Page 20 - Power Presntation

Voice

• Shows lack of • Shows
confi dence uncertainty
• Poor topic • Reduces your
knowledge credibility

Aural Hesitation
Punctuation

Droning Verification

• Switches
people off • Tiresome
• Boring to listen
to • Ineffective if
predictable

A simple technique to vary your pace is to use a pause. Pauses can be quite dramatic
and good attention-getters, but presenters are often wary of using them. The pause may
seem endless to you as a presenter, but in reality it gives the audience time to take your
last comments on board and to build up their expectation about what is coming next.

Many presenters fall into the trap of using aural punctuation such as inserting ‘Err,’ ‘Ah,’
or ‘Um’ every time they come to the end of a sentence. One of the most effective ways
to break this habit is to take the end of a sentence as a cue to do something else—for
example, closing your lips or rubbing your index finger over your thumb.

Hesitation is something else you need to avoid when presenting because it will lower
the audience’s belief in your knowledge of the topic. It is normally caused by uncertainty
about precisely what to say next. The best way to reduce hesitation is to ensure that you
are familiar with the material and have conducted adequate rehearsals.

Try to avoid aural punctuation and hesitation, but don’t worry too much about them un-

less you use them to the extent that they become a distraction. You will naturally use
them less as you become more experienced and confident as a presenter.

CarePoint Global +966 55 119 6445 – Specialized Consulting and Training Services - 2019