Whenever you introduce a new character, it helps to give at least two brief sentences, one with physical unique traits and one with personality traits. You are successful when the audience can form a picture in their mind of the character.
If I talk about my daughter, I have not yet told you enough to form a picture in your mind. If I say my daughter Anna is 5, a little tossle-haired moptop, who runs, even around the house with pure abandon and a smile that won’t stop. She doesn’t hug, she launches. Her energy is nonstop until it stops and she occasionally falls asleep right in the middle of a task.
When you read a good writer, whether it’s a book or article, and they introduce a new character, they give that brief description, just enough so you can form that picture in your mind.
Pick someone in your immediate family. If you had to describe them in 2 sentences and the rest of us could then form a picture of them in our mind, what would the sentences be?
There are several techniques you can use, if you are very nervous speaking in public. The best method I have found is simply letting go of whether you matter and focusing on the audience. Throw yourself into your content and your audience and let go of self.
But if nervousness does occur, what do you do? Let’s breakdown what causes it. Nervousness, at its root, is fear. We are afraid of looking like a fool. Fear is an emotion. Imagine it’s like a cloud in your mind. There are a few emotions that are stronger than fear, that blow it out of the way. Love, Anger, Laughter are all stronger. If you think of something that makes you feel tremendous love, or makes you really angry, or makes you laugh—those pictures/emotions drive the fear out like a wisp of wind.
Let’s approach from the opposite angle first. When a speaker doesn’t make eye contact with the audience, the audience generally doesn’t like that, why? In part because it feels like we are not the focus, we are not important. The speaker is into themselves and we may not even have to be there. So what does eye contact do? It shows you matter. That you are here, matters. And this communication is between us both. If you are in the audience or sitting in the meeting and the speaker makes eye contact with you, it is virtually impossible for you not to lower your filter because eyes convey both picture and emotions. When you present, make eye contact. When you speak to a large group, make eye contact with people on the right, the left, the back, the front and the middle, and it will be felt by the whole audience.
Lynne Budnovitch
What causes a thunderstorm? Nothing more than a rapid change in temperature and pressure systems. The crackling energy of your presentations comes from rapid changes as well. A change in tone. A change in speed. A different location. Ask yourself, what can you change this time? If you started your last meeting with a quote, start this time with a question. As yourself in each presentation or meeting, what can I do different?