Accepted Answer

My challenges: Being nervous, not being able to connect with the audience. Flat voice tone. No eye contact.

Being prepared even memorizing alot of the material. Speaking from experience or using personal experiences in my thoughts. Using a theme and sticking with it throughout the presentation. Voice flucuation. Looking the audience in the eyes. Having something ready to re-catch their attention if I lose it. Moving around some. Humor.

The ingredients are the ones I've used since my college speech classes:

1.Introduction: Use an attention getter, story, joke, demonstration. Getting your audience involved in the first few sentences is key to having a "Great Presentation"

2.Topic Intro: Keep it simple and to the point

a. examples:

b.facts:

c.story: personal experience etc.

3. Sum it up: again simple to the point

4. Leave them thinking. ( great quote's work well)

I actually do a page that has 1:______________

2.a_______b______c___

3._________________

4._____________________

Then fill in the blanks use as a kind of brainstorm page.

Absolutely, you should change with every topic, be the topic etc.

I gave a talk just a few weeks ago to the Nat. League of Congresswomen in our state capital.

I used political exerpts from women, funny examples from raising children and juggling careers. A reference from journal( I read an entry from a day that pertained to the topic) a song, some great pictures as a video presentation.I was very profesional. wore a suit etc.

A week later I talked to a youth group so I completely changed my demeanor, used "slang" and storys from my youth experiences.

In both cases the results were amazing! I was able to get my point across, keep their attention, and be interesting.

Let me know if I left anything out.

Please ACCEPT my answer! Thank-you so much!justerri