Public speaking

I was asked a very good question: "Why don't you use a Power Point presentation whilst giving a talk?" I realise in certain circumstances a visual presentation  alongside a lecture, possibly showing graphs and such is helpful to an audience to grasp and understand a particular topic. However, for someone like myself, who talks from the heart (I never read, but merely have a piece of paper with one line headings, to keep me on track) I don't like having slides changing and shifting the focus from the speaker to a large screen. Eye to eye contact is so important when delivering a good talk, and capturing the audience's attention and maintaining their interest are paramount in getting your message across.

It has been scientifically proven that the brain reacts differently to reading bullets on a Power Point presentation, as the brain simply processes the language and nothing more. However, if the speaker is telling a story, not only are the brain's language centers activated but also a part of the brain is engaged, following  the story, bringing it to life as if experiencing it along with the speaker. Therefore speaking straight from the heart as opposed to reading out loud, and without the aid of fancy hi-tech presentations, the audience not only enjoy but remember the talk far better. This is only my personal opinion, but it's what works best for me.

As I suffer from Parkinson's I would never choose to hold a microphone, as the visual disturbance of my hand shaking disrupts the audience's attention. Therefore a microphone on a stand is an absolute "must" for anyone suffering Parkinson's who is giving a speech.