Fear of public speaking is No.1. Death is No.4. So most people would rather get a root canal and pay their taxes than speak in front of an audience!

1. Sure you have catecholamine; all speakers do (including Sir Winston Churchill and Presidents Kennedy, Carter, and Reagan). These are the chemicals that make you sweat, make your heart beat fast, and make your hands shake. Get rid of those chemical and psychological reactions by becoming message-centered and audience-centered, not self-centered.

2. Replace fear and negative noise with positive affirmations. Create new beliefs that nurture you and support you with new ways of thinking. The New Adult You!
For example, I am well prepared, and the audience wants me to succeed.

3.  Do a quiet meditation, visualization, or exercise before you speak. Breathe deeply. Deep breathing sends a message to your brain that you have nothing to fear. It calms you down.

4. Who cares if you’re nervous? Researchers have found that most people report noticing little or no anxiety in a speaker. If you are thoroughly prepared, your internal nervousness seldom shows. Prepare 150%.

5. The Coach Says… Practice in front of your mirror.
Practice in the car. If you can concentrate while driving, you will be able to pull what you need from your unconscious when you are in front of the group. Make your points sound spontaneous and conversational.

6. Rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse. Talk out loud, and walk around while you practice. Use the same physical energy you plan to use on the day of your presentation.

7. Exercise is antidote to stress. Arrive early and take a brisk walk for at least five minutes. If it is raining or snowing outside, you can still do some body stretches.

8. Abstain from caffeine and alcohol before you speak. You don’t need more jitters. Always wear your favorite outfit and use attractive colors. Women, go simple on the jewelry. Avoid too much black and white.

9. The Coach Says… Most of all; enjoy yourself and have a fun. SMILE. After all, aren’t you glad to be there? The sign of a mature adult is that you are not taking yourself too seriously

10. For trembling hands, place your hand son the side of your chair and count to 10 as you try to lift the seat. This is an isometric exercise that works and nobody will notice you doing it.

11. Don’t be perfect. Give yourself permission to make mistakes. No one is perfect in real life. Get the butterflies in your stomach to fly in formation. That’s who you convert your stress into speaking power!

12. Reduce your nervousness by taking several deep breaths immediately before you’re introduced. And for you chocoholics, eat some chocolate to relax your vocal chords.

13. If you experience dry mouth, chew your tongue to increase saliva flow. Singers do this. Close your lips and bite down on the entire surface. Always have a glass of tepid (not cold) water nearby.

14. Focus on a friendly face in the audience. Pretend you are having a conversation, rather than giving a speech. Just be yourself.

15. Here is a vocal warm-up exercise used at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Say, PaPaPaPa, BaBaBaBa, TaTaTaTa, DaDaDaDa, KaKaKaKa, GaGaGaGa. Then do it backwards. (Courtesy of Robert and Rande Gedaliah)

The funny thing about presenting and public speaking is that the majority of people will tell you they don’t enjoy it and/or aren’t very good at it. And yet regardless of who they are and what they do, most of the speaking they do on a day-to-day basis IS public speaking.

You see, mostly when we talk to ourselves we keep it as an internal dialogue that nobody else can hear. But whenever we open our mouths and actually make a noise in front of another person we’re speaking in public – hence “public speaking”. So why do so many people find it so scary?

I think it’s the eyes. All those sets of eyes fixed on you….. BORING into you. It’s unsettling. So would it be any easier if your audience was ignoring you and all looking the other way? What if they all dozed off so it WAS as if you were talking to yourself? (Have you ever been a Rotary after-dinner speaker?)

Whatever the reason, the fact is that before getting up to speak, even the most seasoned professional will have some butterflies, whether they choose to call the feeling nervousness or excitement doesn’t really matter. Rest assured, we all experience it to some degree.

If I had one tip to pass on, if I was asked to tell you the most important lesson I’ve learnt over the years I’ve been presenting, it would have to be to stress the absolute necessity of being totally prepared.

Now this may sound obvious and I’m sure you’ve heard this before, possibly many times, and like a lot of important messages it tends to become diluted the more we hear it “Oh yes, I knew that, now what else?”.

And yet, knowing this, some people will be outside in the car park seconds before they have to deliver their sales pitch scribbling it out on the back of a business card. I know, I’ve been there.

When I talk about being prepared, I mean you should know your talk off by heart. You should be able to give it verbatim, standing on your head, without even having to think about what comes next.

Now some of you may be thinking “Yes, but I don’t work like that. I like to keep the spontaneity” or “Yes, but I want to tailor my talk to the occasion” or “Yes, but that would be boring because I’d just be on auto pilot.”

But actually, that’s not what happens. In effect, the opposite is true. When you know your talk by rote, it gives you the freedom to change it around, to add, to subtract without losing your direction. It’s like driving from A to B. If your route is set from the outset and you know it well, you can safely veer off and browse in a few antique shops and have a pub lunch in a picturesque village off the beaten track and still get back to where you were to complete your journey. But, if you’d just set off in the general direction with no main route to which to return, you’d soon get lost if you were to be diverted and you’d have difficulty picking up that thread again.

You see, there are so many things out there that can throw the speaker, and lots of unexpected things can occur when you’re dealing with the public. No matter how good you are, you will become distracted, so knowing your material to the nth degree is absolutely crucial.

If something happens that needs your attention, you’ll have to stop and deal with it, but you can return to your talk with barely a glitch and appear calm, collected and hence the ultimate professional.

You see we all get nervous. We all stick our feet in our mouths sometimes. We don’t ever operate in a hermetically sealed environment, especially when exposed to other humans. But prepare, prepare and over-prepare and not only will you enjoy the confidence of knowing that nothing can phase you because you know your material, but if you’re forced off your chosen route for any reason you can return smoothly and appear to be the consummate professional speaker.

And after all, if you can’t – or won’t – speak about your business, who will?

You can be confident! All you have to do is rid yourself of confidence killers. Confidence killers are self-defeating thought patterns. Many of us walk through life with these harmful assumptions.

See if you’ve got any of these evildoers in your thoughts:

1. The All or Nothing Sniper:

This way of thinking is the reason you can’t seem to enjoy even the small wins you’ve been getting in life. I’ll bet you were the kid in school who went home crying when you got one wrong on a test!

You think you are a complete failure when your performance (whatever it is) is not perfect. You’d be confident if you didn’t spend so much energy being so hard on yourself!

2. The Dark Cloud of Destruction:

Look out! There is a disaster hiding behind every corner. Expect it. The Dark Cloud of Destruction makes you think silly things like: ‘I failed my chemistry test; there is no point in even thinking about college, now.’

3. Warlord of Negative Magnification:

If you listen to this confidence killer you’ll never be confident. He’s got a warped idea that if it’s good- it doesn’t really count. He’ll take any little negative anthill and magnify it like it’s a mountain.

If you won 8 singing contests but had a cold for the 9th and came in second, he’ll harp on that ninth and you’ll never look at the 8 trophies as the great achievements they really are.

4. The ‘If I feel it, it must be so’ Monster:

This is like a computer worm that shuts down all the clear thinking parts of your brain! A person with this can never be confident until they learn that how they are feeling doesn’t necessarily match up with the truth. We all have days when we don’t look our best or perform at our best.

The ‘I feel stupid so I must be stupid’ syndrome allows us to let our emotions run our lives. Don’t blindly accept emotions as truth. Be confident enough to think that tomorrow you probably will be feeling different.

5. The Sinister Should:

Perfectionists are good at should statements. Should statements are more about what your think other people expect from you than what you really want.

Should statements can be something like: Everybody should have an education plan. The person then thinks ‘ Oh, no! I don’t have an education plan! There must be something really wrong with me.’

6. Libellous Labeller:

Let’s throw this one in jail and throw away the key. You know the thought. It’s the one that we use to blame things on something. ‘I am a loser. It must all be my fault.’ If you are going to think labels, label yourself a confident person.

7. Compliment Constrictor:

This creepy crawler just can’t seem to let you accept a compliment. For once, if someone tells you that you look good in that dress, don’t let the slimy one takeover and say: ‘Really? I think it makes me look fat!

The good news is that recognizing any of these villains is half of the battle. So put on your white hat- train yourself to cancel these confidence-killing thoughts.

“I don’t let my mouth say nothin’ my head can’t stand.” Louis Armstrong

Since the 1970’s, learning how to communicate better has had a lot to do with understanding body language.

Julius Fast wrote a book entitled, Body Language in 1970. He talked about a new science called Kinesics. It opened the way to more studies and books on the subjects. Today, the term Body Language is very common and understood as an important element of communication.

In fact, experts in the field of communication suggest that there is a rule that says that 7% of the meaning of what a person is saying comes from their words.

Interestingly, 38% is based on the tone of their voice. 55% of the meaning comes from the body language of the person that is speaking. This rule comes from research that was published in the late 1960’s.

Some now think that the percentages from this research might be slightly different. Nevertheless, the bottom line is still the same. If you don’t know the basics of body language, you are missing a valuable tool for learning how to communicate better. We speak body language on a subliminal level, without actually realizing that we are communicating through body talk.

1. Face

The most expressive part of your body is your face. When you enter a room if you feel nervous, your expression might make you look aloof or unfriendly.

Smiling at the room is a sure-fire way to remove anyone’s doubts about your approachability. Smiling makes us look warm, open and confident.

2. Eyes

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. They certainly give people clues about what we are feeling.

A direct gaze towards someone can show interest- direct staring on the other hand can mean an intense dislike. Very little eye contact can show that you are shy.

3. Hands

Have you ever watched someone’s hand gestures when they are talking? Open hand gestures tend to make a person appear open and honest. Bringing hands together to a point can accent the point you are making.

Wringing your hands or excessively moving your fingers and hands will give away nervousness. It can even make someone look dishonest- are they trying to hide something?

4. Posture

If you lean towards someone you are showing an interest in that person. If we are feeling low in confidence, we tend to slouch our shoulders and look down.

Men and women use different body language. For instance, women will stand close to each other, hold eye contact with the person they are talking to and use gestures.

Men make little effort to maintain eye contact and don’t rely on the use of gestures to communicate. Men and women can learn how to communicate better by observing the differences in their use of body language.

Has a boring speaker ever put you to sleep? Your head begins to nod as you fight off the urge to slip mercifully into the Land of the Z’s. Or has your mind ever wandered during someone’s dull presentation? Although you appear to listen intently, what you are really thinking about are the million tasks waiting for you at home.

Sure, this has happened to all of us, more than we would like to admit. However, don’t let it happen to you when you are the speaker. The key to keeping your audience from taking a mental exit is to involve them in your talk. Yes! Studies show that the more you involve your audience, the more they retain. Why? Because they are listening!

You can involve your audience in several ways, and I have listed 5 of my favorites below. Select those that will work well with your presentation and that feel genuine to you. If it feels uncomfortable, it will look uncomfortable—so don’t use it.

1. Ask questions.
Questions will cause your audience members to try to think of an answer. They can’t help it – it is simply how our brains are wired. If the energy in the room starts to drop, ask a question and select a member of your audience to respond. Then, thank him or her for participating and move on to the next person. Don’t worry about loosing control of your audience. Sales guru Brian Tracy emphasizes, “He (she) who asks questions is in control.” I personally prefer questions like “How many of you . . .,” and then I ask for a show of hands. These closed-ended questions get your audience involved both mentally and physically.

2. Finish your sentence.
For example, if you said to your audience, “Lions and tigers and bears . . .” and did not finish the sentence, what do you think they would say? As long as they are familiar with the movie The Wizard of Oz, they would respond with “Oh my!” This is a fun way to get your audience to participate. If they know the answer, they will blurt it out. If they don’t, you answer it. Choose something that should be so obvious they will absolutely get it.

3. High-five.
This is one of my personal favorites, and if you have attended one of my talks you have experienced it firsthand. If you ever feel like the energy in the room is heavy, you can change it by using this technique. Simply ask a question (remember the power of asking questions). Ask, “Is this good stuff?” When your audience responds with “Yes,” say “Then, turn to the people on either side of you and give them a high-five and say ‘This is good stuff!’” Most people get a kick out of it. However, if you have an individual in your audience who does not want to participate, don’t worry about it. Some people simply just don’t want to have fun.

4. Do exercises.
I learned this trick from the famous millionaire T. Harv Ecker when I took his “Train the Trainer” course. He says, “Get your audience to do the work.” To accomplish this, ask them to break into groups of two or three (with people that they don’t know) and give them an exercise that is congruent with your presentation. Afterward, ask them to share openly with the rest of the group and thank them for doing so.

5. Give them candy.
Reward your audience for participating, and they will participate even more. Simply ask a question and when someone answers it, gently throw a small piece of candy to that person. I find that chocolate works best. You will find that it becomes a game and people will compete for the chocolate. I don’t use this throughout my entire speech, only for a few minutes in the middle of my talk.

There are many other ways and techniques to get your audience involved. What is important as a speaker is for you to come up with as many different ways as you can think of that are appropriate for your audience and for you as a speaker. Believe me, your audience will thank you.

Motivation is the fuel that feeds our dreams and drives us to succeed, and the right motivational speaker can change your next training event from an arbitrary collection of dos and don’ts to a pit stop that will breathe new life into your business.

The role of a motivational speaker may seem a bit elusive. The title implies a call to action and the goal at the end of the day is to facilitate a change in behaviour. The last generation of motivators were adept at getting an audience to believe – “I can do it!” – but they often failed to provide the tools, or failed to start shaping the skills, that are necessary to implement this new-found inspiration.

The key to effective motivation is sustainability. A true motivator not only provides the fuel for dreams; he also provides the vehicle needed to achieve those dreams.

Modern speakers facilitate sustainable motivation in, broadly speaking, two ways:

The metaphoric-style motivational speaker: This style of speaking may be used by a motivational speaker who does not necessarily hail from a business background, or from a business that is similar to yours.

A speaker who draws on effective metaphors may come from a sporting background; he may have achieved remarkable things on a private crusade; in some way, he has likely overcome adversity and faced great challenges to reach his goal; and he is without fail a team player.

Such a speaker may challenge your views on the definition of success. He may analyse personality types and their individual places in a team environment. In any case, he would draw from personal experience to address topics such as leader selection, conflict resolution and change management, demonstrating what methods can be used to overcome the challenges faced by your team.

The tailored motivational speaker: A tailored motivational speaker will be more specific in meeting the unique needs of your business. He – or she – would go through a very thorough briefing with you and then address anything that is identified as a particular problem area, or that is a facet of your business that you wish to focus on.

As with a speaker who draws upon metaphors, a tailored speaker will also provide the tools necessary to achieve the established goals. He will provide the motivation as well as the suggested methods for carrying out the appropriate changes.

A tailored speaker will also address the need to measure the effects of the changes made in your business. Bob Miller, a very accomplished professional keynote speaker, advises that, “If you can’t measure it, don’t do it!”

What Makes a Great Motivational Speaker?

While sustainability is a critical factor in the type and style of the presenter chosen, it goes without saying that a professional motivational speaker must also have outstanding oral communication skills.

Structured content and the ability to entertain are essential qualities in a motivational speaker. He must be able to create a bond with the audience, to connect to them, to understand their own personal needs and desires and then address them in the larger context of the business environment.

Motivational speaking requires extensive preparation and much hard work. All this comes to naught, however, if the rare gift for truly effective communication is not there.

The Benefit to Your Business

A professional motivational speaker really comes into his/her own as a keynote speaker at important events. Whether you are delivering a message, announcing a new initiative or launching a new sales campaign, a professional public speaker will make sure that your business receives the most possible benefit from a function or event.

If you consider for one moment the launch of a new sales campaign with, for instance, 800 sales people in audience and featuring a one hour speech. In real time, this works out to 800 hours of wages – 100 working days, or over 13 weeks!

With so much at stake it is imperative that you make an informed decision when choosing the business speaker for your next event.

Spend your time and money wisely. Reap the full benefits of corporate events with a professional motivational speaker and give your staff – and, by extension, your business – the drive to succeed and the vehicle to achieve their dreams!

1. Review previous years’ promotional budgets

2. Determine objectives and scope of program

3. Determine audience(s): membership, potential exhibitors, an industry or trade, general public.

4. Develop theme and corresponding graphics. Considerations should include purposes of individual pieces: who will receive them, tone to be conveyed, how they will be produced, how many colors will be needed, what layout format is required at each stage (from rough to comprehensive), and how much is budgeted for them.

5. Develop a schedule for the campaign.

6. Set promotional budget based on characteristics of membership, features of the venue, time of year, strength of program, and costs of attendance.

7. Develop promotional materials according to tested criteria: short and forceful sentences, convincing explanation of benefits to attendees, clear emphasis on important elements of meeting, and easy means of registering.

8. Plan for all items needed for the campaign to carry theme forward, taking into account costs of special effects like embossing or die -cutting; quality, grade, weight, and finish of paper; number of ink colors used; time for production; and quantity required:

a. pre-meeting letters and announcements

b. preliminary programs

c. registration and housing forms

d. promotional pieces for both exhibitors and attendees

e. invitations

f. follow-up mailings

g. final agendas/program books

h. badge inserts

i. tickets

j. on-site registration materials

k. signage

l. newsletters

m. lists of registered attendees

9. Solicit a minimum of three competitive bids for all printing, checking samples of paper stock, samples of work for other meetings, references, and explanation of other services each firm can provide.

10. Select printer(s), taking into account whether need is for “quick” or commercial quality, demonstrated ability of a single printer to handle all needs, availability of necessary equipment for jobs, and ability to meet deadlines.

11. Agree with printer on schedule into which extra time is built, and monitor deadlines for rough layout, submission of copy, preliminary approval, completed layout, final approval of blueline, and delivery of job.

12. Promote at previous year’s meeting.

13. Release promotional pieces, press releases, and related materials in accordance with schedule, with news releases preceding membership promotional mailings.

14. Target local, national, international media as appropriate by type: trade papers, newspapers and periodicals of general interest, radio and television tailored to market.

15. Overall, control promotional costs through following measures:

a. Obtaining firm written bids for services

b. Providing clean, competently proofread copy to printers

c. Using standard paper sizes where at all possible

d. Using same paper stock for many pieces

e. Piggybacking print items using same color

f. Using standard PMS ink colors

g. Reusing graphics

h. Avoiding unnecessary special effects

i. Avoiding perforations in favor of dotted-line cutting guides

j. Coordinating printing times

k. Setting and enforcing firm policy on overtime

l. Minimizing number of copy changes

Public speaking is something most people try to avoid and even dread. At times in my life, I have found myself having to deliver a speech and therefore I needed to learn the best way of doing this. In this article, I write about what I learnt from reading many books about public speaking, advice which has helped me to successfully deliver these speeches.

Many people get very nervous before and during their presentation or speech. This can have a negative affect on our breathing and can leave us out of breath. When you feel nervous it is a good idea to remember to take regular breaths when talking. In my opinion you should be looking to breath every six to eight words. The nerves will make our muscles contract and can make your chest feel really tight. This is a natural reaction and it is a good idea to take a few deep breaths before starting your talk to help you to relax.

When you start your speech, I would ensure that you have a focal point in the room, which can act to give you inspiration. This could be a picture at the back of the room or a window. At times you may lose your focus and may forget what you want to say. This focal point can help to get you back on track.

I try not to look at the eyes of the people in the audience when I give a public speech, as this can put me off. I want them to think that I am though, as it can be a sign of nerves if they think that I am not able to. What I tend to do is to look at an area on their forehead which obviously is not their eyes but which has the effect that I am still looking at them etc.

Even though I do plan what I am going to say, I do not plan it word for word. Instead I write down keywords or key subjects on paper which I keep in my pocket in case I need to look at it. This then ensures I do not forget what I want to say and also allows me to ad lib. The speech will also hopefully now not sound so robotic and boring as it might have if I had memorised it word for word.

I always like to start off the public speech with a short joke, which can then act as an ice breaker. I remember a speech I gave a few years ago, it was my last day at the company where I worked. The people in the office had put to a collection and had bought me some leaving presents. I then had to say a few words of thanks to them. I knew many weeks in advance that I would have to give this speech and I have to say it did cause me quite a bit of stress.

The speech itself would only have to last for about ten minutes and would be in front of around fifty people. This was how I started the talk, I would like to thank everybody who has put to the collection, and anybody who did not put, I will see you outside later. This is quite a pathetic joke however a couple of people did laugh. This gave me a bit of extra confidence and helped to relax me.

I also advise people to talk a bit slower than they normally do when they have to deliver a public speech. This has helped me tremendously over the years.

I hope this article helps you to deliver a quality public speech.

Have you been asked to be a best man for a friend or relative? Are you worried about what to include in your best man’s speech? Are you looking for some tips and advice about how to deliver a successful best man’s speech. If you have answered yes to any of these three questions, this article may well be of benefit and interest to you.

I have been to a number of weddings over the last few years and have heard some interesting and different types of best man speeches. In the next few paragraphs, I am going to write about some of the more successful speeches, which may help other people when it comes to their turn to give a best man’s speech.

It goes without saying that most people will be very nervous about standing in front of a room full of people and talking about the groom. All of the attention for that short period is fully focused on the best man, which can be very daunting. In my opinion it is a good idea to start the speech with a simple joke. If, which of course is the hope, the guests find this joke funny, it will put everybody at ease, most importantly the best man himself. After starting well, the best man should gain in confidence, which will help him to deliver the rest of the speech in a slightly more relaxed manner.

At a recent wedding which I attended the best man did exactly this. He was the younger brother of the groom and started his speech by telling the rest of the guests just how nervous he was feeling. He then stated that the speech he was about to give would last as long as the groom does when making love. At this point he sat down. This was a great start which most of the guests found quite funny. You could visibly see the relief in the best man’s face at the positive response of the audience.

Within the speech itself you could have visible prompts to help you. This could be in the form of photographs from when the groom was a child for example. By showing the guests these visual aids, it helps to take the attention away from the best man and can also add to the humour.

I often hear a best man describing an event from the groom’s past. This event could have been as recent as the stag night/weekend or could be some other experience which the groom would have no doubt rather have forgotten. These experiences and stories should aim to make people laugh but should be said in good taste and should therefore not include any rude material.

Preperation is the key and it would be a good idea to practice the best man’s speech a few times before the big day itself. There is also nothing wrong with bringing some pieces of paper to help you to remember what it is you want to say.

I have been to some weddings where the best man’s speech just never seems like it is going to end. My advice would be to talk for between five and fifteen minutes.

I hope the above gives you some inspiration and helps you in your quest to deliver an interesting and successful best man’s speech.

Think of the last really memorable talk or presentation that you attended. Now, was that easy to do, or did you really have to rack your brains to remember one? Sadly, too many presentations are easy to forget. And that’s a big problem because the only reason the presenter gave the talk was to communicate something to you.

However, there are four basic things that you can do to ensure that your verbal messages are understood – and remembered – time and time again.

Although somewhat obvious and deceptively simple, these are:

Understand the purpose of the presentation
Keep the message clear and concise
Be prepared
Be vivid when delivering the message

Understand what you want to achieve:

Before you start working on your talk or presentation, it’s essential that you really understand what you want to say, who you want to tell and why they might want to listen. To do this, ask yourself: Who? What? How? When? Where? Why?

Who are you speaking to? What are their interests, beliefs and values? What do they share in common with others; how are they unique?

What message do you wish to convey? One way of answering this question is to ask yourself about the ‘success criteria’. How do you know if and when you have successfully communicated what you have in mind?

How can you best put across your message? Language is most important here, as are non verbal cues such as body language and expressions. Choose your words and non verbal cues while keeping your audience in mind. Plan a beginning, middle and end. If time and place allow, consider and prepare audio-visual aids.

When? Timing is important here. Develop a sense of timing, so that your contributions are seen and heard as relevant to the issue or matter at hand. There is a time to speak and a time to be silent.

Where? What is the physical context of the communication in mind? You may have time to visit the venue, for example, and rearrange the furniture. Check for availability and visibility if you are using audio or visual aids.

Why? In order to convert hearers into listeners, you need to know why they should listen to you – and tell them if necessary.

The Importance of Simplicity:

When it comes to wording your message, less is more. You’re giving your audience headlines, too much information will overload and bore your listeners.. They are not expecting to become experts on the subject as a result of hearing your presentation, therefore simplicity is best.

If you’re using slides, limit the content of each one to a few bullet points, a single statement or a very simple diagram.

Preparation:

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. In fact, it is the most important factor in determining your communication successes. When possible, set meeting times and speaking and presentation times well in advance, thus allowing yourself the time you need to prepare your communications. Each minute of a presentation deserves thirty minutes preparation.

Of course, not all communications can be scheduled. In this case, preparation may mean having a good, thorough understanding of the office goings-on, enabling you to communicate with the knowledge you need to be effective, both through verbal and written communications

Successful Delivery:

The manner in which you deliver your speech or presentation has a lasting impact on your audience. Again, preparation is paramount here, in order to hold the listeners attention. Some useful tips for keeping your presentation vivid include:

Use examples to bring your points to life
Keep your body language up-beat – don’t stay stuck behind a rostrum
Don’t talk to fast. Less is more here too. Pauses are effective.
Use a variety of tones of voice
Use visual aids.

Presentations and public speaking, although daunting, can be a very enjoyable, rewarding experience, once adequate time is taken to prepare and rehearse them. An enthusiastic speaker who is confident with their material will make a lasting memorable impression on their audience.