Normally I don't go to corporate events in school, especially the ones that are held during the 6-8pm time slot. But on Thursday, my friend and I went to an even called Dynamic Presentation Skills hosted by Ernst and Young. The turnout wasn't so good, about thirty or so people showed up. There were a lot of empty seats around. The main topic of the event was how to improve presentation skills. The video they showed us was really informative, humorous and helpful.
Arch Lustberg (in the video) explains to us how and why we must improve our presentation skills. According to statistics, on the list of the worst human fears, fear of public speaking is on top of the list. No matter how good your information is, if your presentation skills are lacking, your audience will not pay attention to you. To be successful, one must be able to show the audience competence and likability. If you know your material, you can be confident. However, the aspect that most people mess up is likability.
Communication with the audience should focus on 4 things:
1. Mind - What you have to say; keep it simple, direct, and brief. If you are using fancy words your audience are unfamiliar with, they will not be able to follow what point you are trying to make.
2. Face - Use an open face. Your smile must be appropriate and genuine. Do not use the neutral face (boring) and the closed face (angry).
3. Body - Gestures must be appropriate and do not do the following:
a) Defensive position - do not cross your arms.
b) Royalty position - do not put your hands behind your back.
c) Hands in pockets - do not stick your hands inside your pockets.
d) Cover your crotch position - obvious information is obvious.
4. Voice - Not too loud, not too soft, not too fast, etc.
I should probably throw myself out there more often.
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