Last month, I attended a conference on Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation in Montreal. As you may know, this is a cause I am passionate about. Serious business is an understatement.
And yet, I found myself consistently engaged, even entertained, by speakers who clearly shared my heartfelt feelings, but managed to convey their messages with clever presentations. The common thread was that all the presenters were doctors, not trained performers. This got me thinking about just what does make a successful speaker?
More than words
Here are eight tips to keep you on track at Speakers’ Corner:
- Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. There is no substitute.
- Keep things moving – humour gets the ball rolling – but remember you’re not auditioning for comedy central.
- Lighten up – by all means make a joke at your own expense, never anyone else’s.
- Use power point for just that – to make a powerful point and not to dazzle with your techie finesse.
- All systems go? The more, multi-media involved, the more important a “dress-rehearsal” becomes. Double-check everything that plugs in, before the first speaker is called to the stage.
- Mistakes do happen. When you slip-up, acknowledge it and move on.
- Personalized – acknowledging you took the photos for your presentation. Personal – crossing a fine line and sharing too much information. When in doubt, leave it out.
- Focus on impeccable grooming and your poise and a polished performance will fall into place.
Read more about my commitment to Organ and Tissue Donation: Readers Digest Feature Article
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Posted on June 11th, 2009 by Diane
Filed under: Conferences
Hi. I like the way you write. Will you post some more articles?
Thank you everyone for your comments! I plan to post articles every Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
It’s a pity that people don’t realize the importance of this information. Thanks for posing it.
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