Gaining in eloquence

Recall the last presentation you were at. Do you remember the message of the speaker? Did you really feel concerned by his/her speech? Did you retain anything useful?information you later used to make a good decision, a piece of advice you applied to evolve, etc.?

Some speakers know how to capture the attention of their audience and present their message in such a way that it has a real influence on them. It is in that sense that Jacques Charpentier, quoted in La parole est un sport de combat, said: “Talking is action or is nothing. Talking does not consist in juggling ideas, nor in polishing sentences, cooing, performing histrionics, or posing for the profile. Talking is about converting?or at least convincing; or bolstering up wavering convictions.”

Unfortunately, many presentations do not achieve this aim, whatever the technical knowledge or the experience of the speaker. How many times have we heard as we are leaving a meeting or a conference: “That presentation was tough to follow”, “It was too long”, “boring”, “the message was unclear”, “the slides were too busy”, “the speaker spoke too fast”, “we couldn’t hear him/her”, etc. The list of possible flaws is long?and illustrates the difficulty of succeeding with a presentation. It is both an art and a palette of techniques. Only a few managers and leaders have been thoroughly trained in speaking publicly?while this competency is regularly called for: to defend a strategic plan, a commercial proposal, the image of the company, etc.

Yet, convincing verbally is not innate. It is both an exercise that addresses specific constraints and a skill that requires work. We have selected some practical advice from proven speakers to help you.

In this synopsis:
- How to prepare presentations that really get your message across
- Convincing your audience during public speeches
- Enhancing a presentation with effective visual supports