122 Improve your Communication Skills
with a clear message. This should have
all the characteristics of
the messages that we looked at in Chapter 5. Your message
must:
• be a sentence;
• express your objective;
• contain a single idea;
• have no more than 15 words;
• grab your audience’s attention.
You might consider putting this message
on to a slide or other
visual aid and show it near the start of the presentation. But an
effective message should stick in the mind without any help.
Make your message as vivid as you can.
Creating a structure
Everything in the structure of the presentation should
support your message. Keep the structure of your presentation
simple. The audience will forget most of what you say to them.
Make sure that they remember
your message and a few key
points.
Weaving an introduction
Use SPQR to start the presentation, leading the audience
from where they are to where you want them to be. This also
allows you to show that you understand
their situation and that
you are there to help them. Using SPQR will convince them that
you have put yourself into their shoes. The more obvious the
problem is to the audience, the less time you will need to spend
on SPQR.
SPQR also allows you to demonstrate
your own credentials
for being there. (Look back at the notes on
ethos
in Chapter 5.)
Your values and beliefs are what make you credible to the
audience: remember, they are judging you as well as what you
have to say. What qualifies you to speak on this subject? What
special experience or expertise do you have?
How can you add
value to the ideas in your presentation?
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