Sticks and Stones...

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me".... when I was a child, this is what we used to say to people who were mean to us.  The truth is, though, words can and do hurt.

Words hurt, heal, motivate, and aggravate.

They are powerful.

They control emotions and can even control a person physically.


A word is worth a thousand pictures.

“Come here.” Two words that move a person from there to here.

“Write this down.” Three words that cause people to put words on a page.

“Remember a time when you felt angry.” Seven words that can create an overload of emotions.

Your words are power. Think of the number of people you have made smile by saying, “I really appreciate you.” Or the number of people you have hurt by saying, “What’s wrong with you? Can’t you do anything right?”

Words possess just as much power when spoken to a crowd of a thousand as in a one on one conversation. It’s one thing to get one person excited, but impassion an entire group, and you have irresistible intensity on your side.

Use your words more effectively…

1. Understand their influence. Do not use or choose your terms lightly. A wrong word can turn an audience from friends to fiends. The better you know your group the better you can tailor your terms for their benefit.

You get to choose the outcome. Want the group to be charged, mad, excited, encouraged, content, or happy? You can produce any of those by using the right words in the right way.

2. Don’t be afraid to be edgy. Too many speakers are soft. You can be tough without being obnoxious, or insulting a group’s intelligence. You can be humorous and still make a hard-hitting point.

Imagine this - "coming in at 1 a.m. after spending two days speaking to 1,500 people. Get this – all the reviews came back at the top level, and I was tough on the folks. Several came up and said, “You’re not afraid to tell it like it is!” The words I chose challenged the group without breaking them."  This can be you!

What about your words? Do you toss them out lightly, or with precision power? Your words can change lives and influence millions. Choose and use them well.   To your speaking success   Fran

Body Language

Body language is very important when delivering a speech.


Have you ever seen our great leaders fidget or make unnecessary movements while addressing the nation?

Since you are the center of attention while making the presentation, you should mind every move that you make so as not to bore or distract the people listening to your speech.

So you already have a speech prepared, you know the topic well and you are now standing in front of the audience.

They are in for a treat because you have prepared a great presentation, yet you also know that they have a very short attention span.

How would you keep them interested with what you are saying?

The answer is to maintain eye contact.

This is one public speaking technique that great speakers use when addressing a large group of people.

Here are some tips on how you can use this "trick" to keep your audience interested while delivering a speech:

Once you have already started speaking and have delivered your introduction, take a look at your audience.

Do not be nervous if you see one or two people frowning as you are not sure of exactly what they are thinking.

Instead of looking out for unfriendly or blank faces, search for the people who are smiling and nodding their heads.

Try to focus on this person for a couple of minutes and look him or her in the eye.

This way, you would have an immediate "friend" in the audience to whom you can look at and gain confidence from.

This will not just increase your confidence but also relax you in the course of your speech.

Gaze steadily at your audience, moving from one part of the room to another. This way, you would immediately grasp their attention.

Never read your speech. Just make an outline of the important points that you can expand on.

If you have visuals, do not read the bullet points word for word as this might imply that your audience cannot read that themselves.

With this, you are instantly creating a "bond" with your audience as a
speaker since you do not have to keep on looking at your notes through the course of your speech.

The key to delivering a great speech is to just breathe, relax and make eye to eye contact with your audience.

Thus, you are not just making a physical connection with them but you are also ensured that you come out as a sincere speaker who wants to inform and interact with the audience through your speech.

To your speaking success

Fran

P.S.  For a list of over 800 speech topics, click here

Impress With Words

How To Impress With Words In 3 Simple Steps
By Michael Lee

Knowing how to impress with words can help you in so many ways. It can help you communicate your message better, create more impact and get ahead.

Using the right words is, of course, important in communication. But effective communication involves more than just that. Here are 3 simple steps on how to impress with words and connect proficiently with other people.

Step 1: Listen.

Communication is a two-way process; and for it to be successful, realize that you are not the only one who should get to talk.

When you are speaking with another person, concentrate on what he or she is saying. Listen actively and decisively, so that your mind wouldn't wander.

Remember, what you want is to gain information, understand others, share concepts, solve problems, explain misunderstandings and so on. This will also help you determine the tone and the context of the conversation, what words to say or what questions to ask.

Showing the other person that you are an active listener will make people love to be with you.

Step 2: Less Is More.

We often spend more time talking about the superficial than the essential and significant things. We tend to linger on the introductory speech, the pleasantries and so on. But if you want to be an effective communicator, realize that less is more.

Use fewer, carefully chosen and precise words to express your thoughts and ideas. Don't beat around the bush. Be specific and keep it simple.

Using too many words may cause you to stray from the topic at hand. Learn how to impress people with words by being concise, expressing your thoughts clearly, and keeping to the point.

Step 3: Ask Questions.

Don't be afraid or intimidated to clarify something that you don't understand. This doesn't only show that you listened and understood what was said, it also shows that you are interested in the topic and that you care enough about it to avoid misunderstandings.

Another tip on how to impress with words is by asking questions that are open-ended. This will help the conversation flow more smoothly and less forced. It will also help you learn more about the person or the subject being discussed, and can possibly direct the conversation to more interesting topics.

Learning how to impress with words is easy, as long as you keep your mind open. This will allow you to listen and speak more clearly and efficiently. And it will also help you understand other people and relate to them better

To your speaking success Fran

Where Have I Been?

Wow. I didn't realize how much time had passed since I last posted. Made me stop and think - where have I been? Last year I was the Public Relations Officer for the District. My term ended June 30th, so May and June were very busy with conference and newsletters and more. I also became very involved with a project in my home town - The Diversity Festival - which was held on July 7th and was very successful. Then we were in to the summer with a family reunion, my boyfriend's family visiting from overseas, my daughter coming from Taiwan for a visit and work. Recently I presented a 3 hour workshop to the local military base on communication. So, that's where I have been.

Where am I going now?

This year I took on the role of Area Governor, which means that I took on a role to help the clubs in my area learn and grow. Yesterday I attended training designed to make me more effective in this role. I am in the process of organizing an Area Speech Contest for Humorous speeches and Evaluations. I am learning more about speaking and life in general through a course called BANABU and I am continuing to present workshops on Time Management, Conflict Resolution, Personality Dimensions, Communication and more.

I will get back to my blogs and provide content for club members and anyone interested in public speaking.

If you have a comment or a question, something you would like me to discuss or provide more information on, please comment below.

All the best to you and your speaking career.

Fran