5 pointers to deliver an engaging work presentation

This post came out from The Straits Times (6 April 2016)
Title - 5 pointers to deliver an engaging work presentation

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Know your audience
2. Be concise
3. Practice and rehearse
4. Body language
5. Do your research

On Know your audience

• Find out who will be listening to your speech. Include relevant content that will appeal to them. Weave in anecdotes or examples that your audience can identify with and understand. In this way, you can capture their attention for a longer time and establish a stronger connection with them.
• If you need to sell certain ideas or persuade your audience to see value in your suggestions, include relevant data, research studies and list down the practical benefits that can be achieved.

On Be concise

• Be clear and focused on your objectives. Make a conscious effort to be succinct. 
• If it is a technical or content-heavy topic, avoid overwhelming the audience with unnecessary jargon. Without eliminating essential content, use analogies and simple explanations to put across complicated concepts.

On Practice and rehearse

• There is no substitute for ample practice and rehearsals. Practice is key. Even experienced speakers can feel nervous and encounter problems on stage. You need to know your topic by heart and be prepared to cope. If you make a mistake, do not let that prevent you from continuing with the rest of your speech. 
• Stay confident and be alert. Do not simply read off your script. You need to engage the audience and make them feel you are really talking to them. 
• Visiting the venue beforehand to familiarise yourself with the audio and visual aid equipment. Even better, rehearse your speech there to get a feel of the ambience and learn how to project your voice. 

On Body language

• When making long speeches, ensure that the audience remains focused and attentive. Go for smooth transitions and draw obvious links between points. Allow the audience to follow your train of thought with ease.
• Refrain from using too much animation and transition effects in your slides. These can be distractions that disrupt people's focus.
• Speak at a steady pace. Neither rush through your speech nor go at too slow a pace. Project your voice and speak at a volume that will command attention and signal your confidence.
• A speaker's body language should be natural and complement what he or she is saying. Your stance, movements, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact add persuasiveness to your speech. 

On Do your research

• Having a firm grasp of the subject will give you confidence during the presentation and credibility during the question and answer segment. To provide well thought out responses, be an expert on the subject and possess knowledge beyond what is expected of you. 
• For instance, while it would be the bare minimum to understand how your department functions, it pays to find out the nature of the work of other units and departments. This helps you understand the challenges faced by each team, as well as the part each team plays in contributing towards delivering the final products. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

Simply to influence - How you can make it easier for others to understand you

This post came out from The Straits Times (1 April 2016)
Title - Simply to influence

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Simplification 1: Needs versus Wants
2. Simplification 2: So What?
3. Simplification 3: Fluency is everything

On Simplification 1: Needs versus Wants

• People often assume that they would lose credibility if they miss out presenting information that shows how knowledgeable they are. In fact, the reverse is true. The more you present according to your expertise, the more people do not understand due to the jargon you use.
• It is not about how knowledgeable you are, but whether people perceive you to be knowledgeable by making it easy to understand concepts from their perspectives. 
• If people can't understand, it does not matter. Start the simplification process by asking, "What is it people want to know?"

On Simplification 2: So What?

• We should only give information by looking at what people want to know or have to know. The "so what?" challenges us to be more precise, forcing us to get to the point of what is most important. So stay true to your focal point by constantly asking "so what?"

On Simplification 3: Fluency is everything

• Fluency refers to the smooth transition of ideas and words that people can understand quickly. It is also best to remove animations and transition effects from slides. In today environment, people just want to get to the point. An animation is a distraction because it disrupts a person's train of thoughts. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

The Art of Evangelism

Article from Harvard Business Review by Guy Kawasaki

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. About evangelism
2. Schmoozing
3. Public speaking
4. Social media

On About evangelism

• When you become an effective evangelist, you don't just promote your organisation - you set an example for other employees. You show that you are a passionate, engaged team member. You inspire your colleagues. And you demonstrate your leadership ability. Look around your office and you'll see evanglists everywhere - the EVP who regularly contributes to conference panels; the teammate who tweets about industry research; the executive assistant who puts photos of new products in her Pinterest feed. They are the kinds of leaders companies want in their ranks today. So you should develop the skills yo uneed to join the club. 
• In my experience, there are three ways to effective evangelize: old-fashioned schmoozing, public speaking, and social media.

On Schmoozing

• It's much easier to evangelize to people you already know or people who already know you. The process of building such social connections is what we call schmoozing. If you're hesitant about this, because you are shy or you consider it offensive or manipulative, you need to change your mind. Doing this helps you to discover what you can do for someone else, and is the key to building the extensive, long-lasting, and trusting relationships that will make people believe what you have to say about your organisation. 
• Get out - Schmoozing is contact sport. You can't do it from your cubical, so force yourself to walk around the office, visit different floors and corporate locations, attend trade shows, conventions, seminars, conferences, and cocktail receptions.
• Ask questions - Good schmoozers don't dominate the conversation. They initiate it and then shut up and listen.
• Unveil your passions - If you can talk only about your job, you're a boring person. Successful schmoozers are passionate about multiple and diverse interests. A benefit of those passions is that they provide additional ways to connect with people. 
• Follow up - Send an email or call within 24 hours of meeting someone. Few people ever follow up, so the ones who do distinguish themselves as worth knowing.
• Email effectively - Email is a key tool. Make sure to optimize your subject lines and keep your messages short and simple, resend unanswered emails as a nudge, and always respond within 48 hours. 
• Make it easy to get in touch - Many people who want to be great schmoozers fail because they don't print their cell numbers on their business cards or include contact information in the signature area of their emails. Don't create hurdles to connection.
• Do favours - I believe there's a karmic scoreboard that tracks what you do for people. If you want to be a world-class schmoozer, ensure that your number on that scoreboard is high.

On Public speaking

• Deliver quality content - It's much easier to give a great speech if you have something to communicate. If you don't have anything to say, decline the opportunity. If you don't want to decline, do some research and find something interesting to say. That is 80% of the battle.
• Omit the sales pitch - Don't spend your time promoting yourself and your organisation or denigrating the competition. The worst speech you can give is one that people can interpret as a sales pitch.
• Customise - Tailor the first three to five minutes of every speech you make to the audience you're addressing that day. This will demonstrate that you've done your homework and have made an effort to provide a valuable and special experience. Try to find a personal link to the audience.
• Focus on entertaining - Many speech coaches will disagree with this, but they probably don't speak 50 times a year, as I do. My theory is that the goal of a speech is to entertain. If people are entertained, you can slip in a few nuggets of information. But if your speech is dull, no amount of information will make it great.
• Tell stories - The best way to relax when giving a speech is to tell stories - about your youth, kids, customers, things you have read. When you tell a story, you lose yourself in the storytelling. Good speakers are good storytellers, great speakers tell stories that support their message. 
• Circulate in the audience beforehand - Heighten interest in your success by meeting your listeners before the speech. Talk to them. Let them make contact with you - especially people in the first few rows. Then, when your're onstage, you'll see their friendly faces and your confidence will soar.
• Control what you can - If you have a choice, speak at the beginning of an event and ask for a small room. A  just-seated audience is more apt to listen to you, laugh at your jokes, and follow along with your stories, and a packed room is a more emotional one. It is better to have 200 people in a 200 seat room, rather than 500 people in a 1,000 seat room. 

On Social Media

• Offer value - Good stuffs come in four forms: information (what happened?), analysis (what does it mean?), assistance (how do I do that?) and entertainment (what the hell?)
• Be interesting - Many people mistakenly assume that their followers want to read about a narrow band of subjects. To do so would be boring, which doesn't work on social media. You should think more broadly.
• Take chances - Social media favour the bold, so don't hesitate to express your feelings and agenda. Take strong stands on issues that affect you, your organisation and your customers. 
• Keep it brief - People make snap judgments and move along if you don't capture their interest quickly. 
• Be a mensch - A mensch is a kind and honorable person who does the right thing the right way. Share other people's posts, make positive and intelligent comments, and suggest resources and solutions. Especially when you're curating, every post should contain a link, which sends traffic to the source as an act of gratitude, enables readers to learn more, and increase your visibility and popularity with bloggers and websites.
• Add drama - Every post should contain 'eye candy' in the form of a photo, graphic, or a video. If you have more than four paragraphs, try to use a bulleted or numbered list. 
• Tempt with headlines - I find posts titled "How to...", "Top 10..." or "The Ultimate..." irresistible. These words say to me, This is going to be practical and useful.
• Use hashtags - Hastags connect posts from people all over the world and add structure to an otherwise unstructure ecosystem. When you add hashtag to a post, you are telling people the post is relevant to a shared topic.
• Stay active - Be active I mean three to 20 different posts a day. As long as your posts are good, you can share more than that. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

Grab their attention - Practice these 10 ways to create an authoritative presence

This post came out from The Straits Times (9 July 2014)
Title - Grab their attention - Practice these 10 ways to create an authoritative presence

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Check your posture and stance
2. Adopt the power position
3. Smile and nod less
4. Establish eye contact with everyone in the room
5. Be expressive
6. Look the part
7. Enunciate and articulate words clearly
8. Language accuracy
9. Speak with a down tone, not an up tone
10. Use a low pitched voice and vary your voice tone

On Check your posture and stance

• In the animal kingdom, the fastest, strongest and biggest survive. We can mirror this by standing up straight and tall to take up as much 'space' as possible 
• How we place our feet makes a difference too. The champion stance for women is recommended, with one foot in front of the other, 10cm to 15cm apart. Men should adopt a stance which is 20cm apart. 

On Adopt the power position

• Your hands should be clasped and placed in front of your navel. This is what is called the power position and all hand gestures must start from this position and return when they are not needed.
• With this position, you will exude a sense of calmness, similar to the "ready" position in martial arts. Hand gestures must never be excessive and too big. They should be kept within the power zone which spans across the shoulders, and vertically between your shoulders and waist.

On Smile and nod less

• You don't want to appear overly eager by overdoing the smiling and nodding. This gives the impression that you are desperately trying to impress and please your audience.

On Establish eye contact with everyone in the room

• If you are speaking to a small group of about 30 people, make it a point to look at everyone at least once during your speech. Spend one to three seconds or move on when you notice the colour of the person's eyes. No one should be left feeling ignored or neglected.

On Be expressive

• An expressionless speaker brings no joy to his listeners. Connect with your audience by speaking as if you are in an animated conversation with them. Move your eyebrows or scrunch up your nose, for example. Express emotions that are appropriate to the message you are delivering. 

On Look the part

• Dress with style and elegance, and ladies, don't be afraid to look beautiful. Invest in clothes that look expensive, but don't burn a hole in your pocket.

On Enunciate and articulate words clearly

• There has to be a clear distinction between long and short vowels (such as "caught" and "cot"). It is our responsibility to speak with clarity; consonants, for example, need to be deliberately enunciated.

On Language accuracy

• Mispronunciations and grammatical errors such as subject-verb disagreement will damage your credibility. Avoid this at all costs.

On Speak with a down tone, not an up tone

• If you record your voice and discover you have been ending every sentence with an up tone, stop. In English, an up tone is used when asking questions. If an up tone is used in a sentence, the impression generated could be that of immaturity, lack of intellectual ability and conviction. Use the down tone to enhance your credibility and to mean what you say. 

On Use a low-pitched voice and vary your voice tone

• It is well known to many charismatic speakers that a lower-piched voice suggest credibility, intelligence, reliability and trust worthiness.
• In addition to voice pitch, vary your voice tone though pace (fast and slow) and volume (loud and soft). Pauses should be used for dramatic impact or suggesting you are thinking or listening to your audience. To demonstrate more conviction, try placing greater emphasis or stress on important content words. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

Get the elements of your presentation right and win over your audience

This post came out from The Straits Times (16 August 2012)
Title - Make an impression - Get the elements of your presentation right and win over your audience

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. The presenter
2. The slides
3. The handouts

On The presenter

• Look the part of a presenter - professional, competent, and friendly. Dress well and smile. 
• Be prepared on the subject matter. This will help you sound like the confident and knowledgeable expert your audience is expecting. 
• Speak with a clear and pleasant voice. Speak at an appropriate pace. Too fast and you sound rushed or nervous. Too slow and you bore them.  While monotone is hard to follow, so is a constant level of high intensity. Mix it up. 
• Do not try to memorise your entire presentation or read it from a script. Refer to an outline or note cards and discuss your points according to a meaningful structure.
• Choose powerful, descriptive words to make your message vivid and memorable. A relevant story or two can add interest and touch emotions. 
• Above all, you want to sound authentic and engaging rather than slick or polished.

On The slides

• The slides have a supporting role. You are the star. Do not let your slides take centrestage while you stand aside and read them. Design your slides to support what you have to say. Use quality images that support your message and are easy to look at, rather than including lots of distracting data. 
• Understand that every time you show a new slide, the audience will look at it. When they are looking at the slide, they are not listening to you. Make sure they can get the meaning within three to five seconds. Once they process the information, they can return their attention to you and your explanation of the idea.
• Limit each slide to a single idea or topic. When it comes to designing slides, less is more. Do not put too much information on any one slide. Use lots of white space. Densely packed slides are difficult to read. Make sure every slide is clear, legible and relevant. Every component of every slide should support your message. 
• Highlight key information. If you must show a slide with a long passage of text or a dense table or chart, highlight the most important information. 
• What if you have a lot of important information to convey? Put it in a handout rather than on slides.

On The handouts

• Handouts provide more detail than your words and slides possibly can. Ideally, handouts are for future reference and analysis.
• Begin with an executive summary or overview. Use clear headings and meaningful charts and graphs. 
• Distribute the handouts after you have made your important points, not at the beginning of your presentation. Let the audience know they will be receiving it later so they will not be distracted with taking detailed notes while you are presenting.

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

Wooing your audience

This post came out from The Straits Times (29 July 2008)
Title - Wooing your audience

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Know what others want
2. Start with a 'hook'
3. Make it engaging
4. Close with action

On Know what others want

• When preparing to meet someone for the first time, you have to learn to be empathetic. Think hard about the qualities that your audience, like clients, colleagues and senior management, is looking for. This helps you to better understand what you communicate to them is credible and worth their time.
• Audience look for tangible and intangible qualities such as good grooming and professionalism. So you should seek to validate their idea of who the "right" or "credible" presenter is.
• Tangible qualities include professional and appropriate attire and the quality of presentation materials, such as handouts and slides. 
• Intangible qualities include your body language, knowledge, conscientiousness, orderliness, alertness, energy levels, tone and general likeability. 
• Both sets of qualities are essential for a meeting to be successful or making a presentation effective. However, research has shown that many ineffective presenters focus primarily on the tangibles, often neglecting the intangibles. Effective professionals, on the other hand, focus primarily on the intangibles without neglecting the tangibles.

On Start with a 'hook'

• The introduction is an important phase of any presentation. Seasoned presenters know that they must first capture their audience's interest before being granted the latter's rapt attention.
• Ask yourself "What's in it for me?". Is there a relevant and compelling reason the audience should give you their full attention? This is where the "hook" comes in.
• Start with an interesting and appropriate fact or anecdote to grab your audience's attention and link it back to the objective of the presentation. Once you have captured their attention, you have also managed to gain credibility.

On Make it engaging

• Stay away from one-way presentations or monologues. This is made worse when an ineffective presenter reads off the overhead projector or his slides. This is sure to make people lose interest in whatever you say.
• There are two reasons for this: People read faster than you can speak and people think faster than they can read. When adults are not engaged, their minds tend to wander.
• Make your presentation short and interactive by asking open questions. Not only are you appealing to the audience's sense of hearing but stimulating their intellect and emotions and making yourself memorable.

On Close with action

• Most ineffective presentations conclude without asking the audience to take action.
• Experienced presenters understand that people quickly forget what they have heard, but remember what they have actively participated in.
• Professionals ask for a decision or action from the audience during the end of the presentation. This is possibly the most important segment of a presentation because you are asking for an indication that your audience bought what you have offered them.
• All you need to do is to make a request politely. Otherwise, the moment is lost. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

Stand and deliver

This post came out from The Straits Times (26 Mar 2008)
Title - Stand and deliver - Remember these nine rules for a successful presentation

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Meet objectives
2. Know your audience
3. Less is more
4. Tune in to WIIFM (What's in it for me?)
5. Everybody loves a story, a quote and a good laugh
6. Watch your body language and throw your voice
7. Rehearse
8. Involve the audience
9. Believe in yourself

On Meet objectives

• What do you want your audience to know, feel and do? 
• Be very clear about this in your mind and put it on papery when planning your presentation and just before you deliver it.
• Your success will be measured against whether you met the objectives of the presentation.

On Know your audience

• It is important to find out who your listeners are and what they really want and need. 
• Then decide what is the best way to reach out to them with your message. You want it to be relevant to them.

On Less is more

• Simplify your visuals and your messages. With less clutter, the audience will know what to focus on.
• Each slide in your presentation should not have more than one theme. Avoid fussy animation and fancy fonts - they are a distraction.
• Provide information in smaller, easier to digest portions. Your listeners will retain what you have said better, and chances are, they will stay with you till the end of the presentation.

On Tune in to WIIFM

• The audience is there for a reason. You must make it worth their while. 
• Your presentation must not be a "nice to have". It needs to be relevant and useful to those who are present. For example, if your topic is customer service, slant it with a people development angle if you are talking to human resource professionals, and discuss its business implications if you are presenting to financial staff.

On Everybody loves a story, a quote and a good laugh

• Stories, especially first person experiences, add human interest and colour to your presentation. They help you create a rapport with your audience, especially if you use some humour. When you win over the audience, they are motivated to listen to you.

On Watch your body language and throw your voice

• Your body language is sending signals all the time. Stand tall and project your voice, and your audience will respond to you. The interesting thing is that your emotions are taking the cues from your physical self. Adjust your posture and gestures and watch your confidence grow.

On Rehearse

• Have a physical rehearsal, not just a mental one. Practice in front of a friend, colleague, family member or even your dog! 
• Practice telling the stories, the key messages and allow for pauses after you make certain statements. Test any equipment and go through your slides.

On Involve the audience

• Ask your listeners for a show of hands, or throw them a question that is rhetorical - it makes them think immediately if you allow for a pause - or one that warrants an answer. 
• They can also huddle in a group and share later. Don't forget to connect with their emotions. You are not just delivering information.

On Believe in yourself

• You must believe that you have something of value to share with the audience. You must believe in yourself and your message. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

Talk your way into a job

This post came out from The Straits Times (17 March 2012)
Title - Talk your way into a job - Practice public speaking can transform your communication skills and impress employers

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Building confidence
2. Be more comfortable
3. Speak with ease
4. Keep practicing
5. Get feedback

On Building confidence

• Many people are intimidated or downright scared to speak in front of large groups. Yet the good news is that this issue can be overcome with practice. If you are intimidated by speaking in public, the best way to conquer this fear is to simply begin speaking to larger groups. 
• Speaking in front of groups will build your confidence, and that will speak for itself when you go on future job interviews. Most of the time, employers like having confident employees. After all, a confident employee is one that believes that he or she can handle tough situations and "get things done".

On Be more comfortable

• With confidence usually comes a level of comfort. Public speaking will not just help you build your confidence, but will also help you become more comfortable around others. 
• Comfortable people are generally viewed as being warmer and more personable, and these are the kind of qualities that employers routinely look for when hiring. Personable people are easier to work with, as they are more likely to get along with others and be a valuable contributor to a team.

On Speak with ease

• To be comfortable speaking around others, it is also important that you are not only comfortable around others, but also in your "own skin" as well. The simple fact is that many people are not happy hearing themselves speak. When you are at an interview, you want to be satisfied with your performance and not worried about what you sound like. 
• The more practice you have with public speaking, the more likely you are to develop your own style. This, in turn, will help you build your confidence levels even further. It's a positive feedback loop in that the more you practice, the better you will get at public speaking and the more confidence you will have. Now, you are really getting ready to tackle job interviews.

On Keep practicing

• Part of developing communication skills and an effective communication style is to practice in front of other people. It is one thing to practice any activity alone and quite another to practice in front of others. 
• The pressure of having other people watch you perform adds a level of psychological pressure that must be overcome and adapted in order to progress. You may find it easy to transition from practicing public speaking alone to speaking to groups, but you won't know until  you get out there and start talking!

On Get feedback

• The final major way that public speaking will help you during job interviews is that when you speak to groups you can get feedback. You can acquire this feedback in a variety of ways. This includes having trusted friends or associates watch your public speaking and give you tips, as well as the opportunity to ask strangers what they thought of your speech. Some circumstances might even allow for you to ask people to fill out short surveys or send you their feedback via email. Don't be shy about asking for feedback, as it is extremely valuable and will help you improve your speaking skills. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

Six ways to give a great speech

This post came out from The Straits Times (5 January 2016)
Title - Six ways to give a great speech

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Be well prepared
2. Cater to the needs of the audience
3. Do you know how you sound like?
4. Watch your body language
5. Visualise your success
6. Strong introduction

On Be well prepared

• Do your research on the topic you are speaking on and know the subject well. What objective do you hope to achieve through your speech? Having a firm grasp of the topic gives you the confidence and you can focus on delivery. Get someone to read through your speech and correct any errors. 
• Practice, practice, practice. Don't worry if you are new to public speaking or giving presentations. Even the most experienced speaker can feel anxious. It is how you manage your anxiety that can help you deliver a speech smoothly and not let your fears get in the way. 

On Cater to the needs of the audience

• Find out who will be listening to your speech. You should write your speech in a way that will appeal to them. Include anecdotes or examples in your speech that your audience can identify with and easily understand. If your speech is relevant to them, you will be able to capture their attention for a longer time and establish a better connection with them. 

On Do you know how you sound like?

• Rehearse with a friend or colleague and ask for feedback. Develop a thicker skin and accept the constructive feedback with an open mind. 
• Is your speech peppered with pause fillers like "um" or "ah"? Cut these out because they are disruptive, distracting to the audience and make you sound unsure or nervous. 
• Speak at a steady pace, do not rush but do not go at too slow a pace either. Project your voice. You need to speak at a volume that will command attention and signal your confidence. If you speak too softly or mumble your way through your speech, your audience won't be able to follow what you are saying.

On Watch your body language

• Deliver your speech in front of a mirror or ask a friend to evaluate your presentation and provide honest feedback on areas you need to work on. Is your body language friendly and welcoming, or awkward and aloof? 
• A speaker's body language should be natural and complement what he or she is saying. Your stance, movements, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact add credibility and memorability to your speech. 

On Visualise your success

• A person's subconscious mindset, attitude, and way of thinking can contribute towards achieving an excellence performance. 
• Close your eyes in a quiet and relaxed area and imagine yourself giving a presentation. Tell yourself you are well prepared. Feel your confidence level growing as you progress along the speech. 

On Strong introduction

• Use an appropriate attention-getter at the beginning of your speech. Start with a question to engage the audience and evoke some response from them. 
• Want to sound polished and make your message stronger? When repeated thrice, words, phrases, clauses and questions will be more impactful. Humour certainly helps. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

Public speaking

This post came out from The Straits Times (22 Feb 2012)
Title - Have no fear

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Say yes!
2. Know your topic and audience
3. Be prepared to answer tough questions
4. Practise aloud
5. Always warm up
6. Give up the idea of perfection
7. Be of service
8. Don't apologise for yourself
9. Remember to breathe
10. Hold microphone in your non-dominant hand
11. Join toastmasters, a speaking association or an acting class
12. Hire a professional coach

On Say yes!

• Offer to speak when opportunities present themselves. Most people fear public speaking and that keeps them from presenting, which leaves a vacuum that you can fill.

On Know your topic and audience

• Doing your homework and thorough research will reduce fear. Most people are very under prepared when they get up to speak.

On Practise aloud

• Planning and practising the opening minutes of your presentation is crucial. The reason is, the beginning of a presentation is when you are the most nervous and your audience is simultaneously the most sceptical. Knowing your introduction well will help you to sail through the scariest part of the presentation. 
• Many people invest time in preparing written content but the written word is very different from the spoken word. Often, the way you write may not be the way you would naturally speak. Speaking out loud will do much to prepare you. As your practise, you will naturally find yourself changing and improving your content.
• Practising aloud will also give you increased confidence because when you present, it won't be the first time that you are doing your presentation. Practise your entire presentation a minimum of three times before you deliver it. If you are short on time, practise your opening and your final call to action as much as possible.

On Always warm up

• Warming up your body and voice right before an important presentation will make you feel more comfortable and will help to relieve nervousness. 

On Give up the idea of perfection

• Many people assume that they must be perfect when they present or perform. Anyone who has been in front of audiences often can tell you that perfection is impossible. Give yourself he space to be human and permission to make mistakes and learn from them one presentation at a time. 

On Be of service

• Focus of being of service to your audience and speaking the language of "what's in it for them". This will take the focus off you and put it onto your audience where your focus belongs.

On Don't apologise for yourself

• Remember, people want you to be good. Don't apologise for yourself. Simply speak from your heart and do your best.

On Remember to breathe

• If you feel nervous, simply focus on inhaling deeply and exhaling long, slow, steady breaths. Focusing on your breathing will calm you.

On Hold a microphone in your non-dominant hand

• If you are given a handheld microphone, hold it in your non-dominant hand. You will feel more confident gesturing with your most powerful hand, which is the hand you normally write with.

On Join toastmasters, a speaking association or an acting class

• Toastmasters' groups, speakers' associations or even an acting class can teach you very important verbal communication skills and provide a supportive environment for you to practise.
• If you don't have these resources available to you, run your presentations by several family members, friends or colleagues you trust for constructive feedback. There is no substitute for practise. It is the only way to mastery. 

On Hire a professional coach

• If you have a very important presentation coming up or if your livelihood or income is connected at all to your communication skills, considering hiring a professional coach. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

Be an engaging presenter

This post came out from The Straits Times (13 Aug 2015)
Title - Be an engaging presenter

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Why use stories?
2. What must your story have?
3. How to tell your story?

On Why use stories?

• Stories interest the conscious mind. Our conscious mind constantly seeks to be engaged, without which it becomes bored. Our natural curiosity drives us to ask "What Happened?"
• Stories engage the subconscious mind. As we are engrossed in a story, our conscious critical faculty fades, and the subconscious takes over.
• Stories influence perceptions and actions. Our subconscious mind is the domain of our beliefs, values, emotions, perceptions and habits. When the subconscious is deeply engaged by stories, it opens itself to suggestions and influences. As our conscious mind is usually logical and critical, information that is presented to it is heavily analysed and screened The result is ineffective influence or conviction. By using stories, we are able to bypass the conscious faculty to influence to subconscious.

On What must your story have?

• Character. This is known as the referential index of the story. Your audience must be able to related to the characters in the story. They should feel like the character is like them or someone they know, or in a similar situation as they are. 
• Context.Give your story a clear context from the start to help your audience paint the scene in their minds. The context can be a particular era, place, or experience.
• Content. Every great story requires details. The more details you provide in a story, the clearer the scene that your audience paints in their minds will be. There is a huge difference between saying "I found myself in a very old house", versus "I saw paint peeling off the walls, old furniture with a layer of dust and cobwebs in every corner of the house."

On How to tell your story?

• Get into the storytelling state. Feel the story before you tell the story. When you feel the story, you will be able to deliver it using a suitable vocal pitch, tempo and rhythm. This will enable the audience to tune into your story, paint pictures in their mind, and feel the emotions of the story through you.
• Weave in your story. Avoid saying "I'm going to tell you a story". Instead say "When we were brainstorming on a big idea for this campaign, we recall that..."
• Act out your story. Use the stage as the scene of your story. Walk around the stage, stop at different positions, and act as the different characters in the story to engage your audience visually. A compelling delivery will help to create the desired emotional state in your audience to lead them to your desired conclusion. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

Good communication is key to inspiring and motivating employees

This post came out from The Straits Times (27 December 2011)
Title - Keep Talking

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Less is more
2. Command the language
3. Develop empathy
4. Have a conversation
5. Don't dump data
6. Invite dialogue
7. Repeat the message
8. Use every tool
9. Build a dialogue

On Less is more

• Say what you have to say clearly and to the point. It shows you have thought it through and you have command of the topic.
• In today's age of information overload, your audience's attention span is even shorter - make the most of the time when they are tuned in

On Command the language

• Be articulate and eloquent in written and spoken communication. 

On Develop empathy

• Be human. Think like your audience. What would you like to hear if you are sitting in their place? Effective engagement is inspired by the empathy that develops simply by being a human being.
• Ask yourself, "What do they really want to know? What are heir concerns? How will they be impacted by what I am going to share? What new relevant information can I leave them with?"
• Great leaders communicate what their audience need to hear, not just what they want to say, and often times there is a difference.

On Have a conversation

• Don't memorize what you are going to say and don't read from powerpoint slides. Master your topic and speak about it in simple terms so that everyone can understand you.
• Fave your audience as you would in any conversation. Use examples and tell stories appropriate to the point - these will make remembering what you said easier. 

On Don't dump data

• Even if you are addressing a group of like-minded professionals, data can be boring. And raw data doesn't tell the whole story, so use data to back up your idea or the behaviour you want to drive, not a the main thrust of your presentation.

On Invite dialogue

• Before you finish, always leave time for a Question & Answer session. Invite your audience into the dialogue. Ask provocative questions and learn what's on their minds. This will let them know they are a valued part o the conversation.

On Repeat the message

• Trust is fleeting and so are memories. To gain trust and message recall from your audience, find innovative ways to consistently communicate your message.
• Remember: Even the most powerful message must be repeated to sink into the minds of listeners and translate to actions.
• Keep in mind that who delivers the message is as impactful as the message itself. The person who delivers the message can often be the difference between resolving a crisis quickly or escalating it, or between information being received with priority or being ignored. 

On Use every tool

• Say what you have to say in different ways - formally and informally - using every available communication tool at your disposal at the appropriate time.
• Your audiences aren't always reading e-mails - meet them where they live and where they get their information.

On Build a dialogue

• If you are a team leader, make changes in the ways you communicate, then make broader recommendations for your superiors based on your success.
• Great leaders understand that aligning their messages and communication strategies to the business goals will help drive employee behaviours and consumer awareness, and enhance corporate reputation. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big

Present Effectively at work

This post came out from The New Paper (22 July 2015)
Title - Present Effectively at work

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Plan and structure
2. Create value
3. Be yourself

On Plan and structure

• Planning ahead makes you appear professional, and helps you to handle unforeseen situations that may arise. 
• Structuring your presentation according to an opening, main body and closing. Having a consistent, structured flow to your presentation ensures that your message is easy to understand. If also keeps your audience engaged as the information is presented in stages. This helps your audience remember the important points.

On Create value

• Each presentation is about delivering value to the audience. But the definition of value varies according to the type of audience you are presenting to.
• For example, senior management might be more interested in productivity and risk management issues, while ground level staff could be focused on topics that improve work performance and efficiency levels.

On Be yourself

• Most presenters fall into the trap of trying to emulate someone else during their presentations. This makes them come across as unnatural, which may make the audience feel uncomfortable.

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big