• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Paddy Spruce | Confident Public Speaking

Confident Public Speaking

  • Home
  • About Paddy
  • Blog
  • Contact

You start before you start

December 9, 2011 by Paddy

Tweet

When presenting to an audience of any size, you have seconds to make an impression. A favourable impression means that they will classify your information as relevant and valuable. They will make impression very quickly. You may have not even started on the content. An unfavourable impression means that they will classify your information as useless even if it isn’t. This is an emotional judgement. It is lightning quick.

So, look your best, be well prepared, pause before starting to make sure you are composed. Look at the audience and start emotionally.

Ask them a question about themselves. Who has enough money in their superannuation? Who remembers the last time they were really happy? You will get an emotional response. Even better, start with a story. Instead of saying my name is…. and I work for…. etc.  Start with….. ‘It was a really warm day as I recall. The north wind was blowing very hot. I could smell smoke…..’ You will have them in your hand instead of in your head.

Think of an unusual way to start your next presentation. Wait until you and they are ready and then wait another ten seconds. Every time you present to an audience you build on your presentation skills…. and your reputation.

Filed Under: Blog, Presentation skills

Footer

Latest Blog Posts

Allostatic load

Allostatic load is the wear and tear on our body caused by stress and worry. We can get stressed by dealing with actual events. We can also get stressed by imaginary events. Our body reacts the same to real or imagined events. Mark Twain wrote that we all have tragedies in our lives…some of which […]

A new normal

There is still time to establish your new normal. We are likely to get past coronavirus this year and settle back into what we call normal. There is still time to decide what we want this normal to look like. Do we go back to what we did before or do we deliberately decide what […]

Subscribe to my blog and newsletter

Subscribe to my mailing list

* indicates required

How to contact Paddy

Ph: +61 (0)418 996 970

Paddy is located in Melbourne, Australia and welcomes requests from beyond.

  • LinkedIn

Copyright © 2021 Paddy Spruce