π = 3.14159265359. Just how accurate do you have to be to make an impact in your presentation? [Speak on the Shoulders of Giants]

– – –

SURE-FIRE WAY #9: ACCURACY

Be really, really accurate! For instance, audiences feel insulted when you tell them in your speech that particular statistic is “one-third” when they later discover that it was really 33.335%! Clearly, these are not the same thing and care should be taken to be exact when speaking.

– – –

Did you think there was something off about this week’s public speaking tip?

Hold on! Keep reading.

One of our firm’s education arms, the Institute of Strategy and Valuation, published an article titled, “10 Sure-Fire Ways to Improve Your Presentations: A Light-Hearted Look at Public Speaking.”

Addressing the fear that goes with presenting in front of people, the article presents a humorous look into public speaking—including this week’s sure-fire tip.

We are well aware of the stress everyone goes through when they need to represent their brand or company in front of an audience.

If we could avoid being put in that position, we would.

But… that shouldn’t be the mentality!

According to the article, “If we want to be leaders or achieve anything meaningful in our lives, we will often need to speak to groups, large and small, to be successful.”

Public speaking is an important, learnable skill… we just need to practice.

Yes, it’s easier said than done so we’re here to help and share with you some useful tips!

Looking at this topic from a humorous perspective (instead of the usual serious and fearful way), we know that sure-fire way #9 is actually stating the opposite of what you should be doing.

Being accurate on the content you present plays a vital role in your effectiveness as a speaker.

Most speakers spend a lot of time validating their ideas and making sure the right information is presented.

That’s a good thing.

You want to make sure that what you say is correct and credible.

The content you present can be details from history, information on current events, scientific studies, and even numbers or statistics.

But how accurate should you be?

In the event that you’d need to present and mention data that involves numbers, remember to simplify.

This tip helps your audience have a better grasp on your ideas. It also makes it easier for them to remember important details.

Present numbers in a simpler format by rounding them off.

Instead of: 8,345,678 subscribers
Just say: Over 8,000,000 subscribers

Avoid unnecessary decimals and percentages.

Instead of: PHP 8,850.9678 per market share
Just say: Over PHP 8,000 per market share

Instead of: 25% out of 100% of the population
Just say: One-fourth of the population

Make your graphs or charts easier to read and interpret by using only the numbers and data you need.

Instead of:

Just use:

That’s it!

Most of the time, the audience won’t even remember numbers down to the very last decimal.

You paint a better picture of the message you’re trying to convey when you describe data in a more familiar way.

You don’t want to confuse your audience and have them still thinking about your previous idea or slide while you’re already on the next one.

Try to apply this tip in your next presentation.

It’s effective and definitely worth the effort!

About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Wednesdays: Speak on the Shoulders of Giants”

In a meeting with one person

…a boardroom with five people

…or a huge venue with hundreds of people

—whatever the situation or setting, it’s very important to learn and eventually master the art of public speaking.

No matter what, you always need to effectively get your message across.

What good is a presentation with awesome content if you don’t deliver it properly?

Every Wednesday, we publish different tips, insights, and secrets on how you can improve your presentation skills to captivate your audience and lead interesting discussions.

The need for great presentation skills applies EVERYWHERE.

(Small meetings with your team, big meetings with your boss, an important marketing pitch, speaking engagements for events with a big audience, etc.)

Learning these skills is not just for the corporate world. Being in other industries such as the Arts, Information Technology, Medicine, and Education while knowing how to present well will definitely give you an edge.

Have that advantage.

Hope you’ve found this week’s public speaking tip interesting and helpful.

Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s Speak on the Shoulders of Giants!

Cheers,

Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
Powered by Valens Research
www.valens-research.com

This content is used with permission from The I Institute and The Business Builder Daily.

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