Effective Speaking Skills Talk For NXP Semiconductors Singapore
Living in a world where we are constantly surrounded by people, it does not matter if we like to give ours a good impression or not. We have to! After knowing how to impress using our clothes, the next step is to impress through giving a solid presentation each and every time. Think of the presentation as our own sales pitch selling our own brand.
So if it’s the Lionel brand, then it’s all about Lionel and what he does, whether it is conducting grooming workshops, teaching fitness trainings or transforming lives of others in one way or another. If it’s your own brand, how would you want to brand yourself?
This in essence summed up what I shared with the 8 participants in the “Effective Speaking Skills” talk today at NXP Semiconductors Singapore. Unknown to many, NXP Semiconductors Singapore is actually a subsidiary of Philips Singapore. Nestled in the Toa Payoh estate, NXP Semiconductors Singapore is like a quiet sanctuary of its own, thanks to the sheltered overhead bridges linking all four buildings together, overseeing the busy roads below.
I teach grooming and fitness as not only are they my passion, but they are also what I excel at. So what do you excel at?
When you excel at something, you are either naturally good at it because it is an innate talent of yours. Otherwise you are good at it because it is something you are schooled through the years – think either through the years in school or work.
I loved it when one female participant shared that one of her natural talents was sleeping. So she could talk on and on, all about the benefits of sleeping. Although many in the audience laughed, but we have to give her credit for sharing. She hit the nail on the head. To deliver an effective presentation, one must always choose something of direct relevance to one’s career or passion. If you ask me to speak on sewing, I would definitely feel like a fish out of water. Worse, I would come across as 100% unauthentic and unconvincing. In her case, because she loves sleeping, the enthusiasm and sheer amount of information that she can share will be voluminous. She will speak with confidence. Excellent!
Secondly, to sustain interest in a presentation, one should not attempt to cram too much information in it. The human brain is not designed to cope with more information. So when information overload kicks in, we automatically switch off. My advice is to keep it to a maximum of three points. Go beyond the magical number of three and watch the interest of the audience wane off and worse, others doze off!
And to put what I preach into practice, my last point would be practise, practise, practise! No respectable speaker or trainer gives a talk without rehearsing and polishing it until the speech shines. Every word chosen, every exercise developed, every pause dramatically designed has been beta-tested finite times. If they do so, all the more you should too!
Wanting to equip yourself with great oratorical skills is not difficult. All you need to do is to truly understand what makes you rock and capitalise on that! If you need help on this, then speak to me 🙂