Voice
It is believed that only people with a certain type of voice can be heard or understood. The truth
is, though, that we all can do something with what we’ve got, by paying attention to the
following aspects: volume, pitch, rhythm and tempo, and timbre (Total Communicator, 2004).
● Volume can fluctuate to avoid a monotonous tone and to highlight important parts of
your speech. Increase volume a little when introducing a new idea and decrease
volume when closing an idea or thought. And keep in mind: everyone should always
be able to hear you.
● Pitch, the frequency of the sound waves you produce should be refined. It is about
the high or low notes you hit with your voice. Establish and reinforce your message
with these variations. For example, questions should end on a higher note whereas
affirmations should end on a slightly lower one.
● Rhythm is used to carry meaning as it is the pattern of the sounds you produce.
Tempo, on the other hand, is the pace of your voice: how slow or fast you speak.
Slow down when you want to emphasize and quicken to show emotion or humor.
Also, a good pause can help improve the understanding of complex ideas, or when
you’re changing subjects.
● Finally, timbre is the emotional quality of your voice; how you reflect your attitude to
enhance meaning or express emotion.
F. Arousing Presentations
Sometimes the best way to make people care or notice about a certain situation or problem is to
show it to them directly. In this type of presentation you are managing emotions in order to
make the audience more open and receptive to the topic. Two words are key here: sincerity
and enthusiasm. You can follow the next ideas for this type of presentation:
● Start with a story that illustrates the problem (exaggerate it if necessary)
● Show the need to solve the problem
● Describe how providing this need is of benefit
● Describe your solution and how it can satisfy the problem
● Compare the unsolved problem with the solution
● Make a call for action letting everyone know how they can contribute
● Directives should be clear, easy and above all, immediate
G. Decision-Making Presentations
As you can see, presentations are usually a call for action, and decision-making ones are meant
specifically to move people in the right direction, the one you want them to follow. It has to
present ideas, suggestions and strong arguments to persuade people to do what you are asking
them to do. Here you tell the audience what to do and how to do it. The steps to follow are very
similar to the ones used in the arousal of a problem:
● Present a story that illustrates the problem
● Show the need to solve the problem
● Describe how providing this need is of benefit
● Describe your solution and how it can satisfy the problem
● Make a comparison of the two situations, solved and unresolved
● Make a call for action letting everyone know how they can contribute
A. Presentation structure
As we stated before, presentations need to be direct and logical. Always try to avoid complex
structures and focus on explaining and discussing your contents directly. An ideal structure for a
presentation includes elements we already reviewed:
● An introduction that is welcoming and informative
● A series of main points that are coherent and presented in a logical sequence
● A conclusion that is well articulated and established
B. Introduction
Here we explain the content and purpose of our presentation. This is a crucial part of your
speech because you are trying to gain the audience’s attention and trust. Key elements are:
● A positive start: “Good evening, my name is John Smith and…”
● What will be discussed: “Today we are going to learn…”
● The treatment to be applied to the topic (compare, contrast, evaluate, describe…):
“We’ll be evaluating the second law of…”
● Expected results: “This will lead us see that…”
● What you’re expecting them to do (when to ask questions or not, to take notes,
pictures and so on): “All the slides are available on my blog, but feel free to interrupt
if you have any questions or opinions…”
Remember to be confident, energetic and enthusiastic. It is a good idea to give the audience
time to settle down and be quiet before starting. Keep in mind what we’ve discussed
