The Basic Rules of Public Speaking Any Presentation Should Follow
You will need to focus on the language and your general approach to public speaking. Public speaking can pull you into fear of failure and embarrassment in public, as speaking in front of a crowd can be a challenge for most of us. Suppose you look for information online regarding the biggest fears experienced by humanity. In that case, you will find that many people find this is their number one fear of all time, with death surprisingly coming in second in the race. If you find yourself experiencing the same anxiety, even reading the words may put you in a mental state of slight discomfort imagining it. The good news is you can deal with the fear and move on without any issues.
What is Your Central Question?
If you are making a presentation you will need to reuse many times, you should go for a 30–35 minute window to ensure you have something important, then be prepared to have a shorter version available in case you need it.
Get an Editor
Everyone needs an editor for written material, and speeches are the same. You should find someone with a keen understanding of writing and pressure tests your speech with them. Does it sound good? Does it make sense? Are there good takeaways and key insights in the speech the audience may like?
The Importance of Slides
In theory, it’s best to keep things simple, but it also applies to how you present something. Many people look at the more is more type of thinking to put as much as they can put as many details in their slides as possible, such as dense text, complex charts and lists that require a lot of squinting and not enough time to read.
Some many books and websites explain the practices of design, but you need to keep in mind that these basic rules apply in terms of slides:
- Don’t use more than a dozen words per slide.
- Ensure the font size is large enough to read from the back of the room. Since you don’t necessarily know the screen size you’ll be using at each location, it’s best to go with more prominent rather than smaller.
- Some pairs of fonts work pretty well together, so you may want to try some things out. Using two different fonts, you should focus on a consistent framework on why you use one or the other — headlines versus blocks of text and so forth.
- Try using photographs, not clip art, as this will better work to capture the spirit of what you’re trying to get across. There are many websites out there that provide good photo search tools, and if you do have to use a photo that doesn’t take up a full slide, put a thin border around it for clarity’s sake and a more crisp slide.
- Don’t be too witty with the formatting of the slides. Design must work in the service of your content, not distracting from it. You can use many types of software for better transitions between slides, making the images do whatever you want, but you can do more. It would be best if you made your presentation clear and memorable, with the same approach toward multimedia and clips. These can give you a hand in making the talk more engaging but not too distracting.
- Don’t read the slides out for your audience. It would be best if you let them read the text instead while you provide commentary or more insight into the ideas inside.
