Hand Outs for Nicki Davey's session on Making a Good Impression

1. How to Make a Good Impression
Delivered by Nicki Davey, Director
Saltbox Training & Events Ltd
www.salt-box.co.uk
Tel: 01373 837333
info@salt-box.co.uk
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2. Verbal and non-verbal communication
Mehrabian identified that, when talking about things which involve an emotional response:
7% of the message is in the words that are spoken
38% of the message is paralinguistic (the way that the words are said – tone of voice,
volume, speed etc)
55% of the message is in facial expression and body language
Good communication skills are essential for success. While verbal and written
communication skills are important, nonverbal behaviours make up the majority of our
communication. To speak convincingly to a group you need to show that you are ACE:
A.......................................
C.......................................
E.......................................
ACE can be demonstrated through:
Non-verbal communication:
o Body language
o Facial expressions
o Gestures
Examples of ACE non-verbal communication:
Verbal communication:
o What you say
o Tone of voice
Examples of ACE verbal communication:
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3. Tips for communicating
Dress for success
Never dress more casually than your audience, but wear comfortable clothes which you feel
relaxed in. The key is to look current and appropriate for your audience and the occasion.
Wear a minimum of jewellery if you tend to fiddle with it.
Smile
Your audience will tend to mirror your expressions, and the surest and simplest way to
create a rapport with an audience is to smile at them. Practice smiling if necessary.
Stand proudly
Proper posture helps you breathe and project effectively, and serves as a foundation for
effective gesturing. Stand tall, as if to say, “I am confident,” not “I’m melting…, melting…,
melting.” Do not lean on the lectern for support or stand with your hands on your hips.
Plant your feet firmly a shoulders-width apart. If you have a tendency to sway from side to
side or rock back and forth, take a step or two and plant yourself again.
Gesture
Use hand gestures to support your spoken words and express feelings—just like you do
when you’re talking with your friends. If you’re uncertain where to place your hands, one of
the most effective hand positions for speakers is the steeple position, in which the hands
are placed in a position as if you are about to applaud. Stuffing your hands in your pockets
brings the audience’s attention to the wrong part of your anatomy. If gesturing does not
come easily to you while speaking, force at least one gesture into each sentence during your
practice sessions.
Make eye contact
Strong eye contact bonds you to your audience and makes your presentation more personal
and believable. Start and finish your presentation without referring to your notes. When
referring to your notes: Pause, glance at your notes, then look back up to speak—do not
speak to your notes!
Put some fire in your voice
Many presenters who are labelled “boring” could easily lose that title by developing a more
dynamic speaking voice. If you tend to speak in a monotone, practice your speech out loud
several times into a tape recorder. Play with the variety in your voice – speak loud at times,
soft at others. Try speaking fast and then slow. The variety is what will keep listeners
attentive. Also, by moving your hands and gesturing, you’ll find that your voice becomes
more expressive.
Speak with ENTHUSIASM!
You cannot expect listeners to be enthusiastic about your ideas when you sound indifferent.
It’s essential that you convey your enthusiasm.
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4. Avoiding “Ums”, “Ahs”, and “You Knows”
Here are some proven ways to help you get rid of those annoying "filler" words:
Practice your presentations out loud.
The more familiar you are with the thoughts you wish to
express, the less likely you will need to search for the "right"
words when you're up before a group.
Try to catch the start of "um" and "ah" (you can feel it
formulating in your vocal cords).
Then replace it with a pause. Count silently "one, two" while
saying nothing to your audience. This takes practice, but will be
Record your practice
much appreciated by listeners.
and real presentations.
Many people are
unaware how often
they use these annoying
fillers. You may be Get a “presentation buddy.”
surprised. Ask this person to sit in on your
presentations and provide you an agreed
upon silent signal if you start using the
fillers. For example, she could raise a
couple fingers near her mouth to remind
you to monitor your word choice.
Keep a glass of
water handy.
Sip it in between
key ideas. This will Increase your eye contact.
force you to pause Most "ums" and "ahs" come when we are
and not utter a looking away from people. Practice looking
filler word. into people's eyes more directly and you'll
find it difficult to utter those filler word.
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5. Vocal Projection and Tone
Whether you are speaking at a packed lecture hall or presenting to a small team meeting,
effective voice projection is essential if you want people to hear you clearly and take you
seriously as a speaker.
Effective voice projection depends on a combination of three key areas:
 Breathing technique
 Resonance
 Pitch
There are plenty of exercises to develop all of these areas, but here are a few which, if
practiced regularly, will really make a difference to the way your voice sounds and travels:
You’ll be heard at the back of a busy room without resorting to shouting.
Breathing technique
Good voice projection requires efficient working of the
lungs, intercostal muscles and diaphragm. The
diaphragm is an umbrella shaped muscle which helps
push air out of the lungs. The diaphragm should move
down and push the belly out when breathing in, and
move up, pushing air out of the lungs and pulling the
belly in when you breathe out.
Place on hand on your belly (below the ribcage, over your belly button) and one hand on
your back. Breathe in slowly, and feel the gap between your hands get wider as your belly
moves outward. Take a few deep breaths in and out and feel the hand on your belly moving
out and in as you do so. Now place your hands, with fingertips touching, across your belly,
just below the ribcage. Breathe in and feel your belly move out, then breathe out making a
hard, quick “Huh” sound – you should feel your belly contract as the sound comes out.
Repeat several times. Practice this abdominal breathing regularly so that it becomes normal
and natural (in the car, watching TV – anywhere). Then try making different sounds. Hear
how much stronger and clearer the voice is, and how much more it projects when you
breathe abdominally.
Abdominal breathing also improves our physical and mental health by detoxifying inner
organs, promoting blood flow and digestion, increasing oxygen supply to the brain and
muscles, as well as improving concentration and reducing stress.
Resonance
Resonators are the 'speakers' in your head. Your voice originates at your vocal cords and
then resonates through your chest, throat, and head as it comes out of your mouth. When
people have a cold and their sinuses are blocked, their voice doesn’t resonate well and they
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6. sound odd. To improve vocal tone, one must "open up" the chest, throat, and head cavities
to allow the voice to resonate.
Hold your nose and say “Many mighty men making much money in the moonshine” with
as much force as possible. Then immediately let go of your nose and say the same phrase.
You will immediately hear the difference in the force of your vocal sound.
Humming is another way of improving resonance: Hum at a comfortable pitch, then move
the pitch slightly lower and pay attention to how your chest feels. Continue humming until
you can feel the vibration in your chest – try to increase the vibration in your chest. Then
move the pitch slightly higher and pay attention to how your head feels. Let your mouth
open gently. Hum until you feel the vibration in your tongue and lips, behind and above
your mouth. Then continue humming, attempting to increase the vibrations in your mouth,
tongue and lips. Finally, return to your chest again. Repeat the whole exercise, but always
ensure you end with your chest in order to develop a full, luscious sound.
Note: Remember to breathe frequently, and stop if you get light headed.
Pitch
Everyone has an optimum pitch (which is usually lower than their normal speaking voice). To
find your optimum pitch, place your hand on your chest, at heart level. Breathe with your
diaphragm (see above) and say a long “Oooooooh” starting with a high pitch and swooping
down to the lowest pitch you have and then up again. Pay attention to the vibration on your
chest - there will be a specific pitch level in which you feel more vibration than the others.
This is your optimum pitch - the more vibration you can achieve the better. Practice
speaking at or around this pitch (but NOT on a monotone!)
Centring
Remember :
Breathing (into your abdomen)
Balance (be aware of the energy all around you, not just in front of you)
Gravity (Root yourself in the ground, let your centre of gravity drop)
Quality (identify one aspect where you will increase the quality by 10%)
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7. MAKING FRIENDS WITH YOUR NERVES
Being nervous is natural – it means you care about giving a good presentation. Your
nervousness produces adrenaline which helps you think faster, speak more fluently, and
add the needed enthusiasm to convey your message. Know that you can be nervous and
still do a great job. Learn to make friends with your nerves – don’t try to fight them. Here
are some tips:
1. Accept that nervousness is normal
It feels worse to you than it looks to others.
2. Be properly prepared
Nothing can beat good preparation, knowing your material, and rehearsing to make you
feel confident
3. Identify your own symptoms then do it on purpose
but over-exaggerate it until that part of your body is worn out (eg knocking knees or
shallow breathing)
4. Make sure you are properly hydrated
Start drinking water about 3-4 hours before. If your mouth is dry, take a sip of water and
make sure you moisten your lips and between gums and cheeks as well. Massage your
face to stimulate the salivary glands
5. Disrupt your normal movement patterns
(eg by walking on heels) to interrupt the body’s function and reduce nervous symptoms
6. Move around whilst presenting
Deliberate, steady movement helps to maintain people’s attention but can help to hide
your wobbly legs etc. Take care not to sway, rock or fidget, or distract people by moving
too quickly.
6. Balance your breathing
Breathe out fully, expelling stale air, then breathe in through the nose to balance
breathing. Take time to get breathing even.
7. Don’t look directly at people’s faces
Although eye contact is really important, if looking directly at people makes you too
nervous, you can give the impression that you are looking at people by looking just over
people’s heads.
8. Test out the space
Arrive early and practice speaking in the space beforehand. Get a feel for the room and
make yourself “at home” in it.
9. Massage your palms
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8. The brain function for the palms is next to the one for speech/mouth and will therefore
relax your vocal chords etc.
10. Be Yourself
You will be much more nervous if you try to be something or someone you aren’t. If
you aren’t a natural joker, don’t feel you have to make people laugh. If your vocabulary
is simple and straightforward don’t feel you have to use complex language.
11. Don’t try to be perfect.
The fear of public speaking often stems from a fear of imperfection. Accept the
fact that no one ever gets it perfect and neither will you. You do not have to become
Super Speaker, never saying “er” or “uh,” and never losing your train of thought
12. Visualise your success.
Close your eyes and picture yourself delivering your talk with confidence and
enthusiasm. What does the room look like? What do the people look like? How do you
look? Picture your successful presentation in detail and allow your mind to help turn
your picture into a reality.
13. Arrive early and greet people as they arrive
As well as giving you time to rehearse a few times, you can make a point of greeting
people as they arrive. Introduce yourself to strangers and turn them into new friends.
It’s much easier to address a group of supportive friends.
14. Don’t tell others that you are nervous.
This has a way of feeding stage fright. Smile big and act as if you are confident. Your
audience will mirror your body language and soon your act will be replaced with the
actual feelings of confidence.
15. Avoid caffeinated and alcoholic drinks.
Caffeinated drinks increase your heart rate and can make your hands shake and give
you the appearance of nervousness. Attempting to drown your fear in alcohol can cause
you to forget things, be inappropriately spontaneous and slur your words.
It's all right to have butterflies in your stomach. Just get them to
fly in formation.
Rob Gilbert
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