I really enjoyed my last meeting with the Aso College group visiting Hawaii. Today is your last full day in the Islands. Thank you, students, for coming to class and working together on your presentation. Good luck!
Before I close I thought I would share with you some thoughts about working as a team --as yoou did this week- and on team presenting.
Most of the time you will be developing and delivering individual presentations. Whether it is in this course or others each individual speech or presentation assignment is an opportunity -and not something necessarily to be feared. Why? Individual presenting provides you with an opportunity to get some practice speaking in front of a group.
Individual speeches and presentations require you to take individual responsibility for the planning, writing and delivery of your speeches and presentations. Most of the time work involved requires you to work alone. You have opportunities to work on developing individual talents and skills, too.
Many people have been told things about who they are and what they can do as individuals. My best recommendation is to be yourself. Sandy Linver in the book, Speak and Get Results, wrote, “I strongly believe that no speaker can be really effective unless he is being himself.”
When you get up in front of an audience you do not have to be always stiff and serious, especially if you are not like that in everyday conversations with friends and family. When you are standing and presenting to a group you are in a sense having a conversation with your audience. After all, the difference is that you are speaking to more than one person, right? Of course!
“I think,” said Nido Qubein, “a speaker loses much when he or she stands there without any gestures, without any emotions, and delivers the presentation –versus the speaker who emotionally gets involved in what he or she is saying. I believe that gestures should definitely be used because God did not create us to be a rock.”
When giving individual presentations and speeches it is important to give yourself permission to go to what the author Peter London called “the edges of the boundaries that I have set for myself.” I sometimes suggest to students that you pick someone you admire and pretend to be that person. Actors play parts on stage all of the time, and since in a sense you are on stage you should feel free to do the same.
Practice being you. Let your personality come through. The best presenters are people who let their habits, personality and style shine in front of an audience. Besides, who wants to listen to robots?
Throughout your college years and your future career one of the activities you will be participating in is working in teams with other students and/or professional colleagues. Team presentations occur for various reasons. In business a sales presentation may have members representing diverse functions of the company, such as different departments.
It is important to accomplish two things with team presentations:
• Keep your presentation interesting by varying them.
• Help each team member to do his or her best.
TotalCommunicator.com has a page on its web site. This one focuses on team or group presentations as a strategy. Please click this link and read its contents.
At the same web site you will find another page I would like you to read. This one helps you understand how to make things run smoothly.
A group or team presentation is a special type that demands a particular set of organization skills. I have for you a list of important items to help you stay organized so that your presentations will be effective and successful:
• Plan your calendar ahead of time with structured planning meetings. One person should be designated as the organizer, assigning each team member with areas that need to be covered.
• Make sure everyone has a role to play, and that the role each team member has is an important one to your audience and to anyone who is evaluating you, such as a faculty.
• Check and make sure that the speaker’s materials do not overlap. Remember that it is very awkward to follow someone who has only said a portion of what you planned. So, make sure that there is no duplication of material presented.
• Help each other pace their speeches so there is variety and interest within and between the individual presentations.
• Motivate each other to deliver with enthusiasm and confidence!
• Set up a team meeting to rehearse your presentation before it is delivered. Give yourselves time to evaluate each portion and aspect of the presentation.
• When you deliver your presentation begin by effectively and briefly introducing each team member.
• Make sure you use language and terminology you and your audience understands.
And finally, a well-rehearsed and organized individual or team presentation is a strong, credible one.
John Venturella, the vice-president of Human Resources of Memorex once said about the art of presenting, “One must be prepared, know the subject, do dry runs, and think about the audience’s needs. The most crucial point, though, is to be yourself.” I urge you to study and save the web links I have provided you for. The recommendations contained in all of them will help you improve your skills.
Jeffrey Bingham Mead
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