Some people seem to have natural presentation skills. If you wish you could be one of them, here are some ways to improve yours.
A good starting point is to write down a short list of how you feel when you make presentations. This will help you see how far you have come when you are feeling more comfortable later.
Ways to improve your presentation skills
The article Public Speaking Tips for Immigrants goes into this topic in more detail. One of the points in that article talks about how you view your audience.
How do you see your audience?
Do you feel they are there to evaluate you? Do you see them as supportive or critical?
If your audience is attending your presentation by choice, they want to know more by the end of the speech. They are there for the content. Your goal is to deliver value to make it worth their while sitting through your presentation.
If you could turn your focus to how you want to add to the lives of your audience with your information, you would take the focus off of yourself. You would be less worried about what they think of you and your ideas.
How do you feel about your topic?
Another point that goes hand in hand with this is how you feel about your topic. If you enjoy talking about your subject, you will convey that naturally. Have you ever felt swept up with a subject because the speaker feels so excited about it? You would prefer to listen to someone who has this kind of enthusiasm, right? Well, so does your audience.
An effective way to make a point
A third point in Public Speaking Tips for Immigrants is about telling stories.
Children love listening to stories. They ask for bedtime stories. They can relate to the characters. We haven’t really outgrown that as adults. We are still drawn to those who can tell a good story. Especially a story that is relevant to you.
You can demonstrate your point effectively with a story. If you are explaining a concept without an actual story, then use example A and example B. Walk the audience through what A does, and compare that with B. Now you have a story.
You can read the entire article Public Speaking Tips for Immigrants here.
If you find this blog helpful, here is one on Discussion Skills for ESL Students.
Estrella Chan coaches immigrants and international professionals in English fluency, interview skills, and public speaking. To schedule a session with her, please email support@englisharoundtheworld.com
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