Top tips archive
Finish with a Bang!
Work out a memorable ending.
(Like a great quote or a short relevant story), Then when you either reach the end, or as often happens, you're cut short/told to finish up, simply "run" your rehearsed ending and finish with a "Bang"!!
Look after VIP's!
Get your voice working for you. Variety is key.
Volume: strengthen your voice with practice. Like any muscle, it needs exercise regularly.
Inflection is the way you vary the note of your voice say asking a question. imagine a Cork accent or a Welsh accent. Both are musical in the way their note rises and falls.
Pitch has to do with sounding serious or otherwise. High pitch can be funny or anxious. Deeper tones give weight and depth to your words. Notice that female news-readers always have lower, never squeaky, voices!
So, use your VIP's cleverly
to get your point across effectively.
Eye contact
Make significant eye contact around the room; a couple of seconds is sufficient. Not too long ... or it gets sexual ... whether you mean it to or not!! Move in random fashion around the room: pick out friendly faces ... perhaps four or five. I like to find someone near me, at the front, and one or two on either side of the space and one near the back door. Speak directly to these faces, making solid eye contact. Everyone will feel included in your talk. Everyone will feel you are speaking just to THEM. Perfect! Job done!