Practical Presentation
| October 2019 | Real Hero Report
Preparation
Part Two of a Three-Part Series
As outlined last month, the instructor must be able to
convince his audience to listen to the material he is
presenting. If we didn’t want them to hear, we wouldn’t
be talking. And what we have to say can be life-changing. In part
one last month, we established proper breathing techniques to
keep the voice strong for extended periods of teaching.
Too often, we suffer with dull, lifeless, monotonous presenters
who drone students to sleep with dead presentation styles. This
type of presentation rarely results in learning. Now that we’ve
got proper breathing, how can we keep them interested? Here’s a
These are the “lively” in your story. Consider the voice
of these used thoughtfully, as in daily conversation, will bring life
to any presentation and keep people listening.
RATE
Rate is about speed. The tendency of most new instructors is
to talk too quickly. Excitement and energy are important, but
often the result is speaking too fast for the listener to digest
mature thought, but too slowly and look out… the snoring is
about to begin. The student tires quickly at working to listen
and his mind will begin to wander. Never be constant and allow
the rate to change to match the thought. Important content may
require a slower rate for emphasis while less important details a
quicker one. The emotion of the content guides the rate. Grief and
contempt are slow, while joy, energy and enthusiasm are faster.
PACING
Pacing is similar to rate but is a sense of moving the thoughts
forward. We’ve all found ourselves asking, “Where is this
going?” When this happens, it is often because the pace has
stopped, leaving confusion. Keep moving towards the goal. The
presentation should move forward smoothly. A good pace keeps
within the presentation and be like everyday conversations. Know
when to go fast and when to go slow.
VOLUME
Volume is a key in variety. A change in volume tells the hearer
that something important is happening and causes him to strain
to determine what that change is. Allow the content to guide the
volume. Do not make the mistake of thinking that full-power
equals importance. In fact, a small whisper can be deafening to
an audience.
PITCH
Pitch is the movement of the voice up or down similar to a
musical scale. Don’t stay in the middle range of your speaking
voice, but instead move up or down on certain words and phrases
to emphasize the important thoughts you are conveying. Lower
tones create a mature thoughtfulness while higher tones give
energy.
INFLECTION
indicates a question while falling is used to complete a thought.
excitement.
PAUSE
Finally, consider the pause. It leaves you wondering what comes
next. ………………..See what I mean. A pause can be very
effective if properly placed. The pause is meaningful and not
to be confused with hesitation. A well-placed pause allows the
speaker to look forward to his next thought, but it makes the
listener look backward at what was just said. What an opportunity
with a huh, uh or um. Do not be afraid to use a pause. Silence can
be a very meaningful tool.
Remember, if they’re not listening, they’re not learning. My
job as an instructor is not to complete the lesson, it’s to teach the
lesson. I must work as hard at how I am doing, as I do at what I
am doing.
They hear you, but are they listening?
We visit mental preparation next. See you then.