you can capture the attention of your audience. If you have an intriguing opening statement, your listeners will instantly guess what you would say next.
Take Ric Elias’ “3 Things I Learned While My Plane Crash” speech from Ted Talk as an example: “Imagine a big explosion as you climb through 3,000 feet. Imagine a plane full of smoke. Imagine an engine going clack, clack, clack, clack, clack, clack, clack. Well, I had a unique seat that day. I was sitting in 1D. I was the only one who could talk to the flight attendants. So I looked at them right away, and they said no problem…”
Elias is the CEO and co-founder of Red Ventures, a digital marketing business in America. From his notable speech in Ted2011, he used a scenario to begin his speech. And then and there, he got everyone’s attention.
Speak With Conviction
Your audience wouldn’t help but pay attention if you’re bold, loud, and confident. Speak with conviction and hold your listeners suspended from reality. Make bold claims, and back it up with facts and emotions. You can move your audience if you use your voice as a tool. Further, your audience would feel like they’re listening to a true leader if you’re confident with what you claim.
One good example of speaking with conviction is the legendary civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr. His notable speech, I Have A Dream, is still as powerful today as it was before. When Martin Luther claimed that “the Negro still is not free” and “ the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination”, his audience—and the world— felt that.
Share Stories And Experiences
Photo by CNBC.com
Every audience wants a speaker they can connect and relate to. Not all your listeners have the same age and interests as you, so share stories and experiences that everyone can relate. Make it funny, amusing, dramatic, or strange. Just make sure that your story is relevant to your business or the point you’re trying to make.
To show you what sharing stories and experiences mean, read this excerpt from J.K Rowling’s Harvard commencement speech: “I was convinced that the only thing I wanted to do, ever, was to write novels. However, my parents, both of whom came from impoverished backgrounds and neither of whom had been to college, took the view that my overactive imagination was an amusing personal quirk that would never pay a mortgage, or secure a pension. I know that the irony strikes with the force of a cartoon anvil, now.”
Rowling is a world-renowned author now. Her audience consisted of graduating students from Harvard, so she told them her success story. Rowling shared how she fueled her passion for writing despite her parents’ complaints.
Show Creative Slides And Photographs
If you want to spice up your presentation, you can back your speech with slides. Give your audience a visual and auditory experience they would never forget. Make attractive visual aids, but don’t put too many texts on them since you’re already there to give the speech. Keep each slide simple and only use high-quality images.
You can consult with or hire part-time graphic designers and photographers at Rakuboss if you want to have a killer presentation. It’s best if you would leave the job in the hands of professionals.
