Tonight I will be the guest of Rep. John Hood to speak to the Exchange Club about "My Husband: the Alzheimer's Patient". Rep. Hood heard me give the first talk at a kick-off luncheon for the Alzheimer's Walk leaders about a month ago and asked me to repeat the talk. I talk about what he was, then how he is now, and what we can do for research into this horrible disease. Please pray for me. I'm as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof!
(1) Imagine yourself giving the talk, and the audience being very enthusiastic. (I do this exercise over and over again before I give any talk, to any size audience. It really does help.)
(2) Don't think of the audience focusing on you. Think of yourself as being side-by-side with the audience, and all of you focusing on the topic.
I was told to always focus over the heads of everyone, and not directly into faces:)to avoid nerves- i know you will shine for all of us, good luck, divvi
Thank you for your courage in sharing your Alz story with others. Putting a face to the story makes all the difference. With so many people being affected by Alz., I know you will touch more than a few hearts in the audience.
divvi, from my experience and with my personality, I would not agree with that piece of advice. It is really important to get "feedback" from the audience, to establish a connection with them. If the structure of the talk doesn't allow the audience to ask questions during the presentation (which typically can only be done with small audiences, and which is very much my preferred forum) then all you have to go by is the looks on their faces. I usually do a very quick scan of the people closest to the podium, to see which ones are good for eye contact ... and then I talk "to" them. It makes the talk much more personal, a chat with a few friends, not nearly so scary as looking out over a sea of a thousand faces.
I aree with Sunshyne--As a former Toastmaster, I was taught to scan the audience and try to make eye contact with as many as possible. Keeps them listening to you and not drift off. Best of luck. You'll do just fine. Take a deep breath and go for it. You are the expert and sharing information with them. They need you. Right? Right!
Many, many thanks to each of you for all your kind words and thoughts. I was complimented highly and told over and over again how much they appreciated the talk. It brought a face to this horrible disease.
Saturday is the Memory Walk. I'm hoping we reach our goal and have a good turnout.