Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Book - There's no such thing as public speaking


Make Any Presentation or Speech as Persuasive as a One-on-One Conversation


by
Jeanette and Roy Henderson
Whether addressing a few colleagues or a packed auditorium, readers will find practical and simple techniques for inspiring every listener. It's a wonderful blend of solid concepts, practical applications, and invaluable techniques. It takes the speaker from the planning stage through to the execution stage of any presentation. It addresses not only speaking in front of a crowd, but also one on one and small group interactions.
plus how to get the book for free
or pay $15 and get three bonuses

Saturday, December 06, 2008

Public Speaking And Using Humour

The whole point of public speaking is to give your audience something to take with them. Rather it be something of entertainment, something of persuasion, and even just some new and interesting facts. You will want your audience members to be able to say that they learned something or that they don’t waste their time listening to you. You will find that it can be hard to break through and audience, but you will want to use your emotions to convince them that they are getting something out of the time that they are spending with you.You will need to use different tools in working the system. One of the best tools to use is humour.

(...more)

Using maps in presentations

.... dedicated to uncovering innovative mapping solutions and fresh design ideas. ... the best maps are capable of displaying a stunning depth of geographic information, quickly and easily, in a way no other infographic can match. http://adjix.com/6j65

Friday, November 28, 2008

How to make sure your speech flows

It’s very important that your speech have an intrinsic rhythm or “flow”; otherwise, it may come across to listeners as staccato, dull and/or uninspiring. But how do you ensure that your next presentation has a natural cadence that adds to the clarity and energy of the information being conveyed?

Though some people do have a natural gift for writing and delivering speeches that keep audience members spellbound from beginning to end, it’s absolutely fine if you didn’t receive that talent at birth. The ability to create a “flowing” presentation can be learned, and it’s probably much easier than you think.

To begin, try these top seven suggestions for maximum results during your next public speaking engagement:

http://www.publicspeakingexpert.co.uk/how-make-sure-your-speech-flows.html

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Why I love speaking and what I think about the subject


Out of all the things I do these days it is SPEAKING that gets me "off" more then anything else.
Gary Vaynerchuk has captured national attention as a businessman and Internet celebrity. Gary’s fame can be attributed to his pioneering, multi-faceted approach to personal branding and business building.

Friday, November 21, 2008

10 Sure-Fire Steps To Take The Fear Out Of Public Speaking

Do you "feel the fear" when asked to do some public speaking? Public speaking is still one of our greatest fears and it turns grown men and women into nervous wrecks. The mere thought of it turns our tongue to cotton wool, causes our internal plumbing to act up and turns our knees to jelly. Well, there's no need for all of this because help is at hand. All you need to remember are your P's and Q's. Let's start with the P's

(...more)

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Clowns vs. Spiders vs. Public Speaking

Which do you fear most? And which fear is irrational? Seems everyone has a different answer. What's yours?

You can check out the other answers at the forum (and when you get there - tell me what you think of the spider. He looks friendly to me and I'm no spider lover!)

Saturday, November 15, 2008

A Guide to Public Speaking

Delivering an effective presentation is difficult. With the Internet, listeners have access to more information that ever before and have higher expectations for content from speakers today. In addition, because most people are saturated with entertainment, audiences want a presentation that is entertaining.

Here is a quick guide to giving an effective and interesting presentation:

Read the guide here ... It's basic but comprehensive and sometimes we need a reminder to pay attention to a particular aspect of our presentations.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Book review: 101 Ways to Captivate a Business Audience


by Sue Gaulke

There's nothing worse than sitting in the audience while an inept speaker stumbles through an ill-conceived business presentation-- unless, of course, you're the one floundering in the spotlight. In 101 Ways to Captivate a Business Audience, Sue Gaulke, founder of the Speaker's Training Camp, strips the mysteries from the process by showing how to prepare and present an effective address that will successfully involve your audience and deliver your message. (more …)

Buy it from Amazon or request it for free if you are a Pivotal Gold member

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Bureau basics and beyond

Developing Relationships with Speakers Bureaus

Having as many people as possible market you makes good business sense.

Or does it?

How can you convince a speakers bureau to represent you? And what, exactly, does “represent” really mean? Will the bureau send a steady stream of business to you — or will it be an irregular trickle? Bureaus are inundated with speakers wanting to be booked, so how can you cultivate a positive relationship? And how do you know which bureaus are ethical, credible, and won’t leave you with unpaid travel expenses?


You will learn:
- how to get a bureau to represent you
- what it means to have a bureau represent you
- what you need to have before contacting a bureau
- how to find and choose bureaus to approach
- how to learn how they want to be contacted
- why you should not balk at paying a materials review fee
- the best ways to develop a relationship without being a pest
- the difference between net fees vs. gross fees and the importance of fee consistency
- realistic expectations of a bureau’s frequency of booking you.

The details are here.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

How to close a speech

Tim Wilson has a useful set of suggestions on how to close a speech. One of my favourites, that he doesn't mention, is to leave with a challenging thought. It could be a question, but doesn't have to be. It should produce "an ah-ha moment" or a smile from the audience, of understanding and agreement.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

How to embed a youtube video in powerpoint



This is a quick and easy way to embed a YouTube video into a PowerPoint presentation on a PC.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Three Reasons Why You’re Cheating Yourself by NOT Improving Your Speaking Skills

More so than any other professional skill, improving your public speaking skills will give you the most benefit in your career whether you’re employed, self-employed or unemployed. Even if you don’t regularly speak to groups, the skills that it takes to communicate effectively to groups and the confidence that you’ll gain will automatically help you in interpersonal situations. So here are the top three reasons why you should improve your speaking skills.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Public Speaking: The Power Of Words

Words hurt, heal, motivate, and aggravate. They are powerful. They control emotions and can even control a person physically.
(...more)

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Fear Of Public Speaking, the Best Way to Get Rid of It

Do you have nightmares about public speaking? When you have to stand up in front of a group does your mouth go dry? Hands shake? Stomach turn flip-flops? Feel lightheaded? Think you may pass out?

Welcome to the club. If it’s any comfort, you are not alone!

According to a well-known survey, 65% of us would rather die than speak in public. Many have tried for years to overcome their fear and given it up as hopeless. But wait! There is hope.

We can now turn to one tested method to end the fear of public speaking that has been shown to yield amazing results. It is The Lefkoe Method (TLM).

Probably the least known, but possibly the fastest way of getting rid of the fear of speaking in public, is The Lefkoe Method (TLM). TLM is based on the knowledge that our behavior is governed by what we believe to be true. Therefore, it focuses on finding the 10 or so negative beliefs that make us fear public speaking. These can be such beliefs as, Mistakes and failure are bad; If I make a mistake, I’ll be rejected; or People aren’t interested in what I have to say; etc.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of this approach is how consistently it works.

(...more)

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Book Review - New Talkpower

The New Talkpower: The Mind Body Way to Speak Without Fear
(Capital Ideas for Business & Personal Development)

by Natalie H. Rogers
" . . .the ultimate workbook . . .perfect for public speaking novices or for speakers with a tough case of stage fright." -- Continental Magazine, November 28, 2000
"Natalie Rogers. . . she shows you. . . how to write, how to talk, how to be. . . so you can perform like a pro. It's magic. . ." -- Henry J. Fishman, M.D., creator and host of "TVMD," PBS national network


Thursday, September 04, 2008

Wake me when it’s over: A guide to no-nap presentations

It’s 9:30 in the morning and you’ve made it to the third presentation of today’s marketing meeting. The presenter is pretty much reading word for word from a deck of 40 slides, which are mostly densely worded, bulleted items with an occasional chart or graph thrown in. You have no interest in the topic, and to keep from falling asleep during the next 30 minutes, you are taking this opportunity to proofread some documents for a pressing deadline.

(more ...)

Friday, August 08, 2008

The Public Speakers Law of Attraction

If you are speaking as a professional business, or you are just involved in public speaking, using the law of attraction will get into the speaking frame of mind and will put you into the position where you will have created the mindset you need to become a successful public speaker. But remember one point here. It doesn’t matter how many leads you have, or how easy leads are provided to you. It doesn’t matter how many people sign up to hear your speech you are about to give. Without the proper mindset to guide your thinking, you won’t be successful and may just flop as a speaker.


(more ...)

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

... and death came third!




by Andy Lopata , Peter Roper


From the reviews:
It has often been said that the two key skills for any business in the 21st Century are an ability to communicate a message - and a hungry market to communicate that message to. Now, for those outside of the corporate world, the best way to achieve these two objectives is through networking and speaking to groups.
Andy Lopata and Peter Roper have written a really handy book on how to achieve this. But the book is more than just a guide to the shy and anxious. In a very simple way Andy and Peter have explained how anyone can improve the way they are perceived in the market place through networking and public speaking.




Friday, July 04, 2008

Connecting with the audience

Tim Wilson makes a short but very valid point about the questions to ask while speaking so that you can connect with the audience.

http://speakingquicktips.blogspot.com/2008/07/power-of-moment.html

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Presentation Technique


This is a great video - Energy is certainly a vital presentation technique. I just couldn't help wondering how much more power this presenter would have had, if he had stood still occasionally!
Click on the picture to click through to the video.


Thursday, June 12, 2008

The Power of Your Speech

Language expert Wilfred Funk was one of the first to study highly successful men and women to determine what they have in common. What he discovered was that they all have the ability to communicate clearly and effectively. Since then, many studies have shown the same thing. In fact, members of the "speaking" professions - lawyers, politicians, professional speakers, salespeople, and entertainers - are among the highest paid. There appears to be a high correlation between word power and earning power. The ability to speak, to persuade, and to keep an audience's attention is well rewarded.

What about you? Have you been sabotaging your own success because you feel that speaking in front of a group is something you would rather die than do? If so, it is time to do yourself a favour and learn the skills that can change your life.

Read on ...

Monday, June 02, 2008

PowerPoint - Rearranging shapes in Organization Chart

You can insert an Organization Chart by clicking Insert > Diagram > Organization Chart.

You will though realize that if the shapes are in incorrect order, you cannot reposition or reorder the shapes in the organization chart while AutoLayout is on. Here's one simple and neat trick to reorder the shapes.

Read on ...

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Become a fearless, confident public speaker

For most people, just the thought of—or the hint that they might “have to” —speak in public automatically raises their anxiety level to red alert. In fact, it’s well know that many psychological polls rank public speaking as people’s #1 fear… usually ranking above the fear of death.

If you have any level of fear, even if you are terrified when it comes to public speaking, I’m here to tell you that you do not have to live with it. There are all sorts of techniques you can use, but the people at ThinkRightNow.com have produced a new audio program.

”You can literally erase your fear of public speaking… whether it’s a brutally intense fear or just a small twinge. And you can do it without effort or struggle with a new audio program just released:”


Fearless Public Speaking Now!

Friday, May 09, 2008

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 ...

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Twelve Tips for Terrified Speakers

If you are overcoming the fear of public speaking, these tips will be of enormous benefit - very useful, and obviously practical. You will also find all sorts of useful, practical information on public speaking at Nick's blog.

Read the 12 tips here.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

New Subscription Address

This blog is moving.

Visit me instead at http://pivotalpublicspeaking.wordpress.com where you will get exactly the same sort of posts.

Best wishes,

Bronwyn

Monday, March 10, 2008

Voice Power


: Using Your Voice to Captivate, Persuade, and Command Attention by Renee Grant-Williams

For those who are constantly interrupted or asked to repeat themselves, the problem may not be what they're saying, but how they're saying it. Voice coach Renee Grant-Williams, who works with singers and politicians like Linda Ronstadt and John Ashcroft, shows how to make one's speech resonate impressively in Voice Power: Using Your Voice to Captivate, Persuade, and Command Attention. She reveals how to enunciate consonants for dramatic effect, use breathing techniques to make the voice richer, deploy strategic silence, cope with stage fright and leave authoritative voice-mail messages. There are copious useful exercises. There's also a chapter on maintaining a healthy voice.

“I was impressed that the author sought to train and not to impress.”
You will learn what you do wrong and then you learn how to correct it. Without recognizing your speaking problems (ALL of them, not just one such as a fear of speaking in public), you won't be a better speaker.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

How to ceate PowerPoint Templates


Amazing, basic, useful video on creating PowerPoint templates



Get free templates here.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Have You Mastered These 10 Public Speaking Skills?

How skillful are you at public speaking?

Have you mastered the public speaking skills?

If you want to master public speaking, then you need master the public speaking skills. There are dozens of skills required in a talk. These skills are an essential part of the art of public speaking and are especially important in persuasive speaking. How do you measure up in just 10 of the skills?

Read more ...

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Public Speaking Success Strategies


Clever little video ...



Saturday, February 16, 2008

Tips for preparing a wedding toast or persuasive spech

The Top Ten Speech Preparation and Delivery Tips from Speechforyou.com

Should you decide to write your own wedding toast or persuasive speech, here are a number of ideas which may be useful in the preparation.

Read the tips ...

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Determining Your Purpose

There are many types of speeches depending upon the speaker's intention, and a clear purpose statement will lead to a clear thesis statement. Reports are often given for the purpose of providing bases for action. Fact-finding boards, investigating committees, and boards of inquiry all serve as means of obtaining information to be transmitted to an action agency. This article offers guidelines and related links concerning the purpose of your public speech.

Read on ...

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking

Very succinct list of way to overcome the fear of public speaking.


Click on the picture to get to the video

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Public Speaking

10 Simple Steps to Confident Speaking

Here is a very PPPerceptive and PPPractical set of tips. It will motivate an give you usful inforamtion

Friday, February 01, 2008

Public Speaking Marketing - The One Hidden Secret To Growing Your Speaking Business

When I learned what top marketers knew and then simply applied it to my speaking business, my income literally TRIPLE the next year. This was the smartest, most - lucrative decision I've ever made for my speaking business and is one decision that made me a very wealthy speaker.
Read on ...

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Public Speaking: Places are funny

Some places are simply funnier than others. Cleveland is funny. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is funny. I live just off Goodluck Road. That's funny. My computer consultant used to live on Easy Street in Temple Hills, Maryland. That's funny. It was hard to find him because people were always stealing the sign, and it's not easy to steal an Easy Street sign.



Read on ...

More on using humour in public speaking

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Daniel Hamburger has a PowerPoint secret he wants to share with you.

From Smart business

“There’s a wonderful feature of PowerPoint, you hit the B key and it blacks the screen in show mode, most people don’t know that,” says Hamburger, the president and CEO of DeVry Inc.

When DeVry, the higher education holding company for DeVry University, Ross University, Chamberlain College of Nursing and Becker Professional Review, hit a rough patch, Hamburger got to know that B button pretty well.

Read on ...

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Compare your reading skills

This is a fun quick interactive test of your reading speed, comprehension,
vocabulary

It's FREE and only takes six minutes.

Find out how your skills compare.

Your results are reported at the end of the questions. This test is standardized against the results of 30,592 participants.

To start, click on the "Next button".
>>>Next

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Maximise your presentation skills


Maximize Your Presentation Skills: How to Speak, Look and Act on Your Way to the Top (Paperback)
by Ellen Kaye

"If you want to become a better speaker and communicator, this book will be an excellent guide. It is down to earth, easy to read, and very informative." — Ken Blanchard, coauthor, The One Minute Manager"

Ellen Kaye educates, cultivates, and motivates so that her clients are far more capable, entertaining, and charismatic. I've seen it happen. I encourage you to read her book and benefit from her coaching." — Nancy Lauterbach, owner, FIVE STAR Speakers & Trainers, and president, International Association of Speakers Bureaus

Book Description

Master the Perfect Presentation with Ease

The difference between a mediocre and magnificent career usually hinges on one simple thing: how you present yourself to management, clients, coworkers, and the public. In Maximize Your Presentation Skills, professional speech and image coach Ellen A. Kaye reveals how you can take your career to the next level by communicating like a seasoned business leader.Presented in an easy-to-use Q&A format, this indispensable guide answers more than 100 specific questions about public speaking, business etiquette, and leadership image, while dozens of valuable exercises help you hone your new career skills. This powerful and insightful book will help you master these crucial career skills and stand out from the crowd, whether you're just starting out in the business world or have been running a company for years. If you don't want to walk up the career ladder, but rather sprint, let the invaluable advice in Maximize Your Presentation Skills be your guide.