Practical Presentation
Part Three of a Three-Part Series
26 | November 2019 | Real Hero Report
Preparation
In Part One, we established good breathing control to keep us
teaching or speaking for hours without developing a weak
and harsh voice. Part Two reviewed mechanical aspects of
delivering a lively presentation to keep the hearer interested. This
Mental Preparation
When I became a law enforcement instructor in 1989, I realized
that my duty to give my very best outweighed every other
professional commitment I had, other than protecting the
Constitution. It didn’t take long to realize that doing my best as an
instructor meant learning things that seemed un-exciting. But like
an unpleasant medicine, I found the after-effect was better than
the aftertaste. Let’s take the medicine so that others can remain
healthy.
in a manner that is lifeless and not believable. Our truth must be
alive and easily grasped. Our presentation begins with mental
stop is visualizing how we expect our teaching segment to be
accomplished.
Visualizing our presentation is to see what we are saying as if it
were unfolding in front of us. How much more palatable are our
ideas when we speak in terms of light, sounds, odors and tastes.
This is speaking in picture form so the hearer more easily can see
what you’re saying. We speak this way in everyday conversations.
A student will rarely regurgitate your entire lesson but can easily
grasp the concepts of your lesson. Create these moments by using
creative and realistic ideas. Stir their emotional interest with
family, etc. When they have caught the “why” of your lesson,
they can be taught the “what” of your lesson. Help them connect
the dots.
Live the mental images that are behind your words. See what
you say so that your students may see them also. “We went
were lying on the grassy bank with the warm sun on our faces,
and talking about the recent loss of our father.”
Behind your words should be unending streams of images that
support your teaching point. Visualize what you say, and it will
vitalize as you say it.
Preparation is crucial to vitalizing the delivery. I read of a man
who placed an empty chair in front of him as he prepared his
lesson, reminding him that he was preparing to deliver it to real
people. Real people will be listening to us also. People who are
their careers, some from other parts of the country with different
backgrounds and experiences, busy people with minds that are
racing, and the mentally slumbering who simply want to be
somewhere else. Prepare for ALL of them. Know your audience
and deliver straight to them. No general spraying of ideas and
hoping that some if it sticks. Speak directly to them.
Vitalize your lesson by learning, not reading, your material.
Do not memorize the lesson because it will sound as if you’ve
memorized it. Learn it and believe it, and you’ll sound like what
you’re saying is a part of you.
Several laws of learning apply at this point. Review the material
frequently to place the concepts in your mind. Especially go
over it the night before your delivery and again the next morning
if possible. Frequency and recency lead to retention, which
promotes recall. Understand the material, organize it for the
hearer (not the presenter), know the logical ideas (concepts), and
rehearse the thoughts. We should live the truth before delivering it
to others.
When they believe that you believe, they’ll listen. Make them
see what you’re saying. “Turn their ears into eyes.” They may not
thank you, but you’ll sleep better knowing you gave your best.