Association professionals are often called upon to speak publicly, whether at board meetings, conferences, or staff gatherings. For first-timers and introverts, that prospect can be terrifying.

If you're among the many professionals who find public speaking difficult, the good news is that there are many strategies you can use to put yourself at ease, engage your audience, and meet the objectives of your next presentation.

Physical and Vocal Demeanor

Your visual impression speaks volumes about you before you say a word. So "take stage" the way actors do to project a sense of purpose and belonging.

Whether you are seated or standing, begin speaking with both feet planted firmly on the floor, and imagine that your legs are tree trunks and your feet are roots extending deep into the ground. This initial "grounding" helps you claim the space as your own and gives weight to your subsequent movements.

Keep your hands and arms open and available for natural gestures—not in your pockets, clasped together, or behind you. And never rehearse gestures. Allow them to be the organic result of your focus on your listeners and their needs.

Build trust within your audience by projecting warmth and a spirit of caring. You can do this with an acting technique called "endowment."

You can feel and look confident and engage your listeners by improving the pace and pitch of your voice. Here are four guidelines:

• When you begin, speak slowly.


• As you continue, you can increase your pace.


• When you come to points that are the most important, pause before you deliver, then slow down as you speak for emphasis.


• When you come to less important material, you can increase your pace.

Take some meaningful pauses at unpredictable moments to grab the listener's attention.

Your pitch should vary too. Remember that a rising pitch at the end of a statement communicates the question, "Do you understand me?" or "Do you agree with me?" This voice inflection can project a lack of confidence. To show confidence and authority, end your statements with a pitch glide downward.

The Endowment Technique

Build trust within your audience by projecting warmth and a spirit of caring. You can do this with an acting technique called "endowment." It involves a rehearsal process in which you "endow" your listeners with qualities that help you treat them in a manner that builds trust:

• Step 1: Think of a person in your life in whose presence you feel cared for, trusted, respected, and admired.


• Step 2: Use the power of imagination before you begin rehearsing aloud. Choose a spot on the wall to place your focus. In your mind's eye, "see" that person in front of you. Take time to become flooded with positive feelings that you have about this individual.


• Step 3: As you speak the words aloud, imagine that the person is right there with you, and speak as if you were talking directly to him or her.

The more you rehearse with the endowment technique, the easier it will be for you to project a spirit of caring and build trust.

Tips for Presentation Slides

To command attention and keep listeners engaged, use presentation slides that are audience-friendly. Apply the 10-20-30 rule: Have no more than 10 slides for every 20 minutes that you speak. Text printed on slides should be no smaller than 30-point font.

Most of the slides in your deck should be image slides. Be sure that your final slide is an image slide, one that will illustrate your final call to action or closing remark.

Your deck should include far fewer slides with words. One idea or point per slide is usually best. Use a maximum of five bullets per slide and a maximum of five words per bullet point.

If you will be rotating the slides as you speak, situate the laptop downstage of your body (closer to the audience), and a bit to your left or right. This allows you to maintain as much eye contact as possible while you are using the keypad and gives the audience the fullest view of you.

Never read aloud from your slides. Instead, briefly pass your eyes over each slide before you speak. Then, turn to your audience and pause so that you make good eye contact before you begin speaking.

Finally, place black slides into the deck at spots where you plan to move closer to the audience for dramatic effect, and allow the screen to go completely dark when you want your audience to focus on you.

When you apply these strategies, you'll start making business presentations like a seasoned speaker.