Credit Management March 2020

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
PRESENT AND
CORRECT
In the first in a new series, we
consider how to create the perfect
presentation.
AUTHOR – Clive Hawkins
THERE are times throughout
your career when you are asked
to present to an audience. When
this happens, how do you feel –
excited, proud, eager to share
your knowledge? I suspect not.
Mention the term ‘public speaking’ and
there is a strong chance it will be accompanied
by a discernible shudder and viewed as a
frightening prospect. This is a common
reaction and there is even a name for the
fear of public speaking, Glossophobia. It is
estimated that up to 75 percent of us share this
phobia – when I mention this in my training
programmes, many delegates often question
why this figure it is not higher.
The ability to be a confident public speaker
is a necessary business skill. It enables you to
communicate effectively and reinforces your
reputation as a business expert. So, what can
be done to address the situation if you see
yourself positioned in the ’75 percent’ group
and need help?
PRODUCT OF NATURE
It is easy to assume that a good public speaker
is a product of nature but that’s not the case.
Of course, there are those that relish standing
before their peers and can hold an audience
but they're definitely in the minority.
I believe public speaking is a skill that
can most definitely be taught, whatever the
degree of trepidation. However, you need to
review, refresh and rehearse your presentation
approach every time to ensure the delivery
meets your audience’s needs. We can all relate
to presenters struggling to hold our attention
on the podium and lacking clarity on what they
are seeking to convey, and our yearning for the
last slide to appear before we can quickly exit
for the coffee machine.
GOLDEN RULES
Teaching people the techniques to
communicate effectively relies on following
some golden rules – rules which if followed
help build confidence and turn you into an
effective public speaker. So what are they?
• Know your audience. When crafting your
presentation, focus on the audience profile
and what topics are going to interest them. The
more appropriate the content, the greater your
audience will relate to what you are saying.
• Know your material. Nothing switches off
an audience more than a presenter who cannot
engage effectively. This often starts with a
lack of preparation; not having rehearsed
their content delivery or spending enough
time on making someone else’s presentation
their own. This leads to a poor presentation;
needing to continually refer to speaking notes,
looking at slides on the screen for long periods
of time as if it were a ‘magic eye’, and frequent
‘ums’ and ‘ers’ in the delivery. The more you
know your material, the more confident you
will be and the more likely you will deliver a
powerful presentation for your audience.
• Know your delivery. Decide on the key
points you want an audience to take away and
use these to structure your presentation. Tell a
story to link these points together and combine
with a powerful opening and strong summary,
as audiences are more likely to be engaged by
a compelling narrative than just hard facts.
You also need to consider how you will deliver
your presentation. A good public speaker will
consciously alter their tone of voice, use hand
and arm movement selectively and command
the podium in a positive and enthusiastic way
whilst appearing as natural as possible.
The more you can anticipate your
audiences’ requirements, are able to recite
the presentation in your sleep and can deliver
your key points in an engaging way, the more
you will see the difference between a public
speaking experience you love, and one that
you dread.
Clive Hawkins is a Senior Associate at Spoken
Word Communications, a global media, crisis
communications, and presentation training
company.clive@spokenwordgroup.co.uk
www.spokenwordgroup.com
Advancing the credit profession / www.cicm.com / March 2020 / PAGE 24