To be a professional speaker the first step is to write out your speech word for word. Write it as you would say it or would intend to say it. Include every piece of information including what you would say about your visual or audio aids. Every word you put on paper will impact what your audience picks up in your presentation.

You should read your written speech out loud. Tape record yourself to get some idea of what your presentation sounds like. Note the length of your presentation and also if the points you want to emphasize are actually the ones being emphasized. Refine and retune your message until you are confident the message you are sending is the one you want to send. Also, practice speaking your presentation the way you would want to say it - with passion and enthusiasm. Yes, enthusiasm does have to be practiced.

Telling stories in your presentation

- Telling a story can change the pace of your message. Stories can serve as a mental break for your audience so they can process the information they've been given.

- Humorous stories are great presentation openers and can set the tone of your message. Tell about problems and errors that you've made. Audiences like self-effacing humor because they can see themselves making the same mistakes or having the same issues.

- Use things that your audience is well associated with in your story. Your audience should be familiar with all the details of your story to they can remain hooked into it, however, only be as detailed as is common knowledge. Specific knowledge or "insider information" will not be relatable to most people since only a few people know about it.

Good transitions for your presentation

- Use the same word or idea twice. You can say, "A similar idea is that..." or "this is what people see... this is what people think...".

- Refer back to information previously stated in your presentation. "Remember when I told you earlier..."

- Use physical movement or a change in the tone of your voice. Walk to different parts of the stage. Use different gestures or postures to emphasize what you mean. Change your tone of voice as you are speaking.

Having a smoothly flowing presentation relies on having successful transitions as you proceed from point to point. Even your transitions do need some level of planning. As your audience processes the information you present in their minds, jerky transitions become hard to follow and comprehend. You could potentially lose your audience in a transition without even realizing it and by the time they catch up to you, they'll have missed 2/3 of the next point you're trying to make.While only representing a small portion of your presentation, transitions are powerful tools you can use to keep your audience tuned in to what you have to say. If you're not seeing the success you'd like to see with your audience, consider working on improving your transitions.

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