I dug back into some seminar sheets for executive consulting I did back in the days when my focus was executive communication. This is the second of those tidbit tip sheets. The information applies just as well 10 years later.
-Whether or not they agree with you your audience members are there to listen to your information. Notice I did not say that they are there to listen to you. Unless you have quite a following or are famous, it is your content they are looking for. Keeping this in mind is your first step in conquering fear and anxiety- the two plagues on presentations.
-Learn to be outward in your approach to formal communication. Pay attention less to what you feel you have to say and more to how you could say it multiple ways (knowing learning styles can help here). Most speakers are hung up on themselves either out of fear or because of misdirected ego.
-Always keep in mind that your most hostile listener in terms of agreement/disagreement probably holds the information you need for your own argument. Just as business bloggers now respond to negative comments so should you integrate the full spectrum of your argument or message.
-Measure your success by how fully you describe rather than “tell” your message. You can measure your connection to the audience by the number and quality of the questions you get.