Wednesday, February 8, 2017

How to give a killer presentation.

Giving presentations is hard. Many of us are extremely uncomfortable speaking in front of an audience. It takes practice and skill. Here are some helpful tips. Excerpts from: https://hbr.org/2013/06/how-to-give-a-killer-presentation

Frame your story
We all know that humans are wired to listen to stories, and metaphors abound for the narrative structures that work best to engage people. When I think about compelling presentations, I think about taking an audience on a journey. A successful talk is a little miracle—people see the world differently afterward.

Plan Your Delivery
There are three main ways to deliver a talk. You can read it directly off a script or a teleprompter. You can develop a set of bullet points that map out what you’re going to say in each section rather than scripting the whole thing word for word. Or you can memorize your talk, which entails rehearsing it to the point where you internalize every word—verbatim.

Develop Stage Presence
The biggest mistake we see in early rehearsals is that people move their bodies too much. They sway from side to side, or shift their weight from one leg to the other. People do this naturally when they’re nervous, but it’s distracting and makes the speaker seem weak. Simply getting a person to keep his or her lower body motionless can dramatically improve stage presence.

Plan the Multimedia
Keep it simple; don’t use a slide deck as a substitute for notes (by, say, listing the bullet points you’ll discuss—those are best put on note cards); and don’t repeat out loud words that are on the slide. Not only is reciting slides a variation of the teleprompter problem—“Oh, no, she’s reading to us, too!”—but information is interesting only once, and hearing and seeing the same words feels repetitive.

Watch the following video and write a short paragraph (3-5 sentences) opinion about Richard's story. What about it moved you in particular. 



5 comments:

  1. This video was very inspirational. Richard is very brave to come to a new country and speak a new language to in front of hundreds of people. This smart boy was able to take apart different devices to help this families cows. The fact that this boy helped to save the lions, cows and people's farms, is extremely.

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  2. This TED Talk was inspirational for a number of reasons. First of all, this boy is very courageous for coming to a new country and making a big speech about his invention to so many experienced adults, who must be very intimidating. Another reason this video is inspirational is because in a place without many resources, this boy managed to invent a new device that saves the lives of animals, protects crops, and helps all the people in his village. That's amazing! I was greatly moved by his story and his wonderful presentation, and I aspire to do something as great as this child in my life.

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  3. This TED talk was remarkable. The boy seemed very at ease with presenting, and appeared to be very confident in both his delivery and his invention. I was very moved when he was talking about how he didn't want to hurt the lions, so he made it possible. I was also moved when I realized that english isn't his native language and that he had come and learned his speech in english to present it.

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  4. This TED talk showed me that it doesn't matter how old you are to make a helpful invention and present it well. It was inspiring to see someone about my age speak with such fluency and confidence. I was incredibly surprised to hear that he does not speak fluent English. I am amazed by the fact that he saved farm's and animals with the same product.

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  5. This TED talk was very inspiring. A kid that young who is not speaking his first language, but can still convey his thoughts so clearly to an audience shows that anyone can give an amazing presentation. He was able to do so much while protecting the animals and the people at the same time using only one project. I loved this presentation.

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