EBF Ed Slot May 3rd 2012
Presented by David Plumley
Preparing for our weekly 60 seconds and our occasional 10 min opportunities
[Part of the mini-series on communications]
Whether we are preparing for our 1 minute slot or the longer 10 min slot there are some common features:
Knowledge, confidence and delivery are the basic elements of our presentations … and these require some thought. The following points will build our confidence … and need to be in place before we speak.
• Plan and prepare in advance what you want to say and what approach you want to take. Don’t just wing it … this will be obvious to everyone!
• We need to now our subject … we can’t speak confidently if the information is vague to us!
• We should avoid waffle … and think before we speak.
• Also avoid jargon … instead use easy language and simple words … even if the subject itself is complicated.
• Get to your main points quickly. Then it’s easier for the listener to remember what we said.
• It is good to know something about our audience and also to look them in their eyes … we’ll then easily discover if we are being understood.
• Maybe we can try recording our own presentation at home … to see if we modulate our voice … rather than speaking in a flat tone.
• Stick to the time schedule … and avoid trying to say too much in the allotted time.
And with that last point still ringing … I will now sit down.
