This can also help if you’re feeling a little nervous before giving your seminar. A powerful stance helps you feel more confident in yourself as well.
Smiling is another thing that can help you feel confident about your presentation before you get into it. This is because it releases endorphins that can calm down anxious feelings. Your presentation instantly comes from a very strong place when you start with a big smile, lots of energy, and lots of volume.
For example, if you’re giving a seminar about psychology at a university and you’re up at the front of the classroom with some audience members who are already seated in the front row, you can say something like: “Hi everyone, thanks for coming. Are you all psychology majors?”
This is your chance to get the audience’s attention. If you go on too long about yourself before you even get into the content of your seminar, the people might just tune you out right from the start.
For example, say something like: “Hi everybody, thank you all so much for coming today. My name is Bob Johnson. ” If you have any professional titles, such as “Doctor,” include those when you say your name as well.
For instance, say something like: “I’m with Creative Consulting LLC. ” Or, say something like: “I work in the marine biology department. ”
For example, say something along the lines of: “Our specialty is working with new companies to develop their brand’s identity. ” Another idea is something like: “My specialty is studying local marine life along Washington’s coast. ”
For example, you can say: “I studied public relations and journalism at Washington State University and I’ve worked in marketing for almost 10 years now. ” Or, say: “I’ve taught marine biology 101 and 209 here on campus for the past 8 years, as well as being involved in the research program for the past 5 years. ”
For instance, you could say: “I’m originally from Canada, but I’ve lived in Washington for half my life now. ” Or, say: “When I’m not helping companies with their marketing strategies, I like to go skydiving. ”
For example, say: “In the past decade, we’ve seen a drastic reduction in the native whale populations along Washington’s coast. Today I’m going to compare the current whale activity with that of the 90s, discuss why the population has declined so much, and propose some ways to help the population bounce back over the coming decade. ” It can be good to introduce your seminar topic intro with an attention-grabbing fact. For instance, if your presentation is about homelessness in Seattle, say: “Every night, more than 3,000 people sleep on the streets of Seattle. ” It’s also helpful to take the audience on a little journey into their won experience. You might start off with a statement like “Think back on your happiest childhood memory. . . " or “What was the scariest moment of your life?”
Your whole intro might go a bit like this: “Hi everyone, thanks so much for coming today. My name is Sarah Ramirez and I’m with Red Door Recruiting. My specialty is recruiting for the finance industry. I studied business at USC and I’ve worked in recruitment for 5 years now. Every year, 25,000 students graduate from our state’s universities and start seeking employment. Today, I want to discuss some of the new platforms and technologies we have for finding and connecting with those new professionals. ”
