The primary global elements that go into a great presentation are delivery, speech structure and speech content. This article will discuss delivery, which can be further broken down into two sub-elements:
1) organic connection with and expression of your inner voice and passion and 2) technical delivery, or mastery over your physical communication tools of voice and body.
Organic Connection with Your Voice
I speak about your inner voice here, not your vocal/speaking voice. To achieve moving power and persuasion as a speaker or presenter, you must access, inhabit and effect dynamic expression of your unique vision and voice. Your perspectives, experiences and beliefs.
Technique
Technique can best be described as the speaker’s mastery over their oral and physical presentation skills. For example, someone with great oral technique can, with a slight variation in their vocal inflection or a well-timed pause, dramatically impact or add meaning to a phrase.
Technique is important and adds power and life to presentations. But all the technique in the world fails if issued from a person who lacks inspiration or is unable to connect with their voice.
Similarly, a person in optimal state with empowering perceptions that has no technique, rambles on or can’t put a coherent argument together will lose their audience.
Technique is something that can’t be taught in an article. It would be a waste of time to pen hypothetical situations and instruct another person where and how they might effectively inflect a word, pause or how and when they might move on stage to add power to an imagined speech. Technique requires real-life practice and in-person coaching with a specific speech that has relevance and meaning to you. Nevertheless, I will provide technique devices in later articles, such as ways to open and close strong, but you can hone your vocal and physical technique only through practice and coaching.
What Your Communication Must Accomplish
You must motivate the audience to action. To accomplish this, you must appeal to their logic and emotions, primarily to their emotions. There must be a call to action. The action you desire may simply be to get your audience to hear and assimilate the information for later use. Even if your objective seems this mundane, don’t underestimate your responsibility to be interesting and inspirational.
Your audience is much more likely to absorb and retain your message if you engage their imaginations, physiology and their self-interest. This is best accomplished through well-told stories, questions and exercises that actively challenge their minds and engage their bodies.