In our everyday lives, we take our voices for granted. We don't think about producing sound. When we open our mouths to speak, we are confident that sound will come out.
As presenters we need to consider more than just making sound. We need to consider how our sound sounds -- the quality of our audio. Yet many presenters exhibit a range of vocal problems which make them hard to listen to and diminish their impact on the audience.
Do any of these issues sound familiar? A monotone speaking voice? Squeaky, high-pitched voice? Raspy, hoarse voice which can't project? Constant throat clearing? A breathless voice that sounds like it can't get enough air? I hear these vocal annoyances all the time. The good news is these problems are treatable and fixable. Enter the Voice Coach.
According to Kate Peters, voice coach, singing performing artist and author, "...there's a simple secret to maximizing your impact on others in public speaking...and that means aligning your presentation content with your intentions and both with the sound of your voice."
MONOTONE VOICE
This is one of the surest ways to dis-engage your audience. It's very difficult to listen to someone who speaks without inflection in her voice. According to Peters, "Most people with pitch-related vocal problems are not aware of the sound of their own voices. Although very few people are actually 'tone-deaf' (less than 1% of the population), there are many who lack awareness of pitch. People with pitch-related issues can benefit greatly from feedback given by a professional with good ears, as well as recorded sessions and exercises to increase sound awareness."
So if you suspect that you may have a limited range of pitch, get an assessment from a voice coach. Peters says that the best way to deal with pitch problems is to study singing with a reputable teacher.
VOCAL PROJECTION
You've all heard the presenter that starts to go hoarse or raspy because he's tried so hard to make his voice fill a large meeting room. "A voice that is too soft or lacks energy is usually a voice that lacks air or resonance," warns Peters. "A few lessons with a trainer can help you learn how to breathe and how to use that air more effectively to get more power in your sound. Again, I highly recommend singing lessons because singing is body building for the voice."
"Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning." Maya Angelou
CONSTANT THROAT CLEARING
Recurrent laryngitis, a raspy voice or chronic throat clearing are all signs of damage to the vocal folds. Peters explains, "This damage may be temporary, as in laryngitis caused by a virus or cold, or it may be more serious and permanent as in the development of vocal nodules -- callouses that develop on the vocal folds as a result of overuse or misuse. The first thing to do is give your voice a rest for a couple of days and see if it improves. During that time, avoid iced liquids and write notes instead of talking." If things don't improve after 10 days, it's time to see an otolaryngologist or Ear-Nose-Throat (ENT) doctor. A voice trainer can help you learn good habits, if there is nothing seriously wrong medically.
If you suffer from any of these vocal issues or if you just want to improve your vocal quality, Peters offers this advice: "The final area where a vocal trainer can help a speaker is the area of vocal image. Although you can do a great deal of work with recordings and personal analysis of your voice, it helps to have someone work with you who understands the areas of inflection, cadence, vocal variety, how emotions affect the sound, and, if you are lucky, someone who is aware of research in linguistic psychology, as well as the study of intention. This expert perspective can help you turn your voice into a powerhouse of support for your message."
[Many thanks to Kate Peters for her expert information and advice. Please visit her blog for fantastic tips on how to take care of your voice and maximize your vocal impact.]


Presentation Resolutions: Embrace Technology
Although we only have three hundred and forty-four days left in 2010, I, for one, don't think it's too late to create some New Year's resolutions for the year. And for those of us who want to take our presentations to a new level, let's start out the new decade* by embracing some resolutions involving technology.
[calendar from redstamp.com used under a Creative Commons License][* to be absolutely correct, 2010 is actually the final year of the last decade, but it sounds like a start rather than an end to me!]
Here are a few ideas that can improve your presentations if they make their way onto your list of resolutions.
UPDATE YOUR POWERPOINT SLIDES
If you have some presentations that you deliver over and over, it's time to look at your slides with a fresh eye. Make a critical assessment of each slide and ask yourself..."Does this slide further my audience's understanding of my message?" Be honest. I'm betting you'll have to answer "no" for a number of slides, particularly if they're filled with bullet points.
So you now have the opportunity to either eliminate a slide or improve it. Think about what visual representation could enhance the audience's involvement with your content. Be creative. Think of images outside your subject matter field that could produce a good analogy or metaphor. Read Presentation Zen and Slide:ology for design principles and suggestions.
Check out SlideRocket which is presentation software that includes a full set of authoring tools, collaboration features that allow you to work on a presentation with colleagues, access to your presentations from anywhere and capability to measure presentation effectiveness. There are a variety of very reasonable price points, starting at free.
BUY OR BORROW A VIDEO CAMERA
There is no better way to evaluate how you come across to an audience than seeing yourself on video. Together with live audience feedback, this allows you to determine what aspects of your delivery work well and which ones may need to be updated or changed.
It's easy to tell yourself you don't have time for this or you feel awkward watching yourself on video. Get over it. If you're truly committed to improving your presentation effectiveness, the video camera will become one of your favorite tools.
LOOK FOR RESOURCES ON SOCIAL MEDIA
You don't have to know everything about presentations nor do you have to re-invent the wheel. There are a ton of resources available, just for the asking. Use Twitter and LinkedIn to request help, suggestions or resources. There are highly competent, even famous, presentation gurus in the social media world and they are extremely generous with their knowledge.
Pay it forward by sharing on social media what you're doing in your presentations -- techniques you've tried, good sources for stock images, how you've increased audience involvement.
EXPERIMENT USING TWITTER IN A PRESENTATION
A great deal has been written on the "backchannel", the practice of audience members maintaining an online, real-time conversation during a live presentation. There are some very vocal opponents but increasingly, presenters are realizing that a very engaged, involved audience is the potential reward.
Tap into some resources to understand how the backchannel works and how to manage it. Cliff Atkinson's new book, The Backchannel: How Audiences are Using Twitter and Social Media and Changing Presentations Forever is a great place to start. And then give it a try if you have even a partially tech savvy audience.
What other geeky resolutions have you, or would you like to, put on your list to improve your presentations in 2010?
This post is part of the Blog Carnival: Public Speaking and the New Year. Check out other bloggers' perspectives on what will improve your presentations in 2010.
Posted by Kathy Reiffenstein on January 21, 2010 in Commentary, PowerPoint, Twitter | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Technorati Tags: business presentations, new year's resolutions, PowerPoint, Presentation Zen, Slideology
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