I just provided 5 key techniques to better speeches and presentations for a publication in Ireland. I thought I would share the same information with you, my loyal readers…

Key techniques for compelling business speeches and presentations are:

1. Open strong. Use a personal story, a provocative statement, or a witty (yet pertinent) quote. You have about 3 minutes to captivate your audience before they decide you’re not worth their attention.
2. Close stronger. Last words linger and your close is critical as to whether your message will be taken from the stage into your audiences lives. Just like a movie or play, the close is the most important part of the speech/presentation.
3. Memorize the open and the close. They are so important, you can’t afford to make mistakes.
4. Use humor. Not jokes, but “organic: humor that stems from your personal stories. You don’t have to be a comedian; you have to be real and connect with your audience and humor is the most effective way.
5. Never finish with Q&A. Remember I said last words linger? You have a close, so don’t kill it with questions and answers. Your presentation is then subject to the quality of the questions. Place Q&A just prior to your closing statement.

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