Top 5 Tips for Public Speaking Excellence published August - September 2006 A speaking engagement is an excellent opportunity for your organisation’s brand and service to get positive recognition and raise awareness with your potential client base.  Done correctly it can have lasting benefits, generate leads and help you to build and consolidate relevant networks. Done incorrectly it can have a similar far-reaching but negative impact instead. Sounds frightening?  It can be, but with these tips you can help your colleagues or yourself hit the mark. 1. Research your audience Before your conference session or presentation starts communicate with the organisers about the audience.  Do they have a list of who will be attending, what type of organisations are they from?  What role do they play in the company?  CEO or marketing graduate?  It is imperative that you tailor the presentation to the bulk of the audience and understand what makes them tick and drives them.  Relevance is key. 2. Back up your theories You might be entertaining, look great on stage but if you can’t back up your theories with solid evidence then your audience will turn away in droves.  Why?  Because they have spent their time and money on your session and they have come for your expertise, not theories that cannot be substantiated with evidence. 3. Quality not Quantity Have you heard of the phrase “less is more”? It is often referred to in a design sense but equally relevant to the public speaking arena.  The audience needs to know the big picture items not the minute detail of how you executed a strategy.  This type of information is most welcome and relevant in a workshop rather than a general presentation.  Keep your material relevant and above all keep to the allocated time limit. 4. Material/Handouts How often have you been to a conference where they have said the handouts are in the folder or online and they are not there?  Tardiness in this arena matters. If your audience doesn’t find your material when they want it they will soon forget your presentation. Be sure to include the material when they need it and ensure they are of excellent quality. 5. Let your clients tell part of your story You are not the only one that has experience of your service or products.  Your clients have a unique perspective that is often more convincing and ‘real’ compared to your story.  Integrate their stories into your presentation and leave lots of time for questions and answers.

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