How to Perfect Your Presentation Skills
As an Advocate, you are passionate about your message, which goes a long way toward changing others’ hearts and minds. There are times, however, when getting too worked up can cost you your audience and when offering too much information too soon can be off-putting. Below are three ways to ensure that you don’t undermine your good intentions. Click here for more ArcheGuides.
This quote from John Morley is critical to keep in mind as you prepare your presentation. While you want to be able to counter any objections to your point of view, acknowledging the validity of others’ positions helps your opponents to hear you. So you might say: There is a school of thought that believes X, and that is a valid position. However, my research shows…
Question and Answer is often a time when things become heated — but when tempers flare, credibility is lost. Visualizing yourself as a thermostat, as opposed to a thermometer, will help you to remain even-keeled. Yes, your questioner may be heated up, but you are set at 70 degrees and sunny.
While it’s tempting to offer your audience handouts that support your point of view, the timing of this distribution is critical. If they are given out too early, you stand the chance of losing the group’s attention. With this in mind, wait until the end of your talk to give them out, or follow up via e-mail.
