Permission is given to reprint the following articles, provided that the following contact information is provided in its entirety. 

© by Bonnie Budzowski, President of InCredible Messages, LP. 
Visit  www.IncredibleMessages.com or contact Bonnie at info@IncredibleMessages.com. 

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Use a Seven-Second Rule for Presentations

By Bonnie Budzowski
President, InCredible Messages, LP

On television, images change approximately every 7 seconds. Yet, in organizational settings and conference presentations, we expect audience members to watch the stationery body of a presenter, speaking from behind a podium, for long periods of time. What an incredible disconnect!

To be effective as a speaker, you have to recognize that our culture is increasing fast-paced and increasingly visual. Here are some tips to build changes into your next presentation:

• Give up the podium. It’s okay to use the podium as a home base. Just don’t plant yourself there! Plan times to move. For example, move away from the podium when you make a key point, or when you ask for audience participation.
• Add vocal and visual changes. Tell a story to illustrate a point. Use photographs and dramatic graphs in your PointPoint. Raise the volume of your voice to emphasize a point. Try a stage whisper to draw the audience into a little-known fact.
• Use natural gestures. Use the gestures that come naturally in conversations. These include suggestive gestures like shaking your head and demonstrative gestures like showing the height of an object.

It’s hard to compete with a change every 7 seconds. Unfortunately, this is what your audience members have come to expect, even if they don’t realize it. Build changes into the content and the delivery of your next presentation. You’ll be rewarded with a more engaged and attentive audience.
 

Permission is granted to reprint this article when the following contact information is included: © 2011 by Bonnie Budzowski, President of InCredible Messages, LP. For more free articles, go to www.IncredibleMessages.com or contact Bonnie at info@IncredibleMessages.com.

When it’s time to create “killer content” in a book or speech that establishes credibility and boosts your revenue, Bonnie Budzowski is the perfect resource.  An expert in communication, Bonnie specializes in coaching authors and speakers to organize & express thoughts in ways that capture attention, sell their ideas, and move people to action.  Bonnie helps her clients build content with less time and angst than they dream possible. 

Bonnie Budzowski is Founder of inCredible Messages, Past President of the National Speakers Association, Pittsburgh Chapter, and Past Managing Editor of Speaker Magazine.

If you’d like to sell your ideas, boost your influence, or advance your career through a book or presentation, call Bonnie at 412-828-1629, bonnie@inCredibleMessages.com or visit her website at www.inCredibleMessages.com. 

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