The Four Ps of Presentation Perfection

By James A. Baker
Founder, Baker Communications

First, there is Projection. This refers to a breathing process that focuses on using your diaphragm– a membranous muscle group that is located below your lungs – to boost the power of your voice. If you have never been aware of your diaphragm before now, here is a trick to try. Lie down on the floor and place a couple of heavy books on your abdomen. Just relax and breathe normally, but keep your eye on those books. You will notice that every time you breathe in, your abdomen pushes the books up. This is the action of your diaphragm as it works to make room for your lungs to expand as they take in air. The same thing happens when we are standing up; we just don’t notice it as much. The process of projection involves consciously pushing out, or expanding your diaphragm area with your stomach muscles when you breathe in, and then continuing to "push out" with those muscles as you talk. This allows you to take in more air when you breathe, and to move it out more forcefully while you are talking. As a result, your voice will be stronger, clearer, more confident, and more easily heard even at the back of a large room. It also saves wear and tear on your vocal chords, because the air is doing more of the work and taking stress off of the muscles in your throat. Practice by lying down on the floor, putting those books back on your stomach, and belting out a series of hearty "ho-ho-hos," in your best Santa Claus voice. You should notice the difference immediately.

After projection comes Pace. This has to do with the speed at which you deliver each sentence, and sometimes even each word - in - a - sentence. See how that works? Slowing down your words creates interest by generating a dramatic effect. Also, speeding-up-as-you-move-into-an-important-point-can-create-EXCITEMENT! Varying your pace keeps you from lapsing into a sing-song monotone that can actually have a hypnotic effect on people and put them to sleep. By varying the pace and rhythm, you can ensure that people will keep stay focused on your message and keep up with what you are trying to communicate.

It just comes naturally to also change Pitch when you vary speeds. That’s the third P – Pitch. A pitch can be a note on a musical scale, but it can also refer to the relative "highness" or "lowness" of your voice. It is natural for your voice to grow softer and lower when you are speaking slowly to emphasize an important point. It is also natural for your voice to get louder and to also rise in pitch when you are speaking quickly about something that is exciting. Changing pitch levels can alter the emotional mood of your message, and have people sitting on the edge of their seats.

But, talk about having people on the edge of their seats, nothing works better than the final P which is ?(dramatic silence here)?.?? Pause. A dramatic pause at just the right moment in a sentence holds an almost magnetic attraction for audiences. That’s the way it is supposed to work. A pause creates instant interest, and it will have your audience holding their breath and listening intently for just a second while you make your most important points.

The thing to remember about each of the four Ps is that they must flow in a natural rhythm with your message. People will get tired of being jerked around and manipulated by start and stop, up and down, loud and soft, unless these changes come at times and in ways that make sense with your message. If you use these vocal techniques wisely and effectively, you will have your audience’s attention for a much longer period and they will remember more of what you said.

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September Presentation Quick Tip of the Month – Visual Aid Delivery Systems

Once you have settled on key content points for your presentation, you still have to determine the best visual medium for reinforcing your spoken message. To accomplish this, you need to ask yourself three questions: What size will my audience be, and how will a visual aid help support the point I am trying to make? Once you answer those two questions, you can then answer the last question, which is, "What visual aid method will work best in this setting?" When choosing the medium to visually emphasize your important ideas, keep in mind that PowerPoint slides, overheads and films or videos and DVDs displayed through large screen projection system work best for audiences of 40 and larger. For smaller audiences, overhead projector transparencies, videos or DVDs played on a television, PowerPoint slides with an LCD or DLP projector, and flip charts are the way to go.