Wellness promoters don’t just teach anymore. They inspire, motivate, reward, and yes, entertain, to convince audiences to reach beyond established patterns. When humor, personal stories, and entertainment are combined with a message, your audience remembers more of the message, and remembers it longer.
NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Your non-verbal communication is at least as important as the words you use. In studies published in 1967 by Professor Albert Mehrabian, Ph.D., of the University of California, Los Angeles, when messages were ambiguous, the body language of a speaker—facial expressions, gestures, and posture—was 55% effective in conveying the message accurately. The vocal quality of the speaker was 38% accurate, and the words alone were only 7% accurate. Certainly we should be enthusiastic, energetic, and sincere when we are in front of an audience!
Nonverbal communication becomes especially important when it gets in the way of your message. Your audience needs to stay engaged, and not be distracted by annoying body movements or an uninspired voice. Your physical presence is your most important visual aid. How you look, and how you move can either enhance or detract from your message in ways that can make or break your presentation.
However, words are also important. The most entertaining speaker would fall flat if he were announcing a pay cut or a reduction in the work force. On the other hand, if you were telling your employees that you were giving them all promotions with big raises, you could do it in a deadpan and be a hero.
WHAT DO I DO WITH MY HANDS?
For some beginning speakers, figuring out what to do with their hands seems to bring relief and confidence. However, it actually doesn’t matter too much what you do with your hands as long as you’re not doing something distracting. The most important thing you can do with your hands is avoid make the same gestures over and over throughout your speech. Hardly anyone does that when they are speaking one-on-one or in small groups, but when some people get up on stage, they believe they need to be dramatic so they start gesturing in a certain way, get into a pattern, and can’t seem to get out of it.
Let’s solve the problem. Try this: Bend your elbows and bring your hands together in a natural position with the hands a little higher than the elbows—clasped loosely in a hand clapping position. Don’t actually clap your hands, but when you want to gesture, your hands will move apart in some way, and then come back together in your “neutral” position. After mastering this technique, break it up by putting one hand in your pocket for a while, and maybe walk to a different part of the stage. Do not move the hand in your pocket and don’t jingle your change. Also, don’t start making wild gestures with your free hand, as if making up for the one that can’t move.
Once you’re comfortable with those techniques, you’re ready to find places in your speech where you can expressively use your hands to help paint a picture or describe an event. For example, if you’re telling a story about when you were hanging from a cliff, you might hold your hands up in the air in cliff-hanging position when you get to that part! If, however, you fell from the cliff, try to restrain yourself from falling down on the stage. Don’t try to be a stand-up comedian if you’re not one.
LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE
The only effective way to practice speaking is in front of a real, live audience. If you're a beginning speaker, and you belong to a club, church, synagogue or mosque, look for opportunities to speak publicly in that "safe" environment. Give a presentation in your child's classroom. Volunteer to give presentations in your workplace. Get some coaching to develop your skills. To get experience on a regular basis, take a storytelling class or join your local Toastmasters Club. For more information, go to www.toastmasters.org. Break a leg!
PRESENTATION TIPS
TIP #1: GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR AUDIENCE. Your participants may miss out on something important if you use PowerPoint or slides throughout your entire presentation. Turn up the lights for a while and talk directly to them. Tell a story or lead an exercise. Get them involved.
TIP #2: TELL A PERSONAL STORY. Why are you passionate about your topic? In your presentation, tell your personal story. You’ll create a feeling of trust which will allow your participants to be more open to your message.
TIP #3: END WITH A BANG! Instead of trailing off at the end of your presentation with question and answer, save something really spectacular — a funny story, an exercise, or a demonstration — for the last five minutes. Watch the time. Start it ten minutes before the end, finish early, and leave everyone on a high.
HERE'S A NEW APPROACH TO OUTLINING YOUR PRESENTATION:
1. Encourage us to be interested in you or your topic.
2. Show us your special talent or your passion for the topic.
3. Establish credibility.
4. Make a point that is important to us.
5. Show us the kind of variety that we can expect in your presentation.
6. Give us something we can take home and use.
7. Make us feel good, involved, or motivated.
8. Make sure we could tell someone what you said.
9. Make the whole experience memorable.
