Weds 22nd January 2025
Standing up in front of people and attempting to get your message across to them in a clear and engaging way is an intimidating thought for most people, whether the audience is many thousands, or simply a few close colleagues. Silvana Lainfiesta came to the WBG breakfast meeting this week to offer us some tips and advice on how to improve our public speaking skills.
Silvana is the daughter of a very successful Guatemalan business woman who loves public speaking, so has had an excellent education in the skill. She understands that it is a great tool for inspiring others, creating connections and catalysing action. As a result it can help achieve our goals to change things around us for the better.
Crafting and delivering a great speech or presentation requires lots of preparation, refining it so that the delivery is clear and works well with your own delivery style. It’s important to connect with your audience by meeting their expectations and needs, and offering something memorable. As much as possible you should also engage directly with them through conversation, asking for engagement and/or taking feedback.
Your visual aids, particularly presentations, should be relatively simple, acting as prompts for your delivery. Good use of white space, high-resolution imagery, and limited animation is important. You should reinforce important points and employ calls to action. You should also make it clear when it is done.
You can download Silvana’s presentation below.