Today I have five gifts for you.
You are welcome to pass these gifts along to people in your life.
They don't cost you anything. They don't involve shopping in holiday crowds. But in just a few minutes they bring you riches, warmth and good will.
5 Gifts from the Heart
The gift of listening: At a social event or a sales call, listen carefully to what people bring up. Those topics are important to them. Ask questions and really listen to the answers.
The gift of attention: Is someone telling you what's bothering or worrying them? Give them your full attention. It works wonders in understanding their needs, and making them feel valued.
The gift of time: We live in a time-pressed world. Instead of doing two things at once, mentally slow down and be in the moment (when you have time, of course!).
The gift of humor: Laughter draws people to you. Take a moment to laugh with your clients, friends and family. A small dose of humor produces very positive side effects.
The gift of thanks: Take a moment to give sincere thanks to everyone who has helped you this year.
And now I'd like to thank you for giving me a few moments of your precious time each week. I wish you all the best for the holiday season and New Year.
Warmest wishes,
Fran
P.S. These gifts were sent to me by Lynda Goldman ( Lynda@LyndaGoldmanInk.com )
I hope you enjoy them and pass them on to others.
P.P.S. Here is a Christmas gift for you - I compiled a book with Christmas Carols, Christmas stories and recipes. I hope you enjoy it. http://www.franwatson.ca/Memories.zip
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone
I attened a Toastmasters Conference this past weekend where I had the privilege of attending and participating in a 3 hour workshop presented by World Champion Speaker Darren Lacroix.
Darren LaCroix knew he wanted to be a comedian; but he wasn’t funny. He didn’t know how to prepare, or how to give a good delivery. Yet, ten years later, he became the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking. How did that happen? With a lot of hard work! Darren stumbled through mistakes and failures for years. He struggled just like everyone else.
Daren shared his story:
"I came to Toastmasters in 1992... shy, lacking confidence, and with no talent. Thanks to Toastmasters, I was able to quit my day job of 11 years to become a full-time, professional speaker. Some say I'm “lucky.” Lucky? I’m just a guy who used the tool of Toastmasters better than most. Toastmasters gave me a place to practice, mentors pointed me in the right direction, and I was willing to fail.
In preparing for the World Championship Contest I studied 10 years of championship videos (90 world-class speeches), practiced at 22 clubs, got 141 written evaluations, and video-taped myself every chance I could. I also went to the previous World Champions and became a “sponge.” Their insight changed the way I presented forever. Do you think their insight could help you? Absolutely!"
Right now I have so much information running through my head that I need some time to work through it all. Darren shared SO MUCH information and helped us in so many ways that I actually Stepped ouside of my comfort zone and VOLUNTEERED to be critiqued on stage in front of about 300 people. What a rush!
I had also gone on stage during the workshop as part of an exercise Darren gave us, but actually going up on the same stage where the contest was held in front of so many other seasoned Toastmasters, well, that was different.
I will share more with you over the next few days, but if you want to check him out, go to: http://www.presentation411.com/
Or you can check him our on you-tube -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLangloPme0
You can also Twitter him - http://twitter.com/DarrenLaCroix
If you want more humour in your life and your speeches - check him out now.
Fran
Darren LaCroix knew he wanted to be a comedian; but he wasn’t funny. He didn’t know how to prepare, or how to give a good delivery. Yet, ten years later, he became the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking. How did that happen? With a lot of hard work! Darren stumbled through mistakes and failures for years. He struggled just like everyone else.
Daren shared his story:
"I came to Toastmasters in 1992... shy, lacking confidence, and with no talent. Thanks to Toastmasters, I was able to quit my day job of 11 years to become a full-time, professional speaker. Some say I'm “lucky.” Lucky? I’m just a guy who used the tool of Toastmasters better than most. Toastmasters gave me a place to practice, mentors pointed me in the right direction, and I was willing to fail.
In preparing for the World Championship Contest I studied 10 years of championship videos (90 world-class speeches), practiced at 22 clubs, got 141 written evaluations, and video-taped myself every chance I could. I also went to the previous World Champions and became a “sponge.” Their insight changed the way I presented forever. Do you think their insight could help you? Absolutely!"
Right now I have so much information running through my head that I need some time to work through it all. Darren shared SO MUCH information and helped us in so many ways that I actually Stepped ouside of my comfort zone and VOLUNTEERED to be critiqued on stage in front of about 300 people. What a rush!
I had also gone on stage during the workshop as part of an exercise Darren gave us, but actually going up on the same stage where the contest was held in front of so many other seasoned Toastmasters, well, that was different.
I will share more with you over the next few days, but if you want to check him out, go to: http://www.presentation411.com/
Or you can check him our on you-tube -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLangloPme0
You can also Twitter him - http://twitter.com/DarrenLaCroix
If you want more humour in your life and your speeches - check him out now.
Fran
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Banquet or Luncheon Public Speaking Tips
by Tom Antion
I have done many public speaking engagements in settings where meals were part of the program. You may want to politely remind the program coordinator to consider some of the following points:
ROOM SET-UP
(Many of these tips work whether food is being served or not)
Avoid spacing round tables widely apart in an attempt to fill the available space. Distance makes audience involvement and participation in the public speaking much more difficult. A better idea would be to space the tables as close together as practicable (allowing enough room for comfortable waiter and waitress movement). Empty room space could be filled with a decorative divider of some sort. Interaction enhances the effectiveness of the public speaking engagement.
Avoid a great distance between the head table /dais / speaker area and the first row of tables. Again, distance is a great barrier to public speaking and interaction.
Try to set the head table / speaker area on the long side of the room. This means that the back row participants will be closer to the public speaker than if you set the head table / speaker area on the short side of the room (participants will feel they are really far from the action).
Consider allowing the public speaker an option of public speaking areas. Many of the top people in public speaking can do a better job if they are not confined behind a head table and/or lectern. Most public audiences like being closer to the speaker too. To accomplish this, place extra chairs near the front of the room to be used by the head table participants after dinner (of course, this would depend on your overall program). You would not want them seated behind the speaker during the program. Set head table back from the front of the podium. Speaker can perform in front of the head table.
Set buffet tables far to the side or on the opposite end from the speaker area. If someone goes back for late seconds or arrives late, he or she will not be disruptive to the public speaking.
Discourage use of doors anywhere near the head table/speaker area.
TIMING
When on a tight time schedule in your public speaking engagement, have desserts placed on the table midway through the meal.
Arrange with banquet staff to cease all bussing of tables on a pre-arranged signal. Many functions have less than interesting openings because service personnel are running around for the first 10 minutes of a talk. This gets everything off to a bad start.
Ten minutes before the public speaking program is to start, it is very helpful to announce something like the following: "The program will start in ten minutes. Please get your drink refills, go to the restroom, get some more dessert, and then take your seats and get ready for a great program!"
When planning lighthearted / humorous public speaking programs, avoid heavy subjects before the speaker, i.e., don't show tearjerker slides of starving children (actually happened to a speaker friend of mine), in an effort to raise funds. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for raising funds for good causes, but if you do this just before a humorous public speaking event or comedy show, you may have wasted your money on the talent and actually made it inappropriate for them to do the job for which they were hired.
When the public speaking engagement is at settings where food is involved you must make a special effort to take care of logistical details so your speech will be well received.
************
You can find out more about Tom at this website: www.professionalspeaker.com
Fran
P.S. Check out my ebook - Mastering Public Speaking
P.P.S. Sign up for my free public speaking ezine
I have done many public speaking engagements in settings where meals were part of the program. You may want to politely remind the program coordinator to consider some of the following points:
ROOM SET-UP
(Many of these tips work whether food is being served or not)
Avoid spacing round tables widely apart in an attempt to fill the available space. Distance makes audience involvement and participation in the public speaking much more difficult. A better idea would be to space the tables as close together as practicable (allowing enough room for comfortable waiter and waitress movement). Empty room space could be filled with a decorative divider of some sort. Interaction enhances the effectiveness of the public speaking engagement.
Avoid a great distance between the head table /dais / speaker area and the first row of tables. Again, distance is a great barrier to public speaking and interaction.
Try to set the head table / speaker area on the long side of the room. This means that the back row participants will be closer to the public speaker than if you set the head table / speaker area on the short side of the room (participants will feel they are really far from the action).
Consider allowing the public speaker an option of public speaking areas. Many of the top people in public speaking can do a better job if they are not confined behind a head table and/or lectern. Most public audiences like being closer to the speaker too. To accomplish this, place extra chairs near the front of the room to be used by the head table participants after dinner (of course, this would depend on your overall program). You would not want them seated behind the speaker during the program. Set head table back from the front of the podium. Speaker can perform in front of the head table.
Set buffet tables far to the side or on the opposite end from the speaker area. If someone goes back for late seconds or arrives late, he or she will not be disruptive to the public speaking.
Discourage use of doors anywhere near the head table/speaker area.
TIMING
When on a tight time schedule in your public speaking engagement, have desserts placed on the table midway through the meal.
Arrange with banquet staff to cease all bussing of tables on a pre-arranged signal. Many functions have less than interesting openings because service personnel are running around for the first 10 minutes of a talk. This gets everything off to a bad start.
Ten minutes before the public speaking program is to start, it is very helpful to announce something like the following: "The program will start in ten minutes. Please get your drink refills, go to the restroom, get some more dessert, and then take your seats and get ready for a great program!"
When planning lighthearted / humorous public speaking programs, avoid heavy subjects before the speaker, i.e., don't show tearjerker slides of starving children (actually happened to a speaker friend of mine), in an effort to raise funds. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for raising funds for good causes, but if you do this just before a humorous public speaking event or comedy show, you may have wasted your money on the talent and actually made it inappropriate for them to do the job for which they were hired.
When the public speaking engagement is at settings where food is involved you must make a special effort to take care of logistical details so your speech will be well received.
************
You can find out more about Tom at this website: www.professionalspeaker.com
Fran
P.S. Check out my ebook - Mastering Public Speaking
P.P.S. Sign up for my free public speaking ezine
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Please Wear A Poppy
Let us remember those who have given their lives for us, those who have been wounded physically and mentally in their acts of service, and those who came back whole.
Lest we forget.....
PLEASE WEAR A POPPY
"Please wear a poppy," the lady said
And held one forth, but I shook my head.
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old and lined with care;
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.
A boy came whistling down the street,
Bouncing along on care-free feet.
His smile was full of joy and fun,
"Lady," said he, "may I have one?"
When she's pinned in on he turned to say,
"Why do we wear a poppy today?"
The lady smiled in her wistful way
And answered, "This is Remembrance Day,
And the poppy there is the symbol for
The gallant men who died in war.
And because they did, you and I are free -
That's why we wear a poppy, you see.
"I had a boy about your size,
With golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved to play and jump and shout,
Free as a bird he would race about.
As the years went by he learned and grew
and became a man - as you will, too.
"He was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,
But he'd seemed with us such a little while
When war broke out and he went away.
I still remember his face that day
When he smiled at me and said, Goodbye,
I'll be back soon, Mom, so please don't cry.
"But the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the awful fight,
(I can see it still in my dreams at night),
With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.
"Till at last, at last, the war was won-
And that's why we wear a poppy son."
The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said, "Thanks, lady, I'm glad to know.
That sure did sound like an awful fight,
But your son - did he come back all right?"
A tear rolled down each faded check;
She shook her head, but didn't speak.
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
And if you were me you'd have done the same;
For our thanks, in giving, if oft delayed,
Thought our freedom was bought - and thousands paid!
And so when we see a poppy worn,
Let us reflect on the burden borne,
By those who gave their very all
When asked to answer their country's call
That we at home in peace might live.
Then wear a poppy! Remember - and give!
by Don Crawford
I share this to bless all who serve...wherever they may be.
Fran
Lest we forget.....
PLEASE WEAR A POPPY
"Please wear a poppy," the lady said
And held one forth, but I shook my head.
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old and lined with care;
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.
A boy came whistling down the street,
Bouncing along on care-free feet.
His smile was full of joy and fun,
"Lady," said he, "may I have one?"
When she's pinned in on he turned to say,
"Why do we wear a poppy today?"
The lady smiled in her wistful way
And answered, "This is Remembrance Day,
And the poppy there is the symbol for
The gallant men who died in war.
And because they did, you and I are free -
That's why we wear a poppy, you see.
"I had a boy about your size,
With golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved to play and jump and shout,
Free as a bird he would race about.
As the years went by he learned and grew
and became a man - as you will, too.
"He was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,
But he'd seemed with us such a little while
When war broke out and he went away.
I still remember his face that day
When he smiled at me and said, Goodbye,
I'll be back soon, Mom, so please don't cry.
"But the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the awful fight,
(I can see it still in my dreams at night),
With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.
"Till at last, at last, the war was won-
And that's why we wear a poppy son."
The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said, "Thanks, lady, I'm glad to know.
That sure did sound like an awful fight,
But your son - did he come back all right?"
A tear rolled down each faded check;
She shook her head, but didn't speak.
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
And if you were me you'd have done the same;
For our thanks, in giving, if oft delayed,
Thought our freedom was bought - and thousands paid!
And so when we see a poppy worn,
Let us reflect on the burden borne,
By those who gave their very all
When asked to answer their country's call
That we at home in peace might live.
Then wear a poppy! Remember - and give!
by Don Crawford
I share this to bless all who serve...wherever they may be.
Fran
Monday, November 2, 2009
Voice Broadcasting
Using Voice Broadcasting in Internet Business
(A new way to use your voice)
The power of voice broadcasting is absolutely phenomenal and one of the most under-utilized moneymakers and traffic drivers in internet business. It is absolutely extraordinary technology. It is very inexpensive to use and can add a whole new income stream to your internet business. The trick is to design the message in a way that ends in positive results for your internet business.
To understand the power of voice broadcasting and the monetary impact that it can make on your internet business, you must first understand the basics of a voice broadcast. Most commonly, a voice broadcast is a recorded voice message that is delivered to your customers/leads either LIVE on the phone or through their answering service, voicemail or answering machine. A voice broadcast can be delivered by cell phone and text messaging, however, this is fairly new technology and is not as common and the former. The ability of communicating with existing customers and offering them more products and services that they want and need is huge. Plus, the personalization of the message can aide as a new customer generating tool by building a relationship with your current leads and then, turning them into customers.
The best voice broadcasting service we have found is VoiceShot. This service is pretty basic and inexpensive, but it gets the job done. To send a voice broadcast, you export all the phone numbers of your clients/leads from your internet business's autoresponder and upload them into VoiceShot. Then, simply upload the numbers into VoiceShot and start building your voice broadcast campaign. Another advantage of this service is that they have great customer support, so you can contact them will any technical questions with setting up your voice broadcast.
Once you have your list uploaded, you will need to create and record the actual message that your customers will hear. Keep the recorded message (voice broadcast) under 50 seconds. The first reason for this is that you want to keep the attention of the listener for the entirety of the message since there will be a call to action at the end. Secondly, VoiceShot and most other services charge by the minute. Generally, it will take 3-6 seconds for your listener to pick up and say "Hello." You want to allow for that time and leave enough of a gap that you do not get charged for an extra minute of time. This will keep your Return on Investment (ROI) high and your internet business succeeding.
With all successful voice broadcasts that are used to generate income for an internet business, there is a call to action; a purpose to the message. Most of the time, this call to action is asking your listening to visit a website, usually a sales page. To do this, you will need to register a domain name that is designed well. First, choose a domain name that does not numbers in the web address. Next, always buy a domain name that ends in .com . Also, don't use any words that also have a numerical value like "for" and "two." If you have any of these things in your domain name your listeners might get confused and go to the wrong site. During your voice broadcast, direct your listeners to this website and clearly state what you want them to do.
Using the technology of voice broadcasting can be amazingly useful for your internet business. Use it for generating more sales from existing customer or turning leads into new customers. Keep your listens interested and your ROI high by making the message short. Design your message with a call to action and include an easy website for them to visit and purchase your product or service. Above all, use this technology to enhance the success of your internet business.
Tellman Knudson, CEO of OvercomeEverything, Inc., is a master list builder and well-known for his List Building Club. Tellman teaches students how to build a successful online business. Create your successful business from his step-by-step videos at: http://listbuilding.com
Fran
(A new way to use your voice)
The power of voice broadcasting is absolutely phenomenal and one of the most under-utilized moneymakers and traffic drivers in internet business. It is absolutely extraordinary technology. It is very inexpensive to use and can add a whole new income stream to your internet business. The trick is to design the message in a way that ends in positive results for your internet business.
To understand the power of voice broadcasting and the monetary impact that it can make on your internet business, you must first understand the basics of a voice broadcast. Most commonly, a voice broadcast is a recorded voice message that is delivered to your customers/leads either LIVE on the phone or through their answering service, voicemail or answering machine. A voice broadcast can be delivered by cell phone and text messaging, however, this is fairly new technology and is not as common and the former. The ability of communicating with existing customers and offering them more products and services that they want and need is huge. Plus, the personalization of the message can aide as a new customer generating tool by building a relationship with your current leads and then, turning them into customers.
The best voice broadcasting service we have found is VoiceShot. This service is pretty basic and inexpensive, but it gets the job done. To send a voice broadcast, you export all the phone numbers of your clients/leads from your internet business's autoresponder and upload them into VoiceShot. Then, simply upload the numbers into VoiceShot and start building your voice broadcast campaign. Another advantage of this service is that they have great customer support, so you can contact them will any technical questions with setting up your voice broadcast.
Once you have your list uploaded, you will need to create and record the actual message that your customers will hear. Keep the recorded message (voice broadcast) under 50 seconds. The first reason for this is that you want to keep the attention of the listener for the entirety of the message since there will be a call to action at the end. Secondly, VoiceShot and most other services charge by the minute. Generally, it will take 3-6 seconds for your listener to pick up and say "Hello." You want to allow for that time and leave enough of a gap that you do not get charged for an extra minute of time. This will keep your Return on Investment (ROI) high and your internet business succeeding.
With all successful voice broadcasts that are used to generate income for an internet business, there is a call to action; a purpose to the message. Most of the time, this call to action is asking your listening to visit a website, usually a sales page. To do this, you will need to register a domain name that is designed well. First, choose a domain name that does not numbers in the web address. Next, always buy a domain name that ends in .com . Also, don't use any words that also have a numerical value like "for" and "two." If you have any of these things in your domain name your listeners might get confused and go to the wrong site. During your voice broadcast, direct your listeners to this website and clearly state what you want them to do.
Using the technology of voice broadcasting can be amazingly useful for your internet business. Use it for generating more sales from existing customer or turning leads into new customers. Keep your listens interested and your ROI high by making the message short. Design your message with a call to action and include an easy website for them to visit and purchase your product or service. Above all, use this technology to enhance the success of your internet business.
Tellman Knudson, CEO of OvercomeEverything, Inc., is a master list builder and well-known for his List Building Club. Tellman teaches students how to build a successful online business. Create your successful business from his step-by-step videos at: http://listbuilding.com
Fran
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Make Public Speaking Easier
7 Tips To Make Public Speaking Easier
Tip 1: Normalize your fear. In other words, be aware that just about everyone shares the fear of public speaking. It is normal in our society.
Tip2. Remember that your thoughts create your reality. If you tell yourself, “I am a terrible public speaker,” then you’ll become that which you think.
Tip 3. Remember to visualize how you want to see yourself being. How would you ideally like to feel when speaking in front of people? Would you like to be calm and relaxed? Start visualizing yourself as a calm and relaxed speaker, and step inside of the picture and feel the feelings as if they are happening right now.
Tip 4. Give yourself a positive verbal suggestion, such as “I am a calm, confident, dynamic public speaker.” Within a short period of time you will became what you affirm.
Tip 5. Ask yourself why you are afraid? Did a negative episode happen in your life where you where ridiculed or judged? If so, a part of you decided, “I’ll never do that again.” It became your survival strategy. Healing that wound will require that you ask the scared part what it would need to feel safe. Perhaps your scared part would only be willing to speak up if it was being heard by a friendly, supportive audience, where mistakes were allowed (such as a Toastmasters Club.)
Tip 6. Find a person who will listen with support and encouragement, like a coach or a mentor. Then role play with that person until you feel comfortable speaking.
Tip 7. Speak from your heart. Realize that your speaking is a gift. It is benefiting the listener. Become passionate about what you say. Focus on them, not you. This is about them and what you have to give to them.
Adapted from Dr. Maya Bailey, http://www.90daystomoreclients.com/
**************************
Fran
P.S. For a Free copy of over 800 Speech Topics send me an email to
speakersinfo @ getresponse.com (no spaces) or click here
Tip 1: Normalize your fear. In other words, be aware that just about everyone shares the fear of public speaking. It is normal in our society.
Tip2. Remember that your thoughts create your reality. If you tell yourself, “I am a terrible public speaker,” then you’ll become that which you think.
Tip 3. Remember to visualize how you want to see yourself being. How would you ideally like to feel when speaking in front of people? Would you like to be calm and relaxed? Start visualizing yourself as a calm and relaxed speaker, and step inside of the picture and feel the feelings as if they are happening right now.
Tip 4. Give yourself a positive verbal suggestion, such as “I am a calm, confident, dynamic public speaker.” Within a short period of time you will became what you affirm.
Tip 5. Ask yourself why you are afraid? Did a negative episode happen in your life where you where ridiculed or judged? If so, a part of you decided, “I’ll never do that again.” It became your survival strategy. Healing that wound will require that you ask the scared part what it would need to feel safe. Perhaps your scared part would only be willing to speak up if it was being heard by a friendly, supportive audience, where mistakes were allowed (such as a Toastmasters Club.)
Tip 6. Find a person who will listen with support and encouragement, like a coach or a mentor. Then role play with that person until you feel comfortable speaking.
Tip 7. Speak from your heart. Realize that your speaking is a gift. It is benefiting the listener. Become passionate about what you say. Focus on them, not you. This is about them and what you have to give to them.
Adapted from Dr. Maya Bailey, http://www.90daystomoreclients.com/
**************************
Fran
P.S. For a Free copy of over 800 Speech Topics send me an email to
speakersinfo @ getresponse.com (no spaces) or click here
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Presentations
How to give a great presentation
Most of the presentations you’re asked to give in a business setting aim to achieve one of two purposes: (1) to inform or (2) to persuade. In an informative presentation, the audience learns about a new subject or learns something new about a familiar subject. In a persuasive presentation, the speaker attempts to change the audience’s attitudes or behaviours.
Whether your purpose is to inform or to persuade, your presentation will include many of the same elements. It is important that you know your own purpose before you give a presentation or you may give away details you did not intend to or leave a weak impression on your audience. Always assess your goals before the presentation – your presentation will be stronger as a result. The success of your presentation lies in your ability to reach your audience.
If you are presenting to a large group, you’ll need to do more to make all audience members feel involved in your presentation. With a small group, it may be easier to encourage participation. With some audiences, you may need to provide more background/historical information about your topic before you can effectively persuade them of the correctness of your point and if the audience is not inherently motivated to listen to you, then you’ll need to give them reason to listen within the presentation itself.
The space in which you present will impact both you and your audience. Sometimes you have little control over space constraints, but it is important to check it out before you give your presentation in order to make allowances for comfort of the audience and to ensure that they can all see you, no matter where they are sitting.
A study by Albert Mehrabian at UCLA shows that 55 percent of our total message in face-to-face interactions is communicated through body language. A big part of body language is how you dress. As a general rule, you should dress slightly better than your audience. Conservative dress and solid colours are always winners in the business arena.
Your presentation should have an introduction, body and conclusion. The first part of your presentation is called the opening. You use the opening to get the audience’s attention, build (or continue to build) rapport with the audience, introduce your topic, and prepare the audience for the rest of your presentation. The opening should take only a fraction of your total presentation time. For example, if you’re giving a fifteen-minute presentation, you might dedicate two to three minutes to the opening. Your opening should set the tone for the rest of your presentation. First impressions are important. Make sure everybody knows who you are. The audience needs to know who you are and why they should listen to you. Present your credentials and let people know why you’re an expert on this topic. Be careful not to sabotage yourself in your dress or your spoken words.
Seven ways to sabotage a first impression:
1. Sloppy language. Using words like “anyways” or phrases such as, “That’s a whole ‘nother thing”.
2. Lazy language. Using phrases such as “you guys,” “okey dokey,” “no problem.”
3. Verbal fillers. Using “ums” and “ahs”.
4. Hiding your hands. This demonstrates a lack of trust. Keep your hands where people can see them.
5. Being late for the presentation.
6. Throat clearing. The message sent here is that you think you are superior. Not a good first impression.
7. Lack of enthusiasm. Enthusiasm sells. If you’re not enthusiastic and excited, why in the world should your audience get excited about your presentation?
Many people feel that humour is necessary in a presentation. It may be a valuable attention-gaining technique, but use it wisely. The joke you tell should have some relationship to the rest of your presentation or to your audience. Using humour can help arouse interest, allow you to connect with the audience, disarm hostility, show that you don’t take yourself too seriously and make a positive impression. However, if you don’t feel comfortable with humour, then make them think. Two key strategies will help you get your audience thinking: Present facts, figures and expert opinions or invite the audience to participate. Your opening is your promise to the audience about what they’ll get out of your presentation – make sure you promise something you can deliver.
*****For More Info on Presentations Click Here!"
One way to demonstrate your expertise is to open your presentation with data, exact figures, latest developments, and interesting little-known facts. Provide the audience with some “ah-ha” evidence of a problem or need with which they can relate. Select relevant information that will fascinate or surprise the audience. Try to get the group involved from the beginning by taking an audience poll or holding a mini-brainstorming session.
You have a limited amount of time to address the audience, so you must limit the number of main ideas covered in your presentation. It’s best to stick to two to five main points. You need to provide supporting evidence for each main point, so allow enough time to develop each point in adequate detail. You need to plan your presentational structure and organize the body of your presentation in a way that makes sense for your subject.
Common organizational patterns are:
1. Topical – when several ideas relate to your theme and each distinct idea becomes a main point.
2. Chronological – uses time sequence for a framework.
3. Spatial – organizes material according to physical space.
4. Classification – organizes material by putting things into categories.
5. Problem/Solution – organizes material by describing a problem and then presenting a solution.
6. Cause/Effect – organizes material by describing the cause of a problem and then presenting the effects of the problem.
A good outline includes the main points of your presentation, plus reference to your evidence and should be composed mainly of keywords. You should always practice your speech from your outline. That way it doesn’t sound stilted or memorized.
To create a credible presentation, you must provide supporting materials to back up your claims. Evidence serves to clarify your position or main ideas, prove that your claims are true and creates a lasting and memorable impression. Types of evidence include: facts and figures, statistics, statements by authority, testimony, narratives (stories), definitions and humour.
It is important to separate your main points by using a technique called a transition. Transitions may emphasize the organization of your speech or demonstrate how your ideas relate back to the theme of your presentation. For example, “now that you understand _________, let’s move on to my next point, which is _________.”
When you have covered all your main ideas and don’t have any new ideas to present, you are ready to close. The opening and the conclusion are bookends to the body of your presentation. The goal of the conclusion is to: inform the audience you’re about to close, summarize the main points, leave the audience with something to remember. Whenever possible, as part of your wrap-up, leave your audience with something to do. Giving your audience a call to action in your conclusion accomplishes two main purposes:
(1) It gives your listeners direction regarding what to do with the information you’ve just presented.
(2) it gives your audience incentive to think about your presentation later.
Remember to keep the call to action simple enough to be something your audience can accomplish. For example, “by next Monday I will make 4 calls to potential clients.”
The difference between a good presenter and a great presenter is often “presentational style” or the intangible elements of a presentation including a speaker’s poise, movement, projection of enthusiasm, and comfort in front of a group. Even the most experienced speakers can exhibit ticks and tendencies that interfere with their presentations. Some common problems to look out for as you practice your presentation include:
(1) Verbal fillers – “um”, “uh”, “yeah, so”
(2) Swaying and rocking
(3) Pacing
(4) Hands in pockets
(5) Lip smacking
(6) Fidgeting
The solution to these and other common problems is practice and experience. Nerves are usually the cause of such problems, so the more confident you feel, the less likely you are to engage in such habits. Joining a group such as Toastmasters can help you develop your public speaking skills and make you more confident. With preparation and practice, anyone can give a great presentation. The act of getting up in front of an audience gives you a certain amount of credibility. To be worthy of the audience’s trust, follow a few simple guidelines:
Be truthful
Give credit to your sources
Use current information
Do not rely excessively on appeals to people’s emotions
Show respect for your audience’s intelligence
Information adapted from hp learningcenter.com “planning your presentation”
****************
Yours for a GREAT Presentation!
Fran
For More Info on Presentations Click Here!"
Most of the presentations you’re asked to give in a business setting aim to achieve one of two purposes: (1) to inform or (2) to persuade. In an informative presentation, the audience learns about a new subject or learns something new about a familiar subject. In a persuasive presentation, the speaker attempts to change the audience’s attitudes or behaviours.
Whether your purpose is to inform or to persuade, your presentation will include many of the same elements. It is important that you know your own purpose before you give a presentation or you may give away details you did not intend to or leave a weak impression on your audience. Always assess your goals before the presentation – your presentation will be stronger as a result. The success of your presentation lies in your ability to reach your audience.
If you are presenting to a large group, you’ll need to do more to make all audience members feel involved in your presentation. With a small group, it may be easier to encourage participation. With some audiences, you may need to provide more background/historical information about your topic before you can effectively persuade them of the correctness of your point and if the audience is not inherently motivated to listen to you, then you’ll need to give them reason to listen within the presentation itself.
The space in which you present will impact both you and your audience. Sometimes you have little control over space constraints, but it is important to check it out before you give your presentation in order to make allowances for comfort of the audience and to ensure that they can all see you, no matter where they are sitting.
A study by Albert Mehrabian at UCLA shows that 55 percent of our total message in face-to-face interactions is communicated through body language. A big part of body language is how you dress. As a general rule, you should dress slightly better than your audience. Conservative dress and solid colours are always winners in the business arena.
Your presentation should have an introduction, body and conclusion. The first part of your presentation is called the opening. You use the opening to get the audience’s attention, build (or continue to build) rapport with the audience, introduce your topic, and prepare the audience for the rest of your presentation. The opening should take only a fraction of your total presentation time. For example, if you’re giving a fifteen-minute presentation, you might dedicate two to three minutes to the opening. Your opening should set the tone for the rest of your presentation. First impressions are important. Make sure everybody knows who you are. The audience needs to know who you are and why they should listen to you. Present your credentials and let people know why you’re an expert on this topic. Be careful not to sabotage yourself in your dress or your spoken words.
Seven ways to sabotage a first impression:
1. Sloppy language. Using words like “anyways” or phrases such as, “That’s a whole ‘nother thing”.
2. Lazy language. Using phrases such as “you guys,” “okey dokey,” “no problem.”
3. Verbal fillers. Using “ums” and “ahs”.
4. Hiding your hands. This demonstrates a lack of trust. Keep your hands where people can see them.
5. Being late for the presentation.
6. Throat clearing. The message sent here is that you think you are superior. Not a good first impression.
7. Lack of enthusiasm. Enthusiasm sells. If you’re not enthusiastic and excited, why in the world should your audience get excited about your presentation?
Many people feel that humour is necessary in a presentation. It may be a valuable attention-gaining technique, but use it wisely. The joke you tell should have some relationship to the rest of your presentation or to your audience. Using humour can help arouse interest, allow you to connect with the audience, disarm hostility, show that you don’t take yourself too seriously and make a positive impression. However, if you don’t feel comfortable with humour, then make them think. Two key strategies will help you get your audience thinking: Present facts, figures and expert opinions or invite the audience to participate. Your opening is your promise to the audience about what they’ll get out of your presentation – make sure you promise something you can deliver.
*****For More Info on Presentations Click Here!"
One way to demonstrate your expertise is to open your presentation with data, exact figures, latest developments, and interesting little-known facts. Provide the audience with some “ah-ha” evidence of a problem or need with which they can relate. Select relevant information that will fascinate or surprise the audience. Try to get the group involved from the beginning by taking an audience poll or holding a mini-brainstorming session.
You have a limited amount of time to address the audience, so you must limit the number of main ideas covered in your presentation. It’s best to stick to two to five main points. You need to provide supporting evidence for each main point, so allow enough time to develop each point in adequate detail. You need to plan your presentational structure and organize the body of your presentation in a way that makes sense for your subject.
Common organizational patterns are:
1. Topical – when several ideas relate to your theme and each distinct idea becomes a main point.
2. Chronological – uses time sequence for a framework.
3. Spatial – organizes material according to physical space.
4. Classification – organizes material by putting things into categories.
5. Problem/Solution – organizes material by describing a problem and then presenting a solution.
6. Cause/Effect – organizes material by describing the cause of a problem and then presenting the effects of the problem.
A good outline includes the main points of your presentation, plus reference to your evidence and should be composed mainly of keywords. You should always practice your speech from your outline. That way it doesn’t sound stilted or memorized.
To create a credible presentation, you must provide supporting materials to back up your claims. Evidence serves to clarify your position or main ideas, prove that your claims are true and creates a lasting and memorable impression. Types of evidence include: facts and figures, statistics, statements by authority, testimony, narratives (stories), definitions and humour.
It is important to separate your main points by using a technique called a transition. Transitions may emphasize the organization of your speech or demonstrate how your ideas relate back to the theme of your presentation. For example, “now that you understand _________, let’s move on to my next point, which is _________.”
When you have covered all your main ideas and don’t have any new ideas to present, you are ready to close. The opening and the conclusion are bookends to the body of your presentation. The goal of the conclusion is to: inform the audience you’re about to close, summarize the main points, leave the audience with something to remember. Whenever possible, as part of your wrap-up, leave your audience with something to do. Giving your audience a call to action in your conclusion accomplishes two main purposes:
(1) It gives your listeners direction regarding what to do with the information you’ve just presented.
(2) it gives your audience incentive to think about your presentation later.
Remember to keep the call to action simple enough to be something your audience can accomplish. For example, “by next Monday I will make 4 calls to potential clients.”
The difference between a good presenter and a great presenter is often “presentational style” or the intangible elements of a presentation including a speaker’s poise, movement, projection of enthusiasm, and comfort in front of a group. Even the most experienced speakers can exhibit ticks and tendencies that interfere with their presentations. Some common problems to look out for as you practice your presentation include:
(1) Verbal fillers – “um”, “uh”, “yeah, so”
(2) Swaying and rocking
(3) Pacing
(4) Hands in pockets
(5) Lip smacking
(6) Fidgeting
The solution to these and other common problems is practice and experience. Nerves are usually the cause of such problems, so the more confident you feel, the less likely you are to engage in such habits. Joining a group such as Toastmasters can help you develop your public speaking skills and make you more confident. With preparation and practice, anyone can give a great presentation. The act of getting up in front of an audience gives you a certain amount of credibility. To be worthy of the audience’s trust, follow a few simple guidelines:
Be truthful
Give credit to your sources
Use current information
Do not rely excessively on appeals to people’s emotions
Show respect for your audience’s intelligence
Information adapted from hp learningcenter.com “planning your presentation”
****************
Yours for a GREAT Presentation!
Fran
For More Info on Presentations Click Here!"
Thursday, September 24, 2009
A Speaker's Greatest Tool
Your greatest tool as a speaker is your voice. Every time you address an audience your mind, your body and your voice act as partners in the task of getting your message across to your listeners. When you speak, your voice is the primary link between you and your listeners – it’s the medium of your message.
The importance of having an effective voice isn’t restricted to public speaking. A good, controlled voice is an asset in every contact with others. Your voice mirrors your personality with a language all its own – a language that people recognize and respond to immediately. A natural voice that projects an image of cordiality, cultivation and authority is a significant tool for personal success. It can help in gaining promotions, making sales, winning the respect of others and improving your social opportunities, as well as in speaking effectively to audiences.
When you speak, your voice reflects your psychological and emotional state of mind. You can’t hope to persuade or influence others – or even get them to listen in a positive way – if your tones are harsh, scolding and unfriendly. Such a voice can repel even when the speaker wishes to attract. The quality of friendliness is a prime requisite for a good speaking voice. It’s largely a matter of habit, as is the unfriendly tone.
If you’ve fallen into the habit of scolding, snarling and speaking in an unpleasant tone, and the effect you seek is to produce the genial, cheerful and gracious tones that characterize a good speaking voice, you may need to do more than simply develop your voice. You may have to reassess your way of looking at yourself, other people and events in general.
But if you’re like most people, the chances are excellent that you can develop the sort of voice that wins favourable attention and reflects the qualities you wish to project. To do so, you must strive to strip away any bad speech habits that may have accumulated over the years. And you must work to build the type of positive habits that will enhance your speaking voice.
Your voice and your face are your “public relations” agents. More than any other factors, they serve to establish an image of you in the minds of others. Your face, body and speech are the interpreters of your mind. They reveal your character – the real you – as nothing else can.
A smile – whether it starts in your face, your disposition or your voice – reacts on the other elements and tends to induce a positive, constructive complex which makes your attitude and appearance attractive and pleasing.
Your best voice can help bring out your best self. Nature has given you a priceless gift in your voice. It is the means by which you can communicate with others – the medium of your message. It also makes possible understanding and camaraderie. By your voice and your words, your influence is made upon those whom your life may touch.
Yours for better speaking
Fran
The importance of having an effective voice isn’t restricted to public speaking. A good, controlled voice is an asset in every contact with others. Your voice mirrors your personality with a language all its own – a language that people recognize and respond to immediately. A natural voice that projects an image of cordiality, cultivation and authority is a significant tool for personal success. It can help in gaining promotions, making sales, winning the respect of others and improving your social opportunities, as well as in speaking effectively to audiences.
When you speak, your voice reflects your psychological and emotional state of mind. You can’t hope to persuade or influence others – or even get them to listen in a positive way – if your tones are harsh, scolding and unfriendly. Such a voice can repel even when the speaker wishes to attract. The quality of friendliness is a prime requisite for a good speaking voice. It’s largely a matter of habit, as is the unfriendly tone.
If you’ve fallen into the habit of scolding, snarling and speaking in an unpleasant tone, and the effect you seek is to produce the genial, cheerful and gracious tones that characterize a good speaking voice, you may need to do more than simply develop your voice. You may have to reassess your way of looking at yourself, other people and events in general.
But if you’re like most people, the chances are excellent that you can develop the sort of voice that wins favourable attention and reflects the qualities you wish to project. To do so, you must strive to strip away any bad speech habits that may have accumulated over the years. And you must work to build the type of positive habits that will enhance your speaking voice.
Your voice and your face are your “public relations” agents. More than any other factors, they serve to establish an image of you in the minds of others. Your face, body and speech are the interpreters of your mind. They reveal your character – the real you – as nothing else can.
A smile – whether it starts in your face, your disposition or your voice – reacts on the other elements and tends to induce a positive, constructive complex which makes your attitude and appearance attractive and pleasing.
Your best voice can help bring out your best self. Nature has given you a priceless gift in your voice. It is the means by which you can communicate with others – the medium of your message. It also makes possible understanding and camaraderie. By your voice and your words, your influence is made upon those whom your life may touch.
Yours for better speaking
Fran
Using Unexpected Openers
Use Unexpected Openers to Capture Audience Interest
By David Green
The informal networking session was over and the 20-odd working speechwriters took their seats in the conference room in eager anticipation of the lunch speaker. It was to be Ted Sorenson, renowned speechwriter and confidante for John F. Kennedy during his White House years.
Sorenson took his place at the podium, smiled kindly at the gathering, and then began: “Thank you so much for having me here today. It is quite an honor to be with you…and that concludes my prepared remarks.”
Now, if you are a god in your industry and have the audience hanging on your every word before you even open your mouth… you can get away with an opening like that. But when it comes to making speeches and presentations, most of us are still mere mortals. And, as the saying goes, you have only one chance to make a first impression. So your opening comments are critical. You have to engage your audience from the get-go.
That’s why so many speakers think they need to start their talk with a story or a joke – to get the audience “on their side.” These opening gambits are what I call “speech props” and they can be extremely useful…in concept. But not if they come from one of those “500 great jokes for public speakers” sourcebooks.
Because you not only have to engage your audience, you have to overcome their expectations so that they don’t write you off before you get to the good stuff in your presentation. Oh yes, the audience thinks they know what to expect from you. They know your title, your company, maybe they’ve seen an abstract – they think they’ve got you pegged.
Power of the Unexpected
So it’s time to counter-program by opening with a story that throws them off balance, that bends their perspective, that makes them look at you with fresh eyes…and listen with fresh ears. This is pure Made-to-Stick 101 – and if that reference doesn’t ring a bell, you might want to check out Chip and Dan Heath’s book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.
The Heath brothers offer 6 basic precepts for creating memorable communications, but the one I particularly fancy is Principle 2: Unexpectedness. Here’s their take on why unexpectedness matters:
“How do we get our audience to pay attention to our ideas, and how do we maintain their interest when we need time to get the ideas across? We need to violate people’s expectations. We need to be counterintuitive.”
Okay, fine…so, how do you do that exactly? By following these three basic “rules.”
1) Look outside the box
Get outside your industry. Look for stimuli that aren’t “making the rounds.” Seek provocative thinking. One of the best sources might be the web site of the Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference, http://www.ted.com/ Many of the five- to 20-minute talks posted there, videotaped from the conference proceedings, are highly effective at turning your head around and making you see your world differently.
I have a friend who, knowing that I do a lot of work with technology companies, occasionally sends me articles like “The 10 stupidest tech company blunders” with the note “good anecdotes for speeches.” But you’ll often find that the best anecdotes for speeches are the ones that come from out of left field. These tend to engage the audience more as they try to figure out where you are going. For example, in recent speeches and ghosted columns for an art-education association client, I’ve used these topics:
•The doctrine of the Cluetrain Manifesto.
•Bud Clark’s stunning mayoral win in Portland, Oregon in 1984.
•The fact that Minneapolis and St Paul aren’t entirely on opposite banks of the Mississippi.
How could such a hodge-podge of disparate and arcane leads make sense? Well, since the association was going through a major cultural transformation, my client’s first task was to get her membership’s attention. Then she needed to champion her cause – over a period of time – enlisting passionate support, and creating local champions to spread the gospel.
So the Cluetrain Manifesto, which advocates for digital media’s ability to overcome the stranglehold of corporate-speak, introduced the power of authenticity in an individual’s voice. The Minneapolis-St. Paul geographic trivia reference was the intro to a speech she gave in Minneapolis – and was used as an example of how preconceptions based on conventional wisdom can keep us from our goals. Bud Clark’s mayoral win, which I knew about from living in Portland shortly before that election, was a model for harnessing populist fervor to overcome great odds.
Dramatically different leads, but all working on the same wavelength to effectively empower the association’s members to take a more activist role.
2) Let inspiration come to you
Many years ago, when I was working as an advertising copywriter in New York City, I told my boss that the company should just pay me to walk back and forth between the subway station and the office because I got more good ideas during those 30 minutes – when I wasn’t really trying – than in the eight hours a day I spent at my desk. A few months ago, a client told me that she loved getting e-mails from me that start out “I was just out for a walk along the reservoir and I got to thinking…”
The best ideas are like that squiggly dust mote on your eye that you catch a fleeting glance of when you gaze up into a summer sky, but that darts out of sight when you try to look directly at it. The more you expose yourself to influences outside your industry, the more you open yourself up to cross-pollination, which is where creativity is most often born. For instance, I once found the conceptual construct for a speech on complexity vs. simplicity in the midst of watching the movie “Pollock.”
Watching Pollock’s chaotic jumble of splatter painting seemed to represent technological complexity in a very obvious way. Later, for stark contrast, I chose Mark Rothko’s tranquil works, with their blocks of muted color, to represent simplicity. The speech was by the CEO of a networking equipment company to industry analysts and angel investors and, after a brief scene-setting comment about the challenge of developing breakthrough innovation, he got into his true lead:
“So every now and again, I like to look at our challenge from an entirely different frame of reference. It keeps me fresh. And I’m willing to bet that it will make the next 25 minutes more intriguing than maybe you thought they were going to be. I figured I could get away with using Jackson Pollock as my keynote visual, because you’re all eclectic, multi-dimensional people, with diverse interests. If I tried this with an engineering audience, I’d probably lose the entire audience while they scribbled down all the architectural flaws in Pollock’s schematic.
Now, I’m a network guy. I look at Jackson Pollock, and I see networks. Specifically, I see today’s wide area networks – the complexity, the layers, the obstacles to flow. Of course, if you know anything about Jackson Pollock as a person, you know that he was a bona-fide tortured soul – which I suspect might eventually describe the engineers in charge of building broadband networks on [complex] SONET-based architecture.
Now, Mark Rothko – he’s my idea of an Ethernet Everywhere guy. There’s a fundamental simplicity here, and a sense of the infinite – infinite space, infinite potential.
3) Practice storytelling
This may seem like splitting hairs, but there really is a difference between storytelling and telling a story. Storytelling is about more than the relating of an anecdote; it’s about the creation of a distinctive, intriguingly listenable voice.
Let me give you an example. I had a technology client who wanted to build a keynote address around the message that his industry needed radical innovation in order to jump start recovery from the 2001 recession. The tepid, incremental, more-bang-for-your-buck product improvements that had dominated the recession period no longer would get the job done.
While the speech was still in incubator mode, I came across an article about building strategic competitive advantage that included a quotation about the noted computer scientist, Alan Kay, with the catchphrase, “Perspective is worth 80 points of IQ.”
This was the resulting presentation lead:
“In March 1975, a new office building was dedicated on Coyote Hill Road in Palo Alto, CA. Now, ordinarily, I wouldn’t much care about the dedication of an office building, and I can’t imagine you would either. Except that this building was the new home to a still-youthful organization called the Palo Alto Research Center, better known as Xerox PARC – and you probably all owe your jobs to what was invented in that building. I know I certainly wouldn’t be standing here before you if Bob Metcalfe and David Boggs hadn’t joined forces there in the mid-‘70s to develop Ethernet technology.
The creations that originated at Xerox PARC are mythic, and their creators are legendary. One of the most legendary of these is a man named Alan Kay, who is responsible for inventing object-oriented programming, the graphical user interface, and the very concept of a personal computer. Alan Kay has one of the most original minds in the technology field – perhaps one of the most original minds, period.
But I come here, not to praise Alan Kay – nor to bury him – but to quote him. Alan Kay once said that perspective was worth 80 points of IQ. In other words, it’s not how smart you are that matters, it’s your ability to see things from different points of view. That’s how innovation happens: by looking at things from a different angle and making connections that no one has made before.”
After my client finished, the conference organizer met him backstage and told him that, unlike the previous day, when a more prominent CEO had some 300 people leave his keynote before he finished because his approach was too “same-old, same-old,” not one person left before he finished.
A good speaker also knows how to leave his audience on a powerful upnote – but that’s a story for another time. So next presentation, look for a way to start that will take your audience by surprise (as long as you can make it relevant to your message). It may make you a little bit nervous – but then, the best communications solutions almost always do.
About the Author:
David Green is principal of UnCommon Knowledge, a speechwriting and strategic communications consultancy in the New York City area. He has written speeches for senior executives at Hewlett-Packard, Mercedes-Benz USA, Advanced Micro Devices, Johnson & Johnson and Extreme Networks, among others – all while being an involved father of 11-year-old twin boys. He’s not sure which activity is the more demanding. For more on David Green, visit www.uncommon-knowledge.com
******************
Check out David's website for his 3 simple rules
By David Green
The informal networking session was over and the 20-odd working speechwriters took their seats in the conference room in eager anticipation of the lunch speaker. It was to be Ted Sorenson, renowned speechwriter and confidante for John F. Kennedy during his White House years.
Sorenson took his place at the podium, smiled kindly at the gathering, and then began: “Thank you so much for having me here today. It is quite an honor to be with you…and that concludes my prepared remarks.”
Now, if you are a god in your industry and have the audience hanging on your every word before you even open your mouth… you can get away with an opening like that. But when it comes to making speeches and presentations, most of us are still mere mortals. And, as the saying goes, you have only one chance to make a first impression. So your opening comments are critical. You have to engage your audience from the get-go.
That’s why so many speakers think they need to start their talk with a story or a joke – to get the audience “on their side.” These opening gambits are what I call “speech props” and they can be extremely useful…in concept. But not if they come from one of those “500 great jokes for public speakers” sourcebooks.
Because you not only have to engage your audience, you have to overcome their expectations so that they don’t write you off before you get to the good stuff in your presentation. Oh yes, the audience thinks they know what to expect from you. They know your title, your company, maybe they’ve seen an abstract – they think they’ve got you pegged.
Power of the Unexpected
So it’s time to counter-program by opening with a story that throws them off balance, that bends their perspective, that makes them look at you with fresh eyes…and listen with fresh ears. This is pure Made-to-Stick 101 – and if that reference doesn’t ring a bell, you might want to check out Chip and Dan Heath’s book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.
The Heath brothers offer 6 basic precepts for creating memorable communications, but the one I particularly fancy is Principle 2: Unexpectedness. Here’s their take on why unexpectedness matters:
“How do we get our audience to pay attention to our ideas, and how do we maintain their interest when we need time to get the ideas across? We need to violate people’s expectations. We need to be counterintuitive.”
Okay, fine…so, how do you do that exactly? By following these three basic “rules.”
1) Look outside the box
Get outside your industry. Look for stimuli that aren’t “making the rounds.” Seek provocative thinking. One of the best sources might be the web site of the Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference, http://www.ted.com/ Many of the five- to 20-minute talks posted there, videotaped from the conference proceedings, are highly effective at turning your head around and making you see your world differently.
I have a friend who, knowing that I do a lot of work with technology companies, occasionally sends me articles like “The 10 stupidest tech company blunders” with the note “good anecdotes for speeches.” But you’ll often find that the best anecdotes for speeches are the ones that come from out of left field. These tend to engage the audience more as they try to figure out where you are going. For example, in recent speeches and ghosted columns for an art-education association client, I’ve used these topics:
•The doctrine of the Cluetrain Manifesto.
•Bud Clark’s stunning mayoral win in Portland, Oregon in 1984.
•The fact that Minneapolis and St Paul aren’t entirely on opposite banks of the Mississippi.
How could such a hodge-podge of disparate and arcane leads make sense? Well, since the association was going through a major cultural transformation, my client’s first task was to get her membership’s attention. Then she needed to champion her cause – over a period of time – enlisting passionate support, and creating local champions to spread the gospel.
So the Cluetrain Manifesto, which advocates for digital media’s ability to overcome the stranglehold of corporate-speak, introduced the power of authenticity in an individual’s voice. The Minneapolis-St. Paul geographic trivia reference was the intro to a speech she gave in Minneapolis – and was used as an example of how preconceptions based on conventional wisdom can keep us from our goals. Bud Clark’s mayoral win, which I knew about from living in Portland shortly before that election, was a model for harnessing populist fervor to overcome great odds.
Dramatically different leads, but all working on the same wavelength to effectively empower the association’s members to take a more activist role.
2) Let inspiration come to you
Many years ago, when I was working as an advertising copywriter in New York City, I told my boss that the company should just pay me to walk back and forth between the subway station and the office because I got more good ideas during those 30 minutes – when I wasn’t really trying – than in the eight hours a day I spent at my desk. A few months ago, a client told me that she loved getting e-mails from me that start out “I was just out for a walk along the reservoir and I got to thinking…”
The best ideas are like that squiggly dust mote on your eye that you catch a fleeting glance of when you gaze up into a summer sky, but that darts out of sight when you try to look directly at it. The more you expose yourself to influences outside your industry, the more you open yourself up to cross-pollination, which is where creativity is most often born. For instance, I once found the conceptual construct for a speech on complexity vs. simplicity in the midst of watching the movie “Pollock.”
Watching Pollock’s chaotic jumble of splatter painting seemed to represent technological complexity in a very obvious way. Later, for stark contrast, I chose Mark Rothko’s tranquil works, with their blocks of muted color, to represent simplicity. The speech was by the CEO of a networking equipment company to industry analysts and angel investors and, after a brief scene-setting comment about the challenge of developing breakthrough innovation, he got into his true lead:
“So every now and again, I like to look at our challenge from an entirely different frame of reference. It keeps me fresh. And I’m willing to bet that it will make the next 25 minutes more intriguing than maybe you thought they were going to be. I figured I could get away with using Jackson Pollock as my keynote visual, because you’re all eclectic, multi-dimensional people, with diverse interests. If I tried this with an engineering audience, I’d probably lose the entire audience while they scribbled down all the architectural flaws in Pollock’s schematic.
Now, I’m a network guy. I look at Jackson Pollock, and I see networks. Specifically, I see today’s wide area networks – the complexity, the layers, the obstacles to flow. Of course, if you know anything about Jackson Pollock as a person, you know that he was a bona-fide tortured soul – which I suspect might eventually describe the engineers in charge of building broadband networks on [complex] SONET-based architecture.
Now, Mark Rothko – he’s my idea of an Ethernet Everywhere guy. There’s a fundamental simplicity here, and a sense of the infinite – infinite space, infinite potential.
3) Practice storytelling
This may seem like splitting hairs, but there really is a difference between storytelling and telling a story. Storytelling is about more than the relating of an anecdote; it’s about the creation of a distinctive, intriguingly listenable voice.
Let me give you an example. I had a technology client who wanted to build a keynote address around the message that his industry needed radical innovation in order to jump start recovery from the 2001 recession. The tepid, incremental, more-bang-for-your-buck product improvements that had dominated the recession period no longer would get the job done.
While the speech was still in incubator mode, I came across an article about building strategic competitive advantage that included a quotation about the noted computer scientist, Alan Kay, with the catchphrase, “Perspective is worth 80 points of IQ.”
This was the resulting presentation lead:
“In March 1975, a new office building was dedicated on Coyote Hill Road in Palo Alto, CA. Now, ordinarily, I wouldn’t much care about the dedication of an office building, and I can’t imagine you would either. Except that this building was the new home to a still-youthful organization called the Palo Alto Research Center, better known as Xerox PARC – and you probably all owe your jobs to what was invented in that building. I know I certainly wouldn’t be standing here before you if Bob Metcalfe and David Boggs hadn’t joined forces there in the mid-‘70s to develop Ethernet technology.
The creations that originated at Xerox PARC are mythic, and their creators are legendary. One of the most legendary of these is a man named Alan Kay, who is responsible for inventing object-oriented programming, the graphical user interface, and the very concept of a personal computer. Alan Kay has one of the most original minds in the technology field – perhaps one of the most original minds, period.
But I come here, not to praise Alan Kay – nor to bury him – but to quote him. Alan Kay once said that perspective was worth 80 points of IQ. In other words, it’s not how smart you are that matters, it’s your ability to see things from different points of view. That’s how innovation happens: by looking at things from a different angle and making connections that no one has made before.”
After my client finished, the conference organizer met him backstage and told him that, unlike the previous day, when a more prominent CEO had some 300 people leave his keynote before he finished because his approach was too “same-old, same-old,” not one person left before he finished.
A good speaker also knows how to leave his audience on a powerful upnote – but that’s a story for another time. So next presentation, look for a way to start that will take your audience by surprise (as long as you can make it relevant to your message). It may make you a little bit nervous – but then, the best communications solutions almost always do.
About the Author:
David Green is principal of UnCommon Knowledge, a speechwriting and strategic communications consultancy in the New York City area. He has written speeches for senior executives at Hewlett-Packard, Mercedes-Benz USA, Advanced Micro Devices, Johnson & Johnson and Extreme Networks, among others – all while being an involved father of 11-year-old twin boys. He’s not sure which activity is the more demanding. For more on David Green, visit www.uncommon-knowledge.com
******************
Check out David's website for his 3 simple rules
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Hope for your Bad Speaking Habits
5 Simple Remedies to Overcome Your Speaking Voice Bad Habits
Our speaking voice should be a wonderful expressive instrument for communication. However, many of us have unconsciously fallen into bad habits either in conversation or public speaking. Others will inevitably associate the habits of our voice with habits of our mind and will use these habits to draw a conclusion as to our character. Very few of us ever make the time to improve the quality of our voice to make it pleasing and melodious. We do have the makings of a good voice and training will help make it better.
An excellent check on the qualities of your voice is to record it and play back. Even without this a little listening practice will make you conscious of your voice. Listen to your voice and honestly analyse to determine any bad habits.
The most common public speaking bad habits, their consequences and their simple remedies are listed below:
Bad Habit 1 - A strident high pitched voice. This has the hallmarks of a nervous person. It is hard on the listeners and many will find it difficult to listen to the point they lose interest.
Remedy 1- Take several deep breaths, this will help to calm the nerves and make it easier to control your voice.
Bad Habit 2 - A monotonous drone, speaking too slow or deliberately. This will ruin even the best prepared presentation by making it sound dull and may even put some people to sleep.
Remedy 2 - Pick up the tempo of your talk through thinking faster. You will naturally talk faster when your zest to do your best gets into gear.
Bad Habit 3 - Rapid delivery - this exhausts the audience and they will lose the context of your ideas.
Remedy 3 - Start off slow and adopt a conversational manner as talking to a friend. Make sure you enunciate clearly.
Bad Habit 4 - Too soft - who will know what you said?
Remedy 4 - Test the volume when you speak. Ask whether they can hear you at the back. Most audiences will appreciate you taking the time.
Remedy 5 - Additionally many voice faults can be remedied by reading "out loud." Read a variety of material; try everything from casual quotations to vigorous argument. The "out loud" reading must have feeling put into it. Reflect the feeling of the words in your voice. Experiment with words that reflect love and compare the sounds with words that convey hatred. Your voice will reflect the mood you have in mind and the audience will target in on it. Practice rounding out your syllables and opening you mouth wide to raise the resonance of your voice. This will help cure mumbling. However, be careful you don't end up with an affected accent that sounds worse than the original issue.
By understanding your own voice bad habits and tackling them you can replace these habits with good "listening" tones. It is useful to recall that Demosthenes a famed Greek orator from long ago struggled with stammering. It is recorded that he overcame this challenge by filling his mouth with pebbles and talking over the roar of crashing waves.
Author: Edward Hope Learn how to improve your speaking effectiveness in public or private. Claim your free preview of "The Art of Great Conversation" visit http://www.selfconfidentspeaking.com.
To your improvement!!!
Fran Watson
Our speaking voice should be a wonderful expressive instrument for communication. However, many of us have unconsciously fallen into bad habits either in conversation or public speaking. Others will inevitably associate the habits of our voice with habits of our mind and will use these habits to draw a conclusion as to our character. Very few of us ever make the time to improve the quality of our voice to make it pleasing and melodious. We do have the makings of a good voice and training will help make it better.
An excellent check on the qualities of your voice is to record it and play back. Even without this a little listening practice will make you conscious of your voice. Listen to your voice and honestly analyse to determine any bad habits.
The most common public speaking bad habits, their consequences and their simple remedies are listed below:
Bad Habit 1 - A strident high pitched voice. This has the hallmarks of a nervous person. It is hard on the listeners and many will find it difficult to listen to the point they lose interest.
Remedy 1- Take several deep breaths, this will help to calm the nerves and make it easier to control your voice.
Bad Habit 2 - A monotonous drone, speaking too slow or deliberately. This will ruin even the best prepared presentation by making it sound dull and may even put some people to sleep.
Remedy 2 - Pick up the tempo of your talk through thinking faster. You will naturally talk faster when your zest to do your best gets into gear.
Bad Habit 3 - Rapid delivery - this exhausts the audience and they will lose the context of your ideas.
Remedy 3 - Start off slow and adopt a conversational manner as talking to a friend. Make sure you enunciate clearly.
Bad Habit 4 - Too soft - who will know what you said?
Remedy 4 - Test the volume when you speak. Ask whether they can hear you at the back. Most audiences will appreciate you taking the time.
Remedy 5 - Additionally many voice faults can be remedied by reading "out loud." Read a variety of material; try everything from casual quotations to vigorous argument. The "out loud" reading must have feeling put into it. Reflect the feeling of the words in your voice. Experiment with words that reflect love and compare the sounds with words that convey hatred. Your voice will reflect the mood you have in mind and the audience will target in on it. Practice rounding out your syllables and opening you mouth wide to raise the resonance of your voice. This will help cure mumbling. However, be careful you don't end up with an affected accent that sounds worse than the original issue.
By understanding your own voice bad habits and tackling them you can replace these habits with good "listening" tones. It is useful to recall that Demosthenes a famed Greek orator from long ago struggled with stammering. It is recorded that he overcame this challenge by filling his mouth with pebbles and talking over the roar of crashing waves.
Author: Edward Hope Learn how to improve your speaking effectiveness in public or private. Claim your free preview of "The Art of Great Conversation" visit http://www.selfconfidentspeaking.com.
To your improvement!!!
Fran Watson
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Working on a New Ebook
Hi
I am working on a new e-book on public speaking. If you want to be one of the first to see it and get a free copy just for a short testimonial, contact me. I have a few special surprises up my sleeve for my subscribers.
Fran Watson
P.S. Looking forward to sharing some information with you.
I am working on a new e-book on public speaking. If you want to be one of the first to see it and get a free copy just for a short testimonial, contact me. I have a few special surprises up my sleeve for my subscribers.
Fran Watson
P.S. Looking forward to sharing some information with you.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Top Ten Tips For Incredibly Successful Public Speaking
by David Meerman Scott of WebInkNow
I've been to something like one hundred conferences and corporate events in the past several years as I travel the world delivering keynotes and running seminars. I've seen a few great speeches. Sadly, most speeches I see are not very good. Some are downright terrible.
I've been collecting some observations on what makes a good presentation and also drawing from my own experience.
Most of us have an opportunity to speak, perhaps at your industry event, or your company's sales conference, or to a local club.
Make the most of your opportunity.
1. Take it seriously. If 200 people are in a room and you speak for a half hour, you are taking up 100 hours of people’s time. I see many speakers "wing it" and it makes me feel sorry for the audience. Don't look bad.
2. Know the conference organizer's goals. When I speak, I work with organizers to deliver three goals in equal proportion: Education, entertainment, and motivation. Since I am a paid speaker, I must deliver on all three so the conference organizer is happy they invited me. You need to know the goals for being on the podium too. Why were you invited? How would the organizer define success?
3. Tell stories. When someone says: "Let me tell you a story...," you're interested, right? When someone says: "Let me tell you about my company...," is your reaction the same? It doesn't sound like a way you want to spend your valuable time, does it? Stories are exciting. Most presentations are dry. Open with a story. Tell stories to illustrate your point. It's fascinating to see an audience sit up and pay attention when you start to tell a story on the stage.
4. Nobody cares about your products (except you). Yes, it's just like what I say about Web marketing. What people do care about are themselves and ways to solve their problems. A speech is not about you; it is about your audience. You must resist the urge to hype your products and services. Even if you’re asked to speak about your company or your products, make it about your customers or the problem you solve instead.
5. Prepare and practice. Run through your presentation as many times as required so that you are completely comfortable with the material. You should know the presentation so well that you could do it without PowerPoint and without notes.
6. Don't use PowerPoint as a TelePrompTer. Slides are great for showing images, charts, and the like. Consider showing a short video. But definitely don't use slides to show bulleted lists of text. Yawn! Way too many people just read off their slides. Don't! PowerPoint is not a speaker's crutch; it is a way to illustrate your spoken point. By the way, some of the best speakers don't use slides at all.
7. Arrive early. There is nothing worse than a presenter fumbling with technology on a stage. Everyone becomes uncomfortable and it is nearly impossible to make up that bad first impression. You should plan to arrive at the venue with plenty of time to spare and go to the room at least one hour prior to when you go on. You may need to arrive much earlier if there are sessions before yours because you will want to set up and test your equipment and stand on the stage to get a feel of the room. Use the microphone to hear your voice. Get as comfortable as possible with the venue before people arrive (or when they are on a break). The conference organizer and the A/V people will love you for arriving early! And when you are comfortable with logistics, you will deliver a better speech.
8. Bring an electronic copy of your presentation. I always carry my presentation on a memory stick and wear it around my neck from the moment I step out of my house until after I have presented. I wear it on the plane and in the hotel. I wear it out to dinner. You never know what may happen to your computer (I spilled water on my computer in Brussels once and fried it), so having that backup is comforting.
9. Don't go long. When you build a speech and deliver it for the first time, it almost always runs long. Don't go over time! It's okay to end short because you can take a few questions, but running long makes the entire event schedule get out of whack. Worse, they may pull you off the stage, which looks awful.
10. Be aware of body language. My friend Nick Morgan, author of Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma says: "When words and body language are in conflict, body language wins every time." If you are nervous, it shows. If you don't believe what you're saying, it shows. If you aren't having fun, it shows. And your audience will always react to your body language instead of your words.
Hope you enjoyed this
Fran
www.franwatson.ca
P.S. Check out David's article Why Public Speaking is Like Billiards
I've been to something like one hundred conferences and corporate events in the past several years as I travel the world delivering keynotes and running seminars. I've seen a few great speeches. Sadly, most speeches I see are not very good. Some are downright terrible.
I've been collecting some observations on what makes a good presentation and also drawing from my own experience.
Most of us have an opportunity to speak, perhaps at your industry event, or your company's sales conference, or to a local club.
Make the most of your opportunity.
1. Take it seriously. If 200 people are in a room and you speak for a half hour, you are taking up 100 hours of people’s time. I see many speakers "wing it" and it makes me feel sorry for the audience. Don't look bad.
2. Know the conference organizer's goals. When I speak, I work with organizers to deliver three goals in equal proportion: Education, entertainment, and motivation. Since I am a paid speaker, I must deliver on all three so the conference organizer is happy they invited me. You need to know the goals for being on the podium too. Why were you invited? How would the organizer define success?
3. Tell stories. When someone says: "Let me tell you a story...," you're interested, right? When someone says: "Let me tell you about my company...," is your reaction the same? It doesn't sound like a way you want to spend your valuable time, does it? Stories are exciting. Most presentations are dry. Open with a story. Tell stories to illustrate your point. It's fascinating to see an audience sit up and pay attention when you start to tell a story on the stage.
4. Nobody cares about your products (except you). Yes, it's just like what I say about Web marketing. What people do care about are themselves and ways to solve their problems. A speech is not about you; it is about your audience. You must resist the urge to hype your products and services. Even if you’re asked to speak about your company or your products, make it about your customers or the problem you solve instead.
5. Prepare and practice. Run through your presentation as many times as required so that you are completely comfortable with the material. You should know the presentation so well that you could do it without PowerPoint and without notes.
6. Don't use PowerPoint as a TelePrompTer. Slides are great for showing images, charts, and the like. Consider showing a short video. But definitely don't use slides to show bulleted lists of text. Yawn! Way too many people just read off their slides. Don't! PowerPoint is not a speaker's crutch; it is a way to illustrate your spoken point. By the way, some of the best speakers don't use slides at all.
7. Arrive early. There is nothing worse than a presenter fumbling with technology on a stage. Everyone becomes uncomfortable and it is nearly impossible to make up that bad first impression. You should plan to arrive at the venue with plenty of time to spare and go to the room at least one hour prior to when you go on. You may need to arrive much earlier if there are sessions before yours because you will want to set up and test your equipment and stand on the stage to get a feel of the room. Use the microphone to hear your voice. Get as comfortable as possible with the venue before people arrive (or when they are on a break). The conference organizer and the A/V people will love you for arriving early! And when you are comfortable with logistics, you will deliver a better speech.
8. Bring an electronic copy of your presentation. I always carry my presentation on a memory stick and wear it around my neck from the moment I step out of my house until after I have presented. I wear it on the plane and in the hotel. I wear it out to dinner. You never know what may happen to your computer (I spilled water on my computer in Brussels once and fried it), so having that backup is comforting.
9. Don't go long. When you build a speech and deliver it for the first time, it almost always runs long. Don't go over time! It's okay to end short because you can take a few questions, but running long makes the entire event schedule get out of whack. Worse, they may pull you off the stage, which looks awful.
10. Be aware of body language. My friend Nick Morgan, author of Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma says: "When words and body language are in conflict, body language wins every time." If you are nervous, it shows. If you don't believe what you're saying, it shows. If you aren't having fun, it shows. And your audience will always react to your body language instead of your words.
Hope you enjoyed this
Fran
www.franwatson.ca
P.S. Check out David's article Why Public Speaking is Like Billiards
Friday, March 27, 2009
You Too Can Be A Public Speaker
I have recently revamped my webpage and will shortly have a lot more information. I am really excited about this. I was on a teleconference call with Kevin Wilke of Nitro Blueprint last night and he critiqued my site......wow, was I excited about that. I made some adjustments based on his comments and much more are to come.
Here are the links, please keep checking as it will be changing with many offers of interest to anyone who wants to know more about public speaking.
http://www.franwatson.ca/public_speaker.html
http://www.franwatson.ca/publicspeaking.html
If you haven't already done so, you can sign up for my public speaking ezine and get a free copy of 800 Speech Topics.
To your speaking success
Fran
www.franwatson.ca
P.S. Those urls again: http://www.franwatson.ca/public_speaker.html
http://www.franwatson.ca/publicspeaking.html
Here are the links, please keep checking as it will be changing with many offers of interest to anyone who wants to know more about public speaking.
http://www.franwatson.ca/public_speaker.html
http://www.franwatson.ca/publicspeaking.html
If you haven't already done so, you can sign up for my public speaking ezine and get a free copy of 800 Speech Topics.
To your speaking success
Fran
www.franwatson.ca
P.S. Those urls again: http://www.franwatson.ca/public_speaker.html
http://www.franwatson.ca/publicspeaking.html
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Success
If you wait for everything to be perfect according to your preconceived plans, then you may well wait forever. If you go out and work with the current of life, you may find that success comes from building upon small things.
-- Deng Ming-Dao, Writer
There are powers inside of you which, if you could discover and use, would make of you everythng you ever dreamed or imagined you could become.
-- Orison Sweet Marden (1850 - 1924), Founder of Success magazine
Talent is never enough. With a few exceptions, the best players are the hardest workers.
-- Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Professional basketball player
Words to live by, and perhaps words that may inspire you for a speech in the future.
Live well, live wisely, listen carefully, speak positively and have a wonderful day.
Fran Watson
www.franwatson.ca
www.franwatson.ca/ToastmastersRenfrew.html
www.franwatson.ca/ToastmastersPembroke.html
****************
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Me and My Big Mouth
When you belong to a public speaking organization like Toastmasters, all of your friends and family think that you should be the guest speaker at all their events, and so it happened that I got nominated to give a talk at our local computer club meeting.
Panic sets in, what will I talk about, it has to be computer related, and I have very little time to prepare. What will I do?
Hmmmm....Toastmasters is about communication skills and we have learned that you communicate in various ways, with pictures, body language and words. They say a picture is worth a thousand words..... That's it, I will work with pictures and tell them what I know about fixing photos in Paint Shop Pro. I can tell them about how I touched up a picture of a person who had a bruise on her head so that I could send the picture to the paper.
Well, once again, thanks to the skills I have been developing at Toastmsters, the thinking on my feet I do with Table Topics, I have pulled myself out of the depths of despair (well, ok I wasn't that desparate...yet) and have chosen a topic to work on. Now I will get to work.
Happy speaking
Fran Watson
www.franwatson.ca
Panic sets in, what will I talk about, it has to be computer related, and I have very little time to prepare. What will I do?
Hmmmm....Toastmasters is about communication skills and we have learned that you communicate in various ways, with pictures, body language and words. They say a picture is worth a thousand words..... That's it, I will work with pictures and tell them what I know about fixing photos in Paint Shop Pro. I can tell them about how I touched up a picture of a person who had a bruise on her head so that I could send the picture to the paper.
Well, once again, thanks to the skills I have been developing at Toastmsters, the thinking on my feet I do with Table Topics, I have pulled myself out of the depths of despair (well, ok I wasn't that desparate...yet) and have chosen a topic to work on. Now I will get to work.
Happy speaking
Fran Watson
www.franwatson.ca
Monday, March 2, 2009
Does Fear Control You?
Why didn’t I send a resume to that job. I had most of the qualifications and the person they hired doesn’t have anywhere near the skills that I have….
Why didn’t I enter that contest last year. I thought about it lots, I could have entered, but I didn’t. Why didn’t I?
Why didn’t I go and talk to that new person at the office. She seemed nice enough, but I just let everyone else say hi. What’s wrong with me?
Is your life full of “Why didn’t Is?” If it is, then you too are a victim of………….FEAR!
Fear causes us to do strange things. It may cause us to hide in our houses and not come out for days or weeks. It can cause us to give up on friendships because we think that the person might not like us. It can cause us to see rejection when someone doesn’t say good morning to us when they come into the office.
That demon FEAR can really wreck our lives!
So what can we do about it?
There are many things we can do. Those of us who entered the door of Toastmasters, quivering and quaking in our boots learned that taking that first step was the absolute hardest, but once that step was taken the rest became easier. And that is the secret to beating that FEAR demon.
The first thing we have to do is to look carefully at what our fear really is. Is it a fear of rejection? A fear of looking foolish? A fear of being judged? A fear of failing? Whatever it is, the next step is to ask yourself, what’s the worst thing that could happen? If I’m rejected, will my world stop, will I cease to exist? No, my life will go on and I will find someone who won’t reject me.
What about looking foolish? Well, let yourself do something really foolish, put on a clown suit, encourage people to laugh at you. And as far as being judged, what does it really matter what the neighbours think? You need to be happy about what you are doing for you, not for the neighbours.
Fear of failure prevents many of us from pursuing our dreams. We ask ourselves… “what if….” Well, what if you do fail? What then? You just try another way. When you were a toddler and you fell down, you didn’t think it was the end of the world, you simply got up and took another step, reaching for your goal.
Fear of rejection has controlled my life in many ways, and I have limited myself, not tried when I expected negative results. The words I heard as a young child come back to haunt me time after time and I have to overcome the feeling and go forward.
I wrote a poem for a friend back in 1987, but it is a poem that I wrote for myself as well and I return to it time after time for the inspiration to carry on when I feel like giving up, when FEAR has me in its grasp and I would like to share it with you in closing. It is entitled RISK.
RISK
Do not be afraid to shine.
This world needs what you have to give.
Open up the areas of your being;
expose them to yourself - to others.
You are valuable.
You are unique.
You have much to give.
Do not be afraid to give it.
As we risk ourselves, we grow.
Each new experience is a risk:
we can try, and maybe fail,
and as a result, grow -
or hold back and stagnate.
You have the potential
to be anything you want to be!
You are free to choose.
You are limited only by your fears.
Let your dreams take over,
fly with the eagles,
soar into life,
the world is waiting for you!
*********************************
Fly high, don't let fear drag you down!!
Fran
www.franwatson.ca
Why didn’t I enter that contest last year. I thought about it lots, I could have entered, but I didn’t. Why didn’t I?
Why didn’t I go and talk to that new person at the office. She seemed nice enough, but I just let everyone else say hi. What’s wrong with me?
Is your life full of “Why didn’t Is?” If it is, then you too are a victim of………….FEAR!
Fear causes us to do strange things. It may cause us to hide in our houses and not come out for days or weeks. It can cause us to give up on friendships because we think that the person might not like us. It can cause us to see rejection when someone doesn’t say good morning to us when they come into the office.
That demon FEAR can really wreck our lives!
So what can we do about it?
There are many things we can do. Those of us who entered the door of Toastmasters, quivering and quaking in our boots learned that taking that first step was the absolute hardest, but once that step was taken the rest became easier. And that is the secret to beating that FEAR demon.
The first thing we have to do is to look carefully at what our fear really is. Is it a fear of rejection? A fear of looking foolish? A fear of being judged? A fear of failing? Whatever it is, the next step is to ask yourself, what’s the worst thing that could happen? If I’m rejected, will my world stop, will I cease to exist? No, my life will go on and I will find someone who won’t reject me.
What about looking foolish? Well, let yourself do something really foolish, put on a clown suit, encourage people to laugh at you. And as far as being judged, what does it really matter what the neighbours think? You need to be happy about what you are doing for you, not for the neighbours.
Fear of failure prevents many of us from pursuing our dreams. We ask ourselves… “what if….” Well, what if you do fail? What then? You just try another way. When you were a toddler and you fell down, you didn’t think it was the end of the world, you simply got up and took another step, reaching for your goal.
Fear of rejection has controlled my life in many ways, and I have limited myself, not tried when I expected negative results. The words I heard as a young child come back to haunt me time after time and I have to overcome the feeling and go forward.
I wrote a poem for a friend back in 1987, but it is a poem that I wrote for myself as well and I return to it time after time for the inspiration to carry on when I feel like giving up, when FEAR has me in its grasp and I would like to share it with you in closing. It is entitled RISK.
RISK
Do not be afraid to shine.
This world needs what you have to give.
Open up the areas of your being;
expose them to yourself - to others.
You are valuable.
You are unique.
You have much to give.
Do not be afraid to give it.
As we risk ourselves, we grow.
Each new experience is a risk:
we can try, and maybe fail,
and as a result, grow -
or hold back and stagnate.
You have the potential
to be anything you want to be!
You are free to choose.
You are limited only by your fears.
Let your dreams take over,
fly with the eagles,
soar into life,
the world is waiting for you!
*********************************
Fly high, don't let fear drag you down!!
Fran
www.franwatson.ca
Friday, February 27, 2009
Expand Your Horizons
Trying Something New
Expand my horizons?
Oh no, I’m too scared,
I don’t think I’d know what to do.
I’ve grown used to the comfort
Of just coming and listening,
And maybe doing timing, or ah counting or quizzing.
But take on a role of Toastmaster, no way.
I might make mistakes. What would I say?
And table topics is frightening, people might boo,
When I introduce a topic or two.
Expand my horizons
Do you really think I could?
The thought just scares me to death.
Well, ok, not quite, but almost, but then,
That’s how I felt before I began
My weekly sessions at Toastmasters.
So maybe I can.
Ok, yes I’ll do it.
Sign me up.
I did it, I did it, and I did ok.
I really expanded my horizons today.
And it felt so good I’ll do it again,
Just give me that schedule
And I’ll put down my name.
Perhaps next week I’ll give my next speech
Or maybe even the word of the week.
My confidence grows with every new step,
And I look forward to things that I haven’t done yet.
I’m expanding my horizons and I’ll continue to soar,
As each week I’ll do something and then one thing more.
I want to say thank you to all of the group.
It’s because of you I was able to do it,
Because you supported me all the way through it.
Thank you for being there when I was afraid.
Thank you for helping me to be prepared.
Thank you for showing me how it is done.
Thank you for sharing and for having fun.
So expand your horizons and try something new.
Or you’ll never know just what you can do.
Challenge yourself to do one new thing each day. You'll be amazed at how much you will learn in a very short period of time.
To challenges and learning!!
Fran Watson
www.franwatson.ca/publicspeaking.html
Expand my horizons?
Oh no, I’m too scared,
I don’t think I’d know what to do.
I’ve grown used to the comfort
Of just coming and listening,
And maybe doing timing, or ah counting or quizzing.
But take on a role of Toastmaster, no way.
I might make mistakes. What would I say?
And table topics is frightening, people might boo,
When I introduce a topic or two.
Expand my horizons
Do you really think I could?
The thought just scares me to death.
Well, ok, not quite, but almost, but then,
That’s how I felt before I began
My weekly sessions at Toastmasters.
So maybe I can.
Ok, yes I’ll do it.
Sign me up.
I did it, I did it, and I did ok.
I really expanded my horizons today.
And it felt so good I’ll do it again,
Just give me that schedule
And I’ll put down my name.
Perhaps next week I’ll give my next speech
Or maybe even the word of the week.
My confidence grows with every new step,
And I look forward to things that I haven’t done yet.
I’m expanding my horizons and I’ll continue to soar,
As each week I’ll do something and then one thing more.
I want to say thank you to all of the group.
It’s because of you I was able to do it,
Because you supported me all the way through it.
Thank you for being there when I was afraid.
Thank you for helping me to be prepared.
Thank you for showing me how it is done.
Thank you for sharing and for having fun.
So expand your horizons and try something new.
Or you’ll never know just what you can do.
Challenge yourself to do one new thing each day. You'll be amazed at how much you will learn in a very short period of time.
To challenges and learning!!
Fran Watson
www.franwatson.ca/publicspeaking.html
Sunday, February 22, 2009
10 Ways To Empower Your Communications
There is so much more to know about conversation that anyone, could ever realize. You can watch talk shows; listen to radio programs; attend clubs dedicated to public speaking such as Toastmasters; and have ordinary everyday conversations, but certain rules still apply when it comes to speaking. Even though it's your mouth that's doing the work, your brain needs to be put in gear before you speak. It needs to work twice as hard to effectively churn out the information you know. So what better way to start learning to be an effective communicator than to get to know the very person closest to you: yourself.
1. What you know.
Education is all about learning the basics, but to be an effective speaker is to practice what you've learned. At Toastmasters we learn that we all have our limitations, but that doesn't mean we can't learn to keep up and share what we know.
2. Listening.
It's just as important as asking questions. As we listen to others, we learn good ways to communicate and ways that we don’t want to communicate. Also, sometimes listening to the sound of our own voice can help us to be a little more confident with ourselves and to say the things we believe in with conviction.
3. Humility
We all make mistakes, and sometimes we tend to slur our words, stutter, and maybe even mispronounce certain words even though we know what they mean. So in a group, don't be afraid to ask if you're saying the word correctly. Sometimes you can make a joke out of your mistake. You may make everyone laugh.
4. Eye Contact
Eye contact is very important when you are communicating with someone, whether as an individual in a conversation or speaking to a group. It makes a connection between you and the people you are talking to.
5. Kidding around
A little bit of humor can do wonders to lift the tension, or worse boredom, when making your speech. You'll get the attention of the majority of the crowd. If you use personal stories, they'll feel that you're approachable and as human as they are.
6. Group Interaction
Interaction is all about mingling with other people. You'll find that you will get a lot of ideas, and you will get to know more about the people in your group.
7. Me, Myself, and I
Admit it, there are times you sing to yourself in the shower. I know I do! Listening to the sound of your own voice while you practice your speech in front of a mirror can help you identify places where pauses would work and correct the stress areas of your pitch.
8. With a smile
A smile says it all much like eye contact. When you face your audience with a smile, you will usually get a smile back. You draw them in and you begin to relax so that you can better express what you want to say.
9. A Role Model
There must be at least one or two people in your life you have listened to when they're at a public gathering or maybe at church. Take a mental note of how they emphasize what they say. This can help you once you take center stage.
10. Preparation
Some people like to write things down on index cards, some memorize their speeches, while other resort to looking at their notes written on the palm of their hand (not for clammy hands, please). Practice enough to be comfortable with what you know.
1. What you know.
Education is all about learning the basics, but to be an effective speaker is to practice what you've learned. At Toastmasters we learn that we all have our limitations, but that doesn't mean we can't learn to keep up and share what we know.
2. Listening.
It's just as important as asking questions. As we listen to others, we learn good ways to communicate and ways that we don’t want to communicate. Also, sometimes listening to the sound of our own voice can help us to be a little more confident with ourselves and to say the things we believe in with conviction.
3. Humility
We all make mistakes, and sometimes we tend to slur our words, stutter, and maybe even mispronounce certain words even though we know what they mean. So in a group, don't be afraid to ask if you're saying the word correctly. Sometimes you can make a joke out of your mistake. You may make everyone laugh.
4. Eye Contact
Eye contact is very important when you are communicating with someone, whether as an individual in a conversation or speaking to a group. It makes a connection between you and the people you are talking to.
5. Kidding around
A little bit of humor can do wonders to lift the tension, or worse boredom, when making your speech. You'll get the attention of the majority of the crowd. If you use personal stories, they'll feel that you're approachable and as human as they are.
6. Group Interaction
Interaction is all about mingling with other people. You'll find that you will get a lot of ideas, and you will get to know more about the people in your group.
7. Me, Myself, and I
Admit it, there are times you sing to yourself in the shower. I know I do! Listening to the sound of your own voice while you practice your speech in front of a mirror can help you identify places where pauses would work and correct the stress areas of your pitch.
8. With a smile
A smile says it all much like eye contact. When you face your audience with a smile, you will usually get a smile back. You draw them in and you begin to relax so that you can better express what you want to say.
9. A Role Model
There must be at least one or two people in your life you have listened to when they're at a public gathering or maybe at church. Take a mental note of how they emphasize what they say. This can help you once you take center stage.
10. Preparation
Some people like to write things down on index cards, some memorize their speeches, while other resort to looking at their notes written on the palm of their hand (not for clammy hands, please). Practice enough to be comfortable with what you know.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Three Easy Steps To Be Good In Public Speaking
Presentation Secrets Click Here!
*********************************************
Throughout the history of human civilization, people have been expressing their confidence and strength, not only by force, but also by the noble art of public speaking. The orators of ancient Greece were highly respected and valued in the community. Likewise, today’s world leaders are admired and esteemed when they have the power to address the public with poise and conviction.
Such a high regard for public speaking makes the average person cringe at the idea of talking in front of an audience no matter how big or small the size. Whether giving a toast at a wedding or delivering a speech to a large assembly, most people make a big deal about public speaking and try to avoid it as much as possible. But public speaking should not cause such a big fuss. Challenging as it may be, public speaking can be done with a few simple guidelines.
Before Making The Speech: Preparation
Like any other endeavor, public speaking requires careful preparation to be successful. Many people would dream of having those “inspired” spontaneous speeches seen in movies; however, such scenes rarely happen in real life. To have at least a decent speech, one should plan well. Even the world’s most famous leaders prepare for public addresses, and most even have teams to work on those plans.
Well, even if one does not have a speech preparation committee one can prepare for public speaking. First, one should know for what the occasion the speech is for. The Gettysburg address would definitely not be appropriate for a wedding; thus, a speech has to fit the event it will be delivered to. Second, one should examine the audience who will witness the speech. An assembly of academics would not take a perky speaker seriously; one should choose a suitable public speaking style based on the audience. Third, one should ponder what is being expected in the speech. A farmer’s association would usually not be interested on a speech about the intricacies of beadwork; one should carefully study the subject matter to be tackled in public speaking.
Making The Speech: Writing
Again, dazzling spontaneous speeches rarely happen in real life. Most good speeches have been written before their delivery. While most noted public figures have speech-writing committees, one can make a good speech even without the help of a team of ghostwriters.
When writing for public speaking, one should carefully organize the contents of the speech. It usually pays well to begin with a very strong introduction. It is important to catch the audience’s attention early to prevent them from being bored easily. Next, the body should be purposeful. The contents of the speech should relate well and support each other. It is not good to digress too much; though at times some deviations help attract attention when boredom arises. Lastly, one should make a conclusion that sticks to the mind. No matter how stirring a speech is, it is useless if the people forget it the instant they leave the gathering. Conclusions should give a concise but memorable recap of the body.
The Actual Public Speaking: Delivery
A written speech would not be consummated without the actual public speaking itself. This is the part most people are afraid of; but when proper planning and writing is done well, the delivery should follow easily.
One must decide whether to speak from memory or to use notes. Beginners should benefit from a script or a guide, when one becomes more comfortable speaking in public, one can start relying from memory. Reading directly from a script can be quite boring for the audience; thus, it is important to keep constant contact with them. Speaking from memory is quite impressive, but it can be difficult to avoid missing some parts of the speech. Speaking with notes can be a good compromise so long as one is able to expound on the points well. The choice of how to deliver the speech depends entirely on the speaker; thus, it is important for one to weigh the options carefully.
Learning More About Public Speaking
Several resources could help one do well in public speaking. Several books and articles about the topic have been published and they can well be accessed through the library or the bookstore. Many companies offer public speaking training, and such services provide in-depth courses that could help one speak well in public. There are also several articles and courses available through the internet, some of them are even posted for free.
Public speaking is challenging, but can be a very worthwhile skill. With the guide provided above, one should no longer be afraid to speak in public.
Happy Speaking
Fran
**********************************
Presentation Secrets Click Here!
**********************************
Train your children to be fluent speakers, build their self esteem and untap their potential with Public Speaking for Kids
*********************************************
Throughout the history of human civilization, people have been expressing their confidence and strength, not only by force, but also by the noble art of public speaking. The orators of ancient Greece were highly respected and valued in the community. Likewise, today’s world leaders are admired and esteemed when they have the power to address the public with poise and conviction.
Such a high regard for public speaking makes the average person cringe at the idea of talking in front of an audience no matter how big or small the size. Whether giving a toast at a wedding or delivering a speech to a large assembly, most people make a big deal about public speaking and try to avoid it as much as possible. But public speaking should not cause such a big fuss. Challenging as it may be, public speaking can be done with a few simple guidelines.
Before Making The Speech: Preparation
Like any other endeavor, public speaking requires careful preparation to be successful. Many people would dream of having those “inspired” spontaneous speeches seen in movies; however, such scenes rarely happen in real life. To have at least a decent speech, one should plan well. Even the world’s most famous leaders prepare for public addresses, and most even have teams to work on those plans.
Well, even if one does not have a speech preparation committee one can prepare for public speaking. First, one should know for what the occasion the speech is for. The Gettysburg address would definitely not be appropriate for a wedding; thus, a speech has to fit the event it will be delivered to. Second, one should examine the audience who will witness the speech. An assembly of academics would not take a perky speaker seriously; one should choose a suitable public speaking style based on the audience. Third, one should ponder what is being expected in the speech. A farmer’s association would usually not be interested on a speech about the intricacies of beadwork; one should carefully study the subject matter to be tackled in public speaking.
Making The Speech: Writing
Again, dazzling spontaneous speeches rarely happen in real life. Most good speeches have been written before their delivery. While most noted public figures have speech-writing committees, one can make a good speech even without the help of a team of ghostwriters.
When writing for public speaking, one should carefully organize the contents of the speech. It usually pays well to begin with a very strong introduction. It is important to catch the audience’s attention early to prevent them from being bored easily. Next, the body should be purposeful. The contents of the speech should relate well and support each other. It is not good to digress too much; though at times some deviations help attract attention when boredom arises. Lastly, one should make a conclusion that sticks to the mind. No matter how stirring a speech is, it is useless if the people forget it the instant they leave the gathering. Conclusions should give a concise but memorable recap of the body.
The Actual Public Speaking: Delivery
A written speech would not be consummated without the actual public speaking itself. This is the part most people are afraid of; but when proper planning and writing is done well, the delivery should follow easily.
One must decide whether to speak from memory or to use notes. Beginners should benefit from a script or a guide, when one becomes more comfortable speaking in public, one can start relying from memory. Reading directly from a script can be quite boring for the audience; thus, it is important to keep constant contact with them. Speaking from memory is quite impressive, but it can be difficult to avoid missing some parts of the speech. Speaking with notes can be a good compromise so long as one is able to expound on the points well. The choice of how to deliver the speech depends entirely on the speaker; thus, it is important for one to weigh the options carefully.
Learning More About Public Speaking
Several resources could help one do well in public speaking. Several books and articles about the topic have been published and they can well be accessed through the library or the bookstore. Many companies offer public speaking training, and such services provide in-depth courses that could help one speak well in public. There are also several articles and courses available through the internet, some of them are even posted for free.
Public speaking is challenging, but can be a very worthwhile skill. With the guide provided above, one should no longer be afraid to speak in public.
Happy Speaking
Fran
**********************************
Presentation Secrets Click Here!
**********************************
Train your children to be fluent speakers, build their self esteem and untap their potential with Public Speaking for Kids
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Self-Consciousness in Public Speaking
Presentation Secrets Click Here!
**************************************************************
Self Consciousness in Public Speaking
“There is a strange sensation often experienced in the presence of an audience. It may proceed from the gaze of the many eyes that turn upon the speaker, especially if he permits himself to steadily return that gaze. Most speakers have been conscious of this in a nameless thrill, a real something, pervading the atmosphere, tangible, evanescent, indescribable. All writers have borne testimony to the power of a speaker's eye in impressing an audience. This influence which we are now considering is the reverse of that picture—the power their eyes may exert upon him, especially before he begins to speak: after the inward fires of oratory are fanned into flame the eyes of the audience lose all terror.”—WILLIAM PITTENGER, Extempore Speech.
Students of public speaking continually ask, "How can I overcome self-consciousness and the fear that paralyzes me before an audience?"
Practise, practise, PRACTISE!
Practise in speaking before an audience will tend to remove all fear of audiences, just as practise in swimming will lead to confidence and facility in the water. You must learn to speak by speaking.
Do not be disheartened if at first you suffer from stage-fright. For one reason or another, some master-speakers never entirely overcome stage-fright, but it will pay you to spare no pains to conquer it. Daniel Webster failed in his first appearance and had to take his seat without finishing his speech because he was nervous. Gladstone was often troubled with self-consciousness in the beginning of an address. Beecher was always perturbed before talking in public.
Be Absorbed by Your Subject
If you feel deeply about your subject you will be able to think of little else. Concentration is a process of distraction from less important matters. It is too late to think about the cut of your coat when once you are upon the platform, so centre your interest on what you are about to say—fill your mind with your speech-material and, like the infilling water in the glass, it will drive out your unsubstantial fears.
Self-consciousness is undue consciousness of self, and, for the purpose of delivery, self is secondary to your subject, not only in the opinion of the audience, but, if you are wise, in your own. To hold any other view is to regard yourself as an exhibit instead of as a messenger with a message worth delivering.
If the theater caught fire you could rush to the stage and shout directions to the audience without any self-consciousness, for the importance of what you were saying would drive all fear-thoughts out of your mind.
Far worse than self-consciousness through fear of doing poorly is self-consciousness through assumption of doing well. The first sign of greatness is when a man does not attempt to look and act great. Before you can call yourself a man at all, Kipling assures us, you must "not look too good nor talk too wise."
Nothing advertises itself so thoroughly as conceit. One may be so full of self as to be empty. Voltaire said, "We must conceal self-love." But that can not be done. You know this to be true, for you have recognized overweening self-love in others. If you have it, others are seeing it in you. There are things in this world bigger than self, and in working for them self will be forgotten, or—what is better—remembered only so as to help us win toward higher things.
To increased self-confidence!
Fran Watson
**************************
P.S. If you have to speak at a funeral, Click Here!
*************************
**************************************************************
Self Consciousness in Public Speaking
“There is a strange sensation often experienced in the presence of an audience. It may proceed from the gaze of the many eyes that turn upon the speaker, especially if he permits himself to steadily return that gaze. Most speakers have been conscious of this in a nameless thrill, a real something, pervading the atmosphere, tangible, evanescent, indescribable. All writers have borne testimony to the power of a speaker's eye in impressing an audience. This influence which we are now considering is the reverse of that picture—the power their eyes may exert upon him, especially before he begins to speak: after the inward fires of oratory are fanned into flame the eyes of the audience lose all terror.”—WILLIAM PITTENGER, Extempore Speech.
Students of public speaking continually ask, "How can I overcome self-consciousness and the fear that paralyzes me before an audience?"
Practise, practise, PRACTISE!
Practise in speaking before an audience will tend to remove all fear of audiences, just as practise in swimming will lead to confidence and facility in the water. You must learn to speak by speaking.
Do not be disheartened if at first you suffer from stage-fright. For one reason or another, some master-speakers never entirely overcome stage-fright, but it will pay you to spare no pains to conquer it. Daniel Webster failed in his first appearance and had to take his seat without finishing his speech because he was nervous. Gladstone was often troubled with self-consciousness in the beginning of an address. Beecher was always perturbed before talking in public.
Be Absorbed by Your Subject
If you feel deeply about your subject you will be able to think of little else. Concentration is a process of distraction from less important matters. It is too late to think about the cut of your coat when once you are upon the platform, so centre your interest on what you are about to say—fill your mind with your speech-material and, like the infilling water in the glass, it will drive out your unsubstantial fears.
Self-consciousness is undue consciousness of self, and, for the purpose of delivery, self is secondary to your subject, not only in the opinion of the audience, but, if you are wise, in your own. To hold any other view is to regard yourself as an exhibit instead of as a messenger with a message worth delivering.
If the theater caught fire you could rush to the stage and shout directions to the audience without any self-consciousness, for the importance of what you were saying would drive all fear-thoughts out of your mind.
Far worse than self-consciousness through fear of doing poorly is self-consciousness through assumption of doing well. The first sign of greatness is when a man does not attempt to look and act great. Before you can call yourself a man at all, Kipling assures us, you must "not look too good nor talk too wise."
Nothing advertises itself so thoroughly as conceit. One may be so full of self as to be empty. Voltaire said, "We must conceal self-love." But that can not be done. You know this to be true, for you have recognized overweening self-love in others. If you have it, others are seeing it in you. There are things in this world bigger than self, and in working for them self will be forgotten, or—what is better—remembered only so as to help us win toward higher things.
To increased self-confidence!
Fran Watson
**************************
P.S. If you have to speak at a funeral, Click Here!
*************************
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