Hearing

Make sure your audience can hear you clearly.  If you are not sure that you can be heard, have a friend at the back of the room and ask them to let you know using sign language, if you are speaking too quietly or too loudly.  Do not forget to look at this person occasionally throughout your presentation, as although you may start at one volume your voice may gradually tale off during the talk.

You will need to speak more loudly to an audience that you would normally speak one to one.  The way to increase the volume is by projecting your voice using your diaphragm as opposed to raising your voice, which you would normally do using your neck muscles.  It should not hurt to project your voice unlike shouting.

A word of caution, if you are used to presenting without a microphone you will be used to projecting your voice.  If you are then given a microphone by a conference organiser you do not need to project your voice.  Doing so is likely to deafen your audience, if the sound man is not aware of it in advance.

Presentation Training and Coaching is available from the author of this blog. Please visit my presentation training  website.

Give me a day and I’ll change your presentations, forever

Advertisement