Advanced Presentation Skills: Ad Lib Delivery

Last time, we talked about some of the key things to remember about preparing for Ad Lib speaking.
This month we thought we would give you a few pointers about ad lib delivery techniques.

• Smile – your audience is likely to smile back and relax.
• Start by outlining the structure “ I’d like to talk about three things…..x,y,z”.
• Link each section with phrases such as “This brings me on to my next point….”
• Actively keep your rate of words nice and fast to give it energy and vitality.
• Actively insert pauses and resist the temptation to fill the pauses with “Errs” (hesitation) or
  more words (repetition). If this happens, just stop talking and refocus.
• Unless you are very experienced it is likely that your levels of adrenalin will be higher than
  usual, this is likely to distort your perception of time. What you think is a long pause actually
  isn’t, so you need to exaggerate the pauses. Take your time.
• Less is more.
• Most of all, find a way to enjoy it!

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