There are many ways of improving public speaking skills but probably the most practical way to start is to seriously consider what it is that you are presenting and the outcome that you aim to achieve at the end of your presentation.

It does not matter whether you are presenting a training course, seminar, public debate or merely an office meeting, if you have something to present then always, always, always do this. By knowing your destination, deciding upon a route is always easier and clearer. You also have a greater likelihood of getting there.

You should write this down and consider it at every stage of your planning and preparation. Your objective (s) should always be specific and realistically achievable.

Defining your aims and objectives will help you to stay focused on the outcome. Ask yourself:

What is your presentation designed to achieve?

Do I want to:

• Inform, teach or train?

• Motivate, stimulate or inspire?

• Persuade, influence or sell something?

• Explore options, debate or negotiate something?

• Entertain or amuse my audience?

Of course you may want to combine two or more of the above, but you should always be focused on one primary objective, and always include something that is either entertaining, humorous, or unusual. Be careful to keep whatever it is relevant to your subject or presentation, but do try to get people out of their tunnel and encourage them to think, reflect and gain interest through something they did not know or have not thought about. Be very careful not to be too funny, and remember that humour is a very individual thing. When in doubt, ALWAYS leave humour out.

Having decided upon your specific goal or aim, it is important that you know how you will know that it has been achieved. What is it that the audience must do to confirm that you have achieved your goal?

In the case of training, the goal will almost certainly have been achieved when six things have happened (assuming that the training was not a one off).

1. Enthusiastic participation by the delegates.

2. Excellent feedback.

3. Delegates establishing their goals in relation to using what they have learned in the real world over an agreed period.

4. Positive feedback after the course, at a given future date, to confirm that delegates (and the company) have used what was learned and experienced measurable and positive results.

5. A good testimonial from the client.

6. More bookings from the client for future training.

In the case of a sales presentation, the outcome may be clear when the client buys the product or service. However, you primary objective may not have been to sell. It may have been to establish or create interest. But what if a primary objective to sell is not achieved for some reason, and the client does not buy? Well, in the case of sales presentations, it always pays to have a plan 'B', fallback option or secondary objective. It might be to get referrals or to gain an appointment with the potential client.

Whatever your presentation, always prepare from the point of view of your aims and objectives. Simply ask yourself:

• What am I speaking about and what do I want the outcome to be?

If that does not provide the answer, then ask yourself:

• What do I want my audience to do as a result of my speech?

If you want to learn more about presenting or any one of the sixteen aspects of presenting and giving great speeches visit my website