Last time we talked about keeping your audience from falling asleep during your presentation. Now well start to discuss ways to make you memorable. As a professional speaker, Ive learned that while most audiences want you to succeed, you will lose them if youre not properly prepared. .

Start and Finish Strong: As a broadcaster, I only had about 10 to 15 seconds to grab the viewers attention or theyd change the channel. While your audience wont have a remote control, theyll tune you out if youre not holding their attention and capturing their curiosity. Studies have found that you can only focus on a presentation for about eight minutes before your mind will wander. If youre talking longer than that, you need to make sure that your conclusion sums up the main points of your presentation. If its good information, theres nothing wrong with saying it twice.

In order to start and finish strong, you need to spend extra time rehearing your opening and closing and really have it down cold. Your first and last impression will stay with the audience so make it count. Its also a great way to get rid of any pre-speech nerves.

Believe in What Youre Saying: Enthusiasm feeds an audiences interest. Never treat a topic as if its not the most interesting thing in the world. Dont fake excitement but rather show that you like what youre talking about. Remember as a child how youd light up when youd tell your parents about an exciting part of your day? If you can make the ordinary interesting, youre on your way to being memorable.

So Make the Ordinary Interesting: How many times have you heard the pre-flight safety messages from a flight attendant? I bet most of the time, you blocked it out. But every once in a while the flight attendant might throw in a joke or a funny observation and suddenly youre listening.

Think about your material. Is there a shared experience that everyone can relate to like oversleeping your alarm clock, losing your keys, or finding less than a cup of coffee left in the office coffeemaker when you need some serious caffeine? Your audience can immediately identify with those situations. Your challenge is to relate it to your topic. This will play a key role in letting the crowd know why they should care about what youre saying.

Ken Okel is a communications expert who uses real life broadcasting experiences to help successful organizations communicate better, reduce stress, and laugh more. For his free newsletter and special report, 7 Communication Mistakes that are Costing You Money, go to http://www.kenokel.com

And to see video of Ken presenting the FAMOUS POLICE DOG ATTACK STORY go to http://www.kenokel.com/video.html

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