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Guest post by: Zoe Dawes Become an Author

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No matter how far in advance you agree to present to others, be it in a informal talk or a big presentation, eventually the day will come when you are heading for the venue. Unless you enjoy making speeches you may well not have prepared QUITE as well as you might.

There are 3 questions you need to ask yourself which will enable you to focus on what it is you really want to say.

1. What do you want your audience to do when you finish speaking?
Be clear about exactly what it is you want people to DO when you finish speaking. If you choose a word like ‘appreciate’ or ‘understand’ you are off to a weak start. Decide the strongest appeal you want to make to your audience. The more specific you are the better reaction you will get. If possible, get them actively involved.

2. How do you want to come across?
As soon as you stand up to speak your audience will make a judgement. How accurate that is may not matter too much, but you should be aware of what impression you are making. The more you risk showing who you really are, the better your talk will be. Too many people adopt a bland business mask, minimizing gestures and speaking in a flat monotone. Choose which facets of your personality you want to come across ie ‘charming, inspiring, thorough, knowledgeable’.

3. What do you want you audience to remember two weeks after your talk?
Audiences have a poor attention span and terrible memories. Studies show that audiences forget 50% of what you say within 24 hours. They forget 90% of what you say within 2 weeks. So……. what ONE fact or idea do you want them to remember 2 weeks later? It might be the name of your company, product or key value. Include it in the final sentence of your talk, memorize it and keep it in the forefront of your mind all the way through your talk. Keep your message CLEAR and SIMPLE and APPROPRIATE for your audience.

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