If you are one of the many people who fear speaking in public, you can use a simple technique to overcome your worries when on the platform. All you need to do is employ the use of props. Instead of using PowerPoint slides, go physical..! Props of all kinds can be used to achieve several different effects. Firstly, they add curiosity to your presentation, which means your audience will be more interested in what you have to say. That extra attention from the people you speak to will make you more confident. Another benefit of props is that they provide you with a memory trigger. They help you know what to say next, since each prop will be associated with a particular point. Forgetting what to say is the principal reason why people are frightened of making a speech. By using props, you can minimise this fear. The use of props also means you need to be physical. You will have to move around the platform to handle the props. That movement will automatically lower your circulating adrenaline (epinephrine) levels, this will lead to less tension and you will feel more confident as a result. You can use props in imaginative ways. For instance, say you need to talk about a report you just received. Rather than simply talk about it, have a copy of the report. Place it in your attach case on the side of the platform. Youll see your case, which will remind you to talk about the report. Then, simply walk across to your case, open it and pull out the report, holding it high in the air. This will be of more interest than a photo of the report on a slide. The audience will remember the point you are making more easily and youll feel more confident and positive as a result of the physical activity. Similarly, think laterally about the use of props. You could, for example, throw a few Lego bricks into your audience and ask them to start building something. Then you could collect the models and try to assemble them together. You can then point out that for teams to construct something of use, they need to communicate and have common goals. Props are a much under-used aspect of public speaking. Audiences report time after time that props enhance their experience of presentations. After all, we live in a 3D world, so why limit your audiences experience of your talk by doing everything in the 2D world of PowerPoint slides. Props will help your audience and they will help you gain greater confidence on the platform. |
