Hello friends, this is Amy. Will you take a quick imaginary journey with me?
Picture this…
You are about to give a presentation. You have diligently prepared your remarks and possibly have slides to accompany them. What an incredible opportunity to engage with others and share your knowledge! How exciting! But you’re not excited… you’re wholly and genuinely dreading this presentation. Why?
Perhaps you’ve been persuaded to believe public speaking is scary by peers who convinced you to be nervous. Maybe you’ve had an unpleasant experience presenting or have felt unsupported or unprepared.
Certainly, for most people, speaking in front of a room full of people is hard! Even more so if you’re underprepared for the presentation’s content or approach or have a tricky subject. Although preparation is key, delivering your message concisely and memorably is equally critical. Members of the audience are eager for a few strong takeaways. They don’t want to endure an unfocused presentation, nor do they want extra information. The speaker’s goals are to keep your audience engaged and your topic easy to remember.
Does this sound familiar? If you’ve taken a class or read an article about compelling presentations, you’re familiar with this term: residual message. This message is the ultimate takeaway for your audience. You want them to remember the residual message when you’re finished. Keep it concise, and repeat it often as you speak. Practicing helps you to feel confident with the content. And if you’re not nervous, don’t allow someone else to convince you to be!
Next week, our podcast episode guest is Franklin Farmer, a professor at Chapel Hill and a current DBA student with an anticipated 2025 graduation. Franklin is an accomplished, engaging public speaker who shares his tips and tricks with us. Even if you’re one of the rare people who loves a microphone, a stage, and a slide deck, you’ll want to listen to this episode!
