Executive Presentation Skills

Barbara Boltax, Consultant

• Preparation: Organize your notes on a worksheet to make sure your main points are clear and not too complex. Limit of three or four supportive points under each of three main headings.
• Formalize your Agenda
• keep it visible for the audience and refer to it periodically
• place it on a flip chart on the wall
• or on a repeating slide or overhead

Remember - Your audience has a short attention span.

• Listening: The audiences will listen better when they have a framework for what they will be hearing.
• Limit the number of categories in your agenda to three broad categories
• Opening: allow the audience and speaker to get used to each other. Especially important if the speaker’s accent is unusual for the audience.
• Plan to use a quote, anecdote, photo, for the opening. Be flexible: modify your opening if a better idea or opportunity emerges based on what happens right before you begin.
• Introduction: One crisp sentence to introduce the main idea. Then give the organization of the talk based on three categories.
• "Tell them what you are going them, tell them, then tell them what you told them."
• Summarize: Provide a mini-summary after completing the four points in each main category.
• Conclusion: Then give your conclusions, with three or four key ideas.
• Delivery: Be sure to practice your talk several times to increase your fluidity.
• Visuals: Use examples and slides as appropriate to illustrate core messages.
• Body language: Face the audience, not the slide, and point out exactly what you and what the audience to be looking at.
• Style: Study different style of TV journalists and adapt what works for you.
• Impact: You can increase the impact by lowering your pitch, using pauses.
• Energy: To be taken seriously you must have energy, not necessarily enthusiasm.
• Appearance: Get feedback from colleagues on how your dress and appearance are perceived and if they works for the purpose of your talk.
• Gestures: Use forceful gestures to release nervous energy in a positive way.
• Credibility: Credibility comes from your command of the topic and your comfort with the audience.

Contact

Barbara R. Boltax Inc.
200 E. 61st St.
New York, NY 10021

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