Public speaking is more than the
mere utterance of words. A speech can include visuals or a demonstration. You
can emphasize your words by using drama or humor. In fact, there are probably
as many ways to enhance your talks or to underscore your message as there are
speech topics.
When you give a speech, do you
sometimes experiment with new presentation styles or do you tend to stay
within your comfort zone and use the same tried and true methods? Have you
ever considered using an overhead projector instead of posters to illustrate
your talks? Have you been thinking about incorporating slides into your
presentation? Have you seen clever techniques you'd like to try, but you
aren't sure how to get started? Read on. Here, we've listed ten highly
effective presentation tools and styles with tips for how to use them:
Flip
Chart
Advantages: A flip chart is
useful for displaying graphs and emphasizing details when speaking to a small
group. Using a flip chart is like having a giant cheat sheet outlining the
sequence and the vital points of your speech. Lana Antione, CTM in the Ocean
View Toastmasters Club in Ventura, CA, particularly likes using a flip chart
because, "Unlike when using a poster or white board, you can flip back if
you need to."
Purchasing tips: First,
you'll need an easel to hold the flip chart (or easel pad). Opt for one that
folds for easy transporting and that has good crossbar support for your
displays. Expect to pay around $60 (US$) for a sturdy easel. Good flip charts
run from $20 - $50 (US$).
How to use: Prepare your
written material and graphs in advance of your talk. The Toastmaster
Communication and Leadership Program manual suggests adding half inch of
height to your letters for every ten feet of distance to the farthest audience
member. As an example, if you'll be standing forty feet distance from the back
row, the wording on your flip chart should be two inches high. Guard against
marker bleed-through by using every second or third page on the flip chart.
Marker
Board
Advantages: With a marker
board (or white board), you can write and wipe as you go. Purchasing tips:
Although free-standing marking boards can be purchased for $10 - $50, they
aren't very practical. Even a sturdy three- legged easel may not sufficiently
support a marker board while you are using it. The ideal portable solution,
then, is a sturdy, four-legged presentation easel with an attached white
board. These easels, which run $80 - $250, will also accommodate a flip chart.
How to use: Antione often
uses marker boards in her presentations and offers these tips, "Use
different colored markers to create interest and follow the rule of threes.
Group ideas and items in threes because most people can easily remember three
things."
Avoid spending great amounts of
time writing and wiping as, while doing so, your back is to the audience. The
most effective use of a marker board is to quickly draw simple diagrams or to
write just one or two words at a time.
Overhead
Projector
Advantages: An overhead
projects transparencies which you have created onto a screen large enough to
be seen from a greater distance than most marker boards or flip charts.
Purchasing tips: Buy a new
overhead projector for between $250 - $1000, shop around for a used one or
rent one. "If you're going to buy one," says Antione, "the most
important thing to look for is brightness and clarity in the projection."
How to use: If you have a
computer and a laser printer, you have the capability to create your own
transparencies. According to Antione, "You can scan your picture or chart
into your computer and print it out on a transparency." You can also
trace diagrams, write or draw on the transparency material with colored
markers, for example, or have a full-service print shop such as Kinkos,
prepare your transparencies for you.
One gentleman I spoke with regarding
presentation styles said the overhead projector was his least favorite
presentation type. He offers this explanation: "It's too impersonal
because the lights are off and all you can see is what's being produced
mechanically."
Slide
Shows
Advantages: The slide show is
a perfect way to take an audience on a trip to a far away land, to share your
collection of native artifacts or to introduce people to local wild flowers,
for example. Pat Clark Doerner, a commissioner on the Ojai Historic
Preservation Commission in Ojai, CA, frequently presents slide shows depicting
Irish history which she ties into the arrival of Irish immigrants to the U.S.
and her own family history.
Purchasing tips: Buy a new
slide projector for around $500, look for a used one and spend about half that
amount or rent a slide projector when you need one. For either the overhead or
slide projectors, you'll need a projection screen. Although many presentation
halls and meeting rooms today are equipped with screens, you may still want to
have your own. Expect to spend around $100. You'll also need a cart or small
table to use as a projector stand. Again, most halls and offices can provide
something suitable. Always check ahead and you won't be caught short.
How to use: First, start a
collection of slides. Clark Doerner suggests, "Keep your eyes open all
the time for illustrations, clip art, pictures and materials that represent
your topic or your era." Either photograph these materials yourself or
hire a professional photographer to reproduces them into slides. Purchase,
build or borrow a slide sorter (a box with a light inside and a glass top.)
Number and label each slide on either the front or the back so that you will
load them into the slide tray facing in the right direction. Organize the
slides in the tray to coincide with the appropriate statements in your talk.
Additional tips for using these
mechanical means:
- Visit or call the hall a week
or so before your scheduled presentation and have your checklist ready.
- Find out what equipment is
available and what you'll need to supply.
- Carry with you a 25 - 30 foot
extension cord with an outlet adapter, an extension cord for the
controls on the projector and an extra bulb for the projector.
- Do a quick run-through at home
before the event to make sure everything works and arrive at the
presentation hall so that you can set up about thirty minutes early. If
a problem arises, there's more likelihood that it can be remedied in
twenty minutes than in five.
Video
Presentations
Advantages: Because video
cameras and recorders are commonplace and watching television is a favorite
pastime, this is often a good medium to use in a presentation.
Purchasing tips: Most people
have easy access to video cameras and recorders. I would not recommend buying
this equipment unless you plan to use it other than for a couple of
presentations.
How to use: I once saw a
Toastmaster member give a video presentation involving his career as a
television commercial producer. His presentation was effective and
entertaining because he was well prepared, the video was properly cued and the
television was working. His technique was unique in that he'd run a
commercial, stop and give a commentary about the difficulties they encountered
in producing that commercial or share a secret about how they achieved a
particular effect and then he would run the commercial again so we could view
it with greater insight.
Demonstrations
Advantages: The demonstration
offers more than just a visual connection to the topic, by this method, you
can also teach and inform.
How to:
- Go slow.
- Be precise.
- Clearly describe each step of
the process as you demonstrate it.
Demonstrate how to operate, repair,
clean, polish, build or create something, for example. I once demonstrated how
to start an African violet plant from a leaf at a Toastmaster club meeting.
Audience
Participation
Advantages: Most audiences
enjoy becoming involved in presentations, particularly if they've been sitting
for a long while. Involvement often promotes a greater degree of learning and
understanding.
How to: Involve the audience
in helping to solve a puzzle, ask them to share some of their experiences in
an effort to make a point or teach them a craft or a skill, for example. I
once taught a line dance routine at a Toastmaster meeting. Involve the
audience by opening the meeting to questions.
One former Toastmaster and CTM
recently gave an entire presentation using questions and answers. She knew the
points she wanted to make but, instead of presenting them lecture style, she
invited questions and used them as launching pads to making her points. She
found it effective because she was presenting her material while also
addressing the specific concerns of the audience.
Props
and Displays
Advantages: Using visuals of
any kind is always more effective than spewing words alone. You're addressing
additional senses and the more senses involved, the greater the impact of the
message or lesson. Props and displays typically add to the entertainment
value, as well.
How to: I once attended a
presentation designed to motivate people to take action against neighborhood
clutter. A major issue was yard sale signs and other notices posted on trees
and posts and left for months after the event. The speaker underlined his
point by tacking several weather worn, handmade signs around the room.
You might use props in a talk about
operating a neighborhood garage sale. Display examples of effective and
non-effective garage sale signs. Pass around a couple of typical garage sale
items and show some unique display methods.
Storytelling
Advantages: Storytelling is
fun whether you're the teller or the listener. It's entertaining for the
audience, it's an effective way to teach a principle and it's a great way for
the teller to practice vocal variety and dramatic techniques.
How to: Learn storytelling
techniques by observing storytellers or join a storytelling group. Practice by
reading children's books out loud and by telling stories with which you are
familiar - tales depicting events in your own life, for example.
Although I'm not a traditional
storyteller, when I speak on local history, I often don a costume, adopt the
persona of an early pioneer and tell the history from this person's reference
point.
Add
drama, humor or music
Advantages: There's
entertainment value when incorporating drama, humor or music in a presentation
and people are more apt to remember you and your message.
How to: Make sure your use of
drama or humor is appropriate to your topic. Practice, practice, practice,
particularly if you're not a thespian or a comedian. Get the audiences
attention by performing a simple magic trick. Ask others to participate in a
skit. A woman I know has a rich native American heritage which she has
cultivated and shares throughout the county. As the finale to her lecture and
slide show, she often sings a song in her native tongue - a nice touch.
If your goal as a speaker is to
educate, inform, motivate and/or entertain the audience, there's no more
effective way than through the use of visuals. Not only will you be more
likely to grab and hold their interest, but your message is being received
through not one, but two or more senses.
Are you pretty
much sticking to the same old speaking repertoire? If so, maybe it's time to
open your mind and jazz up your act by incorporating some of these techniques
into your presentation.