Monotony should be on the FBI's most wanted list. It has killed more presentations than any of the deadly distractions. Everyone, not just those trained to perform critiques of speeches, picks up on monotony in a presentation.
You don't find any best-selling songs that use only one note, do you? Nor do you find great one-note presentations. However, monotony is not just speaking in a monotone - that is using just that single note. It is a lack of variety in every element of your presentation.
The antithesis of monotony is variety. You can add heat, color, excitement, emotion and expressiveness by bringing variety to your presentations.
First, let's talk about the vocal elements.
You should vary the notes, the sound level, and the flow of your words. Vary between a whisper and a shout. Speak slowly, then more rapidly. Use your voice to work up and down the register. Take advantage of silence, too. Use precise diction to underline a point. Change your voice to fit your content. Paint a picture by emphasizing certain words. Use your voice to be unpredictable. Keep the audience a little off guard and they will stay with you to the end.
Face has its place in fighting monotony. If you are practicing vocal variety, a deadpan face causes dissonance. Your face should match the content of your presentation, as well as the vocal qualities you are employing. Happy? Then, smile! Thoughtful? Show it.
Make eye contact with various audience members. Picking one person to stare at is just wrong. It makes everyone uncomfortable.
Movement and gestures also add variety. Now, we don't want you to pace and wander all over the stage, but it is OK to step out from behind the lectern. Move toward or away from the audience to make a point.
Use your hands to punctuate a point. Make a fist. Sweep the room with your arm to draw in your audience. Point. But with gestures - as with everything else - make sure they have a point and fit into the context of what you are saying.
Remember monotony kills. Variety can bring even a dead audience back to life.
Ty Boyd, CEO of Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, is in the Broadcast Hall of Fame and the Speakers Hall of Fame. He has taught presentation skills to Fortune 1000 executives in more than 40 countries. His Excellence In Speaking Institute celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2005.
5 Tips on Turning a Negative into a Positive The hardest thing for some people to do is to STOP thinking, speaking and being negative. What about you? Think you are a positive person? Well, think again. He...
Six Crucial Insurance Claim Possibilities There are DOZENS of insurance claim possibilities which will increase the dollars awarded you in the settlement of your personal injury insurance claim. Some of...
Ultra Compact Digital Cameras The ultra compact digital camera is a favorite for the photographer on the go. These cameras fit conveniently in a pocket or purse. While they are small in size...
Benefits of A Compact Elliptical Machine With the fitness craze that is going on across the world today, the elliptical trainer is becoming very popular more popular in the average household today. In ...
Junior Golf Is Becoming More Competitive…Why? How do you get the edge when you're playing junior golf? To keep up with the top junior golfer's means getting stronger both physically and mentally; and almost...
Some Different Tips For Boosting Metabolism The web is full of tips for boosting metabolism. Did you know that a slow metabolism resulting in the opposite of weight loss might be caused by lack of sleep? ...
7 Questions to Ask Before You Advertise If you're going to advertise, you need to be smart about it -- or you can quickly find yourself with a blown budget and not much to show for it. Below are seven...
What Makes Leather Handbags So Special? Leather is a very prestigious, rich looking material that has been used to create some of the finest designer handbags on the face of the earth. Many handbag de...
Will Yoga Help You Lose Weight? You seek out a more peaceful, happy, meaningful and calm life by looking at yoga and meditation. But, could it be that yoga helps you lose weight?
Visualization For Self Healing Visualization and guided imagery are two of the most
powerful healing powers of your mind. All you need
to do is use your imagination for some astonishing
resul...
A Different Perspective On The No-Call List If there is one marketing perspective that is more universal than hatred for the no-call list, it is that in order to be successful in the world of marketing, y...
Tax Reform, My Way We need real tax reform and we need it now. Previous attempts have been made at tax reform, but they have only provided band-aid solutions that have still left ...
The Top 10 Steps to Extraordinary Personal Wealth I recently came across startling figures about the average American's finances. Only 4% of us have significant savings when we hit age 65, and a majority of Am...
What are Glyconutrients? Simply stated, the Greek word glyco refers to "sweet." Hence, a glyconutrient is a biochemical that contains a sugar molecule. The prefix "glyco" can be placed ...
Article Marketing: Danger Signs Not all article directories are worthy of receiving your high quality articles. Matt shares his standards in selecting which types of directories receive his ar...
Starting Seeds for Your Garden Indoors In much of the United States, the only way to take advantage of a full growing season is to start your plants from seeds indoors. This article discusses the req...
CSS - Maximum Benefits What is CSS? CSS is a simple file which controls the visual appearance of a Web page without compromising its structure. Using CSS we can control our font size...
Smart Phones – Are They Really A Smart Decision First, there was the standard land line phone system; then came the cell phone - a convenient little portable item that everyone adopted a "must have" attitude ...
Print this page