All about the drama

This past summer, I enrolled my three kids in presentation skills training...

...without them ever realising! This week long course was packaged under the name "drama camp". So much more enticing, right?

I'm a big believer that drama is an awesome way to improve your presentation skills. If you've ever worked with me, you know that it's a central Soapbox theme. We learn a lot from drama, and it's one of the reasons we have so much fun together!

So as I expected, my kids had a lot of fun - and learned a lot from it too. For each of them though, there was one key lesson that stood out the most.

Consider these three points the next time you take centre stage:

1. Learn your lines

You'd think my youngest was born to perform. She is loud, expressive, attention grabbing. But she hates doing presentations. And she was horrified at the thought of a final performance (she made her feelings known with great theatrics indeed). But you'll be happy to know she had a complete change of heart. Here's why, in her own words:

"All I had to do was learn my lines! As soon as I did, it became so easy...and fun!"

You don't need to know your lines by heart, but you should have a good idea of what you're saying, and when, and how.

Practice. Over and over again.

Even the pros do it. (That's why they're so pro.)

I know it can be hard to find the time, but if you want to do a good job, the practice will pay off.

2. Speak louder

My son is quiet, soft spoken, keeps mostly to himself. So it's no surprise that he wasn't keen on drama camp. That said, he had an absolute blast! AND he learned the value of something I've been droning on about for years: speaking louder!

He worked on it all week but the message really hit home after the performance as we watched the recording at home. Yes, he did a great job but it was still hard to hear him. Which was disappointing for him. After all, he had put in so much effort and even had some funny lines, a shame they weren't all heard.

When you present, you've surely got something important to share. And no doubt you've made an effort. Don't let that be in vain.

Make sure to project your voice so that everyone in the room can hear you, even the people at the back. When presenting remotely, don't just talk to the webcam a short distance away. Rather, speak loud enough to fill up the whole room.

Did you know? People who speak louder also come across as more confident. Another great reason to raise your volume!

3. Speak slower

I'm not gonna' lie, my eldest actually enjoys giving presentations. She's confident, poised, articulate. Not surprisingly, she was the only one looking forward to camp.

She took on big roles with lots of lines and stood front row for the group numbers. And yeah, absolutely, she did a great job. But there was one big thing that held her back at the start: she spoke too fast!

I get it, she was nervous, many of us have done the exact same thing.

When you speak, you need to give the audience a chance to digest what you're saying, otherwise it's lost on them. They'll spend so much time trying to keep up, and even if they do, they may not fully appreciate what it is you're saying. The impact of your words is lessened.

So make a conscious effort to maintain a good pace. If you've got a friend in the audience, agree on a discreet signal to alert you to slow down...or speak up.

Pace is important, but so are pauses. Click here to learn more. There's so much to consider when giving a presentation, but I promise, all of these things become second nature with practice. It's important to be aware of what you are doing and what you should be doing. All the while, working to improve. As you do, your presentations will not only get better, they will likely get easier...and more fun too.

Just as my little one found out.