5 Simple Steps to Becoming a Better Presenter and Public Speaker

Whether you’re presenting to a board, soliciting a major donor, or working with the media, public speaking is an important part of nonprofit work.

Stacy Armijo, senior vice president at the Texas firm Pierpont Communication, works with clients to prepare them to represent their organizations. Through her experience and a survey of her clients, she’s seen a few simple areas where people can often improve.

She shared those lessons with participants at the 2015 American Marketing Association Nonprofit Marketing Conference in Washington.

1. Know what you want and define it specifically.

Too often presenters don’t know what they want from the listeners. So instead of asking for something concrete, like a donation, budget for a project, or suggestions on how to raise awareness about the group’s mission, speakers ask for general feedback by saying something like “What do you think?”

“We have to be more effective at structuring how we are getting feedback from people,” says Ms. Armijo.

In situations where you want to start a discussion or get approval, such as a presentation to your board, ask pointed questions about what you need most from the audience. Avoid general questions like “What do you think?” and instead focus on the elements of the project where you’d like input from the group. And always do what you can to make it easy for your audience to ultimately say “yes” to your proposal.

2. Know your audience.

For all of the talk of “targeting and segmenting” in communications and marketing, those ideas are often forgotten in face-to-face presentations.

Before you present, think about your listeners and how they “win” — that is, the benefits of your message or pitch, says Ms. Armijo.

Use that idea as the focal point of your presentation, she says.

3. Find your “comfort phrase.”

The intersection between what you want and how your audience benefits is where you find this phrase.

“That’s where you start,” Ms. Armijo says.

The phrase is something that is always true, broadly relevant, and directly tied to your mission, Ms. Armijo says.

For example, a comfort phrase in a presentation for the nonprofit World Vision could be, “At World Vision, our sponsorships are designed to break the cycle of poverty.”

The phrase is helpful because it gives you a point you can come back to — something to say to fill a small gap in time, refocus yourself during a presentation, and reinforce your message at the beginning or end of a statement.

4. Eliminate distractions, especially for yourself as a presenter.

This is especially true when it comes to physical comfort. Make sure you won’t be adjusting your clothes throughout the presentation and that you’ve accounted for any microphone packs you may need to wear. The audience will pick up if you are uncomfortable, and watching someone who is uncomfortable often makes listeners feel the same way, meaning they are paying less attention to your message.

Also avoid any habits you know could be distracting to the audience. For example, if you have a tendency to click ballpoint pens, like Ms. Armijo says she does, don’t hold one during your presentation.

5. Use body language to present a confident presence.

That doesn’t necessarily mean adopting any “power stance,” though — just do what feels most natural and powerful to you.

“The best presenters I know don’t follow formulas,” says Ms. Armijo.

Most importantly, she says, you have to believe that you deserve the attention of the room.

Send an e-mail to Cody Switzer.