Presentation Trainer, Improve Presentation Skills, Courtroom Presentations

By Karyn J. Taylor

Ask any group of people what five things they’re most afraid of and you will invariably find “public speaking” near the top of the list. The reason is simple: most people have a very human fear of being “exposed” and share a universal reluctance to put themselves in a position where others can view, judge and (perhaps) criticize them.

But media trainers and speaking coaches all know that there is a simple solution to stage fright: focus on your audience’s needs, not on yourself. After all, you’re on that stage or in that courtroom because you want to persuade, convince or inspire your audience to do something. To reach that goal, you have a “story” you need to deliver and the audience is there because they want to hear (or in the case of the jury, have to hear) the story you came to tell. So shifting focus onto your audience is not just a ploy; it’s a necessity. And it works like a charm: once you’re focused on giving your audience what it needs to be persuaded or inspired, you’ve long since forgotten about your discomfort at being on display and you’re well into the “zone.”

So the

thing a skilled orator never does is focus on himself. But that’s not to say that a good orator

ignores what the audience thinks. Au contraire, mon cher. A good orator is very attuned to his or her audience. In fact, he/she modulates the performance according to the audience’s reaction. But worry what the audience is thinking about his/her looks, clothes, personality, politics, or anything else unrelated to the message to be delivered or the goal to be reached? Never.

Come to think of it, there are a few other things a skilled orator never does.

A skilled orator never, ever…

	Fails to present his/her facts and information in the form of a simple but compelling story. (Storytelling is integral to the way most people process and understand information.)
	Forgets that the ONLY way to motivate an audience to take action *is to give them an emotionally compelling* reason to do so** (regardless of whether that action is finding for your client, voting you into office, or pounding the pavement to boost sales.)
	Forgets that the only emotionally compelling reason that matters to anybody is, “What’s in it for me?” (Answer that question in some way or another in every speech, every time and you’ll be well on your way to following the likes of Tony Robbins, Johnny Cochran and Dr. Norman Vincent Peale into the pantheon of all time speaking greats!)
	*Tries to cram EVERYTHING he/she thinks the audience ought to know into one* interminably long presentation.** (The attention span of the average person is only 18 minutes. The best presentations are given in short sections that add up to no more than 40 minutes total.)
	Forgets that today’s audiences are part of the Television Generation and are trained to learn not just orally but visually. (Smart orators use well-designed, conceptual graphics that help simplify complex material, aid understanding and boost retention by 50-75%.)
	Fails to avail him/herself of state-of-the-art presentation software that permits the instant display of documents, graphics, photos and videotape with the click of a mouse or the flick of a light wand.
	Keeps the jury or the audience waiting while he/she shuffles through papers, boxes of exhibits or demonstratives. (Being disorganized wastes precious time, kills the momentum, annoys the judge/jury/audience, engenders hostility and undermines credibility.)
	Stops mid-sentence to drink water, take notes, speak to technical personnel or to do anything that stops the flow of information, interrupts the train of thought or breaks the jury’s or the audience’s concentration.
	Takes questions from the audience during Q & A without preparing the answers to anticipated questions well in advance. (And in court, a skilled litigator never designs his/her presentation without building in the answers to the very questions the jury will most likely ask in the jury room.)
	Speaks in “techno-speak” that may go right over the jury’s or audience’s head.
	Speaks in a voice too soft or breathy to be heard at the back of the room. (The best orators hire voice coaches to improve their speaking voices and techniques.)
	Turns his/her back to the jury/audience while presenting – even when pointing to slides on a projection screen.
	Never fidgets, jangles pocket change, paces back and forth or exhibits any other annoying or distracting behavior while “on stage.” (He/she has practiced on videotape or before a coach to eliminate such nervous habits.)
	Wears an outfit, a suit, a hairdo, a tie, a pair of shoes, a watch or piece of jewelry that draws attention to itself and becomes a distraction.
	Grips the podium like a shipwreck survivor hanging on for dear life.
	Uses so many meaningless slides or overheads that he/she is completely upstaged by his/her own presentation.
	Reads word-for-word from a prepared script. (Reading your speech, Opening Statement, Closing Argument or PowerPoint slides doesn’t help you “get it right”; it merely telegraphs that you don’t really know your material and came unprepared!)
	Uses electronic equipment without having had a “tech run through” far enough in advance to fix any technical problems – or replace technical equipment if need be – long before the audience arrives.
	Begins a speech in an unfamiliar room. He or she visits the location to get his/her bearings and get “comfortable in the space” long before the audience arrives.
	Heads into a presentation – ANY presentation – planning to “wing it.” He or she has practiced until the pace is perfect, the visual aids pop up like clockwork and he/she has the information down cold.

Now that’s what skilled orators never do. But what DO they do? The same thing that any concert pianist, rock star, basketball star or wannabe star always does: PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!

You vant I should tell you diff’rent? Nah. Not a chance!