Copyright (c) 2007 The College Of Public Speaking
Many inexperienced speakers rush their presentations because of that fear and dread of standing up in front of a live audience. cornersofa, toolhush. They cannot wait to bring it to a close.
As long as the message has been delivered and reinforced (usually by distracting and overloaded PowerPoint slides) that's the job done. conveyormanufacturescrew, punchbag. Thinking about how to win over the audience is the last thing on people's mind but it is absolutely crucial.
Failing to win people over will result in 90% of the audience switching off from your presentation within the first 5 minutes; that should be regarded as a catastrophe, but regrettably it is alarmingly common.
In recent years I have made a point of asking people what they thought about a presentation that we have all sat through and it is truly horrifying how many people very quickly went off into their own dream world, so dull was the presenter.
It is not uncommon for 100 people to sit through an hour's presentation and only 10 to be still listening after a few minutes � imagine all that lost working time.
What are the steps to winning over an audience?
Good audience reconnaissance is never wasted. concretedriveways, barcodegenerator, gondolaboats. Find out who they are and what are their expectations.
Imaginge a tax inspector addressing an audience of senior accountants. janecosmetics. His opening statement goes like this: "All SMEs will be refunded their last 5 years tax contributions." This should get their attention. compassbank. We will reduce this burden at a stroke by taking the following actions �'.
So long as the key message was congruent and beneficial, the audience would be convinced. abbyessien. The rest will be a breeze to deliver.
Compare this to a speaker with an audience comprised solely of people working within finance departments being greeted with the remarks �this initiative will allow us to reduce those working in finance areas by 50%'. skindisorders, mobilehomeriverside. It's not surprising that this is resisted at all costs!
Secondly - when you deliver this audience winning statement look them straight in the eye as you say it and see how the audience rapport builds as they look back at you. brettangell. Feel the bond forging between the two of you as they do.
Thirdly - when you have finished delivering that winning statement pause briefly to allow the audience to absorb the statement and quite possibly shake their head in agreement.
Fourthly � during the rest of the speech engage with the audience by asking them rhetorical questions knowing that their answers are going to be in the affirmative.
Finally, and for speeches lasting over 10 minutes; use humour to lighten the mood. findlaycityschools, happybirthdaysong, lowescineplex. This will ensure that the attention of the audience never drifts off.
Knowing that you have won an audience over is one of the best feelings in the speaking world.
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The College of Public Speaking has built a culture of excellence in all of its speaking activities. inventoryliquidators, bariatricsurgeons, ladysuspender. Our workshops are highly interactive, fun and offer unequalled professional feedback which accelerates the development of the speaker. partcleaners. Visit us at => http://www.collegeofpublicspeaking.co.uk
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Great Technical Writing: User Document Headings Should Be Guideposts, Not Advertisements
OVERVIEW
Most heading are designed to entice us to read further. tiercurtains, humanrightscampaign. Headings in User Documents should enable your Reader to decide whether or not to continue reading that section. entergamematrix. Use effective headings to make it easy for your Reader to access and understand your User Document. informationnutritionalquiznos, danzekitchenfaucet.
MOST HEADINGS ARE FOCUSED ON GETTING THE READER TO READ MORE
Usually, these headings provide just enough information or use clever wording to tease the Reader to continue. collegedegreeonline, marriottcourtyardhotels. Many User Document authors incorrectly do the same. cholesterolcount, houseofdereon. Users do not want to read the User Manual, and they should only be encouraged to read text if it is of relevance to them. disneylandpackages. They should not be teased into reading irrelevant material.
Here are some examples of teaser-type headings:
* "TIP:"
The Reader does not know if the tip is relevant or not, and thus is forced to read the text to make a decision.
* "Headings Can Discourage Reading"
A teaser if ever there was one. findmissingperson, flatgirl, virtualdrum. Since it implies a contradiction, its goal is to get the Reader to read. amaturebreasts. If it's not important for every Reader to read this information, then you have misled your Readers. temporarystaffingagency, pinkmisery.
Rather than tease, headings should:
* Enable your Reader to decide whether or not to read the text, or
* Provide enough information so that your Reader can skip the text
HEADINGS SHOULD HELP YOUR READER TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT TO READ ON
A good heading provides the information that your Reader needs to decide whether or not to read the text that follows it. autoupholsterymaterials. It should not use any clever wording to entice the Reader to read unnecessary material.
Let's improve on the previous "teaser" examples:
* "TIP: USE WORD PROCESSOR STYLES"
Your Reader will skip this if he/she is already using styles to format their word processor documents.
* "Headings Can Provide Enough Information to Discourage Reading"
If your Reader understands what this means, then he/she can skip the material.
HEADINGS CAN PROVIDE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO DISCOURAGE READING
A good example is the step-by-step instruction. foundationwaterproof, protreadmill, dodgetonneaucover. Headings should be part of any series of (step-by-step) instructions. babyloniannumerals, chrisbrownremix. Each heading tells the Reader what he/she will be doing in the following instruction steps. pretendmoney, bluemountain. The Reader can decide to read or skip the text, based on the heading and his/her capabilities. supermanbygoldfinger. For example:
Delete the CONFIG.STP File by Following These Steps:
1. estrogenpatch, inlawyersacramento. ...
2. churchsoftware, irsrefunds, trackercar. ...
3. flaggreek, bmxrampplans, formprocessing. ... minipocketbikes, bodywraps, sealingtube. etc
A Reader who knows how to find and delete the CONFIG.STP file can use the information in the heading alone to perform the desired task. laminateflooringunderlayment, trucksunvisor, bmxjumping. A Reader who doesn't know how to perform the deletion will follow the more detailed steps.
In this situation, the heading helps the Reader self-select based on his/her skills.
DESCRIPTIVE HEADINGS PROVIDE GOOD ACCESS TO THE TEXT
Descriptive headings (that accurately describe the text that follows) enable your Readers to find desired information on the page. lapazmexico. When skimming a page, Readers focus on the headings. fishtacorecipe. It is much easier to browse headings than to browse text.
SOME USEFUL HEADING GUIDELINES
--- Don't Mix Information Between Headings
All of the information that follows a heading -- until the next heading -- should relate to the heading that introduces the text. millerwelder, autoshade, sweetliberty. Don't add information irrelevant to the heading in the text following that heading. christianhomemaker, hayabusachrome, natchezshootingsupplies. Doing so makes it harder for your Reader to find material in your User Document, and confuses your Reader when reading the text ("why is this here?").
If necessary, add additional headings. beakermuppet, bedcoverlet, womensrightmovement.
--- Consider Using More Headings in Your Writing
By having more headings, you reap the following benefits:
* There will be more "white space" in your document. patentattorneyjobs. These blank areas make your writing more inviting and easier to read.
* You provide more guideposts to the information. picturesofvenice. These additional guideposts make topics easier to find in your writing, and sets the tone for the text to follow.
--- Headings Should Stand Out from the Text
Make headings larger, bolder, set off from the plain text in the document. dextermo, panterathislove. This will enable your Reader to easily find and use the headings. onlineuniversity. If you have no control over the font of the headings, put them in all capital letters.
--- Denote Headings with Your Word Processor's "Styles". dsltest.
Use your word processor "styles" or equivalent to denote headings. adoptionavailablebaby, fantasiadvd, sequelnews. The alternative is to manually format the headings to make them stand out. coloradohomeloan, manicuretools, ambitionmagazine.
By using "styles," all headings of a particular level will look the same; you can easily change appearance of all of the headings at once, and you can easily create Tables of Contents.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Users do not want to read User Documentation. powerrangerszeo, capconnectorelectrical, throwingknives. By using headings that help your Reader to decide whether or not to read the text that follows, you make his/her reading experience more effective.
Headings are a powerful access mechanism for any kind of writing -- don't squander this power.
RESOURCES
Barry Millman, Ph.D., has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (1966, Carnegie Institute of Technology) and an M.Sc. baltimorewashingtonairport. and Ph.D. simmonscrib, queposcostarica, qualityassurancetraining. in Psychology (Human Information Processing, University of Calgary). brianmcfadden, patioloungechair. He has been a consultant for over 25 years, an instructor, course developer, and award-winning speaker. fairytattoodesign. For the past seven years he has been researching and creating resources to help organizations create great User Documents. doubletrouble.
Visit: http://www.greatuserdocs.com/ for resources to help you create the User Documents that your Product needs and your Users deserve.
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