Painters use their brush to create a picture for the outside world. We do the same thing with the words we use. But painters generally work alone and don't have to worry about stage fright. When we stand in front of an audience to speak, our nerves can interfere with our presentation. A little fear can be a good thing. But as one presenter has said: "The idea is to get all the butterflies in your stomach to all go in the same direction." Let me offer some suggestions to help you train those butterflies.

3 Things to Master

For any kind of public speaking, it is important that you know:

1. Your audience
2. Your subject
3. Your presentation style.

Let's take a look at the first two.

1. Know Your Audience

You shouldn't give the same presentation to all groups. Before you start preparing your presentation, whether it's for a training program or another public speaking opportunity, find out all you can about your audience. Some questions to ask:

• Are they all plant workers or will there be family members too?
• What are their ages?
• Are they men, women or a mix?
• What, if any, are their common interests?
• Are they all members of the same organization or do they come from all over?
• Is it a small group of only 10 to 15 people or a large town meeting with several hundred people?

Once you determine who you'll be addressing, you can tailor your presentation and material to the group's characteristics and interests.

For example, let's say that you will be giving a training program on respirators to all men from the solvent coating department. Things they want to know would include the fact that they need to use an organic vapor cartridge rather than an acid gas or a P-100. You would also want to talk to them about shaving so they get a good face-to-facepiece seal. With an audience of women, you wouldn't have to mention that.

2. Know Your Subject

You will feel more relaxed during your presentation if you feel secure in your knowledge of the topic. Don't rely just on your notes. This is the recipe that I use to prepare the material for my presentations:

Step 1: I write out, by hand, what I'm going to say - word-for-word. (I'll explain why in a minute.)
Step 2: I type it into the computer, label it draft 1 and print it out.
Step 3: Next, I read it over, out loud, crossing out anything that doesn't belong. If necessary, I rewrite sections to make them sound better.
Step 4: I then type the changes into the computer, label it draft 2 and print it out again.
Step 5: I read it again, out loud, deleting and rewriting where necessary.
Step 6: Finally, I type the changes into the computer and label it draft 3.

Why does this work? By writing the presentation out longhand, then typing and retyping it, and reading it out loud, more of your senses are involved in the process. The more of your senses that are involved, the more you get to know the material.

Next, I suggest reading your draft presentation to your spouse, child or friend. If I'm preparing for a big training program, I'll deliver my draft presentation to a test audience from memory, without referring to my written material.

Ask your test audience for feedback:

• Did they think that the presentation flowed?
• Did it have an introduction, a body and a close or conclusion?
• Ask your test audience: Did I:
  • Tell them what I was going to tell them?
  • Tell them?
  • Tell them what I told them?

After presenting to your test audience, ask yourself: How did I do? Did I know my material? Did I feel comfortable? Did it flow?

Conclusion

Try to learn as much background on your topic as you can. More than likely, someone will raise a question that is not directly related to what you've covered, but is still relevant. Sure, you can say, "I don't know. I'll get back to you on that." But with a little more preparation, you may be able to answer right away. And that can spell the difference between a good painting and a masterpiece. Next week, we'll discuss the third element to master, your presentation style and how you can improve your presentation technique.

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