Know Your Subject Matter

Be thoroughly familiar with your subject matter. Nothing is more persuasive than a knowledgeable speaker. Learn as much as you can about the subject, and, if you can, back up your knowledge with facts and statistics. This not only sends the message that you know what you're talking about but shows that you took the time to prepare. Whatever your knowledge level, don't make a presentation unless you're highly confident of your ability to explain the key points of the topic. Your audience will be impressed if you know your subject matter and distressed if you don't.

Don't worry about being able to answer every possible question. As long as you have a solid understanding of the points in your presentation, you will be able to handle questions effectively. If you don't know an answer to a question, be honest and say so. When responding to questions outside your area of expertise or beyond the scope of your presentation, it is important that you know where to steer audience members to find answers. Keep informed of current developments.

Know Your Audience

Get some key facts about your audience before you plan your presentation.

• How many people will be there?

• How old are they?

• Do the audience members have special concerns that you should be aware of?

• Have you been asked to speak in response to a particular incident or issue?

• Is your presentation part of a series?

• How much does the audience already know about your topic?

• Will certain kinds of activities be more successful than others with this group?

A common challenge for speakers, whether they are experienced or not, is an audience that is unresponsive or unruly. Some days, even the best speaker is disrupted or discouraged by a negative audience. Be prepared for an inattentive or difficult audience by planning several activities that can be added to your presentation at the last minute, if necessary, to quiet down an audience or recapture its attention. For example, ask for a show of hands as you conduct a poll of how many people agree with a certain viewpoint, have had a particular experience, or would like to learn a certain skill.

Manage the Direction of the Presentation

While giving a presentation, be sensitive to how well your audience is responding. Here are some tips for effectively managing the direction of your presentation:

• Ask audience members whether they understand your main points.

• Allow enough time for questions. Build time into your schedule for the audience to ask questions and for you to answer those questions. Also allow time to address any followup questions.

• Answer questions at key intervals, not just at the end. By doing so, you will be able to provide added information and clarify any misunderstandings as you go.

• Encourage your audience to share experiences. Sometimes the best examples will come from members of your audience. However, if you open up a dialog with the audience, be prepared for the possibility that someone will share a story that does not support your presentation.

• Address all members of the audience. Make each person in your audience feel important.

• Build a sense of trust and show respect for questions. Explain that questions are welcome, and answer all questions—even the most basic—completely and politely. This will make your audience members more comfortable and receptive. They will trust you and give you their honest opinions on the topic.

• Show good manners. Thank your audience for their time and attention. Extend a special thanks to those who invited you and to anyone else who helped make the presentation a success.

• Be a good listener. If you're sitting on a platform with other speakers, be as respectful and attentive to them as you expect them to be to you. Likewise, if you return to the audience after your presentation, give the remaining speakers and programs your complete attention.

Encourage Participation

The more audience members actively participate in your presentation, the more information they will retain. Active participants are also more attentive. Here are some ways to keep your audience involved and engaged:

• Introduce case histories/personal stories. Your audience will enjoy stories of specific efforts being made in your subject area. If possible, focus on the real people involved.

• Have a debate. Having two or more people explain—or even question each other about—the opposing sides of an issue is an excellent way to highlight different viewpoints and engage your audience.

• Give demonstrations. Actually showing activities or procedures described in your presentation will clarify and reinforce them.

• Use appropriate visual or audiovisual aids to reinforce information. Presenting material through a visual representation is an effective way to clarify or illustrate a concept. Some people learn better when they see information than when they hear it. For example, displaying a prepared transparency—or writing out or drawing information on a blank transparency while you speak—may help your audience focus on key points. You also can emphasize information by pointing to it, circling it, or making comments directly on a transparency while you talk. Transparencies are especially useful when you want your audience to understand important numbers or see information displayed as a chart or diagram. Videotapes (or short video clips) are another great way to reinforce material and capture your audience's interest.

• Play games or give "quizzes." Giving the audience a quiz or playing a game with them is effective—especially when the audience receives a copy of the quiz or game to look at and use while the game is being played or the quiz is being given. Explain all game rules, and "grade" the quizzes.

• Have a panel discussion. Having a panel of experts or others interested in your topic present their views or describe aspects of the topic before, during, or after your presentation can build and maintain energy. Panels allow your audience to appreciate a variety of different perspectives.

• Do some role-playing. Having volunteers from the audience act out a situation or issue being discussed can help everyone feel engaged and may provide some comic relief. It also allows the audience to better understand the situation or issue.

• Perform a skit. Having presenters or audience members perform a short sketch relating to your message will make it come alive. After the skit, take a few minutes to explain and expand on what the skit illustrated.

• Use examples. Using examples that drive home your point is an excellent way to strengthen and enliven your presentation. Examples should be short, clear, and relevant, and they should not offend or confuse the audience. Real life examples—whether from your own life or from newspaper, TV, or magazine reports—are generally more effective than those made up solely to illustrate a point. In using examples, be careful not to violate any confidences or privileges. For instance, don't use a friend's family problem as an example if everyone in the audience knows your friend or if your friend asked you not to discuss the problem.

• Reinforce your point. Make the same point several different ways, and end the presentation with a review. Ask audience members what they've learned from your presentation and how that information applies to their lives. Also, ask the audience to recall the presentation's most important points while you or the audience members write down these points.

Youth in Action Bulletin

March 2000     Number 15