Presentation Delivery: Lecterns Are Training Wheels For Speakers - TJ Walker Video
Lecterns are training wheels for speakers. So says speaking expert TJ Walker in today's presentation delivery video tutorial.
Providing an easy way to avoid eye contact with your audience, a rock-steady support for you to grip tightly as you speak, and a safety barrier between them and you lecterns fulfill a great many needs for nervous speakers.
The first thing you need to do as a pro is set the lectern aside. TJ Walker argues that:
''Lecterns are training wheels.
Now, why are they so bad? In part, I'm a big believer - and the science backs me up - that your audience is absorbing not just your words, but your body language, your motion.
You can't move much behind those. You can't be seen from (the waist) down. There's also the temptation that you just lean. If you grab onto it for dear life, it's tensing your body - tensing your hands, your arms - that gets into your voice.
In short lecterns are a certain barrier to communication. There may be times when one is set up, and in this case there is no crime in using it. Just be sure not to stand behind it if you want to avoid falling prey to terrible body language in your presentation. TJ Walker says:
''If you need to put some notes on it, that's okay. Put it on the side so you can walk around it, and never be seen behind the lectern.Great speakers don't get behind the lectern.''
So by all means use it as a place to put your bottle of water or your notes, but if you want to give powerful and convincing presentations, step out from the lectern and open up the space between yourself and your audience.
posted by
Michael Pick
on Tuesday, December 26 2006
Tuesday, January 15 2008
URL of this article:
http://masterview.ikonosnewmedia.com/2006/12/26/presentation_delivery_lecterns_are_training.htm
