5 Ways to Deliver your Messages with Power and Impact in Group Presentations!

How you deliver your group messages determines, to a large extent, the impact that you have on others.

You could have strong, persuasive material but without effective delivery others will see a "substandard version" of you... and it will limit your effectiveness.

One of the trends that I have picked up in organizations is that frequently a person will deliver an important message in an off-handed, side-comment, informal fashion and then is disappointed when the message doesn’t achieve the desired result! In other words, the person doesn't make the message important!

Do a mental review of your recent persuasive messages in small groups:

• Did you project authority?
• Did you project importance?
• Did you project belief?
• Did you project credibility?
• Did you project conviction?

Here are 5 ways to deliver your group messages with power and impact:

1) Make Eye Contact

In a small group presentation make eye contact and focus on each person for 2 – 3 seconds. Avoid rapid-fire, darting around eye contact. Avoid communicating with your notes...or the screen for your PowerPoint presentation. Focus on one person for 2 – 3 seconds and talk to that person. Then focus on another person for 2 –3 seconds and talk to that person.

If the audience is larger, pick different general areas of the audience (far right, far left, far back right side, etc) and talk to a person in that general area for 2 –3 seconds then go to another general area.

2) Use Effective Gestures

Do you use gestures to convey what you intend to convey?

• Be sure that the gesture is conveying what you want to convey. Avoid nervous gestures that do not add to the message. If you are using a timeline in your presentation, use a sweeping hand motion to convey that. If you are talking about steps in a process you might use your hands to mimic climbing a ladder step-by-step.
• Be sure the gesture is above the waist and above the podium, if you are using one.
• Be sure that the gesture is definite. Do not be timid or weak.
• Be sure that the gesture is just a little larger than what you might use in daily conversation.

3) Speak in a conversational tone

When I'm coaching speakers I often say, "Never prepare a speech for an audience, instead prepare a conversation with a person". Conversation is a wonderful model for speaking. It prevents you from becoming formal, distant, and proper.

A key question to ask yourself is this, "How would I give this message if I was sitting with a person at Denny's or Starbucks?" Visualize one person and give the entire audience your message as if it were a conversation with that person.

4) Eliminate annoying "um's", "uh's", etc.

The excessive use of these non-words robs a speaker of polish and professionalism. It is one of the most common negative speaking habits that I have observed. It reduces a person’s credibility and authority.

What it the most effective way to eliminate this annoying habit? Increase your pauses. Pauses get distorted to the speaker when they are in front of a group. It seems like an eternity but it is not. To prove this, look at the second hand on your watch. Start a sentence and pause for 5 seconds. It will be a lot longer than you think. What's the point? If you pause just for a second or two it might seem so long, but in actuality it is not.

Here's a car exercise you can use if you have this annoying habit. Pick any topic and start talking about it. Challenge yourself to see how long you can talk without an um or uh.

5) Speak with Voice Energy

Your voice energy makes your speech come alive. It provides the vitality that a good message needs.

Three ways to communicate voice energy:

Volume – be sure to communicate your words not from your throat but from just below your ribs so that the throat becomes a passageway for the words. This will help you to communicate to someone in the last row of your audience by elevating your speaking voice.

Vocal Variety – to avoid being monotoned, emphasize and punctuate certain words to create an impact. You modulate your voice to create excitement in the words that you use. Here’s an exercise that you can duplicate to build this skill. Take a sentence like, "I really like the color of that vehicle". Say it several times, and each time emphasize a different phrase or word. You will be on your way to developing this skill.

Voice Speed – the key here is to vary your speed. Some material you can say at a faster pace and some material you need to slow down for impact. If you speak at one pace you will deplete the energy level of the audience (and they may even fall asleep!).

Make your next group presentation the best one you have ever given!

 

Return to Newsletter Archives

Return to Frank's home page