Spice up Your Speaking Presentations

By James Ocque

A droning monotone or a presentation laced with distracting 'filler words or phrases' can negate the desired effects on an audience. The objective of a communication or presentation is either to inform, persuade or motivate the listener. From a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer to a Question to a presentation spanning several hours, it is the responsibility of the speaker to keep his or her listener engaged.
"Make Your Next Presentation Gourmet" is a summary of what I have learned during my years of making presentations. It is based on years of evaluating and mentoring speakers,: Identifying their presentation strengths and making suggestions on ways to improve.
The scope of the contents starts with choosing a topic and ends with the presentation before an audience. It includes the story of how one person overcame the terror of speaking and gave a memorable presentation to her management.
It is intended to be an aid for the occasional presenter at their company, agency or organization; to those wanting to speak in public; or to those that want to speak more confidently and effectively at a public forum. It is presented in a concise format for quick reading and ease of understanding.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 22, 2011
• ISBN: 9781463401658

James Ocque

Jim Ocque has varied experiences making presentations. His presentation activities include speaking at Toastmasters International Clubs and training sessions for over 20 years, mentoring new Toastmaster members, serving as a lay pastor, speaking at technical conferences and making presentations to community organizations. His speaking experience includes informative presentations to company management, persuasive sermons at church, motivational presentation to community clubs and organizations, and technical presentations at seminars. These experiences have given him insight into the different types of skills required for the various types of presentations. His audiences have been varied enabling him to assess the effectiveness of different presentation techniques. He received an Associates Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University.

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© 2011 James Ocque. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 6/17/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4634-0536-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-0165-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011908004

Printed in the United States of America

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Contents

The Gourmet Presentation

Getting Started

Presentation Structure

Types of Presentations

Humor

Speaker’s Mechanics

Audio/Visual

Know Your Audience

Practice, Practice, Practice

Dress Like a Professional

Your Personal Introduction

The Presentation

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

A special recognition and thank-you must be given to those who have had a direct hand in preparing this book for publication:

• Barbara Landey, whose gourmet presentation is the main inspiration for this book.

• Mary Carol Holbert, who read the first draft of this book and suggested many changes and additions.

• Dabney Valtinson, the artist who created the drawings included in this book.

• My wife, Nancy, who encouraged me to write this book and then edited the results.

I also wish to thank the many Toastmaster International members in Districts 47 and 84 who have helped to inspire and guide me along the way, particularly, the members of the OMNI Toastmasters Club 6861 and the Ocque Club 3774.

There are two gentlemen who have taught me many nuances about making presentations: David Brooks (davidbrookstexas.com) and Darren LaCroix ([e-mail]). Both men are past Toastmasters International Speech Contest winners and now are professional presenters and trainers in the field of public speaking. If your objective is to be a professional public speaker, I recommend that you contact both David and Darren.

Preface

This book is a primer for public speaking. It is intended to help guide individuals who are new to public speaking or to serve as a refresher for those who speak infrequently. The information has been gathered from my speaking at Toastmaster clubs, speaking before organizational meetings, attending seminars, and teaching public speaking to potential Toastmaster members.

The material contained in this book will help you improve your speech preparation, but practice will make the presentation come alive for your audience. The material presented in this book is not new; it contains no magic formula or secret keys to success. It is condensed so that you may read it quickly and reread it as necessary.

I wish each of you a pleasant time speaking before an audience so that you may then leave the stage in the knowledge that you have given the message you wanted them to hear.

Introduction

Good speeches do more than fill time. They say something.1 An audience never attends a presentation to see the speaker fail. However, this does not give the speaker the right to waste the time of those in the audience. A presentation worthy of the audience’s attention needs to be well prepared and well presented and have appropriate audio/visual aids.

There are many aspects of a presentation that a speaker should be aware of and address before stepping in front of an audience of hundreds (or before speaking to one person). Good presentations do not happen by accident; much thought, planning, and practice are needed to produce an acceptable and meaningful presentation.

Two checklists are included at the end of this introduction: the preparation checklist and the presentation checklist.

The items in the preparation checklist are not listed in the exact sequence by which a presentation is to be prepared; the sequence may vary.

Each item should be reviewed and answered (yes, no, not required, or with specific information). It is helpful to write a comment for each step,