Nannette,
yes, your own familiarity with the topic & the content are crucial to feeling confident as you speak.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Make sure that when you're practicing the presentation or preparing for it that when there are any questions about it that you yourself have, that you do the leg work to become crystal clear or it through research or someone in the audience will always guaranteed ask.
Fabiola,
this is a great point & in this way we can demonstrate our knowledge as we will be highly prepared.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I whole heartily agree, audible pauses are distracting, annoying and make you sound unsure of yourself. The more prepared you are and the better you know your speech, the fewer audible pauses you will have.
I have been a member of Toastmasters for many years now, and my club focuses on eliminating audible pauses. The Ah Counter at our meetings gently hits a key on a child’s toy piano to alert speakers of any pauses that can be heard by the audience. In addition, it costs 5 cents for each occurrence. This practice helps us become aware of what we are saying the moment we are saying it. When I was a new member, I was astonished every time the piano was struck. I was not aware that I was saying “um.†Even after 10 years, I still say it occasionally, usually when I’m extremely nervous because someone of a higher pay grade (Director of Education) is there to evaluate my performance.
I have noticed that as well from presentations that I have attended. I always thought people used those words to clearly and concisely create an answer to the question that was asked. I can see now how rehearsing and anticipating questions can reduce the use of those fillers.
A lot of people say "um" when they are thinking of what they are going to say next. I think this comes from being unprepared and also lacking confidence. It is always distracting because I find myself noticing the "ums" rather than following what they are saying. I find that having a well-prepared presentation that you are really knowledgeable about helps. Preparation and rehearsal are key.
I find using words such as "All right" or "Lets move on" gives me a chance to gather my next thoughts. It allows me a quick mental break, but without the ums or uhs. Those seem more distracting to the audience.
Edward,
good point & these can also signal transition points to your students/audience
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
