Mark Victor Hansen Special

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Fran

Insight

Happy New Year

"No, this is not an autoresponder message that is out of
sync. And I haven't gone off my rocker.

It's my way of reassuring you that regardless of what day it
is on the calendar, you can start a New Year today!

Think about it. Traditionally we all get excited about
setting goals on January 1. We are all revved up about
Taking Action - for about 2 weeks. Then we start to beat
ourselves up about why we haven't stuck with the plan - and
by March 1, we're tired and discouraged and think "oh well,
another year down the drain."

It doesn't have to be that way!

You can start a New Year ANY day of the year. For example,

- A New School Year starts the day after labor day.

- A new fiscal year starts for businesses on whichever day
they choose to start it.

- The Chinese new year starts on a different date every
year.

So decide TODAY that you're going to start a new year TODAY.

1. What goals do you have?

2. What actions do you need to take to achieve them?

Take a few minutes to write these down. You already know
what they are because you've set New Years Goals before. But
now you get a "bonus" new start for the year - right here in
the middle of September!"

This is from an email I received today. First it made me laugh a bit and then it made me really think about my goals for this year and how I'm doing on them. The year is 3/4 complete and I should have 3/4 of my goal accomplished. I'm sorry to say that I don't and now I know I will have to get busy and work a little harder!

How about you? How are you doing on the goals you set for youself this year? Are you halfway there, or still at the starting block?

Well, there is no time like the present to get back on track. Take another look at your goals and see what it is that stopped you from achieving them. Were they too large? If so, break your goals into little steps. One step per week for the balance of the year. You will be surprised at how much you can achieve.

Take some time each evening to write down your goals for the next day, so that when you wake up your mind will already have begun processing the steps to accomplish those goals.

As I said above.....Happy New Year!

Fran Watson
P.S. sign up for my free ezine here: speakersinfo@getresponse.com

http://www.quickinfo247.com/7910757/EE

Confident Public Speaking

Amazing Secrets from the World Champion of Public Speaking Click Here!
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Have Something to Say

The trouble with many speakers is that they go before an audience with their minds a blank. It is no wonder that nature, abhorring a vacuum, fills them with the nearest thing handy, which generally happens to be, "I wonder if I am doing this right! How does my hair look? I know I shall fail." Their prophetic souls are sure to be right.
It is not enough to be absorbed by your subject—to acquire self-confidence you must have something in which to be confident. If you go before an audience without any preparation, or previous knowledge of your subject, you ought to be self-conscious—you ought to be ashamed to steal the time of your audience.

Prepare yourself. Know what you are going to talk about, and, in general, how you are going to say it. Have the first few sentences worked out completely so that you may not be troubled in the beginning to find words.
Know your subject better than your hearers know it, and you have nothing to fear.

After Preparing for Success, Expect It

Let your bearing be modestly confident, but most of all be modestly confident within. Over-confidence is bad, but to tolerate premonitions of failure is worse, for a bold man may win attention by his very bearing, while a rabbit-hearted coward invites disaster.

Humility is not the personal discount that we must offer in the presence of others—against this old interpretation there has been a most healthy modern reaction. True humility any man who thoroughly knows himself must feel; but it is not a humility that assumes a worm-like meekness; it is rather a strong, vibrant prayer for greater power for service—a prayer that Uriah Heep could never have uttered.

Washington Irving once introduced Charles Dickens at a dinner given in the latter's honor. In the middle of his speech Irving hesitated, became embarrassed, and sat down awkwardly. Turning to a friend beside him he remarked, "There, I told you I would fail, and I did."

If you believe you will fail, there is no hope for you. You will.

Rid yourself of this I-am-a-poor-worm-in-the-dust idea. You are a god, with infinite capabilities. "All things are ready if the mind be so." The eagle looks the cloudless sun in the face.

Assume Mastery Over Your Audience

In public speech, as in electricity, there is a positive and a negative force. Either you or your audience are going to possess the positive factor. If you assume it you can almost invariably make it yours. If you assume the negative you are sure to be negative. Assuming a virtue or a vice vitalizes it. Summon all your power of self-direction, and remember that though your audience is infinitely more important than you, the truth is more important than both of you, because it is eternal. If your mind falters in its leadership the sword will drop from your hands.

Your assumption of being able to instruct or lead or inspire a multitude or even a small group of people may appall you as being colossal impudence—as indeed it may be; but having once essayed to speak, be courageous. BE courageous—it lies within you to be what you will. MAKE yourself be calm and confident.

Reflect that your audience will not hurt you. In facing your audience, pause a moment and look them over—a hundred chances to one they want you to succeed, for what man is so foolish as to spend his time, perhaps his money, in the hope that you will waste his investment by talking dully?

Concluding Hints

Do not make haste to begin—haste shows lack of control.
Do not apologize. It ought not to be necessary; and if it is, it will not help. Go straight ahead.

Take a deep breath, relax, and begin in a quiet conversational tone as though you were speaking to one large friend. You will not find it half as bad as you imagined; really, it is like taking a cold plunge: after you are in, the water is fine. In fact, having spoken a few times you will even anticipate the plunge with exhilaration.

To stand before an audience and make them think your thoughts after you is one of the greatest pleasures you can ever know. Instead of fearing it, you ought to be as anxious as the fox hounds straining at their leashes, or the race horses tugging at their reins.

So cast out fear, for fear is cowardly—when it is not mastered. The bravest know fear, but they do not yield to it. Face your audience pluckily—if your knees quake, MAKE them stop. In your audience lies some victory for you and the cause you represent. Go win it.

The world owes its progress to the men who have dared, and you must dare to speak the effective word that is in your heart to speak—for often it requires courage to utter a single sentence. But remember that men erect no monuments and weave no laurels for those who fear to do what they can.

No one doubts that temperament and nerves and illness and even praiseworthy modesty may, singly or combined, cause the speaker's cheek to blanch before an audience, but neither can any one doubt that coddling will magnify this weakness. The victory lies in a fearless frame of mind. Prof. Walter Dill Scott says: "Success or failure in business is caused more by mental attitude even than by mental capacity." Banish the fear-attitude; acquire the confident attitude. And remember that the only way to acquire it is—to acquire it.

Here's to speaking with confidence
Fran

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P.S. Don't Forget to Get The Secrets Click Here!

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Using Props when Speaking

Secrets from A Champion Click Here!
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'Prop up' your speaking


3 August, 2008
By Andrea Nierenberg
http://www.connectitnews.com/usa/story.cfm?item=2323


Most professional speakers at some time use props to enhance their presentations, which can turn a program into a dramatic and engaging event. "Prop" is a short word for the theatrical term "property." It describes an item used by an actor during a performance. Most speakers' props deal with the senses of sight and sound or, in some cases, help to prompt lively audience interactions. As a speaker, it's your job to find creative ways to keep your audience with you from beginning to end. Props help make that happen.

Proper Propping

Before I share with you some "show stopping" techniques for using props, let's take a look at some basic guidelines:

Bigger than life. Props need to be large enough so that the people farthest from you can enjoy what you are doing with them. Sometimes speakers hold up a newspaper to show an unusual headline. However, it is unreadable for someone sitting more than five or six rows back. In this case, putting the headline on a Power Point slide or an overhead transparency would solve the problem.

Keep it a secret. I am about to give you a rule that can be broken. In most cases, keep your props hidden until you are ready to make them the focus of your presentation. If you have a funny and colorful stuffed animal sitting off to the side, it could draw people's attention, which would distract your audience, especially if it is used at the end of your program.

Slow down. Show props to the audience very slowly. Remember, people need a few seconds to focus on the item, and maybe they have just lifted their heads from writing some notes. So if you quickly hold up something and put it down in a few seconds, many people might miss the point. It's best to hold it up, stretch your arm out far to the right, and then slowly move your arm out far to the left. Then you can be sure everyone can see the item.

Objects to Make a Point

Many kinds of props can be used to make your presentation more memorable. Some speakers will go as far as wearing a gorilla costume or a funny wig. Strange and unusual items can be memorable, yet could be perceived as too silly, so discretion is advised. The following suggestions are effective props that work for me:

Money makes the world go around. As you step up to the microphone, tape a $20 bill on the podium. However, start your presentation without mentioning anything about it. Your audience will wonder what it's for. After speaking for about five to 10 minutes, I ask the audience, "Did anyone notice the $20 bill?" Usually a number of hands go up. Then I ask, "Why didn't you ask about it?" and say, "Whoever wants it, come up and get it." Finally someone does, and I tell the audience, "That person had G.O.Y.A.: Get Off Your Anatomy." This is especially effective for training people to be more assertive when seeking sales opportunities.

Rock and sand. Solid business relationships are built on firm foundations of long-term and trusting relationships. To illustrate this point, put your hand under a rock and lift it up to show how solid it is and how it holds together. Then, put your hand in a bucket of sand and let the sand run through your fingers. Follow up by saying that it took thousands of years for this rock to be formed, and the same is true with solid business relationships. Tell the audience to take time in building something solid, otherwise they'll find their businesses sinking in the sand.

People props. We all need some encouragement to do better in life. One way to help people understand their greater potential is to ask everyone to stand up and raise their hands as high as they can go. Then say, "Now stretch a half inch higher." They always go a little higher on the second try. Finally, I say, "What's my point? You can always reach a little higher to your potential!"

Let's break it up. In some sessions, small break-out group activities are effective ways to help people learn. However, many employees do what I call "stick to the clique." To help people learn how to work with new contacts, I give out different types of candy bars and ask them to break into groups according to the name of the candy bar they received. Then I ask them to create a marketing campaign to re-launch their particular candy bar. As an incentive, I tell them that they cannot eat the candy until each group presents their campaign to everyone else. This is good for almost any business environment because it gets people thinking about the sales and marketing process.

Everyone loves a prize. In some of my seminars, I give out fun premiums when people answer a question or really get involved. I give them prizes such as candy kisses, Life Savers with dollar bill wrappings, or catchy pins with interesting quotes. When people start to look forward to receiving those kinds of gifts, your presentations become more alive. You could also do this in the form of a raffle. Give out a sheet of paper to be filled in with the person's name and a question that he or she hopes to get answered by the end of the session. This technique will help keep your audience's attention. It will also give you some input on what modifications you can immediately make to better meet their needs. I give away great-looking pens or business card cases as prizes. If you have a book or tape series, people would love to win that, too.

Props can also help trigger a story or illustration you want to make without looking at your notes, which is a major benefit. For example, if I was trying to illustrate the importance of making progress, I would bring a pair of sneakers, a bicycle tire, a model of a car, and a model of a Concorde plane. Then, starting with the sneakers, I would say that when people wanted to get from point "A" to point "B," their feet were the only means of transportation, and I would work my way up to the Concorde. Finally, I would close by saying that this applies to all of us. When we make progress, we can expect our lives to dramatically improve as we go along. This is a win/win technique because you will have some interesting props to keep the audience's attention, and your presentation will stay on track. You also won't have to look at your notes too much.

Keep in mind the benefits of using props:

* They take conceptual information and make it tangible.

* People remember visuals more than they remember words.

* They can help a speaker release nervous energy by focusing on them (remember to keep looking at the audience and avoid staring at the props).

* Props, like pictures, are worth a thousand words because they can be used as a short cut to make an important point.

Think of it this way: let's say the content for two speakers' programs were identical. However, one speaker stood behind the podium and spoke for 45 minutes. The other speaker used a megaphone to announce how the session would benefit the audience, had them create a new product using Play Dough, and finished by giving everyone a gift certificate for ice-cream. Which session would you attend?

Here's to using your props well

Fran

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P.S. Get Your Secrets To Success in Public Speaking Click Here!

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Stage Fright Strategies

This article is by one of my mentors. I have been a fan of Tom's for several years now and have purchased several of his CDs and books.


Stage Fright Strategies by Tom Antion
----------------------------------------------------
Direct comments or questions about this article to:
Tom Antion, Box 2630, Landover Hills, MD
20784. (301) 459-0738 Outside Maryland (800) 448-6280, Fax (301) 552-0225, Email tomantion@AOL.com, tom@antion.com

Stage fright Is Good and Makes You Better Looking Too!

Before you learn how to deliver your lines, it is important to be ready to deliver your lines. Stage fright is a phenomenon that you must learn to control. Actually, stage fright isn't the most accurate term for the nervousness that occurs when considering a speaking engagement. In fact, most of the fear occurs before you step on-stage. Once you're up there, it usually goes away. Try to think of stage fright in a positive way. Fear is your friend. It makes your reflexes sharper. It heightens your energy, adds a sparkle to your eye, and color to your cheeks. When you are nervous about speaking you are more conscious of your posture and breathing. With all those good side effects you will actually look healthier and more physically attractive.

Many of the top performers in the world get stage fright so you are in good company. Stage fright may come and go or diminish, but it usually does not vanish permanently. You must concentrate on getting the feeling out in the open, into perspective and under control.

Remember Nobody ever died from stage fright. But, according to surveys, many people would rather die than give a speech. If that applies to you, try out some of the strategies in this section to help get yourself under control. Realize that you may never overcome stage fright, but you can learn to control it, and use it to your advantage.

Symptoms of Stage fright
 Dry mouth.

 Tight throat.

 Sweaty hands.

 Cold hands.

 Shaky hands.

 Give me a hand (Oops, I couldn't resist).

 Nausea.

 Fast pulse.

 Shaky knees.

 Trembling lips.

 Any out-of-the-ordinary outward or inward feeling or manifestation of a feeling occurring before, or during, the beginning of a presentation
(Wow! What a dry mouthful!).

Here are some easy to implement strategies for reducing your stage fright. Not everyone reacts the same and there is no universal fix. Don't try to use all these fixes at once. Pick out items from this list and try them out until you find the right combination for you.


Visualization strategies that can be used anytime
 Concentrate on how good you are.

 Pretend you are just chatting with a group of friends.

 Close your eyes and imagine the audience listening, laughing, and applauding.

 Remember happy moments from your past.

 Think about your love for and desire to help the audience.

 Picture the audience in their underwear.

Strategies in advance of program

 Be extremely well prepared.

 Join or start a Toastmasters club for extra practice

 Get individual or group presentation skills coaching.

 Listen to music.

 Read a poem.

 Anticipate hard and easy questions.

 Organize.

 Absolutely memorize your opening statement so you can recite it on autopilot if you have to.

 Practice, practice, practice. Especially practice bits so you can spit out a few minutes of your program no matter how nervous you are.

 Get in shape. I don't know why it helps stage fright, but it does.

Strategies just before the program

Remember Stage fright usually goes away after you start. The tricky time is before you start.
 Be in the room at least an hour early if possible to triple check everything. You can also schmooze with participants arriving early.

 Notice and think about things around you.

 Concentrate on searching for current and immediate things that are happening at the event that you can mention during your talk (especially in the opening).

 Get into conversation with people near you. Be very intent on what they are saying.

 Yawn to relax your throat.

 Doodle.

 Draw sketches of a new car you would like to have.

 Look at your notes.

 Put pictures of your kids/grandkids, dog, etc., in your notes.

 Build a cushion of time in the day so you are not rushed but not too much time. You don't want to have extra time to worry.

 If your legs are trembling, lean on a table, sit down, or shift your legs.

 Take a quick walk.

 Take quick drinks of tepid water.

 Double check your A/V equipment.

 Don't drink alcohol or coffee or tea with caffeine.

 Concentrate on your ideas.

 Hide notes around the stage area so you know you have a backup if you happen to draw a blank.

 Concentrate on your audience.

 Listen to music.

 Read a poem.

 Do isometrics that tighten and release muscles.

 Shake hands and smile with attendees before the program.

 Say something to someone to make sure your voice is ready to go.

 Go somewhere private and warm up your voice, muscles, etc.

 Use eye contact.

 Go to a mirror and check out how you look.

 Breathe deeply, evenly, and slowly for several minutes.

 Don't eat if you don't want to and never take tranquilizers or other such drugs. You may think you will do better, but you will probably do worse and not know it.

Strategies when the program begins

 If legs are trembling, lean on lectern /table or shift legs or move.

 Try not to hold the microphone by hand in the first minute.

 Don't hold notes. The audience can see them shake. Use three-by-five cards instead.

 Take quick drinks of tepid water.

 Use eye contact. It will make you feel less isolated.

 Look at the friendliest faces in the audience.

 Joke about your nervousness. "What's the right wine to go with fingernails?"

Remember nervousness doesn't show one-tenth as much as it feels.

Before each presentation make a short list of the items you think will make you feel better. Don't be afraid to experiment with different combinations. You never know which ones will work best until you try. Rewrite them on a separate sheet and keep the sheet with you at all times so you can refer to it quickly when the need arises.

Use these steps to control stage fright so it doesn't control you.

****************************************************************

I hope these tips were of some help to you.

All the best

Fran
www.franwatson.ca
www.moremoney4u.org



Fran Watson
3119 Stone Road
Douglas
Ontario K0J 1S0
Canada

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Asking Questions

Improve Your Tomorrows By Asking One Question Today

If you are a parent of school-aged children (or have ever been a school-aged child), I would bet you have asked or heard this question every single day: "What did you learn in school today?" And when those same children roll their eyes or say “oh Mom!” those same parents persist; asking a follow up question like, "You know you learned something - you were there all day, c'mon, what did you learn?"

After some prying and cajoling, the children answer with some morsel or lesson learned during the day. The kids are relieved, and the parents are happy. This scene plays out in cars and homes all over the world, and yet this question that seems so obvious to parents seems to escape our thoughts for ourselves.

The modified question you could ask yourself every day is: "What did I learn today?"

Why This Question Works

Parents ask school children about what they learned at school because they expect them to learn at school. But somehow after graduation, people stop thinking about learning as their daily task. And yet, human beings are learning beings. Our bodies and brains are constantly learning.

If you are constantly learning you might wonder why you need to ask this question at all (and that is a good question itself!).

While you are constantly learning, the things you are learning are subconscious and therefore not necessarily accessible to your conscious mind. Also, the things you are learning by just going through your day may not be the things you most want to learn. So, by asking the question, you are making your learning more conscious and intentional.

As you ask it more frequently, you will begin to see your daily experiences as learning opportunities and those things you most want to learn and improve will become clearer.

How This Question Works

As you begin to think of life as your own personal learning laboratory, you can expect ideas, lessons and discoveries each day. The question plays to that expectancy.

What did I learn today?

When you ask yourself this question, you are expecting that there is learning to recall! When you create the habit of asking, you begin to create a habit of looking for the things you are learning. And, as you expectantly look, you will most certainly find lessons and learnings.

Where This Question Works
This question works in every part of your life!
Consider asking the question to help you learn:
In your personal life
In your professional life
As a team member
As a leader
In pursuit of a specific goal

Based on your needs you may choose to ask the generic question about your entire day, to focus on one of these areas specifically (i.e. what did I learn today to make me a better parent, or what did I learn today to make me a better salesperson), or to ask the question multiple times, once for each important role or learning goal that you have.

© 2008 The Kevin Eikenberry Group – All Rights Reserved (with permission)
The Kevin Eikenberry Grouphttp://www.kevineikenberry.com7035 Bluffridge WayIndianapolis, IN 46278

Now, how does this relate to public speaking? Every time you hear someone speak, you pick up tips on what to do or what not to do, you may hear one line from a speech or from a discussion at a meeting that can set you off in a new direction for a speech.

I keep a mini tape recorder with me in my car so that I can remember what I learned, and sometimes I even begin a new speech on my drive home from a meeting. When you are open to learning, your mind will pick up on new ideas and also on ideas that relate to something else that you know or that you have thought about.

Fran

Mini Quiz

1. Why should you worry about satisfying the audience?

a) To help you achieve your speaking goals.

b) You can't please everyone, so you should just please yourself.

c) Just worry about not looking too foolish or forgetting things.


2. How can you find out about the audience before you speak?

a) Do some research on who is in the audience and their expectations.

b) It doesn't matter who they are if you are a dynamic speaker.

c) Don't worry, just prepare five different speeches, just in case.


3. What do you do if the audience seems bored?

a) Try to sumamrize and cut the talk short.

b) Just ignore them and keep going until you are done, after all you put a lot of work into your speech.

c) Tell a few dirty jokes to liven things up.

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How did you do?

All (a)'s - good job, you are on your way to becoming a champion in public speaking!

Looking for some ideas for speech topics? Check out my Toastmasters website.

www.franwatson.ca/ToastmastersRenfrew.html

What Have YOU Learned Lately?

If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where
we are headed.
~ Chinese Proverb
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We all have ability. The difference is how we use it. ~ Stevie
Wonder
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Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already
mastered, you will never grow. ~ Ronald E. Osborn
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What Have You Learned Lately?

By Barbara Winter

Every time I left my house, I used to see a poster near my front
door that read, "It's not where you're going...it's where you're
coming from." While that might sound like a bit of leftover
jargon from the sixties, it also bears a truth that touches us
all. Any project, any goal, any relationship with which we're
involved is colored by what we bring to it.

For a long time, I've had a strong predilection for being around
people who are positive, enthusiastic and creative. Somewhere
along the way, I realized that those nurturing kinds of people
would probably not show up in my life unless I was one myself.
And so my personal quest began to become the person I wanted to
hang out with. The quest isn't over yet, but the things I've
learned have been amazing. For example, how do ordinary people
become life's big winners?

One of the most interesting answers to that question came from
author Robert G. Allen in his book, "Creating Wealth." "The will
to prepare to win is more important than the will to win.
Preparing usually means doing those kinds of things that
failures don't like to do. It means studying and learning. It
means reading books, going to seminars. It means not being
afraid to corner experts and ask foolish questions."

Sometimes finding the time - or motivation - to keep learning
seems to be a huge challenge. As busy adults, we may have
forgotten to make Lifelong Learning a high priority. Or maybe we
never had the benefit of a teacher like Rafe Esquith who helped
us discover early on the joy of learning. I recently read his
book

"Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire" and was wildly inspired by his
story and the academic and creative wonders he consistently
turns out. Esquith teaches fifth grade in Los Angeles. Most of
his students come from immigrant homes where English is the
second language. Nevertheless, in addition to performing well
academically, all Esquith's students learn to play a musical
instrument and their annual Shakespearean performances have
received national attention. What Esquith - and all great
teachers - demonstrate is that the potential to soar resides
within all of us, but it needs to be coaxed and nurtured.
Happily, putting yourself in a roomful of others who are on the
same journey can accelerate that process.

Brian Tracy, one of the leading authorities on personal
achievement, makes this observation: "Increasing your knowledge
and skills is like using high-octane fuel in your engine on your
way to your destination...Unfortunately, for most people, their
earning ability is a fixed, or even worse, depreciating asset.
Because of this, most people just have a 'job' which stands for
'just over broke.'"

So it's probably no coincidence that the people who are the most
Joyfully Jobless just happen to be Lifelong Learners as well.
One of those folks was a woman named Donnie, but she didn't
start out with entrepreneurial ambition. Donnie Nair was a
successful real estate salesperson who came to her success after
being a housewife, mother and civil servant. Of those earlier
years she said, "I was absolutely happy and had no ambition
whatsoever."

So what unleashed this super saleswoman who continuously broke
sales records? Donnie said it sneaked up on her when she was
sitting in a Tom Hopkins Sales Seminar one day. "It was like a
light went off in my head. I just knew he was talking about me.
Success really was available to anyone who wanted it." Her
business took off like a rocket. "It didn't matter what goals I
set for myself," she recalls. "I always surpassed them."

What set Donnie Nair apart from those who are less successful
was her continuing effort to grow and learn. One evening she
called me as she was driving to a class. I asked her what she
was studying now and she said, "It might sound silly, but I've
always wanted to learn how to sing so I'm in a class for
beginners who can't carry a tune in a bucket."

Socrates said, "Let him who would move the world, first move
himself." With all the resources - the books, the seminars, the
insights of others - available for a pittance, it makes no sense
to skip the critical preparation stage. Because, in the final
analysis, winning isn't about what you have or even what you do.

Winning is about becoming the person you were meant to become,
no matter how long and difficult that journey may be. So study
and learn all you can. Take advantage of every resource you can
find. You never know what might happen if you do. Like Donnie
Nair, you could find yourself sitting in a roomful of strangers
and suddenly meet yourself.


About the Author

Barbara J. Winter is a Las Vegas-based writer, speaker and
enthusiastic fan of Changing Course. In addition to conducting
seminars for the Joyfully Jobless, she also publishes the
Winning Ways newsletter. Barbara is currently at work on a
collection of stories from people who have made the transition
from employee to entrepreneur. She'll be joining Valerie in
Northampton, MA on April 11-12 for the annual Work at What You
Love workshop (http://ChangingCourse.com/workshop.htm). Visit
Barbara online at http://BarbaraWinter.com

Benchmarks For Success

Welcome to this Bonus Lesson for the 'Keys to Success' e-Course.

For over 25 years, I've studied and read, watched and coached highly successful people, from self-made millionaires to professional golfers, to great ministers, parents and entrepreneurs. I've read over 2000 books in psychology, self-help, business, investing, management, leadership and success strategies. I've worked with Fortune 100 companies and I've watched sole proprietors both succeed and fail, and from all of that, I've tried to summarize the 6 Keys that I believe are the are critical, essential elements for long-term success in life.

You've read the Six Keys. You've had time to ponder them. I hope you've taken notes, and perhaps printed and re-read the lessons several times. I hope you've found some points you doubt or disagree with, or some items that in your specific situation might have to be modified to 'fit' just right. But I hope you've also seen the essential truth in each of the points. Let's re-cap them:

You will not achieve your dreams or be successful in life if you fail to take care of yourself. Insist on time for rest, time for fitness, time to review your goals, time to develop your plans and develop better strategies.

Beyond taking care of your body, mind and soul, you will need tools and equipment, skills and resources to achieve your dreams. You will need quiet in which to concentrate. You will need a 'problem free zone' where you can be productive, creative and effective. Highly successful people invest in a Personal Eco-System that lets them function at their best.

Dream big dreams, complete in every detail and rich in sensory cues. High achievers imagine the future exactly the way they want it, then develop plans and strategies to create the life they envision. Set goals. Develop plans. Write them down and review them daily. Once you have a goal and a strategy, pursue it with all your heart, mind, strength and energy. Use your imagination to create the life you want!

Ask better questions. Asking better, more powerful and more interesting questions will transform the quality of your life. Ask yourself, 'How can I?' Ask yourself, 'Who can teach me?' Ask yourself, 'What are my most important values, priorities and goals, and how can I reach them?' Focus on great questions and let the answers pull your forward.

Whatever you desire to achieve, start it today. Take some action in the direction you want to go. Then take another, and another. Action has power and decisiveness in it. Action gives us enthusiasm, builds our confidence and encourages us to go further. Success requires and is based on action. Do it.

Create a lifestyle based on repeated daily habits that reflect your values and your ideals. Living well doesn't cost; it pays! Living well is simple, orderly, and powerful. When you have a strong, reliable foundation of repeated daily habits you achieve more, with less effort, less stress and far less confusion. Remember the KISS formula: Keep It Simple and Stress-free.

And here is your bonus item: In every area of your life, develop benchmarks that let you know you are on the right track. Remember, 'what gets measured, gets done.' Track and benchmark your savings, your fitness, your sales, the time you spend with loved ones, or anything else that is critical to your success. Schedule a date with your spouse. Write it on the calendar, and better yet, put a date on the calendar each week for the next 12 months, then keep your promises!

Create simple charts or graphs to monitor your weight and put them on the wall where the whole family can see your progress and encourage you. Monitor anything and everything that you want to achieve. Even seemingly intangible things like 'peace of mind' can be tracked if you are creative. Simply rate your 'peace of mind' on a scale once a day and write it down. Anything that is important to your success deserves to be benchmarked, tracked and recorded.

Highly successful people have always known this. High achievers monitor their finances. The best sales people record the number of calls them make. Athletes measure their times, their distances and their Earned Run Averages. The numbers may not tell you everything about the quality of your life, but they are an essential tool for moving in the direction you want to go.

And finally, have and work with a mentor. As a professional coach, it's tempting to say, 'hire a coach', but that's not always necessary. Sometimes, a professional coach is the answer, and in that case, the sooner you make the commitment, invest the time and money and energy and get started, the faster you'll achieve your goals. But, whether you hire a professional or not, have and use a coach!

Work with someone who has already achieved what you want to achieve. Ask them to teach you, and schedule regular phone calls or have lunch with them once a week. If you cannot find an expert in your field, then read books, listen to tapes, go to seminars, take classes. Hundreds of people have said my 'Road to Riches' teleclass has been the key to achieving their financial goals. Classes work! Books help! Do whatever it takes to learn from the masters. You cannot afford to spend your life re-inventing the wheel. What others have achieved, you can achieve. But be smart and let them teach you.

Thank you for investing in this series. The cost was 'free' you say? No. I didn't charge you any money for it, but if you've taken it seriously, read and pondered these truths and taken action, you've invested something far more valuable than mere money. You invested your time.

Money is abundant. It can be created. It can be multiplied, replaced or borrowed, and it can grow. As economists say, money is 'elastic'. Your time is not. Time, once invested, is gone forever. Thank you for investing your time, and if you use these lessons well, I believe you'll find your investment will repay you thousands of times over.

Blessings to you, and best wishes for your continued and lasting success!


Phil

___________________________________
Philip E. Humbert, PhD
'Helping You Have Your BEST Year Ever!'
Email: Coach@philiphumbert.com
Web: http://www.philiphumbert.com


(c) Copyright, 2002 by The Philip E. Humbert Group, Inc
All Rights Reserved. You are encouraged to forward or publish
this article in it's entirety, including by-line, contact info and notices
in the margin, but you may not use excerpts or make any changes
without specific written permission from the author and copyright owner.

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Here's to benchmarks!

Fran Watson

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Lessons in Leadership from Hockey

In Canada, it's hockey season. Most of the time when you think of hockey, you think of a team. The Sens, the Leafs, The Habs, the Rangers, the Flyers, etc. You think about how the team plays together, how they are coached, how they relate to each other on and off the ice. When I took a look at hockey and at the teams, I realized that there are a number of lessons in leadership we can learn.

Lesson 1: Each team has many members, but there are only 6 members on the ice at a time – 3 forwards, 2 defence and a goalie. The other members are on the bench waiting for their turn. It is important to not only have the main line, but also members in reserve for when that first line needs a break. When a player is on the ice giving their all for 2-3 minutes, they need to get off for at least the same length of time so they can gather their strength to do it again.

Lesson 2: Every team needs a leader and so each team has a captain. The captain can be any one of those 6 players and may be on or off the ice at any time, but the captain will be the one you will hear calling encouragement to the other players, patting them on the back when they do well, and offering words of encouragement should they mess up.

Lesson 3: A captain must be prepared to take the lead, to guide and direct his or her teammates, to demonstrate skills by his or her actions, to stand up for his or her teammates, and to take the responsibility for when things go wrong.

The captain needs to pay attention to the other team members, noting who is doing well and who is not where they should be. The captain will either speak to the player themselves or pass on information to the coach. The captain knows when someone is having a bad day and might need a little more support or when they are having a good day and want some acknowledgement.

Lesson 4: When there is training to be done, the coach looks to the captain to set the pace, to buckle down and encourage the rest of the team to do the same. The captain has to be in better shape than the others in order to be able to set an example, so he or she must train harder and smarter.

Lesson 5: During the game it is important to put the best players on the ice for the situation at hand. For instance, if the play is in the home end, and the other team is winning, it is important to have a strong defensive line so that no more goals get in. If the play is in the other end and the team needs a goal, it is important to have the best forwards on the ice – a line that “clicks” and plays well together for the chance of a goal. It is important to know if someone is having a bad day or a good day and play them accordingly.

At times there are players who like to be the “stars” of the game. They grab the puck and race down the ice to score a goal. The fans may cheer, but in the dressing room, there is no cheer for this lone hero and it is up to the captain to explain to that player that he or she is part of a team and that it is necessary to work together so that everyone has a chance to shine. If the player keeps on “going it alone”, he or she may find out that they are indeed going it alone as the rest of the team will withdraw from them. Sometimes this is interpreted by the player as jealousy, but in fact it may be disgust that the player simply won’t listen and support everyone else.

Lesson 6: It is always important to have back up players. No team can play well if they only have their minimum number of players on the ice for the whole game. Every one needs some time off to rest and recuperate, to gain strength to carry on. If they have to play the whole game they become exhausted and lose their ability to play well and may even lose their initiative to play at all.

You can see how these lessons relate easily to Toastmasters. It is important to have a leader – the President, but the President is not the team. The Executive and all the other members are the team and the members of the Executive are simply the first line. It is important for all members to be present and willing to take on some of the duties so that the other “players” can get some rest, recuperate and prepare to carry on.

It is important in Toastmasters and hockey for everyone to take their turn on the ice in order to win the game.

Be the best leader you can be

Fran Watson

Toasters, Toastmasters and Toasts

Nothing so frightens a person as the announcement that they are expected to respond to a toast on some appallingly near-by occasion. All ideas they may ever have had on the subject melt away and like a drowning man they clutch furiously at the nearest solid object.

Before making any specific suggestions to the prospective toaster or toastmaster, let us advise that they consider well the nature and spirit of the occasion which calls for speeches. The toast, after-dinner talk, or address is always given under conditions that require abounding good humor, and the desire to make everybody pleased and comfortable as well as to furnish entertainment should be uppermost.

Perhaps a consideration of the ancient custom that gave rise to the modern toast will help us to understand the spirit in which a toast should be given. It originated with the pagan custom of drinking to gods and the dead, which in Christian nations was modified, with the accompanying idea of a wish for health and happiness added. In England during the sixteenth century it was customary to put a "toast" in the drink, which was usually served hot. This toast was the ordinary piece of bread scorched on both sides. Shakespeare in "The Merry Wives of Windsor" has Falstaff say, "Fetch me a quart of sack and put a toast in't." Later the term came to be applied to the lady in whose honor the company drank, her name serving to flavor the bumper as the toast flavored the drink. It was in this way that the act of drinking or of proposing a health, or the mere act of expressing good wishes or fellowship at table came to be known as toasting.

Since an occasion, then, at which toasts are in order is one intended to promote good feeling, it should afford no opportunity for the exploitation of any personal or selfish interest or for anything controversial, or antagonistic to any of the company present. The effort of the toastmaster should be to promote the best of feeling among all and especially between speakers. And speakers should cooperate with the toastmaster and with each other to that end. The introductions of the toastmaster may, of course, contain some good-natured bantering, together with compliment, but always without sting. Those taking part may "get back" at the toastmaster, but always in a manner to leave no hard feeling anywhere. The toastmaster should strive to make his speakers feel at ease, to give them good standing with their hearers without overpraising them and making it hard to live up to what is expected of them. In short, let everybody boost good naturedly for
everybody else.

The toastmaster, and for that matter everyone taking part, should be carefully prepared. It may be safely said that those who are successful after-dinner speakers have learned the need of careful forethought. A practised speaker may appear to speak extemporaneously by putting together on one occasion thoughts and expressions previously prepared for other occasions, but the neophyte may well consider it necessary to think out carefully the matter of what to say and how to say it. Cicero said of Antonius, "All his speeches were, _in appearance_, the unpremeditated effusion of an honest heart; and yet, in reality, they were _preconceived with so much skill_ that the judges were not so well prepared as they should have been to withstand the force of them!"

After considering the nature of the occasion and getting himself in harmony with it, the speaker should next consider the relation of his particular subject to the occasion and to the subjects of the other speakers. He should be careful to hold closely to the subject allotted to him so that he will not encroach upon the ground of other speakers. He should be careful, too, not to appropriate to himself any of their time. And he should consider, without vanity and without humility, his own relative importance and govern himself accordingly. We have all had the painful experience of waiting in impatience for the speech of the evening to begin while some humble citizen made "a few introductory
remarks."

In planning his speech and in getting it into finished form, the toaster will do well to remember those three essentials to all good composition with which he struggled in school and college days, Unity, Mass and Coherence. The first means that his talk must have a central thought, on which all his stories, anecdotes and jokes will have a bearing; the second that there will be a proper balance between the parts, that it will not be all introduction and conclusion; the third, that it will hang together, without awkward transitions. A toast may consist, as Lowell said, of "a platitude, a quotation and an anecdote," but the toaster must exercise his ingenuity in putting these together.

In delivering the toast, the speaker must of course be natural. The after-dinner speech calls for a conversational tone, not for oratory of voice or manner. Something of an air of detachment on the part of the speaker is advisable. The humorist who can tell a story with a straight face adds to the humorous effect.

Now we are going to add a special paragraph for the absolutely inexperienced person--who has never given, or heard anyone else give, a toast. It would seem hardly possible in this day of banquets to find an individual who has missed these occasions entirely--but he is to be found. Especially is this true in a world where toasting and after-dinner speaking are coming to be more and more in demand at social functions--the college world. Here the young man or woman, coming from a country town where the formal banquet is unknown, who has never heard an after-dinner speech, may be confronted with the necessity of responding to a toast on, say "Needles and Pins." Such a one would like to be told first of all what an after-dinner speech is. It is only a short, informal talk, usually witty, at any rate kindly, with one central idea and a certain amount of illustrative material in the way of anecdotes, quotations and stories. The best advice to such a speaker is: Make your first effort simple. Don't be over ambitious. If, as was suggested in the example cited a moment ago, the subject is fanciful--as it is very apt to be at a college banquet--any interpretation you choose to put upon it is allowable. If the interpretation is ingenious, your case is already half won. Such a subject is in effect a challenge. "Now, let's see what you can make of this," is what it implies. First get an idea; then find something in the way of illustrative material. Speak simply and naturally and sit down and watch how the others do it. Of course the subject on such occasions is often of a more serious nature--Our Class; The Team; Our President--in which case a more serious treatment is called for, with a touch of honest pride and sentiment.

To sum up what has been said, with borrowings from what others have said on the subject, the following general rules have been formulated:

_Prepare carefully_. Self-confidence is a valuable possession, but beware of being too sure of yourself. Pride goes before a fall, and overconfidence in his ability to improvise has been the downfall of many a would-be speaker. The speaker should strive to give the effect of spontaneity, but this can be done only with practice. The toast calls for the art that conceals art.

_Let your speech have unity_. As some one has pointed out, the after-dinner speech is a distinct form of expression, just as is the short story. As such it should give a unity of impression. It bears something of the same relation to the oration that the short story does
to the novel.

_Let it have continuity_. James Bryce says: "There is a tendency today to make after-dinner speaking a mere string of anecdotes, most of which may have little to do with the subject or with one another. Even the best stories lose their charm when they are dragged in by the head and shoulders, having no connection with the allotted theme. Relevance as
well as brevity is the soul of wit."

_Do not grow emotional or sentimental_. American traditions are largely borrowed from England. We have the Anglo-Saxon reticence. A parade of emotion in public embarrasses us. A simple and sincere expression of feeling is often desirable in a toast--but don't overdo it.

_Avoid trite sayings_. Don't use quotations that are shopworn, and avoid the set forms for toasts--"Our sweethearts and wives--may they never meet," etc.

_Don't apologise_. Don't say that you are not prepared; that you speak on very short notice; that you are "no orator as Brutus is." Resolve to do your best and let your effort speak for itself.

_Avoid irony and satire_. It has already been said that occasions on which toasts are given call for friendliness and good humor. Yet the temptation to use irony and satire may be strong. Especially may this be true at political gatherings where there is a chance to grow witty at the expense of rivals. Irony and satire are keen-edged tools; they have their uses; but they are dangerous. Pope, who knew how to use them, said:

Satire's my weapon, but I'm too discreet
To run amuck and tilt at all I meet.

_Use personal references sparingly_. A certain amount of good-natured chaffing may be indulged in. Yet there may be danger in even the most kindly of fun. One never knows how a jest will be taken. Once in the early part of his career, Mark Twain, at a New England banquet, grew funny at the expense of Longfellow and Emerson, then in their old age and looked upon almost as divinities. His joke fell dead, and to the end of his life he suffered humiliation at the recollection.

_Be clear_. While you must not draw an obvious moral or explain the point to your jokes, be sure that the point is there and that it is put in such a way that your hearers cannot miss it. Avoid flights of rhetoric and do not lose your anecdotes in a sea of words.

_Avoid didacticism_. Do not try to instruct. Do not give statistics and figures. They will not be remembered. A historical resume of your subject from the beginning of time is not called for; neither are well-known facts about the greatness of your city or state or the prominent person in whose honor you may be speaking. Do not tell your hearers things they already know.

_Be brief_. An after-dinner audience is in a particularly defenceless position. It is so out in the open. There is no opportunity for a quiet nod or two behind a newspaper or the hat of the lady in front. If you bore your hearers by overstepping your time politeness requires that they sit still and look pleased. Spare them. Remember Bacon's advice to the speaker: "Let him be sure to leave other men their turns to speak."

But suppose you come late on the program! Suppose the other speakers have not heeded Bacon? What are you going to do about it? Here is a story that James Bryce tells of the most successful after-dinner speech he remembers to have heard. The speaker was a famous engineer, the occasion a dinner of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. "He came last; and midnight had arrived. His toast was Applied Science, and his speech was as follows: 'Ladies and gentlemen, at this late hour I advise you to illustrate the Applications of Science by applying a lucifer match to the wick of your bedroom candle. Let us all go to bed'."

If you are capable of making a similar sacrifice by cutting short your own carefully-prepared, wise, witty and sparkling remarks, your audience will thank you--and they may ask you to speak again.

Bottom's Up!

Fran Watson

Efficiency Through Change Of Pitch

Speech is simply a modified form of singing: the principal difference being in the fact that in singing the vowel sounds are prolonged and the intervals are short, whereas in speech the words are uttered in what may be called "staccato" tones, the vowels not being specially prolonged and the intervals between the words being more distinct. The fact that in singing we have a larger range of tones does not properly distinguish it from ordinary speech. In speech we have likewise a variation of tones, and even in ordinary conversation there is a difference of from three to six semi-tones, as I have found in my investigations, and in some persons the range is as high as one octave.—WILLIAM SCHEPPEGRELL, Popular Science Monthly.

By pitch, as everyone knows, we mean the relative position of a vocal tone—as, high, medium, low, or any variation between. In public speech we apply it not only to a single utterance, as an exclamation or a monosyllable (Oh! or the) but to any group of syllables, words, and even sentences that may be spoken in a single tone. This distinction it is important to keep in mind, for the efficient speaker not only changes the pitch of successive syllables (see Chapter VII, "Efficiency through Inflection"), but gives a different pitch to different parts, or word-groups, of successive sentences.

Every Change in the Thought Demands a Change in the Voice-Pitch

Whether the speaker follows the rule consciously, unconsciously, or subconsciously, this is the logical basis upon which all good voice variation is made, yet this law is violated more often than any other by public speakers. A criminal may disregard a law of the state without detection and punishment, but the speaker who violates this regulation suffers its penalty at once in his loss of effectiveness, while his innocent hearers must endure the monotony—for monotony is not only a sin of the perpetrator, as we have shown, but a plague on the victims as well.

Change of pitch is a stumbling block for almost all beginners, and for many experienced speakers also. This is especially true when the words of the speech have been memorized.

If you wish to hear how pitch-monotony sounds, strike the same note on the piano over and over again. You have in your speaking voice a range of pitch from high to low, with a great many shades between the extremes. With all these notes available there is no excuse for offending the ears and taste of your audience by continually using the one note. True, the reiteration of the same tone in music—as in pedal point on an organ composition—may be made the foundation of beauty, for the harmony weaving about that one basic tone produces a consistent, insistent quality not felt in pure variety of chord sequences. In like manner the intoning voice in a ritual may—though it rarely does—possess a solemn beauty. But the public speaker should shun the monotone as he would a pestilence.

Continual Change of Pitch is Nature's Highest Method

In our search for the principles of efficiency we must continually go back to nature. Listen—really listen—to the birds sing. Which of these feathered tribes are most pleasing in their vocal efforts: those whose voices, though sweet, have little or no range, or those that, like the canary, the lark, and the nightingale, not only possess a considerable range but utter their notes in continual variety of combinations? Even a sweet-toned chirp, when reiterated without change, may grow maddening to the enforced listener.

The little child seldom speaks in a monotonous pitch. Observe the conversations of little folk that you hear on the street or in the home, and note the continual changes of pitch. The unconscious speech of most adults is likewise full of pleasing variations.

Imagine someone speaking the following, and consider if the effect would not be just about as indicated. Remember, we are not now discussing the inflection of single words, but the general pitch in which phrases are spoken.

(High pitch) "I'd like to leave for my vacation tomorrow,—(lower) still, I have so much to do. (Higher) Yet I suppose if I wait until I have time I'll never go."

Repeat this, first in the pitches indicated, and then all in the one pitch, as many speakers would. Observe the difference in naturalness of effect.

The following exercise should be spoken in a purely conversational tone, with numerous changes of pitch. Practise it until your delivery would cause a stranger in the next room to think you were discussing an actual incident with a friend, instead of delivering a memorized monologue. If you are in doubt about the effect you have secured, repeat it to a friend and ask him if it sounds like memorized words. If it does, it is wrong.

A SIMILAR CASE

Jack, I hear you've gone and done it.—Yes, I know; most fellows will; went and tried it once myself, sir, though you see I'm single still. And you met her—did you tell me—down at Newport, last July, and resolved to ask the question at a soirée? So did I.

I suppose you left the ball-room, with its music and its light; for they say love's flame is brightest in the darkness of the night. Well, you walked along together, overhead the starlit sky; and I'll bet—old man, confess it—you were frightened. So was I.

So you strolled along the terrace, saw the summer moonlight pour all its radiance on the waters, as they rippled on the shore, till at length you gathered courage, when you saw that none was nigh—did you draw her close and tell her that you loved her? So did I.

Well, I needn't ask you further, and I'm sure I wish you joy. Think I'll wander down and see you when you're married—eh, my boy? When the honeymoon is over and you're settled down, we'll try—What? the deuce you say! Rejected—you rejected? So was I.
—Anonymous.

The necessity for changing pitch is so self-evident that it should be grasped and applied immediately. However, it requires patient drill to free yourself from monotony of pitch.

In natural conversation you think of an idea first, and then find words to express it. In memorized speeches you are liable to speak the words, and then think what they mean—and many speakers seem to trouble very little even about that. Is it any wonder that reversing the process should reverse the result? Get back to nature in your methods of expression.

Read the following selection in a nonchalant manner, never pausing to think what the words really mean. Try it again, carefully studying the thought you have assimilated. Believe the idea, desire to express it effectively, and imagine an audience before you. Look them earnestly in the face and repeat this truth. If you follow directions, you will note that you have made many changes of pitch after several readings.

It is not work that kills men; it is worry. Work is healthy; you can hardly put more upon a man than he can bear. Worry is rust upon the blade. It is not the revolution that destroys the machinery but the friction.—HENRY WARD BEECHER.

Change of Pitch Produces Emphasis

This is a highly important statement. Variety in pitch maintains the hearer's interest, but one of the surest ways to compel attention—to secure unusual emphasis—is to change the pitch of your voice suddenly and in a marked degree. A great contrast always arouses attention. White shows whiter against black; a cannon roars louder in the Sahara silence than in the Chicago hurly burly—these are simple illustrations of the power of contrast.

In attempting these contrasts of pitch it is important to avoid unpleasant extremes. Most speakers pitch their voices too high. One of the secrets of Mr. Bryan's eloquence is his low, bell-like voice. Shakespeare said that a soft, gentle, low voice was "an excellent thing in woman;" it is no less so in man, for a voice need not be blatant to be powerful,—and must not be, to be pleasing.

In closing, let us emphasize anew the importance of using variety of pitch. You sing up and down the scale, first touching one note and then another above or below it. Do likewise in speaking.

Thought and individual taste must generally be your guide as to where to use a low, a moderate, or a high pitch.

Pitch your way to competent public speaking!

Fran Watson

P.S. For more help in public speaking check out your local Toastmasters club

Tempo - Efficienty Through Change of Pace

Hear how he clears the points o' Faith
Wi' rattlin' an' thumpin'!Now meekly calm, now wild in wrath,
He's stampin' an' he's jumpin'.
—ROBERT BURNS, Holy Fair.

The Latins have bequeathed to us a word that has no precise equivalent in our tongue, therefore we have accepted it, body unchanged—it is the word tempo, and means rate of movement, as measured by the time consumed in executing that movement.

Thus far its use has been largely limited to the vocal and musical arts, but it would not be surprising to hear tempo applied to more concrete matters, for it perfectly illustrates the real meaning of the word to say that an ox-cart moves in slow tempo, an express train in a fast tempo. Our guns that fire six hundred times a minute, shoot at a fast tempo; the old muzzle loader that required three minutes to load, shot at a slow tempo. Every musician understands this principle: it requires longer to sing a half note than it does an eighth note.

Now tempo is a tremendously important element in good platform work, for when a speaker delivers a whole address at very nearly the same rate of speed he is depriving himself of one of his chief means of emphasis and power. The baseball pitcher, the bowler in cricket, the tennis server, all know the value of change of pace—change of tempo—in delivering their ball, and so must the public speaker observe its power.

Change of Tempo Lends Naturalness to the Delivery

Naturalness, or at least seeming naturalness, as was explained in the chapter on "Monotony," is greatly to be desired, and a continual change of tempo will go a long way towards establishing it. Mr. Howard Lindsay, Stage Manager for Miss Margaret Anglin, recently said to the present writer that change of pace was one of the most effective tools of the actor. While it must be admitted that the stilted mouthings of many actors indicate cloudy mirrors, still the public speaker would do well to study the actor's use of tempo.

There is, however, a more fundamental and effective source at which to study naturalness—a trait which, once lost, is shy of recapture: that source is the common conversation of any well-bred circle. This is the standard we strive to reach on both stage and platform—with certain differences, of course, which will appear as we go on. If speaker and actor were to reproduce with absolute fidelity every variation of utterance—every whisper, grunt, pause, silence, and explosion—of conversation as we find it typically in everyday life, much of the interest would leave the public utterance. Naturalness in public address is something more than faithful reproduction of nature—it is the reproduction of those typical parts of nature's work which are truly representative of the whole.

The realistic story-writer understands this in writing dialogue, and we must take it into account in seeking for naturalness through change of tempo.

Suppose you speak the first of the following sentences in a slow tempo, the second quickly, observing how natural is the effect. Then speak both with the same rapidity and note the difference.

I can't recall what I did with my knife. Oh, now I remember I gave it to Mary.

We see here that a change of tempo often occurs in the same sentence—for tempo applies not only to single words, groups of words, and groups of sentences, but to the major parts of a public speech as well.

To changing the pace of your world!

Fran Watson

Emphasis and Subordination

In a word, the principle of emphasis ... is followed best, not by remembering particular rules, but by being full of a particular feeling.—C.S. BALDWIN, Writing and Speaking.

The gun that scatters too much does not bag the birds. The same principle applies to speech. The speaker that fires his force and emphasis at random into a sentence will not get results. Not every word is of special importance—therefore only certain words demand emphasis.

You say MassaCHUsetts and MinneAPolis, you do not emphasize each syllable alike, but hit the accented syllable with force and hurry over the unimportant ones. Now why do you not apply this principle in speaking a sentence? To some extent you do, in ordinary speech; but do you in public discourse? It is there that monotony caused by lack of emphasis is so painfully apparent.

So far as emphasis is concerned, you may consider the average sentence as just one big word, with the important word as the accented syllable. Note the following:
"Destiny is not a matter of chance. It is a matter of choice."

You might as well say MASS-A-CHU-SETTS, emphasizing every syllable equally, as to lay equal stress on each word in the foregoing sentences.

Speak it aloud and see. Of course you will want to emphasize destiny, for it is the principal idea in your declaration, and you will put some emphasis on not, else your hearers may think you are affirming that destiny is a matter of chance. By all means you must emphasize chance, for it is one of the two big ideas in the statement.

Another reason why chance takes emphasis is that it is contrasted with choice in the next sentence. Obviously, the author has contrasted these ideas purposely, so that they might be more emphatic, and here we see that contrast is one of the very first devices to gain emphasis.

As a public speaker you can assist this emphasis of contrast with your voice. If you say, "My horse is not black," what color immediately comes into mind? White, naturally, for that is the opposite of black. If you wish to bring out the thought that destiny is a matter of choice, you can do so more effectively by first saying that "DESTINY is NOT a matter of CHANCE." Is not the color of the horse impressed upon us more emphatically when you say, "My horse is NOT BLACK. He is WHITE" than it would be by hearing you assert merely that your horse is white?

In the second sentence of the statement there is only one important word—choice. It is the one word that positively defines the quality of the subject being discussed, and the author of those lines desired to bring it out emphatically, as he has shown by contrasting it with another idea. These lines, then, would read like this:

"DESTINY is NOT a matter of CHANCE. It is a matter of CHOICE." Now read this over, striking the words in capitals with a great deal of force.

In almost every sentence there are a few MOUNTAIN PEAK WORDS that represent the big, important ideas. When you pick up the evening paper you can tell at a glance which are the important news articles. Thanks to the editor, he does not tell about a "hold up" in Hong Kong in the same sized type as he uses to report the death of five firemen in your home city. Size of type is his device to show emphasis in bold relief. He brings out sometimes even in red headlines the striking news of the day.

It would be a boon to speech-making if speakers would conserve the attention of their audiences in the same way and emphasize only the words representing the important ideas. The average speaker will deliver the foregoing line on destiny with about the same amount of emphasis on each word. Instead of saying, "It is a matter of CHOICE," he will deliver it, "It is a matter of choice," or "IT IS A MATTER OF CHOICE"—both equally bad.

Charles Dana, the famous editor of The New York Sun, told one of his reporters that if he went up the street and saw a dog bite a man, to pay no attention to it. The Sun could not afford to waste the time and attention of its readers on such unimportant happenings. "But," said Mr. Dana, "if you see a man bite a dog, hurry back to the office and write the story." Of course that is news; that is unusual.

Now the speaker who says "IT IS A MATTER OF CHOICE" is putting too much emphasis upon things that are of no more importance to metropolitan readers than a dog bite, and when he fails to emphasize "choice" he is like the reporter who "passes up" the man's biting a dog. The ideal speaker makes his big words stand out like mountain peaks; his unimportant words are submerged like stream-beds. His big thoughts stand like huge oaks; his ideas of no especial value are merely like the grass around the tree.

From all this we may deduce this important principle: EMPHASIS is a matter of CONTRAST and COMPARISON.

Recently the New York American featured an editorial by Arthur Brisbane. Note the following, printed in the same type as given here.

We do not know what the President THOUGHT when he got that message, or what the elephant thinks when he sees the mouse, but we do know what the President DID.

The words THOUGHT and DID immediately catch the reader's attention because they are different from the others, not especially because they are larger. If all the rest of the words in this sentence were made ten times as large as they are, and DID and THOUGHT were kept at their present size, they would still be emphatic, because different.

Take the following from Robert Chambers' novel, "The Business of Life." The words you, had, would, are all emphatic, because they have been made different.

He looked at her in angry astonishment.

"Well, what do you call it if it isn't cowardice—to slink off and marry a defenseless girl like that!"

"Did you expect me to give you a chance to destroy me and poison Jacqueline's mind? If I had been guilty of the thing with which you charge me, what I have done would have been cowardly. Otherwise, it is justified."

To make a word emphatic, deliver it differently from the manner in which the words surrounding it are delivered. If you have been talking loudly, utter the emphatic word in a concentrated whisper—and you have intense emphasis. If you have been going fast, go very slow on the emphatic word. If you have been talking on a low pitch, jump to a high one on the emphatic word. If you have been talking on a high pitch, take a low one on your emphatic ideas.

Here we are considering only one form of emphasis: that of applying force to the important word and subordinating the unimportant words. Do not forget: this is one of the main methods that you must continually employ in getting your effects.
Let us not confound loudness with emphasis. To yell is not a sign of earnestness, intelligence, or feeling. The kind of force that we want applied to the emphatic word is not entirely physical. True, the emphatic word may be spoken more loudly, or it may be spoken more softly, but the real quality desired is intensity, earnestness. It must come from within, outward.

A speaker said: "The curse of this country is not a lack of education. It's politics." He emphasized curse, lack, education, politics. The other words were hurried over and thus given no comparative importance at all. The word politics was flamed out with great feeling as he slapped his hands together indignantly. His emphasis was both correct and powerful. He concentrated all our attention on the words that meant something, instead of holding it up on such words as of this, a, of, It's.

What would you think of a guide who agreed to show New York to a stranger and then took up his time by visiting Chinese laundries and boot-blacking "parlors" on the side streets? There is only one excuse for a speaker's asking the attention of his audience: He must have either truth or entertainment for them. If he wearies their attention with trifles they will have neither vivacity nor desire left when he reaches words of Wall-Street and skyscraper importance. You do not dwell on these small words in your everyday conversation, because you are not a conversational bore. Apply the correct method of everyday speech to the platform. As we have noted elsewhere, public speaking is very much like conversation enlarged.

Sometimes, for big emphasis, it is advisable to lay stress on every single syllable in a word, as absolutely in the following sentence:

I ab-so-lute-ly refuse to grant your demand.

Now and then this principle should be applied to an emphatic sentence by stressing each word. It is a good device for exciting special attention, and it furnishes a pleasing variety. Patrick Henry's notable climax could be delivered in that manner very effectively: "Give—me—liberty—or—give—me—death." The italicized part of the following might also be delivered with this every-word emphasis. Of course, there are many ways of delivering it; this is only one of several good interpretations that might be chosen.

Knowing the price we must pay, the sacrifice we must make, the burdens we must carry, the assaults we must endure—knowing full well the cost—yet we enlist, and we enlist for the war. For we know the justice of our cause, and we know, too, its certain triumph.—From "Pass Prosperity Around," by ALBERT J. BEVERIDGE, before the Chicago National Convention of the Progressive Party.

Strongly emphasizing a single word has a tendency to suggest its antithesis. Notice how the meaning changes by merely putting the emphasis on different words in the following sentence. The parenthetical expressions would really not be needed to supplement the emphatic words.

I intended to buy a house this Spring (even if you did not).
I INTENDED to buy a house this Spring (but something prevented).
I intended to BUY a house this Spring (instead of renting as heretofore).
I intended to buy a HOUSE this Spring (and not an automobile).
I intended to buy a house THIS Spring (instead of next Spring).
I intended to buy a house this SPRING (instead of in the Autumn).

When a great battle is reported in the papers, they do not keep emphasizing the same facts over and over again. They try to get new information, or a "new slant." The news that takes an important place in the morning edition will be relegated to a small space in the late afternoon edition. We are interested in new ideas and new facts. This principle has a very important bearing in determining your emphasis. Do not emphasize the same idea over and over again unless you desire to lay extra stress on it. As a general rule, the new idea, the "new slant," whether in a newspaper report of a battle or a speaker's enunciation of his ideas, is emphatic.
In the following selection, "larger" is emphatic, for it is the new idea. All men have eyes, but this man asks for a LARGER eye.

This man with the larger eye says he will discover, not rivers or safety appliances for aeroplanes, but NEW STARS and SUNS. "New stars and suns" are hardly as emphatic as the word "larger." Why? Because we expect an astronomer to discover heavenly bodies rather than cooking recipes. The words, "Republic needs" in the next sentence, are emphatic; they introduce a new and important idea. Republics have always needed men, but the author says they need NEW men. "New" is emphatic because it introduces a new idea. In like manner, "soil," "grain," "tools," are also emphatic.

The most emphatic words are italicized in this selection. Are there any others you would emphasize? Why?

The old astronomer said, "Give me a larger eye, and I will discover new stars and suns." That is what the republic needs today—new men—men who are wise toward the soil, toward the grains, toward the tools. If God would only raise up for the people two or three men like Watt, Fulton and McCormick, they would be worth more to the State than that treasure box named California or Mexico. And the real supremacy of man is based upon his capacity for education. Man is unique in the length of his childhood, which means the period of plasticity and education. The childhood of a moth, the distance that stands between the hatching of the robin and its maturity, represent a few hours or a few weeks, but twenty years for growth stands between man's cradle and his citizenship. This protracted childhood makes it possible to hand over to the boy all the accumulated stores achieved by races and civilizations through thousands of years.
—Anonymous.

You must understand that there are no steel-riveted rules of emphasis. It is not always possible to designate which word must, and which must not be emphasized. One speaker will put one interpretation on a speech, another speaker will use different emphasis to bring out a different interpretation. No one can say that one interpretation is right and the other wrong. Your own intelligence must guide—and greatly to your profit.

YOU can do it! I have FAITH in your ability!!

To improved public speaking

Fran Watson

The Sin of Monotony

One day Ennui was born from Uniformity.—MOTTE.

Our English has changed with the years so that many words now connote more than they did originally. This is true of the word monotonous. From "having but one tone," it has come to mean more broadly, "lack of variation."

The monotonous speaker not only drones along in the same volume and pitch of tone but uses always the same emphasis, the same speed, the same thoughts—or dispenses with thought altogether.

Monotony, the cardinal and most common sin of the public speaker, is not a transgression—it is rather a sin of omission, for it consists in living up to the confession of the Prayer Book: "We have left undone those things we ought to have done."

Emerson says, "The virtue of art lies in detachment, in sequestering one object from the embarrassing variety." That is just what the monotonous speaker fails to do—he does not detach one thought or phrase from another, they are all expressed in the same manner.

To tell you that your speech is monotonous may mean very little to you, so let us look at the nature—and the curse—of monotony in other spheres of life, then we shall appreciate more fully how it will blight an otherwise good speech.

If the stereo in the adjoining apartment grinds out just three selections over and over again, it is pretty safe to assume that your neighbor has no other CDs or records. If a speaker uses only a few of his powers, it points very plainly to the fact that the rest of his powers are not developed. Monotony reveals our limitations.
In its effect on its victim, monotony is actually deadly—it will drive the bloom from the cheek and the lustre from the eye as quickly as sin, and often leads to viciousness. The worst punishment that human ingenuity has ever been able to invent is extreme monotony—solitary confinement. Lay a marble on the table and do nothing eighteen hours of the day but change that marble from one point to another and back again, and you will go insane if you continue long enough.

So this thing that shortens life, and is used as the most cruel of punishments in our prisons, is the thing that will destroy all the life and force of a speech. Avoid it as you would shun a deadly dull bore. The "idle rich" can have half-a-dozen homes, command all the varieties of foods gathered from the four corners of the earth, and sail for Africa or Alaska at their pleasure; but the poverty-stricken man must walk or take a street car—he does not have the choice of yacht, auto, or special train. He must spend the most of his life in labor and be content with the staples of the food-market. Monotony is poverty, whether in speech or in life. Strive to increase the variety of your speech as the business man labors to augment his wealth.

Bird-songs, forest glens, and mountains are not monotonous—it is the long rows of brown-stone fronts and the miles of paved streets that are so terribly same. Nature in her wealth gives us endless variety; man with his limitations is often monotonous. Get back to nature in your methods of speech-making.

The power of variety lies in its pleasure-giving quality. The great truths of the world have often been couched in fascinating stories—"Les Miserables," for instance. If you wish to teach or influence men, you must please them, first or last. Strike the same note on the piano over and over again. This will give you some idea of the displeasing, jarring effect monotony has on the ear. The dictionary defines "monotonous" as being synonymous with "wearisome." That is putting it mildly. It is maddening. The department-store prince does not disgust the public by playing only the one tune, "Come Buy My Wares!" He gives recitals on a $125,000 organ, and the pleased people naturally slip into a buying mood.

How to Conquer Monotony

We obviate monotony in dress by replenishing our wardrobes. We avoid monotony in speech by multiplying our powers of speech. We multiply our powers of speech by increasing our tools.

The carpenter has special implements with which to construct the several parts of a building. The organist has certain keys and stops which he manipulates to produce his harmonies and effects. In like manner the speaker has certain instruments and tools at his command by which he builds his argument, plays on the feelings, and guides the beliefs of his audience.

Why did not the Children of Israel whirl through the desert in limousines, and why did not Noah have moving-picture entertainments and talking machines on the Ark? The laws that enable us to operate an automobile, produce moving-pictures, or music on the Victrola, would have worked just as well then as they do today. It was ignorance of law that for ages deprived humanity of our modern conveniences. Many speakers still use ox-cart methods in their speech instead of employing automobile or overland-express methods. They are ignorant of laws that make for efficiency in speaking. Just to the extent that you regard and use the laws will you have efficiency and force in your speaking; and just to the extent that you disregard them will your speaking be feeble and ineffective. We cannot impress too thoroughly upon you the necessity for a real working mastery of these principles. They are the very foundations of successful speaking. "Get your principles right," said Napoleon, "and the rest is a matter of detail."

It is useless to shoe a dead horse, and all the sound principles in Christendom will never make a live speech out of a dead one. So let it be understood that public speaking is not a matter of mastering a few dead rules; the most important law of public speech is the necessity for truth, force, feeling, and life. Forget all else, but not this.

When you have mastered the mechanics of speech outlined in the next few chapters you will no longer be troubled with monotony. The complete knowledge of these principles and the ability to apply them will give you great variety in your powers of expression. But they cannot be mastered and applied by thinking or reading about them—you must practise, practise, PRACTISE. If no one else will listen to you, listen to yourself—you must always be your own best critic, and the severest one of all.

The technical principles are all founded on the practices that good speakers and actors adopt—either naturally and unconsciously or under instruction—in getting their effects.

It is useless to warn the student that he must be natural. To be natural may be to be monotonous. The little strawberry up in the arctics with a few tiny seeds and an acid tang is a natural berry, but it is not to be compared with the improved variety that we enjoy here. The dwarfed oak on the rocky hillside is natural, but a poor thing compared with the beautiful tree found in the rich, moist bottom lands. Be natural—but improve your natural gifts until you have approached the ideal, for we must strive after idealized nature, in fruit, tree, and speech.

Are you guilty of monotony? If so, check out your local Toastmasters club for help!

Confident Public Speaking

Have Something to Say

The trouble with many speakers is that they go before an audience with their minds a blank. It is no wonder that nature, abhorring a vacuum, fills them with the nearest thing handy, which generally happens to be, "I wonder if I am doing this right! How does my hair look? I know I shall fail." Their prophetic souls are sure to be right.
It is not enough to be absorbed by your subject—to acquire self-confidence you must have something in which to be confident. If you go before an audience without any preparation, or previous knowledge of your subject, you ought to be self-conscious—you ought to be ashamed to steal the time of your audience.

Prepare yourself. Know what you are going to talk about, and, in general, how you are going to say it. Have the first few sentences worked out completely so that you may not be troubled in the beginning to find words.

Know your subject better than your hearers know it, and you have nothing to fear.

After Preparing for Success, Expect It
Let your bearing be modestly confident, but most of all be modestly confident within. Over-confidence is bad, but to tolerate premonitions of failure is worse, for a bold man may win attention by his very bearing, while a rabbit-hearted coward invites disaster.

Humility is not the personal discount that we must offer in the presence of others—against this old interpretation there has been a most healthy modern reaction. True humility any man who thoroughly knows himself must feel; but it is not a humility that assumes a worm-like meekness; it is rather a strong, vibrant prayer for greater power for service—a prayer that Uriah Heep could never have uttered.

Washington Irving once introduced Charles Dickens at a dinner given in the latter's honor. In the middle of his speech Irving hesitated, became embarrassed, and sat down awkwardly. Turning to a friend beside him he remarked, "There, I told you I would fail, and I did."

If you believe you will fail, there is no hope for you. You will.

Rid yourself of this I-am-a-poor-worm-in-the-dust idea. You are a god, with infinite capabilities. "All things are ready if the mind be so." The eagle looks the cloudless sun in the face.

Assume Mastery Over Your Audience

In public speech, as in electricity, there is a positive and a negative force. Either you or your audience are going to possess the positive factor. If you assume it you can almost invariably make it yours. If you assume the negative you are sure to be negative. Assuming a virtue or a vice vitalizes it. Summon all your power of self-direction, and remember that though your audience is infinitely more important than you, the truth is more important than both of you, because it is eternal. If your mind falters in its leadership the sword will drop from your hands.

Your assumption of being able to instruct or lead or inspire a multitude or even a small group of people may appall you as being colossal impudence—as indeed it may be; but having once essayed to speak, be courageous. BE courageous—it lies within you to be what you will. MAKE yourself be calm and confident.

Reflect that your audience will not hurt you. In facing your audience, pause a moment and look them over—a hundred chances to one they want you to succeed, for what man is so foolish as to spend his time, perhaps his money, in the hope that you will waste his investment by talking dully?

Concluding Hints

Do not make haste to begin—haste shows lack of control.

Do not apologize. It ought not to be necessary; and if it is, it will not help. Go straight ahead.

Take a deep breath, relax, and begin in a quiet conversational tone as though you were speaking to one large friend. You will not find it half as bad as you imagined; really, it is like taking a cold plunge: after you are in, the water is fine. In fact, having spoken a few times you will even anticipate the plunge with exhilaration.

To stand before an audience and make them think your thoughts after you is one of the greatest pleasures you can ever know. Instead of fearing it, you ought to be as anxious as the fox hounds straining at their leashes, or the race horses tugging at their reins.

So cast out fear, for fear is cowardly—when it is not mastered. The bravest know fear, but they do not yield to it. Face your audience pluckily—if your knees quake, MAKE them stop. In your audience lies some victory for you and the cause you represent. Go win it.

The world owes its progress to the men who have dared, and you must dare to speak the effective word that is in your heart to speak—for often it requires courage to utter a single sentence. But remember that men erect no monuments and weave no laurels for those who fear to do what they can.

No one doubts that temperament and nerves and illness and even praiseworthy modesty may, singly or combined, cause the speaker's cheek to blanch before an audience, but neither can any one doubt that coddling will magnify this weakness. The victory lies in a fearless frame of mind. Prof. Walter Dill Scott says: "Success or failure in business is caused more by mental attitude even than by mental capacity." Banish the fear-attitude; acquire the confident attitude. And remember that the only way to acquire it is—to acquire it.

To confident public speaking!!

Fran Watson

P.S. To find out more about public speaking or to further develop your skills, contact your local Toastmasters club.