How To Speak In The Age Of Technology

The art of public speaking must be preserved and considered critical during this time.

There has been talk circulating for some time about the decline in quality of webinars today. However, I don’t think the blame should be put on technology, but rather an underemphasis on good public speaking. The art of public speaking has to be preserved and considered critical in the age of technology. Viable pioneers should have the capacity to deliver their points and vision via any means or discussion.

Don’t Only Read the Slides

Nothing gets your listeners distracted more easily than only reading your slides. Utilizing your slides to help you remember the main points of each subject is acceptable. When you’re new to public speaking, referring to your slides can be helpful. However, your slides need to be complementary to the points you are making, rather than a copy or replication of them. Successful utilization of visual guides during public speaking starts when you begin to assemble the presentation. When in doubt, just have a slide for every two-to-three minutes of your discussion.

Know Your Content

Another important factor that leads to ineffective presentations is when speakers aren’t as comfortable with the content as they ought to be. This is usually evident as depicted previously. You need to know your content and be able to explain it within the available time. It’s often advantageous to dive into the source content that was utilized when assembling your presentation. To truly sharpen your public speaking aptitude, apply your basic speaking skills along with a clear understanding of the opposing perspectives that others may have on the subject.

Practice

Practicing is probably best thing to do to enhance your public speaking aptitude and confidence. Go into the presentation room ahead of time and practice your speech. Go through your entire presentation aloud, focusing on your speech transitions. Attempt to acquire a few partners to observe your training session and provide you with constructive criticism. Ask them what made your points come across successfully and what areas need improvement.

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Prepare Your Equipment Beforehand 

If possible, practice in the room where you’ll be delivering the presentation and get comfortable with the equipment you’ll be utilizing, whether it’s a projector, microphone, PC, or VTC gear for a visual conference. If you won’t be operating the equipment by yourself, speak with who will and ensure they comprehend the presentation flow, any changes, and their timing as well. Go to the actual presentation room early enough to make sure all the equipment and programming is set well for the presentation. This all may seem obvious, but admit it, we have all seen blunders that don’t go well.


Olga V. Mack is an award-winning general counsel, operations professional, startup advisor, public speaker, adjunct professor at Berkeley Law, and entrepreneur. Olga founded the Women Serve on Boards movement that advocates for women to serve on corporate boards of Fortune 500 companies. Olga also co-founded SunLaw to prepare women in-house attorneys become general counsel and legal leaders and WISE to help women law firm partners become rainmakers. She embraces the current disruption to the legal profession. Olga loves this change and is dedicated to improving and shaping the future of law. She is convinced that the legal profession will emerge even stronger, more resilient, and inclusive than before. You can email Olga at olga@olgamack.com or follow her on Twitter @olgavmack.

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