Tips for Improving Presentation Delivery Skills

One of my clients is brilliant but he’s also laid back. As a result sometimes he is perceived as being a “low energy” speaker. Recently he asked me how he could bring more energy to the stage. Since I don’t struggle with this I was stumped and gave him a half-baked answer about vocal variety. I was annoyed I didn’t have a better answer so have since given this a lot of thought. I now think bringing more energy to the stage gets down to 7 things: 1️⃣ Layer energy into your content. Share stories. Share humor. Add in audience participation. Make sure that you’ve run your content through my free resource: 12 Questions You Must Ask for a Killer Speech. 2️⃣ Layer energy into your visuals. I told my client he should have a designer redo his deck. It lacked energy. Make sure that your visuals are bringing the energy up, not down in your presentation. Add more color in the deck, break things up with a funny photo, etc. 3️⃣ Pregame physically and mentally While higher energy personalities might need to calm themselves down by taking slow breaths, you might need to pump yourself up with a quick walk, jumping jacks, or another physical energy booster like an upbeat playlist you listen to before you take the stage. Mentally: Focus on your passion for the topic and let that energy flow out. Talk to yourself in the third person–“(Your name) you’re going to rock this speech and have lots of energy!” 4️⃣ Demonstrate energetic and confident body language 55% of communication is nonverbal, so level up your body language. For you this might mean quickly walking or even running onto the stage to start. During your presentation it might look like making your gestures bigger to meet the size of the room, holding eye-contact longer, physically moving and working the stage more, smiling, and animating your facial expressions to match the words that you’re saying. 5️⃣ Add vocal variety. Speed up, slow down, get loud, or get quiet. One way to do this is to look for the big statements or ideas in your speech and ask yourself, “How can I add vocal variety around this part?” Need some examples on how to do this? Watch TED talks. Virtually every TED talk speaker begins with a slower rate of speech and then gradually speeds up, only to slow back down at the end. 6️⃣ Use confident language and end your phrases strong and loud. Many speakers who lack energy get quieter at the end of each sentence or end every sentence like it has a question mark. Right?! Instead use confident phrases like “I know you can do this.” “I believe in your ability.” 7️⃣ Wear color. I’m no fashionista but I told my client to avoid black, gray, or white (his go-to) and instead consider a brighter blue shirt. What other ideas do you have on how my client can bring more energy to the stage? If you’ve ever struggled with this, what have you done? ----- Hi, I'm Eva. I help professional speakers develop and deliver compelling speeches. Need help? Send me a DM. Back

I've dedicated over 2,000 hours in the past three years to coaching professionals, helping them become more authentic, engaging and persuasive communicators. The ability to command an audience’s attention to tell an effective narrative is crucial for influencing others. With Kaiser Permanente, I recently delivered a two-day intensive public speaking course advising clinicians and hospital leadership on becoming more confident speakers. Here are some best practices that separate good speakers from masterful ones. These tips will be beneficial for: (1) Preparing for your upcoming speaking engagement or presentation. (2) Leading critical internal meetings where persuasion is key. (3) Any situation where you need to effectively convey a story to your audience. Best practices:  (1) 🖼 Use words that evoke vivid imagery in the minds of your audience, no corporate buzzword bingo! (2) 🔬 Pay close attention to audience reactions (or lack thereof) in real-time. If you notice eyes glazing over and no “nodding along” where it should be obvious, you haven’t landed your message. Vary your tone, cadence, and volume or simply repeat your message to make it stick. (3) 👋 If using hand gestures, ensure they are deliberate, crisp and clearly visible to the camera to avoid distracting your audience (otherwise all they'll see is you shrugging your shoulders!) (4) 🎙 Adjust your distance from the microphone to ensure clear, undistorted audio at an appropriate volume (don't yell!) and so you can effectively play with vocal range  (5) 👀 Avoid looking at yourself on the screen; it will derail your delivery. Instead, rotate through the 'gallery view' to see all attendees and vibe off audience energy (6) 📒 Familiarize yourself with your material to speak naturally. But if using notes, place them at eye level so it’s not obvious you’re looking down to refer to them What advice from your virtual speaking experiences resonates with you? I'd love to hear your top tips! #publicspeakingtips #executivecoaching #communicationskills

After analyzing my early speaking coaching clients… 3 flaws emerged over & over. Fix these to grow your credibility at work. 👇 When I started coaching in 2018, I didn't see it. But over time, patterns of feedback emerged. I was doing my first workshop in 2019 and in prep for that, I looked at the feedback for my first 50 clients. People were getting the same things wrong. When they fixed them, their credibility (and their impact) went up dramatically! The session was called: "Good delivery - from Seeing it Done Wrong." If you're... a data analyst, a salesperson, a consultant, a leader, a teammate, a Director, an Executive or anyone in the workplace. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗙𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆: If you want to be seen as a leader when you speak, these habits instantly improve your credibility & presence: 1️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀. (92% aka 46/50) “Um…” “Uh…” “Like…” "So..." "Ya know" "Right?" Why it matters: When they get excessive, it limits your impact. A few is fine. But if someone starts counting yours... you're done! Most people are UNAWARE how many they use. Here’s how to cut them out: ✔️ Use Pauses. Half-second stops. ✔️ Breathe first, then speak words. Calm voice = clear voice. ✔️ Use transition statements. “So what that means is…” helps you stay fluid and structured. Check yours by recording a work conversation. Listen back. ❌ More than 4 per minute 💡 Practice in every conversation, every day. ✅ Most people fix it in a week. 2️⃣ 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲. (60%) The best communicators don’t read slides... and don't just regurgitate info. An expert talks about things CONVERSATIONALLY. They sound like they own the topic. They speak 'with' you, not 'at' you. So how do you implement this: Ditch the script. Internalize your key storyline. Memorize less. Land your energy at a 6... like you like the topic. That’s what real leaders sounds like. 3️⃣ 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘆𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁. (50%) You’re likely looking away more than you realize. (or only at your slides). Many of us do it. (I’m guilty of it too.) We glance up while thinking… look at our slides to avoid 'staring eyes'. But we need to increase our eye-contact. Why this matters: Trust is built when you look people in the eyes. Implement these 3 in the next 2 weeks and watch your street cred grow! If you found these helpful... (or you know someone who needs these 😅) would you give it a 💡,👍, or repost it ♻️so others see it? Follow me for more practical communication tips for work based on coaching 300+ business professionals over the last 6+ years.

Resumes get you hired. But presentation skills get you promoted. And if you suffer from the following when presenting: - Dry mouth - Racing heart - Blotchy red skin Know this: You have the ability to pull yourself out of this death spiral. Here are 7 cheat codes for managing the fear of presenting to advance your career: —— 1. Simply Pause It might seem awkward, but there is nothing more powerful than a well-timed pause… • Make a strong point • Count to 5 in your head • Give your audience time to absorb —— 2. Hold Something Grab a water bottle, pen, slide advancer - whatever. This keeps you from collapsing (that means going inwards) You want your body to be open. Holding something keeps your arms away from you. —— 3. Avoid Memorizing You don’t want to sound scripted - and missing a line can cause you to panic... Instead, riff off an outline: • The opening line • The transition • The closing line —— 4. Slow Down We tend to rush things when we’re nervous. But it backfires. Take a breath. Slow down… • Speak slowly • It calms your nerves • Ensures everyone hears you —— 5. Move Around Staying still only enhances your nerves. Unlock yourself with movement to: • Reduce nervous energy • Keep your audience engaged • Use your space and body language —— 6. Embrace Nerves Feeling nervous before and during a presentation is normal. Remember: • It’s just energy • Embrace it, don’t fight it • Use it to fuel your passion —— 7. "...And It's OK Bud!" Our adrenaline can get the best of us. And you know what? It’s ok, bud! Try acknowledging it internally: ‘My mouth is dry, and it’s ok bud!’ ‘My heart is racing, and it’s ok, bud!’ Acknowledging what you're feeling lessens its power over you. —— If you found this useful, repost ♻️ this to your network and follow me (Nick Maciag) 🙌

📣Public speaking 🗣 is something that most local government managers have to do, in some cases a lot, throughout the course of their career - yet many receive little to no training on this key element of work life for the CAO. This is not an antidote to that reality, but a list of Top 10 helpful hints to those that endeavor to do the people’s work. 👇 1. ❌Do not read from the slides❌ Ever.   2. Relative to number one, always think of this - if you give out your presentation in advance and/or read from the slides, what value do you really bring to the presentation itself? 3. Practice any speech verbatim in the same type of environment (i.e. setting, sitting or standing, podium or not, etc) that you will find yourself in during the actual speech.  4. If there is a Q&A 🙋 style format post-speech, anticipate some questions and rehearse those responses in advance. Do not go into overplanning this Q&A part, though, as you will never be able to anticipate everything.  5. Should there be time before a public speaking engagement to chat with the audience, do it. Maximize this pre-speech time to break the ice.  6. Humor😂 is good and encouraged, pending the environment/setting - but do not go overboard and make sure to exercise tact and, shall we say, political correctness.  7. Engage the audience, even if there is not a Q&A. In other words, make significant and regular eye contact, move around if you can, do not look at the same people, etc.  8. Many of us have verbal fillers (e.g. - umm, ugh, so, you know what I mean, and so on and so forth, like, right, etc). It’s ok to have these, no one is perfect. Just work on them and recognize where and when they present themselves and work diligently to curb their regularity.  9. Unlike the NFL quarterback, I implore you - Do not go long. Ask in advance what the speech length is expected to be, or have in your head if there is not set time, some sort of rough estimate on the length. No one remembers if you end early, however, people will definitely remember those that go excruciatingly long. ⏳ 10. Finally, remember your purpose. If this is introducing a public hearing, you go in one direction. If it’s a speech introducing careers in local government to an MPA program, you handle it a touch differently. If it’s the local rotary club and you’re the monthly program, there’s a preferred setup for that. Know the audience and length, and center yourself on the purpose and mission of the speech. Why are you there? And what does the audience here need to know? Then, deliver a knock-out 👊 speech!

I remember being scared to death to speak in front of my classmates.    For most people, fear of public speaking is greater than fear of death! Being able to speak effectively to groups is a key leadership skill, but fear can hold us back, cause us to doubt our abilities and shy away from opportunities that could propel us forward. I decided to follow my mother’s advice and take a public speaking class. Fast forward to today, over forty years later. I learned public speaking skills, taught university classes, and became a marketing and sales director.  I went on to become a paid speaker, life coach and the host of The Hero Within Podcast.  Learning public speaking was one of the most important career decisions I've ever made. Through the years, I've had the privilege of coaching others to become better entrepreneurs and leaders.   Whether it's delivering a sales pitch, leading a staff meeting, or engaging the audience, effective communication is critical to success. I continue to learn from my coaches who are helping me improve my presentation skills.  It isn't a one-time endeavor; it's an ongoing process that significantly enhances our effectiveness as a leader. Here are seven steps to becoming a better presenter and a more effective communicator: 1. Know your audience, their needs and interests.  Research and understand their problems and gear your message to solving a specific problem. 2. Become well versed in your content, allowing you to deliver it confidently.  Don’t memorize your material because then you’ll sound scripted.  Instead, be comfortable enough that you can talk about the main points from your heart. 3. Practice, practice, practice and practice some more!  It’s great to practice in front of a mirror, and it helps to become comfortable hearing your own voice. 4. Become an engaging storyteller to connect with your listeners.  Personal stories or hypothetical scenarios can make complex information more relatable to the audience. 5. Pay attention to your nonverbal body language, using posture, gestures and movement to enhance your impact.  Your posture conveys your level of confidence and your eye contact helps the audience build connection with you. 6. Manage nervousness by focusing on the excitement to share your message.  Instead of telling ourselves to “calm down,” reframing our anxiety as excitement is more effective because the feelings are nearly the same physiologically!    7. Actively seek feedback and continuously work to improve.  Be the first to give yourself feedback, assessing what you think went well and what you think you could improve.  You may also seek feedback from audience members, mentors, or your coach.  Take the feedback that you feel applies, disregard the rest and continue practicing.  See #3. By embracing these principles and dedicating yourself to ongoing growth, you’ll increase your speaking skills, empowering yourself to lead and inspire others with clarity and confidence.  

Stop memorizing words on a slide. There's a more effective and easy way to convey ideas in your presentation: Tell a story. I recall several instances where I sat in front of my computer, meticulously flipping through slides in preparation for an upcoming presentation. The slides were filled with smart-sounding words, interesting images, and convincing data points. I reviewed the material, slide by slide, carefully stringing together the perfect words to accompany them. I rehearsed the talk track diligently, starting over whenever I forgot a key phrase or missed a transition sentence. What I had failed to realize then was that it wasn’t the exact words I chose to say, but rather the story I was telling that made the biggest impact. Storytelling has a way of bringing clarity to your thoughts that no combination of words, data, or pictures on a slide can. There's a level of vulnerability and honesty that comes with telling a personal story. This builds a connection between the storyteller and the audience. Last week, I did a product demo where I tied in my chronic use of German Curry Ketchup. Does our product have anything to do with ketchup or Germany? No, but it helped me drive home the value of a new feature we launched. Next time you're presenting, weave in a story. You'll find it transforms passive listeners into active participants, doubters into advocates, and skeptics into customers, far better than any slide ever could. #productmanagement #storytelling #communication #leadership

𝐍𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐬? 𝐍𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐥 You’re waiting to speak. Your heart races. Your stomach flips. Your mind goes blank. Sound familiar? Whether you’re a seasoned speaker or stepping onto the stage for the first time, nervousness is natural. The founder of NSA Cavett Robert, said “The key is not to eliminate the butterflies, but to teach them to fly in formation.” Here’s how I coach my clients to turn anxiety into impact: 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲:  Preparation is your best tactic. As a rule, invest six hours of preparation for every one hour of speaking. Memorize your opening and closing. Know them cold. These are your most high-stakes moments, when you’re most nervous and need to be most fluent. 𝐋𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲: Arrive early. Get comfortable with the room or stage. Walk where you’ll stand. Test the tech. Make friends with the stage before your audience arrives. 𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲:  Shake out the tension. Backstage or in the bathroom, try this: shake your hands, loosen your jaw, bounce on your toes. Also, greet your audience! Shake hands, make eye contact, connect before you speak. You’re rarely nervous about people you’ve already met. 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬 𝐓𝐢𝐩: Don’t get stuck sitting down right before speaking. If you are going to talk about an hour into the agenda, sit in the back of the room so that for some portion of that hour, you can stand up. It isn't easy to immediately jump into your presentation and be dynamic when you have been sitting down and relaxed. Sitting in the back of the room allows you easy access to the bathroom before a speech. One of the greatest orators of the twentieth century, Winston Churchill, said, "𝑁𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑢𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑜 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑚." This is very true with delivering presentations. 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫: Nervousness is a sign that you care. With the right preparation and techniques, your audience will only see confidence. Good luck with your next presentation. #presentationskillsexpert #keynotespeaker #publicspeaking #frippvt

Art of Powerful Presenting 💻 Recently, I attended a women's networking conference organized by Goldman Sachs. The topic of the day was "Powerful Presenter," and it left a lasting impression on me. In today's fast-paced world, the ability to influence and communicate effectively can make all the difference, whether you're in an interview, at your workplace, or leading a meeting. As professionals, our success often hinges on our ability to convey ideas, engage others effectively, and leave a lasting impact. Key Strategies for Powerful Presentations 🚀 🔺 Understand Your Audience: Before crafting your presentation, take time to understand who your audience is. What are their interests, concerns, and expectations? Tailor your content to address their needs and provide solutions that are relevant to them. 🔺 Knowledge: Confidence comes from knowledge. When you thoroughly understand your subject matter and are well-prepared, you naturally exude confidence. Invest time in researching and organizing your content so that you can speak about it fluently and handle any questions or challenges that may arise. 🔺 Make it Conversational: Avoid the trap of delivering a monologue. Instead, strive for a conversational tone that invites participation and engagement. Use anecdotes, ask rhetorical questions, and encourage interaction. This approach creates a dynamic atmosphere where ideas flow freely and participants feel involved in the discussion. 🔺 Master Your Delivery: Pay attention to your tone and speed of speech. Varying your pace and intonation adds emphasis and keeps your audience attentive. Don't be afraid to pause to let key points sink in or to ask if anyone has questions. Effective communication is as much about listening and responding as it is about speaking. 🔺 Engage with Confidence: Maintain eye contact with your audience to establish trust and credibility. A confident demeanor and genuine enthusiasm for your topic will naturally draw people in. Your passion and conviction are what will leave a lasting impression. Effective communication is not just about what you say, but how you say it and how well you connect with your audience. Here's to becoming a more powerful presenter and making a lasting impression wherever your career takes you. 😊 #Presentations #CommunicationSkills #CareerDevelopment #LinkedInNetworking #GoldmanSachs #careergrowth #LinkedInLearning #Tech #Management #ProgramManager #InternationalStudents #Corporate #SoftSkills #WallStreet #WomenNetworkingEvent

Tips for public speaking for security leaders: This is what I have learned from doing over 50 talks in the last 2 years. 𝗗𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀: - Launch right into the presentation. Do not start with an introduction or "good morning". - Ask someone else to introduce you. It lends itself to credibility. - Tell stories throughout the entire presentation - Know your material by heart - Leverage cues to jog your memory in case you get lost (e.g., an image to remind you of the story you are supposed to tell) - Practice out loud (I find this painful, but it really helps) - Pause frequently (3-5 seconds minimum, especially after you make a point) - Build in audience engagement (ice breakers, questions, simple exercises) - Take risks (it is only a risk to you, the audience won't even know) - Be vulnerable to fast track trust - Be confident. Even blindly confident if you have to. - Bring up a bottle of water and don't be afraid to take a sip. - If you freeze or get lost, just pause and collect yourself - Know your setup (hand mic vs. lapel mic, stage or classroom, etc.) - Know your audience and what they care about (e.g., execs vs. entry level) - Be yourself 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀: - Do not memorize verbatim - Do not worry about your hand movements - Don't read from the slides - Don't worry if the slide doesn't match up perfectly with what you are saying - Do not say things like "I forgot what I was about to say" or "I'm nervous" or "I'm sorry" during your presentation - Don't assume the people organizing the event know what they are doing (often they are volunteers and if you ask questions or tell them what you need it is very helpful) - Don't stress yourself out. Even if you bomb, people have very short memories. - Don't compare yourself to some TED speaker. They are literally the best of the best. The bar is much lower than you think. (Think NFL vs. College vs. High School levels) --- Any other tips from the great presenters out there? #publicspeaking #business #leadership