Keeping on track during your presentation:

When someone gets lost in a presentation, chances are they are getting lost while trying to make a transition between the various components.
For example, I noticed during a speech last week that I had moved from the opening to the first main point with no real sign-post to let people know. This can also happen when moving from main point to main point, or from the body to the closing. It’s all about planning the language and gestures in advance so people know where you’re going.

I often use specific language to transition from openings to the body such as “Let’s get started on the first topic…,” or “My first main point is…” or “First let’s ask ourselves what we need to consider…” or “OK, so what are the real issues here? Let’s consider..” Asking a question is also a great technique to start the main body of a speech or presentation. “I wonder if you knew that…?” or “Have you ever considered..?” You do not need an answer to the question but it serves to involve the audience from the outset. That’s what I should have planned to do in the example above.

Between the main points I often use something like, “That gives you the outline, now let’s talk about some of the details,” or “The second point I’d like to bring to your attention is ..” or “Following on from this ..” or “Moving to the next point, I’d like to focus on…” It was obvious that I had not planned my speech on that occasion, as well as I usually do. This was a definate wake-up call for me!

I also plan in advance for transitions using visual aids or moving to a different location on the platform as it can be very effective. Combining verbal cues with a physical change adds to the impact. A powerful technique when finishing a presentation is to move towards the audience prior to making your closing statements. This will add emphasis to what you are saying and enable the audience to become more involved.

The closing is probably the most important, yet often most
neglected, part of a presentation. People will always remember what you said
last! Every closing should include a recap of your main points. Simply end your presentation by summarising the key ideas you have covered. It is good to end on a quote or a startling fact.

Making these important transitions seems really quite obvious but I am glad that I noticed my error last week as it gave me the opportunity to re-visit my planning strategies for the future.

Jackie Arnold
Voice Coach