Auqeo! Blog--All Eyes On You

Think about the last time you spoke in front of a group. Does the mere thought of this memory bring on anxiety? Or are you one of the few people out there who are a natural in the spotlight? While most of us don't fall into the latter category, I recently spoke with someone who does.

J.P. is a 24 year-old economics graduate student at one of the local universities. We met up in our conference room one warm October afternoon to discuss the topic of presentations. Fresh off a series of school and work speeches, he gladly obliged.

According to J.P., the best thing you can possess when giving a demonstration is confidence. Know your material, and they will listen to what you're saying. “When you're in front of people often, having all eyes on you is the goal. I'm not an expert, but I knew everything that I wanted to talk about,” says the former high-school swim coach.

Take the time to do your research and understand about what you're writing. Make sure that you get the context of your words. This strategy will help you avoid using filler words like “um” and prevents you from getting distracted. You are driving the conversation and are in control of the situation. It's up to you to keep your audience engaged at all times.

When it comes to content gathering, it's all too easy to look online for something that suits your purpose. Instead of relying on the words of others, you are much more likely to remember verbiage when it is your own, as opposed to cutting and pasting text from other sources.

Eye contact also is an important way to connect with your audience. Be sure to keep it under three seconds per person, so that you don't make anyone uncomfortable or intimidated.

Another helpful tactic to embrace is a thoughtful pause at the appropriate moment. After referring to a PowerPoint slide, take a moment to compose yourself and refocus prior to resuming with your lecture.

Adequate planning is at the heart of a mesmerizing presentation. “Eighty percent [of the lecture] is done in the preparation stage,” says J.P. Not sure how to accomplish this? Start by creating an outline in full sentences of what you'd like to cover, in your preferred order. Once you have everything down on paper, you can create bullet points through slashing and burning extraneous text. Add a few infographics and logos for extra emphasis and you are all set. Pictures act as triggers to rope in your viewers.

Once you reach the end, allow a brief question-and-answer period. It's quite possible you'll be asked something to which you don't know the answer. If this occurs, don't BS your way through it; be honest and tell your inquisitor that you'll look into it. There is no reason to be embarrassed about not knowing everything—pat yourself on the back and take a bow; here's to a job well-done!  www.auqeo.net