Express Yourself!!

Are you afraid of your seminar presentation? Don’t worry!! All of us face the same sort of tension before the maiden presentation. Successful are those who overcome the tension (to some extend hiding it) and express themselves with confidence.
The first and foremost thing one should have is the belief in his/her own abilities. We all are in a shell; but one day we have to come out of that. Think that here comes a golden opportunity to show the hidden talents to the outside world. Secondly choose a topic of your interest. It is easy to talk on a topic that you are confident of; don’t go behind colourful topics. Finally practice it well before coming to the main stage.

Components of a Good Presentation

• Content : Gather information about the topic and arrange it in accordance with the time slot
given. Don’t exceed or lag behind the time not more than 2 minutes.
• Structure : It has an introduction, body and a conclusion.
• Preparation : A good presentation should be well prepared and rehearsed at least 4 times. “One who fails to prepare is the one who is prepared to fail”. Try to have live sessions in front of your friends or rehearse in front of a video cam and watch it with a friend to figure out areas of improvement. WINSTON CHURCHILL, one of the world’s greatest speakers took SIX WEEKS to rehearse his maiden speech at the House of Commons.

Tips for Effective Presentation

• Write out the main points in bullet form in a series of indexed cards. This will help you to find
your place if you lose yourself.
• Time yourself before the presentation. Cut it short if is too long.
• Have a clear opening….remember “well begun is half done”.
• Visit the presentation hall and take your position before the actual presentation. This will boost
your confidence.

Tools Invaluable to a Presenter
• Voice: Perhaps the most invaluable tool of the presenter is his/her volume. Tone, pitch and pace have it’s own importance. Good speakers lower their volume to draw in their audience and raise their voice to make a point. The tone of the voice lends emotions to the presentation. It is always to carry a smile in your tone, as it will in turn make your audience smile. Too high a pitch can be irritable and too low a pitch can be inaudible. Try to moderate your pitch to a medium. The pace decides the speed of speech…again if one is too fast it may become incomprehensible, but always remember that varying the pace of your talk helps maintain audience interest.

• Body Language : When making a presentation the audience not only listen to the speaker but
also watch him. Some of the body language facts are:
o Maintain good eye-contact
o Good facial expressions
o Appropriate gestures
o Proper posture and body orientation
o Proximity to the audience, if situation permits.
o Voice modulation; monotone sounds dull and boring

• Question Time
Questions raised do not mean that your presentation was bad. On the contrary it shows that
the audience have listened to your presentation and their interest have been aroused.
1. Listen to the questions carefully. If you do not understand, clarify
2. Repeat the question so that the rest of the audience can hear it.
3. Pause and think about the answer.
4. Answers that last 10 to 40 seconds work best.
5. If you don’t know the answer, be ready to admit it.

All the best.