5 oral presentation tips

We all need to deliver presentations at some point in our lives: whether that is talking about a friend at a party, speaking at a family celebration or funeral, making a business pitch, delivering a project rationale, at a conference, or for credit on a qualification. What is really interesting is that the research appears to show that we are almost paralysed at the thought of speaking to an audience. When we have been "surveyed about our greatest fears, dying was not the top of the list. Public speaking was the top of the list. The fear of speaking in public is not actually a fear of speaking in public, but the fear of being shamed in public", and "the word that is used to describe shame in public speaking is 'mortifying'" (Brabazon, 2022, 2:10). Ouch.

So the better prepared we can be, hopefully, the less mortified we will feel, and the less likely we are to become paralysed in the moment.

The best way to speak to an audience is not get into 'lecture' mode, but to tell a story. We humans are "a storytelling animal" (Swift, 1983, p. 53). Following are five tactics next time we need to speak to an audience (Harvard Business Review, 2022):

1. "Craft a narrative. A story is a connected series of events told through words and pictures. It has a theme, attention-grabbing moments, heroes and villains, and a satisfying conclusion"
2. Match our "text with images. Researchers have found that [...]our audience will recall about 10% of [...]our message if they simply hear information. But if they hear information and see a picture, they’ll retain 65%" (emphasis added)
3. "Humani[s]e data. Data is abstract until it’s put into context that people can understand. So make [...]our statistics more memorable by" relating the numbers to real people
4. "Surprise [...]our audience. The human brain pays attention to novelty — twists and turns and unexpected events. Our brain perks up when we detect something that breaks a pattern"
5. "Rehearse — out loud. Practice [...]our vocal delivery, adding perfectly timed pauses and varying the pace of [...]our speech. If [we] plan to stand in front of a group, stand during [...]our rehearsal. If [we]'re going to be seated in a Zoom call, take a seat, and deliver each slide as though [we]’re giving the real thing".

These are good tips, and I hope they help!

Sam

References:

Brabazon, T. (2022). Comma: How to reclaim, restart and reboot your PhD. Author's Republic.

Harvard Business Review (6 May 2022). The Management Tip of the Day: today's tip - Stand Out During Your Next Presentation [email]. https://m.a.email.hbr.org/rest/head/mirrorPage/@sFI4HvyNQ7EHZb181wGyxgM9QnGJ6S8NbxztDNFHukaeSd-b_a1cVZ2JPXID5sE_e0LHRfebCXXgfpJvvXmUZFpWIlvjKGMPO3_P5wWWAgeeD2ph.html?deliveryName=DM191407

Swift, G. (1983). Waterland. William Heinemann