Sunday, July 23, 2006

This blog has moved

You can visit me now at Wordpress.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Handling the audience in public speaking

Audiences Are Your Friend

For the rank amateur to the ignorant professional, audiences create the same effect no matter how small they are to a speaker.
Fear and anxiety.

From a single person to a crowd as big as the fans in the Super Bowl, speaking in front of a serious listening audience is the true test and baptism of fire.

Despite this, audiences are predictable.

Audiences listen to you because they want to learn something from the speaker.

Following this logic, the speaker would do well to follow the strategy of making it informative as well as interesting to listeners to see your speech through till the end.

Here are some tips on how you can have the audience listen in rapt attention.

Read on ...

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Public Speaking Success Tip - Avoid fillers

Unless your speech if absolutely fascinating, any "pause fillers" you add repetitiously, like um, or y'know, or OK will start to stand out. They will capture the audience above your speech. Start by listening to others - sports commentators, interviewees on television, anyone speaking publicly. Listen for their fillers then you will learn to listen for your own.


Saturday, July 15, 2006

How to give your presentation a great title

People don’t usually give much thought to the title of their presentations. Yet they should. Giving your presentation an interesting title means that interested people are likely to turn up to hear you speak. If you ever speak at seminars you realise that you are sometimes competing against 4 or 5 other speakers. In this situation, often the best presentation title in the programme will get the lion’s share of the audience.

We can borrow a few lessons from journalists and copywriters when it comes to naming your presentation.

People who write headlines understand what it takes to get people interested and engaged.

Wanda Loskott, on her site http://www.loska.com/columns/headlines.html lists her choice of the Top 100 headlines of all time. There are some fairly dated ones in there, but it’s the structure of the headlines which we can learn from.

25% of them start with the word “how”.
16 of them are questions.
Not one of them is less than 4 words long.

Next time you are trying to think of a name for your presentation try starting it with the word “How”. This will get you thinking more like a copywriter, it will engaging more of your audience from the outset and you will invariably end up solving a problem for the audience.

Here are Wanda’s Top 100:
They Laughed When I Sat Down at The Piano - But When I Started to Play!
Give Black What They Deserve
Profits That Lie Hidden In Your Farm
How I Made a Fortune With a Fool Idea
Thousands Have This Priceless Gift - but Never Discover It!
Do You Do Any Of These Embarrassing Things?
Six Types of Investors - Which Group Are You In?
Does Your Child Ever Embarrass You?
To People Who Want To Write - but Can’t Get Started
The Crimes We Commit Against Our Stomachs
How to Do Wonders with a Little Land!
“Here’s an Extra $50, Grace”
A Wonderful Two Years Trip at Full Pay - but only men with imagination can take it
A $10,000 Mistake!
The Greatest reason in The World
The Man in the Hathaway Shirt
Dare To Be Rich!
How To Rob Banks Legally
A Startling Fact About Money
How To Discover What You Are Really Good At
How To Write a Business Letter?
The Secrets of Making People Like You
Advice to Wives Whose Husbands Don’t Save Money
How a New Discovery Made a Plain Girl Beautiful
How to Win Friends and Influence People
How to Swim with The Sharks without Being Eaten Alive
Do You Make This Mistakes in English?
Why Some Foods “Explode” in Your Stomach
You Can Laugh at Money Worries - if You Follow This Simple Plan
Five Familiar Skin Troubles - Which do You Want to Overcome?
How I Improved My Memory in One Evening
Suppose This happened On Your Wedding Day!
Free Book Tells You 12 Secrets of Better Lawn Care
The Secret to Being Wealthy
To Men Who Want to Quit Working Some Day
Imagine Holding an Audience Spellbound for 30 Minutes
New Shampoo Leaves Your Hair Smoother - Easier to Manage
Thousands Now Play Who Never Thought They Could
Great New Discovery Kills Kitchen Odors Quick!
For The Woman Who Looks Younger than She Is
Check the Kind of Body You Want
“At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock”
Why Wall Street Journal readers Live Better
“Dear American Tourister: You Saved My Life”
Girls! Want Quick Curls?
You May Be Eating More Salt Than You Should
Get Rid of That Humidity!
How You can Get a Quick Loan of $1,000
Become a Well Paid Hotel/Motel Executive
How To Get More Energy From The Food You Eat
They Grinned When the waiter Spoke to Me in French
Imagine Harry and Me Advertising our Pears in Fortune!
My Sears Kenmore Sewing Machine has 9 Different Stitches - Imagine!How I Improved Memory in One Evening
You Can Make Big Money Easily
Get Rid of Money Worries for Good
Keep Your Dog safe This Summer!
Free to Manufacturers.
Write for Brochures You Want.
The Instrument of the Immortals
For People Who Don’t Have Time for Unimportant Books
How To Avoid Mental Hazards
Break Out of Jail!
Tenants Mysteriously Disappear from the Carrboro Apartment Complex!Will You Help me Free Gina?
Don’t Even Think About Buying New Home Without Reading This Report!How To Start from Scratch and Become a PO Box Millionaire
The Secret of Having Good Luck
How To Get Rich Reading Classified Ads
How To Form Your Corporation Without a Lawyer for Under $50
Seven Steps to Financial Freedom
How To Write a Hit Song and Sell It
Who is Making a Bundle and How
How The Experts Buy and Sell Gold and Silver
Want to Be a Legal Investigator?
How To Write a Good Advertisement
But What if You Could See Her Naked?
A Little Mistake That Cost a Farmer $3,000 a Year
The Child Who Won the Hearts of All
The Last 2 Hours are the Longest - and Those Are the 2 Hours You Save
How To Burn Off Body Fat, Hour-by-Hour
Is Your Home Picture Poor?
“I liked this product so much - that I bought the company!”
Why Some People Almost Always Make Money in The Stock Market?
How Much is Your Working “Tension” Costing Your Company?
Is The Life of a Child Worth $1 to You?
161 New Ways to a Man’s Heart - in This fascinating Book
How To Give Your Children Extra Iron - 3 Delicious Ways
Often a Bridesmaid - Never a Bride!
Little Leaks That Keep Men Poor
This is Marie Antoinette - Ridding To Her Death
Take This One Minute Test!
Here Is a Quick way to Break Up a Cold
“I lost my bulges - and save money too!”
Satisfaction Guaranteed - or Your Money Back!
The Truth About Getting Rich
Do Your Employee Work as Slowly as They read?
The Most Expensive Mistake of Your Life
7 ways to Collect Your Unpaid Bills
Need More Money!
What Your Lawyer Doesn’t Want You to Know
Have You Ever Seen a Grown Man Cry?

From: How to give your presentation a great title

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Creating the WOW factor in your Speech or Presentation – Consider your Audience

Why are you giving this speech? What do you hope to achieve with your presentation?
What sort of impact do you want to create? What will that “WOW” be?
In creating that “WOW”, that impact, one of the most important steps will be to research and consider the audience, because unless they understand what you are saying and respond to it, there can be no impact, no WOW. Read on ...

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Wednesday, July 12, 2006

The Guy Kawasaki 10/20/30 Rule of Powerpoint

The majority of the presentations that I see have text in a ten point font. As much text as possible is jammed into the slide, and then the presenter reads it. However, as soon as the audience figures out that you’re reading the text, it reads ahead of you because it can read faster than you can speak. The result is that you and the audience are out of synch. From the 10/20/30 rule of powerpoint


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Sunday, July 09, 2006

Three essential body language tips

For anyone who has done some training with me, you’ll know that I don’t focus on body language when presenting. People can get obsessed by trying to look convincing or slick, and neglect the content of their presentation. They perform all the textbook hand gestures, and what comes out of their mouths doesn’t match up. A bit like watching 100 chavs pour out of a limo. It just doesn’t seem right.
Sometimes however I do give advice on body language for presenting - especially when it detracts from the message. Here are the 3 biggest body language presentation pitfalls, and what you can do to avoid them:

Read on ...

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Using both sides of the brain for Public Speaking success

Men can think faster than women, transmitting nerve impulses more rapidly - according to a controversial study recently reported in The Sunday Times. It measured nerve conduction velocity (NCV), the speed at which messages pass through brain cells and found males had four times faster NCV's than females. (Mind, the researchers are all male...)


Whatever your gender, do you have trouble thinking fast when put on the spot, Bronwyn? Whether during question time after a presentation, in the board-room or at team meetings, a tough question fired out of left-field can send anyone into panic.
We are more effective presenters if we can balance our logic and analysis (left brain hemisphere) with colourful imagery and expression (right brain).


Confidence trick: Accessing both brain hemispheres enables us to present with security - assuming we've prepared and know our topic!


The power of the whole brain Educational Kinesiology and Brain-Gym programs develop brain-body wholeness with simple movements like cross-crawl, i.e. crossing over the mid-line between brain hemispheres, as we do when walking. Originally conceived to correct learning disabilities, Brain-Gym's whole-brain learning is used by people from many fields (professionals, students, athletes, dancers, musicians, artists) to draw out their hidden potential and to make it readily available. http://www.braingym.org/


Some over-diligent people, by trying too hard, "switch off" the brain-integration mechanisms necessary for complete learning. Thus, information which is received by the back brain as an "impress" is inaccessible to the front brain as an "express." This inability to express what is learned or to stay "centred" locks us into a failure syndrome, resulting in irrational fear, flight-or-fight reactions and frozen emotions.


Even a simple action like the steepling of fingertips balances and connects the two brain hemispheres. And it's a poised look for a presenter about to take the spot-light.
Before presenting, if you feel an urge to pace, don't resist it! Walking sends blood circulating to your brain, helps you handle curly questions with clarity.


(Precis from "Don't Freak Out- Speak Out; Public speaking with confidence", available as hard-copy, e-book and audio CD from http://ruthbonetti.com/books.php3

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Speech Making Success Tip:


Eye contact is a wonderful tool to convey sincerity. It is also useful to help you to stay aware of how the audience is reacting to you. Stay aware and adapt by changing your presentation style and content to keep their attention and interest.

This is an excerpt from the Pivotal Public Speaking ezine which goes out today. You can view it here or subscribe to receive tips, articles, links and resources. Subscribe to Pivotal Public Speaking by clicking here.

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Public Speaking: No Brainstoppers!

From the Great Public Speaking blog

I made this term up so don't try to find it anywhere else. A "brainstopper" is something you say or do that causes the mind of an audience member to stop to think. This can be a good thing, but most of the time when I catch a coaching student delivering a brainstopper, it is a bad thing.

Here is an example of a good brainstopper. You might say, "Take a moment and think about the first toy you had as a child."

A command like this would take the audience member's mind from where it is now to a time long ago. For most of the audience this will be a pleasant experience. For some it may be unpleasant. Either way you still are directing the show. You might do this to make some kind of point about how simple things used to please us, or something like that.

Here is an example of a bad brainstopper. You might say, "That man's elocution is impeccable." For all of us highly educated and brilliant folks the word "elocution" obviously means fine form in speaking or reading.

If this word was used in a less educated arena, the instant it came out of your mouth, the brains of the audience members would be racing to figure out what the word "elocution" means. Thus, their brains have stopped because you used a word that was not easily understood. The audience member will not hear your next few sentences because they are still trying to figure out the word "elocution." Do this several times and they will tune out altogether ... unless of course you are Deepak Chopra who gets high praise for being totally unintelligible hahahahaha

Another way to stop someone's brain is to distract them by your actions. You might display an odd prop before explaining what it is. This would make an audience member stop listening while their minds tried to figure out what the prop is. If you were talking during this time, they wouldn't hear a word you said.

Look at your word choice and actions carefully before you exhibit them on stage. It is hard enough to keep attention in today's short attention span environments. Don't make it worse by using bad brainstoppers.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking with Mental Preparation Strategies


Mental preparation is a vital part of the process of overcoming the fear of public speaking. It is one of four processes successful speakers use to make sure they lose their fear and use their nerves for success. Read the article

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Thursday, June 29, 2006

5 ways to reduce PowerPoint overload

From the Gee Whiz blog


Bored by 50-slide presentations that drone on, bullet by bullet, slide by slide? Having a hard time keeping audience interest in your point. Then start practicing these five research-based techniques for reducing PowerPoint overload:
1. Write a clear headline that explains main idea of each slide ("Three reasons we achieved 105% of our goal").
2. Break up story into digestible bites in slide sorter view.
3. Reduce visual load: move all text offscreen, and narrate.
4. Use visuals instead of words alone.
5. Remove every element that does not support main idea.
Check it out in the pdf "5 ways to reduce PowerPoint overload" by Cliff Atkinson and Richard E. Mayer from sociablemedia.com.
Based on the techniques, from a gargantuan 48-slide sales presentation, I created ONE slide, with a powerful graphic image that resolves to a high-impact image. Proprietary business strategy and other sensible rules prevent me from displaying it here.
E-mail me and ask for the "WhyEHM.ppt" file.
I guarantee you'll see "wow!"


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Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Behind the magic curtain

Next week Steve Jobs of Apple will grab media attention with another simple-looking stage show. Mike Evangelist tells the insider secrets of his gruelling preparation

From The Guardian

If the chief executive of Cadbury-Schweppes speaks at a conference, or Nike's boss introduces a new kind of trainer, you might expect to see it covered in specialist magazines, then quickly forgotten.

But on Tuesday a chief executive will stand up and announce something, and within minutes it will be scrutinised across the web and on stockbrokers' computers. It will be in newspapers. They'll talk about it for months.

That chief executive is Steve Jobs, and I know why that speech makes an impact. To a casual observer it is just a guy in a black shirt and jeans talking about some new technology products. But it is in fact an incredibly complex and sophisticated blend of sales pitch, product demonstration and corporate cheerleading, with a dash of religious revival thrown in for good measure. It represents weeks of work, precise orchestration and intense pressure for the scores of people who collectively make up the "man behind the curtain". I know, because I've been there, first as part of the preparation team and later on stage with Steve. >>more

Sunday, June 25, 2006

How to Get a Standing Ovation

from Guy Kawasaki

When I started public speaking in about 1986, I was deathly afraid of public speaking--for one thing, working for the division run by Steve Jobs was hugely intimidating: How could you possibly compete with Steve? It's taken me twenty years to get comfortable at it. I hope that many of you are are called upon to give speeches--it's the closest thing to being a professional athlete that many of us will achieve. The purpose of this blog entry is to help you give great speeches.

Read the excellent tips

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Saturday, June 24, 2006

Speech Making Success Tip:

One of the most powerful tools in public speaking is to be believable. One of the ways to achieve this is to use open body language. It communicates openness and sincerity.

speeches, public speaking

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Tom Peters on Great Presentations

I'm going to add some stuff to my "PE56" list, thanks to your Comments.

But let me begin with something that may be personal: Why I use PowerPoint. You say, "Hey Tom, you're the guru." I say that my conclusions are much more credible when I back them up with Great Sources. I say pretty radical stuff. I say "Get radical!" That's one thing. But then I show a quote from Jack Welch, who, after all, ran a $150 billion company (I didn't): "You can't behave in a calm, rational manner; you've got to be out there on the lunatic fringe." Suddenly my radicalism is "certified" by a "real operator."

Also, I find that people like to get beyond the spoken word, and see a SIMPLE reminder of what I'm saying.

Also, we post all my slide shows so attendees (or anyone else) can go back at their leisure and recall the logic of the presentation and "steal" some Cool Quotes to use in their presentations!

So here are a few things, thanks to you, that I'm going to add to "PE56":

Read on ...

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Tuesday, June 20, 2006

An Effective Style To Use In Public Speaking: Audience Participation

By: James Masterson

An effective public speaker should be able to utilize devices that will be able to capture the attention of the audience. One effective means for them to give you that much needed interest is this: get them to go on stage. Make them participate. When someone is on stage and he or she happens to be a member of the audience, the rest will almost always stay attentive. Why? Because they would like to see what you will be doing to one of them. Also, because they are thinking they could be up there themselves and so to save their precious egos from embarrassment they at least need to know what is going on. Read on ...

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Sunday, June 18, 2006

How To Add Sound To Your Presentation Using Microsoft PowerPoint XP/2003

If you are looking for ways to add sound to your PowerPoint Presentation, you have landed on the right page.There are indeed several ways to include narration, music or other sounds in your PowerPoint presentations without needing to buy extra software and to enroll in another presentation course. Read on ...

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Saturday, June 17, 2006


Public Speaking Tips: Pauses


A true NO ZZZZZs presenter doesn't feel that he or she must jabber away constantly to keep the audience awake.

Skilled presenters use silence to add to the effectiveness and polish of a program.

Theatrical folks have identified a whole bunch of neat pauses which I'm sure they have a ball playing with. I'm only going to address some of the most obvious and important ones here.

SHORT - The shortest pauses, which last anywhere from one-half to two seconds, are for the simple purpose of separating your thoughts. All you have to remember is to slow down. Give the audience a fighting chance to absorb what you are saying. Change your voice inflection slightly at the end of each thought to cue the audience the next thought is coming. Also, use a short pause before and after any phrase (punch line) or word you want to emphasize.

SPONTANEITY - Another neat pause is known as a spontaneity pause. This is a planned "unplanned" pause used so that you don't look too rehearsed. You might apply this pause when you want to pretend to search for a word or phrase that you already know.

LONG - Long pauses of more than three seconds are very powerful. They command the audience to think about what you just said that is if what you just said was worth thinking about.P

lease [pause] [pause] [pause] don't be afraid to be quiet once in a while. It can dramatically increase your impact.

Excerpt from "Wake 'em Up Video Professional Speaking System "http://www.antion.com/speakervideo.htm

Thursday, June 15, 2006

To Overcome Fear of Public Speaking, You need to Understand the Underlying Causes.

Once you can identify the causes that are underlying your public speaking nerves and fear, you can choose the strategies you need to build your confidence, use the fear and present successfully.

Most people suffer from some fear of public speaking. The survey that identified it as America’s number one fear was accurate then and remains so today. But the causes of that fear can differ from person to person.

One of the most important steps towards overcoming the fear of public speaking is to identify the things in your life that have created the fear and then choose the strategies that relate to those causes and that will conquer the fear and allow you to harness it to enhance your presentations and speeches, not destroy them.


Article continues

public speaking

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Grow your organisation.

If you are looking for ideas on how to grow your organisation - managmement, leadership, publicity, and much more, visit my blog called Grow your Organisation

management

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Public Speaking Tip: Screen Size Approximation Chart


SCREEN SIZE APPROXIMATION CHART

Use this guide when someone asks you how large of ascreen you need.

3-5 people 21 inches diagonal (53.34 cm)

5-9 people 29 inches diagonal (73.66 cm)

10-15 people 37 inches diagonal (93.98 cm)

16-35 people 60 inches diagonal (152.4 cm)

36-50 people 72 inches diagonal (182.88 cm)

51-140 people 120 inches diagonal (304.8 cm)

141-220 people 150 inches diagonal (381.0 cm)

221-390 people 200 inches diagonal (508.0 cm)

391+ people 300 inches diagonal (762.0 cm)

Source: http://www.bhphotovideo.com

public speaking, presentations

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Prevent distractions during your presentation

by Cliff Atkinson, Sociable Media

The physical environment in which you make your presentation is just as important as the story you tell. The quality of your hard work is affected if the room is physically uncomfortable, no electrical outlet is within reach of the projector, or your microphone doesn't work. You'll need to prevent distractions that will diminish the impact of your presentation.

Read on ...

public speaking, presentations

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Successful Speech Making

Eye contact is a wonderful tool to convey sincerity. It is also useful to help you to stay aware of how the audience is reacting to you. Stay aware and adapt by changing your presentation style and content to keep their attention and interest.

public speaking

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

From Tom Antion:

Public Speaking Tip: Say It With Flowers


A speaker friend of mine had a deal with a local flower shop. When he had a program the next day he would buy up all the fresh flowers that did not sell for a dirt cheap price. The flowers were destined for the dumpster anyway so the florist was thrilled to get anything for them. The speaker would arrive to big fanfare throwing flowers into the crowd. Everyone got a flower to take home and depending on the size of the crowd, some would get a whole bouquet. He also sent big bunches as his thank you gift to the meeting organizer. He purposely sent so many that the organizer could not possibly take them all home. His good will (and name) was spread all over the company he was speaking for and the people in the audience had a blast.

public speaking, presentations

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Public speaking tip - Remembering new jokes -- Jan McInnis (Jan@TheWorkLady.com)

As a comedienne, I usually kick off my corporate show with 20 or more new jokes I've written for the group which means I have to have good, fast memory skills.

A couple of ways I remember these new jokes:

* Starting a few nights before the show, I review 5 or 6 jokes each night before I go to sleep. When I wake up, I know the jokes. (A friend of mine at a university is actually researching sleep and its effect on memory. It really works.)

* I go over them out loud as fast as I can. I also do this with the jokes in my act. It sort of "ingrains" the joke into my head so that when I say it, it rolls off my tongue without my having to stop and think about it.

* I group the jokes according to subject -- all jokes about the people together, all jokes about the industry together, etc.

* I use notes. I carry them up to the stage with me, but I make sure I know the first 2 or 3 jokes cold, so I don't have to refer to the notes in my hand. Then if I do, it's not as obvious as pulling the notes out of my pocket and I just glance at the sheet, saying, "I took some notes on you guys." I'll have a key word or two written on the sheet. And, even if I wrote the jokes ahead of time, it looks like I just wrote them that morning.

public speaking, humour, presentations,

Friday, June 02, 2006

Tips for keeping your cool before your presentation

Stretch to relax. Rise on your toes and reach for the ceiling, with your head back. Tighten your muscles from legs up through abdomen, and then release. Relax the neck and shoulder muscles, letting head loll on neck in different directions.

Breathe to relax. Stand erect, but relaxed and balanced. Inhale while silently counting to five. Hold the breath for five counts, then exhale for five – all breathing is through the mouth. Your diaphragm should move, but your chest should not expand. You can gradually increase the number of counts for each breath to 10.

Relax your Jaw. Let your head loll forward. As you raise it, keep your jaw relaxed. Let it hang open, and smile to yourself at how silly it feels.

Relax your throat. Yawn …. This is how your throat needs to be to speak well – open, and relaxed.Keep relaxing the muscles throughout your body, your jaw, neck and throat until you walk to the presentation area. Then smile! and begin.

For more tips and articles on overcoming public speaking nerves, visit Public Speaking Confidence

public speakiong

presentations

speeches

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Countdown Clock For Presentations: How To Build It


When training a class or delivering a long workshop, it is always difficult to get people to come back to their desks in due time.


The same happens when assigning a test to be completed within a specified time. Missing a common shared timer for everyone, it gets a little difficult to communicate efficiently to everyone when time is really running out.

In these situations, what can work extremely well, is the use of a digital countdown timer to be projected on the main audience screen. In this way, you need not continuously interrupt or distract attendees to inform them of the remaining time and anyone can see at a glance how much time is left.


Here PowerPoint expert and book-writer Ellen Finkelstein gives a step-by-step tutorial on how to build such a digital countdown clock.

presentations, powerpoint, public speaking

Tuesday, May 30, 2006


10 Days to More Confident Public Speaking (Paperback)
by The Princeton Language Institute, Lenny Laskowski

Written by an expert in the field, this book has the tools you need to become a relaxed, effective, and commanding public speaker. A clear, concise, step-by-step approach with dozens of inside tips, 10 Days to More Confident Public Speaking will help you:
* Overcome nervousness and discover your own natural style
* Establish an immediate rapport with your audience
* Practice your new techniques daily in conversations with friends
* Write a speech that builds to an unforgettable conclusion
* Expertly blend humor and anecdotes into your talks
* Use special techniques to memorize your speech
More information

public speaking

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Speech Making Success Tip

In preparing for your speech, make sure your notes are in order. Choose the best way to create them to support your speech. For example, you may choose palm cards with dot points, or you may choose to type the whole speech on letter paper with the main points highlighted. If you have more than one piece of paper, make sure that they will not distract from your presentation, either visually or audibly. And make sure you can move from one to another easily. This might even extend to putting them in different areas of the presentation area. When you visualise your successful speech, include the best way that your notes can support that speech.

public speaking

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Bronwyn's blog

You're welcome to visit me at my personal blog.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Public Speaking Tip: Add Weight

From Tom Antion

No I'm not promoting obesity.

I'm referring to outdoor presentations.

If you are ever forced (I say "forced" because you should try to avoid outdoor presentations at all costs) to do an outdoor presentation, then make sure you have several different kinds of weights handy to help control your presentation.

You might need a sand bag or dumbell to hold down the easel of your flipchart.

How about taping some heavy coins to the bottom of the sheets and clamping the edges to keep the breeze from lifting up the pages?Paperweights, or in a pinch, plain old rocks are great for holding down papers you have on a table on stage.

What else do you commonly have with you on stage that could blow around in a breeze? Make sure it's secured.

Ties and scarves that look gorgeous in a no wind hotel room look terrible and distracting when flapping in the wind.


Monday, May 22, 2006

Use Powerpoint to enhance your presentation, not cripple it

I'm not the first person to point out that Microsoft's mainstay meeting and presentation application Powerpoint is usually anathema to any sort of useful communication, and that most speakers rely on it as a crutch rather than a memory jog, but I just got back from a three day marketing conference and was really struck by how most of the presenters were still falling into BPS (Boring Powerpoint Syndrome).

You know what I'm talking about if you ever go to meetings or attend any sort of workshop or conference. These are the folk that use plain white backgrounds for their slides and cram ten to fifteen bullet points on each slide, each bullet point a full sentence.

Read on ...

Tags:

presentations

public speaking

Thursday, May 18, 2006


Turn Ordinary Presentations into Extraordinary Experiences for
You and Your Audience

How to Deliver Highly Effective Presentations
breaks down the presentation process into easy and manageable steps.

You can produce exceptional results if you have the FOCUS, the TOOLS and the CONFIDENCE to make it happen.

More information

Tag: public speaking

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Um... uh... do I sound stupid?

Have you ever wondered why some of us just can't seem to expunge those "ums" and "uhs" from our speech, no matter how hard we try?

I don't know about you, but even as a professional speaker, I still have to carefully edit those filler words out of my podcast every week. And it's worrisome, since many people tend to take a plethora of "um" and "uh" as a sign of a lack of intelligence, or at least as a sign of a less-than-suave delivery.

Turns out that there is actually a reason for those seemingly meaningless fillers.

Read on ....

Tag:

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Three essential body language tips


"For anyone who has done some training with me, you’ll know that I don’t focus on body language when presenting. People can get obsessed by trying to look convincing or slick, and neglect the content of their presentation. They perform all the textbook hand gestures, and what comes out of their mouths doesn’t match up. A bit like watching 100 chavs pour out of a limo. It just doesn’t seem right.

Sometimes however I do give advice on body language for presenting - especially when it detracts from the message. Here are the 3 biggest body language presentation pitfalls, and what you can do to avoid them:"

Read on ...

Tags:public speaking, body language

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Are you a librarian or interested in libraries?

Visit Bronwyn's Library blog for librarianship, news, marketing and more.

Tags:library

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Public speaking tip - the value of Icebreakers

Icebreakers are little exercises that help relax tension and loosen up a formal atmosphere in a meeting where you want to have creative ideas and group participation.

This icebreaker will have everyone laughing:

Break everyone up into small groups of 2 or 3. Give each group a made-up punchline. Each group now has 5 minutes to come up with a joke or story that uses that punchline at the end. The crazier the better!

Here are some example punchlines:

1. And that is why you never let a cat go fishing!

2. That proves that elephants don't like hot dogs.

3. Finally he said, "Sir, your computer doesn't have a cigarette lighter."

4. The moral of the story is, "Always wear socks!"

Tag:

public speaking

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Public speaking Success Tip

If the structure of your speech involves "Tell them what you are going to say, say it and tell them what you just said..." then the Introduction, Body and Conclusion are vital.

But just as crucial, are the links between those parts - the bridging. They provide another opportunity to remind the audience of your message, and to link the parts together seamlessly.

Often as you take breath to launch into the next point of your speech, the following utterance carries the weight of that breath or pause, and therefore is an ideal opportunity to reinforce your message.

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Wednesday, May 03, 2006

A Public speaking quote

"Brevity, said Lord Bacon, is the soul of wit, and conciseness is a virtue I have always admired. The magic of poetry lies in its power to compress ideas or emotions into a mere handful of words. But prose can work the same spell, which is why Francis Bacon's aphorism has survived the centuries."
--Arthur C. Clarke,
"Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds"
(St. Martin's, 1999)

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public speaking

Monday, May 01, 2006

Resources for Families

For information on parenting, family nutrition, books and reading, teenagers and more, visit the resources for families web pages
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families

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Public speaking tip: Shock 'em

...

From Tom Antion


When I was planning for my recent all day presentation I was considering the post lunch sleepiness that most audiences experience. I wanted to do something totally different that I knew would shock them out of their afternoon low.

So I bought a muskrat trap. I was talking about the "traps" AKA deep trouble you could get into by spam email marketing.

I set the trap with great care. Then I put a pencil into the trap to set it off. The pencil snapped showing the trap to be real . . . This got their attention.

I then reset the trap and talked about how learning what I was going to teach them in the next section would keep them from getting hurt in the email spam trap.Then, with lots of suspense building as I approached the trap, I set it off with my bare hand, I let out a fake Karate-like scream, the trap slammed on my hand and I held it up hanging from my fingers. . . . Believe me this got their attention!

DO NOT TRY THIS! DO NOT TRY THIS! DO NOT TRY THIS! I know how to do this without getting hurt. I am not responsible if you break your finger or get hurt in any way !!!

There are many other ways to shock people. You could put a needle through a balloon, you could stick a knife through one of their coats. Stop by any magic or gag shop for tons of ideas. Just don't get too outrageous and scare people unnecessarily.

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public speaking

Friday, April 28, 2006

Overcome your fear of public speaking with mental preparation


Mental preparation is a vital part of the process of overcoming the fear of public speaking.  It is one of four processes successful speakers use to make sure they lose their fear and use their nerves for success.  Read on …

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public speaking

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Are you a librarian or inerested in libraries?


Visit the library web pages for ideas on librarianship, library marketing andlibrary news

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library

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Make numbers work for you


Speakers can use numbers to support key points. But too often, speakers use their data in place of key points, piling on number after number and, in the end, driving their audience to despair. Here are a few tips on how to use numbers to good effect

. Read on …

public speaking
presentations

Friday, April 21, 2006

Public Speaking Success tip


Eye contact with your audience is vital because it reinforces your sincerity. If you are nervous, choose the most responsive, supportive faces.  If the audience is large, focus on three or four people and maintain eye contact with them. 

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Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Are you a librarian or interested in libraries?

Visit the library blog for news, gossip and inspiration.

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library

Monday, April 17, 2006

Get the presentation edge - learn design

"We are all designers," says Tom Peters. "Presentation of a financial report is as much a ‘design thing’ as is the creation of a sexy-looking product." Presentation design is worthy of our "extreme obsessive study," as Peters says,

Read on ….

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design
public speaking
presentations

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Public speaking - Adding Golf To Your Topic - even if you're not a golfer

Adding Golf To Your Topic -- Even if you're not a golferI'm not a golfer, but I can tell you one thing for sure. Manypeople in your audiences are nuts over golf.I've seen some speakers do their entire presentation using a golfmetaphor. They would say things like, "In golf if your swing isoff, you'll hit the ball into the woods . . . just like if yourleadership technique is off you'll be in the "rough" .. .  and alot more is at stake than just a bad scorecard." etc.I've seen speakers carry their golf bag on stage and pull outsome clubs just to have something to do with their hands.I've seen speakers get audience members on stage to have aputting contest.I've seen one speaker at a resort ride into his speech on a golfcart.You don't even have to like golf to add a little bit about golfto your speeches. I tease the golfers in the audience about alltheir crazy gadgets.
Tom Antion, Publisher "Great Speaking"http://www.GolfArticles.net

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Wednesday, April 12, 2006

How to prepare your presentation from conception to rehearsal to handouts

"I've said it before here and here, and I'll say it again. Your PowerPoint file is not your presentation; what you say before an audience is your presentation. (Exception: if it's a self-running presentation at a kiosk, it's your presentation, but then your slides need to be much more complete to be effective.)

Therefore, before or after you create your slides, you still need to write your presentation.

If you create your slides first and then your presentation, expect that you'll find that the logic of your content will lead you to change (and improve) the organization of your slides."

Read on …


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The Microsoft method of presentation

This post from Zen Presentations inspired me with its focus on the power of simplicity.  
It evaluates the use of PowerPoint by Microsoft executives and concludes …
“Microsoft says the sky's the limit for us consumers. Work can be creative. We can help. I want to believe them. Really I do. Yet, when given the opportunity to show how one of their most visible products can actually be used practically and harmoniously to help their own speakers present important ideas, they revert back to PowerPoint-as-usual. Uninspiring...and typical.”   Read the whole blog post

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public speaking
presentations
powerpoint

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Powerpoint goes to court

“It may not be news that PowerPoint is becoming more common in courtrooms today, but it is news when someone uses it exceptionally well. Attorney W. Mark Lanier presented his closing arguments Monday in a Vioxx trial in New Jersey, and the presentation generated extensive coverage by the Associated Press, New York Times, Reuters and the Wall Street Journal.  “

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Friday, April 07, 2006

How to wow 'em like Steve Jobs


Steve Job is the charismatic, driven CEO of Apple Computers and well known for his dynamic presentations. Carmine Gallo has analysed Steve Job’s presentations in an article titled How to Wow 'Em Like Steve Jobs “Jobs,” he says, “learned a long time ago that a leader must be a company evangelist and brand spokesperson.”

He has distilled Job’s success into five tips, and I include here just the skeleton of what he wrote.

Sell the Benefit

Steve Jobs … sells an experience… “It's not about the technology, but what the technology can do for you.”

Practice, Practice, and Practice Some More

Jobs takes nothing for granted during product launches. He reviews and rehearses his material…. ‘Truth is, the sense of informality comes only after grueling hours of practice.’

Keep It Visual

… there are very few bullet points in a Jobs presentation. Each slide is highly visual. … Simple and visual. Take a cue from Jobs and help your listeners visualize the message.

Exude Passion, Energy, and Enthusiasm
Jobs has an infectious enthusiasm.

"And One More Thing..."
At the end of each presentation Jobs adds to the drama by saying, "and one more thing." He then adds a new product, new feature, or sometimes introduces a band. He approaches each presentation as an event, a production with a strong opening, product demonstrations in the middle, a strong conclusion, and an encore -- that "one more thing!"

It's Your Turn

Gallo is the author of the new book, 10 Simple Secrets of the World's Greatest Business Communicators. Visit him online at http://www.carminegallo.com/

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Thursday, April 06, 2006

"Slideuments" and the catch 22 for conference speakers

Slides are slides. Documents are documents. They aren't the same thing.

Attempts to merge them result in what I call the "slideument" (slide + document = slideument).

Much death-by-Powerpoint suffering could be eliminated if presenters clearly separated the two in their own minds before they even started planning their talks.

Read on …

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powerpoint
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Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Why Use Handouts?

They allow you to provide more detailed information than you would put on a slide. They give your audience something to take away from your presentation, to review later. They are one more way for your listeners to be reminded of you and your key messages.

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public speaking

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Speaking to ESL audiences

-- Resli Costabell(Resli@Costabell.com)

When speaking to an audience that includes people who speakEnglish as a second language, you may notice that some peoplekeep whispering to the person sitting next to them. They'reprobably not being rude or inattentive. Indeed, the whisperingmay be a compliment: it is likely that the whisperer istranslating for the person next to him or her. When severalpeople start whispering at once, it's your cue to rephrase whatever you just said.

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Thursday, March 30, 2006

Your communication skills

Are you interested in developing your communication skills?

Do you love to write?

Are you interested in reading?

Visit my Pivotal Communication blog.

Monday, March 27, 2006

Structure your speech for maximum impact

“Tell them what you’re going to say.  Say it.  Then tell them what you said”
 
And that is so true!!  We have such short attention spans.  And so do audiences.  If we want to make a point that will stay with an audience after they leave the room, we have to repeat and reinforce it throughout the presentation.  
 
Introduce your well defined theme.  Present that theme.  And repeat it to conclude.

You will have given your audience a great chance of remembering it.

Friday, March 24, 2006

Online Speech Bank

Online Speech Bank
Index to and growing database of 5000+ full text, audio and video (streaming) versions of public speeches, sermons, legal proceedings, lectures, debates, interviews, other recorded media events, and a declaration or two.”
The website can be searched by subject, such as Christian rhetoric, movie speeches and 9-11 speeches.  There are  over “200 short audio clips illustrating stylistic figures of speech ranging from alliteration to synecdoche. Clips are taken from speeches, movies, sermons, and sensational media events and delivered by politicians, actors, preachers, athletes, and other notable personalities.”  Check out the “100 most significant American political speeches of the 20th century, according to 137 leading scholars of American public address… Find out who made the cut and experience the power of rhetorical eloquence in this provocative list of "who's who" in American public address.”

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Mind Mapping your Speaking Presentation

You have a speaking presentation to make.  You have been given a topic or have chosen one and there are a multitude of ideas buzzing around in your head. Or maybe there is a frightening LACK of ideas! Or maybe you can think of no way to organise those thoughts into something memorable.  A mind map will help you.


Saturday, March 18, 2006

Talk doesn't come cheap when you're a celebrity




Celebrities net thousands on lucrative public speaking circuit

TALK doesn't come cheap when you're a high-profile journalist, politician or celebrity.  

Read the whole article from the Irish Independent

Friday, March 17, 2006

Five tips for overcoming public speaking nerves

Your mouth is dry, heart palpitating, and knees knocking. You go into panic, facing a dreaded public speaking assignment.It doesn’t have to be so.These five tips will give you some strategies to overcome those symptoms and have the butterflies flying in formation.1. Deep breathing will pull in oxygen. Adrenalin, secreted to help you deal with the fear brought on by little doubts, causes breaths to become shallow, or causes you to hold your breath. Deep breathing will help your brain work to capacity, and forcing the slower pace will quell the panic.2. Bluff. Stand tall, with shoulders back and chest out. Smile. Even though you don’t feel happy or confident, do it anyway. You will look confident and your body will fool your brain into thinking it is confident. This really works!!Bluff – body and smile3. Keep you mouth and throat hydrated. Plan to keep a drink on hand while you are speaking., though this sounds impossible. Visualising how you will use it if you need it, and calling up the audacity to do such a thing will carry across to your attitude as you take your place to speak, placing your glass just where you need it to be.4. Adrenalin sends the blood rushing to the fight/flight centres of your brain at the base of the skull. Place your hand on your forehead and press gently on the bony points. This will bring the blood to the parts of the brain that need it to present your speech best.5. Know you are prepared. Obviously this depends on actually being prepared, so take every opportunity in the days leading up to the speech to prepare your material. Be familiar with the structure of the presentation, and the ideas to use. Memorise the most important parts, and the parts you are frightened of forgetting. I would memorise the opening of the speech and in the moments before presenting it, would reassure myself that I knew that part, and that would lead on to the rest. It worked!!

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Presentation visuals do matter

Presentation visuals must be free of errors; they must be accurate. But our visuals — like it or not — also touch our audience on an emotional level. People judge instantly whether or not something is attractive to them or not. This is a visceral reaction. And it matters.  Read the whole blog post

Friday, March 10, 2006

Ovecroming stage fright

PREPARATION and practice – that's the 2Ps approach advocated by trainer Faridah Khalid for overcoming stage fright in a public-speaking competition. 
“There are no shortcuts to overcoming stage fright. You need to prepare and practise,” she told participants of the English-Speaking Union Malaysia (Esum)-The Star-HSBC Public Speaking Competition 2006 workshop at St Joseph's Secondary School in Kuching last Saturday.   Article continues

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

To overcome the fear of public speaking, you need to understand the underlying causes


Once you can identify the causes that are underlying your public speaking nerves and fear, you can choose the strategies you need to build your confidence, use the fear and present successfully.

Most people suffer from some fear of public speaking.  The survey that identified it as America’s number one fear was accurate then and remains so today. But the causes of that fear can differ from person to person.

One of the most important steps towards overcoming the fear of public speaking is to identify the things in your life that have created the fear and then choose the strategies that relate to those causes and that will conquer the fear and allow you to harness it to enhance your presentations and speeches, not destroy them.

So let’s list some of the factors that underlie the fear of public speaking and see which ones apply to you.  

Read the article

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Public speaking success tip: the value of eye contact


 
Eye contact is a wonderful tool to convey sincerity.  It is also useful to help you to stay aware of how the audience is reacting to you.  Stay aware and adapt by changing your presentation style and content to keep their attention and interest.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

For subtlety in your powerpoint, use fade animation

From  MarilynSnyder (Marilyn@InteractiveConceptsOnline.com)One whole workshop at a PowerPoint conference I attended wasdevoted to "Animating Finesse." And the one animation thepresenters recommended above all others? The Fade. Especially toadd subtlety and grace to all your shows. Try fading in photo #1,then fading it out as photo #2 comes fading in on top of photo#1. Very smooth! And this works equally well with text.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Creating an impact with your presentation: consider the audience


Why are you giving this speech? What do you hope to achieve with your presentation?



What sort of impact do you want to create? What will that “WOW” be?



In creating that “WOW”, that impact, one of the most important steps will be to research and consider the audience, because unless they understand what you are saying and respond to it, there can be no impact, no WOW.



Before you can even start to plan what to say and how to say it, you will need to know as much as you can about that audience – their likes and dislikes, their needs and values, what they hope to take from your presentation. You will need to explore age, sex, income bracket, lifestyle as well as needs, wants and ambitions.



Of course this may not always be possible - it may be that when you stand to speak and connect with the audience, you have to assess them, then and there. And in that moment and those following, you will need to adjust your material and presentation accordingly. Your planning, of course, will have taken this into account.



But there may be opportunities before the presentation to assess the audience. When they register for the event you could gather details. After they register you can send a questionnaire. Use this opportunity to also ask for any questions they particularly want answered and this will help your planning even more.



If at all possible, mingle with the attendees before your presentation. This gives you a chance to get to know them and their likely patterns of response. (It will also give them a chance to get to know you … and … you the opportunity to warm up your voice before the speech!)



Then, when you have conducted your assessment, you can fine-tune your presentation to create the impact you desire.



The content of your speech or presentation can be designed to respond to their needs and wants – provide the answers they wanted, provide the motivation they needed. You might choose to stimulate creative thinking for them, provide alternative options for them, based on your research of their interests and needs. That would certainly create an impact!



You may want to present yourself, both through your image and your content, as something your audience can aspire to, if that would provide an answer to their dreams and aspirations.



At the very least, your image should be chosen to be inoffensive to your audience. If possible you can research what they are likely to be wearing, and dress according to their code and culture, or a step higher in terms of formality, or business. You can create a WOW with your image, either by fitting in with your audience’s tastes or by impressing them. You can impress by creating an image that supports your message, and that sells you as the person you want the audience to see – trustworthy, honest, sincere or maybe exciting, mystical – whatever will support your message and the impact you want to create. But it will only create that impact, that WOW, if you tailor it to your audience – their likes, dislikes, tastes, values and culture.



Your language structure and vocabulary can be crafted to make the audience feel that you speak their language. And this will be based on factors like age, educational level, occupation, and lifestyle.



You can also ensure two other things - that your language doesn‘t provide offense and that it can be easily understood.



Otherwise, not only will you not create an impact; people will simply tune out and you will also have destroyed your personal credibility. So make your material; your anecdotes, your humour and your explanations; as well as your image, appropriate to your audience’s sensibilities and their levels and areas of understanding. Confine your jargon and vocabulary to words the audience feels at home with and you will maximize their understanding of your message and the impact you can create.



Successful speech-makers consider their audience in as much depth as they can, and use that as an integral part of the planning for their presentations. Use this tool when you speak, and you too, can create that impact, that WOW.







© 2005 Bronwyn Ritchie All rights reserved. If you would like to use this article, you have permission to use it only in full, and with the following Resource box attached.
Bronwyn Ritchie AALIA AC(ITC) is a librarian, an award-winning public speaker and ITC-certified trainer - For more resources on public speaking, visit http://www.consultpivotal.com/public_speaking

Thursday, February 23, 2006

You're not stuck with your voice

Despite What You Think, You’re Not Stuck With Your Voice
by Susan Berkley
Nor should you take it for granted. Your voice can have a profound impact on how successfully you influence and persuade others. Your voice effects how seriously you are taken... how respected you are... the results you get with clients, co-workers or vendors in business, with lovers or spouse and children in your personal life.
Your voice can be a powerful secret advantage you very deliberately use for influence and persuasion (just as actors and people paid thousands of dollars per minute to record commercials do)—or it can be a handicap (like it was for Markus on The Apprentice), undermining the impact of everything you say.
Here’s why.
Article continues

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Public Speaking success Tip - articulation

If you want to get a message across, people need to be able to hear it, to be able to hear each word.  That means articulating every word very clearly.  So pay particular attention to beginnings and especially endings.  Then there can be no confusion between similar words such as taken and taking, or pass and past.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Three essential body language tips

From the One Minute Pause Blog


For anyone who has done some training with me, you’ll know that I don’t focus on body language when presenting. People can get obsessed by trying to look convincing or slick, and neglect the content of their presentation. They perform all the textbook hand gestures, and what comes out of their mouths doesn’t match up. A bit like watching 100 chavs pour out of a limo. It just doesn’t seem right.


Sometimes however I do give advice on body language for presenting - especially when it detracts from the message. Here are the 3 biggest body language presentation pitfalls, and what you can do to avoid them:


1. EYES

Sharing eye contact around the room is one of the best presentation delivery skills you can have. Meeting people’s eyes is crucial for maintaining audience interest. As an audience member we feel that you are actually talking to us - rather than talking to the PowerPoint screen or to the table.


So, what prevents you from maintaining eye contact with everyone? Well one of the reasons could be the Sympathy Nodder - the only person in the room who is nodding and paying you attention. When you’re presenting you usually gravitate towards attention and recognition. Even if you suspect someone is sympathy nodding, you probably don’t care. You will choose the Sympathy Nodder over the guy making a pen pyramid any day. So you direct your attention almost solely to that one person. This means that you have alienated the audience in favour of the Sympathy Nodder, who is probably concentrating more on nodding than listening.


In the name of research from the audience side, try the Sympathy Nod Experiment during your next boardroom presentation. Look the presenter dead in the eye and nod a couple of times. Repeat about 5 times per minute, or whenever they look at you. You will undoubtedly find the presenter draw their attention towards you, almost as if you are the only person in the room. A cruel experiment perhaps, but one which will prove to you that as a presenter you must resist the one person who seems to be giving you the attention and maximise your eye contact with everyone.


2. HANDS

One of the greatest problems you might have is knowing what to do with your hands. Quite strange really given that you never have to worry what to do with your hands when you are chatting to friends. Suddenly they become a big issue when presenting.
You have two options. You can spend thousands getting personal coaching and practicing 20+ hand gestures, such as the ‘chop’, the ‘opera singer’ or the ’sweep’, until they seem natural. Or you can hold a pen, with one or two hands. This sounds very simple, but it does the job, keeping your hands steady, professional and relaxed. With the money you save on personal coaching, you can buy yourself a better pen.


3. STANCE

There have been many books written on stance and posturing. Most of them are of little use. The best thing to remember is to stand with your feet pointed towards the audience. This solves a very big presentation skills problem, which is turning your back on the audience - such as when you are reading off PowerPoint. If you keep your feet pointed towards the audience then you be naturally inclined to twist back to face them.

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Tips for keeping your cool before your presentation




Stretch to relax. Rise on your toes and reach for the ceiling, with your head back. Tighten your muscles from legs up through abdomen, and then release. Relax the neck and shoulder muscles, letting head loll on neck in different directions.

Breathe to relax. Stand erect, but relaxed and balanced. Inhale while silently counting to five. Hold the breath for five counts, then exhale for five – all breathing is through the mouth. Your diaphragm should move, but your chest should not expand. You can gradually increase the number of counts for each breath to 10.

Relax your Jaw. Let your head loll forward. As you raise it, keep your jaw relaxed. Let it hang open, and smile to yourself at how silly it feels.

Relax your throat. Yawn …. This is how your throat needs to be to speak well – open, and relaxed.Keep relaxing the muscles throughout your body, your jaw, neck and throat until you walk to the presentation area. Then smile! and begin.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Energise your powerpoint opening slide

Jazz up your PowerPoint opening title slide -- Marilyn Snyder(Marilyn@InteractiveConceptsOnline.com)Want a jazzy animation in your opening slide? Create your titlein WordArt and animate it so that it stretches out from thecenter very fast. Then duplicate that WordArt five or six times.Wow! Here's how to animate in PP2002/03: Click on the WordArt,select Add Effect, Entrance, More Effects, Stretch. Duplicate theWordArt quickly by selecting it and pressing Control + D five orsix times. Change the Start effect to After Previous.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Pivotal Speaking Success Tip


If you speak in a monotone, you will lose the audience.  They will be bored.  Add excitement by varying your pitch. You can also use change in pitch, volume and speed to emphasize new or important ideas. 
 

Friday, January 20, 2006

Structure your speech for maximum impact

To create an impact with your speech or presentation, the audience has to “get” the message.  That means they have to be able to hear it and to understand it.  And to do that, first they must listen. 
 
So the very first step in this whole process is to gain their attention and then keep it, so that they listen, hear what you say, understand it, and then they can be influenced by it  …  which is, after all, the essence of impact.
 
There are several strategies to keep attention and the one we’re looking at here is designing the structure of your speech.
That structure has to work flawlessly to keep attention, and you can also use it to make you message absolutely clear.
 
“Tell them what you’re going to say. Say it. Then tell them what you said”And that is so true!! We must take into account that we have such short attention spans. And so do audiences. If we want to make a point that will stay with an audience after they leave the room, we have to repeat and reinforce it throughout the presentation.

The first thing to do is get that attention – arouse it, focus it and keep it.  Don’t waste your breath on the expected or the blah.  If you must begin with something like “Good evening”, then make it different, or unusual.  Here in Australia, we might say “G’day!”  That would be unexpected. Otherwise use your voice and body language to make the greeting unusual, challenging, noticeable.  Use pause here.  Then use an opening that grabs the attention.  You can use a question, a joke, a comment about the people or surroundings or event.  You can make a statement, use a quotation, or simply use body language or gesture.  But choose that opening to grab attention, to align with the audience and their needs, hopes and aspirations, and to lead into your message.


Your introduction to the speech shouldlead into the main pointand give a short background for the points to follow…The body of the speech shouldpresent points that are pertinent and support the theme or premisesupport the points with examples, illustrations, etc.

use different strategies to appeal to different interests and learning stylespresent original ideas or a new approach to familiar materials…The conclusion should:summarise the points and restate them brieflyemphasise the theme or premise againmake the purpose of the speech clearprovide a strong finish for the speech


Your closing is your last chance to create impact, to influence, to call to action.  Make it very clear.
 
So right through the speech, there has to be a reiteration in as many ways as you can find, and clarification in as many ways as you can think of, of the message you wanted the audience to take with them…to make that message clearly heard and understood. 

(This assumes, of course, that you articulated the impact you wanted and the message you intended to convey at the beginning.  That step is vital – visit my article “Plan to create the WOW factor with your speech or presentation”)
The structure of your presentation introduced your well defined theme, presented that theme, and repeated it to conclude.And you will have given your audience a great chance of remembering it.
© 2005 Bronwyn Ritchie  All rights reserved.  If you would like to use this article, you have permission to use it only in full, and with the following Resource box attached.

Bronwyn Ritchie AALIA AC(ITC) is a librarian, an award-winning public speaker and ITC-certified trainer - and she manages Pivotal Points - resources for the times when you change, pivot, towards a better you and a better life.
For more resources, tips, articles and courses on public speaking visit http://www.consultpivotal.com/public_speaking.htm