How to be Persuasive - Professional Presentation skills

Presenting is one of the hardest things to do. Like, ever. Let's not lie, we all pretty much despise it. 
Here are some reminders and tips to help you write and present like a pro. 

Presentations – 

• Benefit – You must grab the audience's attention in the first 15 seconds, so offer a benefit to listen. 
• Agenda – Use tools throughout the speech to set up the agenda. 
• Credentials – Be credible and believable. 
• Argument – The content in the body of your speech must reinforce the main argument (repetition).
• Flag – Use devices to retain/regain attention.
• Take home message – Don't forget the final message or reward for your audience for going along with you.

Ask yourself – 

• Who is my audience? 
• Why should they listen – what’s in it for them? 
• What is the purpose of my speech? 
• What structure will I use? 
• What persuasive strategies do I have? 
• What do I want the audience to do with the information?

Planning to speak – 

• Know your audience, but don’t prejudge. 
• Know what you want your audience to know, and how to achieve this. 
• Know why you are giving the speech – to inform, persuade, remind? 
• Know time constraints. Have the skill of knowing when to shut up. 
• Have a clear achievable goal in mind – to provoke action or emotion, etc. 

Preparing a presentation – 

• Set a goal 
• Collect info 
• Select relevant points 
• Structure clearly 
• Intro- about 10% of speech. Must be creative and catchy and delivered well. Refine as you continue writing. 
• Body – about 80%. Have about 4 major points and use signposts to emanate flow. 
• Conclusion – about 10%. End with a bang & give a call to action. 
• Create creatively 
• Organise & memorise

Aristotle’s 5 Canons – 

Keep these in mind when creating and presenting. 

• Invention – Ethos (credibility), pathos (emotions), logos (logic) 
• Arrangement – Structure of ideas and style 
• Style – Language, rhythm, clarity, appropriateness 
• Memory – patterns to trigger recall, from known to unknown, concrete to abstract, problem to solution 
• Delivery – vocal quality, phrasing, pause, posture, gesture, eye contact.

Principles of simple language – 

• Think before you write, then write logically and naturally. 
• Eliminate unnecessary words and phrases. 
• Avoid redundancies, & unwanted rhyming and alliteration 
• Use contractions carefully 
• Use short sentences, vary sentence structure and use active voice 

Principles of meaningful language – 

• Create word pictures 
• Use analogies 
• Use the right words, strong verbs & give precise descriptions 
• Replace clichés, & avoid journalese, loaded or pretentions words. 
• Write honestly 

Principles of inclusive language –

• Use gender inclusive terms 
• Use neutral words 
• Avoid gender stereotypes 
• Exercise caution with race, religion and ethnicity 
• Be sensitive in describing age and ability 
• Describe physical characteristics with care 
• Avoid offensive language and terms

Mechanics of voice – 

• Breathing and breath control 
• Diaphragmatic breathing (c/w shallow breathing) 
• Vocal cords and voice placement 
• Resonating chambers (head and chest) 
• Volume control (does not happen in throat) 

Relaxation when presenting – 

• Physical relaxation – loosen up, try and be comfortable 
• Open up neck, shoulders and torso 
• Ensure posture is correct 
• Vary your voice – introduce energy, emphasis and enthusiasm 
• Use more variety of voice when presenting in groups 
• Lift your energy/performance levels to be higher than that of the audience 
• Don’t be afraid to let personality/enthusiasm show 
• Vary pace and tone
• Practice out loud! You will gain confience.  
• Use natural language, natural pace and tone – as if in a conversation 

Final tips - 

• Paint a verbal picture 
• Make abstract examples concrete 
• Speak in short sentences 
• Ask rhetorical questions 
• Use pauses to your advantage
• Use natural gestures – avoid habitual mannerisms like playing with hair 
• Make direct eye contact with audience members – speak to them like normal human beings
• Monitor audience for non-verbal feedback

The best advice when it comes to presenting confidently is to remember that you are just a human talking to a bunch of other humans. You are not a robot - don't sound like one. And remember, there is not a single person in the audience who doesn't think you are brave for just being up there. Almost everyone in the world is afraid of public speaking - even those who are really good at it. Remember it is a common fear, as this will help you relax. The less nervous you feel, the less likely you are to stuff up, so don't stress it too much. Your best is all you can do. Happy presenting!