Sparkling or Flat?
This is a truncated version of a presentation I delivered to the Fundraising Executives of Metro Louisville on December 14, 2009.
How do you turn a paint-by-numbers presentation into a masterpiece? You have many tools at your disposal; today we’ll turn our attention to just one of them.
Your words!
You could choose words that are mundane and banal. Or you can choose words that sizzle, crackle and whistle. Selecting words and them employing them effectively can make or break a presentation. Let’s talk about some ways to have a sparkling presentation by making interesting words choices and then using those words as dynamically as possible.
Sparkling or Flat?
1. Be Specific. Details help create a sparkling presentation. The more accurately you are able to describe an event or tell a story, the more captivating the story is, the more you are able to bring your listener in and the more effective you presentation will be. Think like a writer. Set the scene. Find ways to evoke vivid images.
Flat: She wore a red coat.
Sparkling: She was wrapped in a burgundy peacoat.
2. Spice it up! Use interesting words. Expand your vocabulary. Now, I don’t want you to throw a thesaurus at your audience, but peppering your speaking with strong verbs, adjectives and adverbs can really pump up the volume on what might be an otherwise pedestrian speech.
Flat: Great, nice, pretty, enjoy, cute, awesome, cool, try
Sparkling: Winsome, engaged, pert, pesky, awe-inspiring, frigid, zest, endeavor, luxurious
3, Savor the words! Even sparkling words land flat if they are not delivered with some zest and energy. Put some effort into your speaking and ordinary words gain some luster. Savor the words as say them; use all the different textures and edges of the word. Some words have sharp edges (crackle, crisp, pop), other words are soft (juicy, hallowed, spacious). As you prepare for your presentation, experiment with the words.
Sparkling: Luxuriate in the textures; the friction of /v/ or /z/, the pop of /p/ and /b/ or the drumbeat of the /dl/ and /bd/ letter combinations. The letters of the alphabet are an orchestra of sound. It is up to you to compose a symphony!
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