Developing Poise
One important quality of effective presentations is developing the quality of poise. Poise is not something we mention in our everyday language…
When you meet someone for the first time, you don’t think to yourself, “Wow, this person is really nice…and they are so poised” No, we don’t do that do we?
So, what is poise?
We’ll let’s think of an example where a person tends to lack poise…
For Example:
Have you ever seem a live act like a magician (volunteers on stage…they look uncomfortable, they fidget with there watch, or buttons or collar, there hands are in and out of their pockets) etc. They are all physical symptoms of a person who lacks poise.
What about Vocal Symptoms?
Whenever you watch a football game. (Wherever you are in the world – gridiron or in my case in Australia…it’s Rugby League) At the end of a football match and the commentator is on the field interviewing a football player? (“AWW Yeah…passed in ball…yeah) They can barely string a sentence together.
Now, those a extreme examples, but when we deliver a presentation, a lack of poise can create a distraction…so much so that it’s take away from the message we are trying to impart to others.
See, if we are buttoning and unbuttoning our jacket, or slouching, or frequently moistening ones lips, clutching the speakers stand, playing with a ring or fidgeting through our notes or being so fidgety or swaying from side to side, so much so that people think you’ve being drinking, then the message gets a little distorted.
What can help us develop poise?
We’ll the first part is settle those nerves before walking onto the platform. Easy said than done? But in another lesson, I’ll teach you some effective techniques on how to do this.
Here’s 3 Steps to Acquiring Poise when you Speak
1. Prepare Well – In this program there is a host of ways to do this. Because you don’t prepare, your delivery will be jerky and jumping, rather then smooth and even.
2. Practice your Delivery Aloud – When you practice aloud it gives you confidence that you can put your thoughts into words. It also builds your memory patterns that can be activated when you deliver your presentation.
3. Identify Your Symptoms – If you have some of the symptoms we spoke about, such as clasping your hands or fidgeting or playing with your glasses. Sometimes you don’t even know your doing it, so have a close friend tell you what you do, and work hard to eradicate it.
If your symptom is vocal, then record your presentation using a digital recorder, such as an ipod and listen back…that takes courage to do, but it’s worth the effort. Remember to take a few deep breaths. Use that deep diaphragmic breathing.
So start now by using poise in your daily interactions with people. We can learn to control our speech with the appropriate feeling and this will help your present on a subject that you a passionate about.
