Showing posts with label speaking in public. Show all posts
Showing posts with label speaking in public. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Top 5 Strategies for a Memorable Presentation
Here are the top 5 strategies you can use to make sure every presentation is a showstopper.
1. Realize 90% of Nervousness Doesn't Even Show
The audience usually can’t see the telltale symptoms of nervousness. The butterflies, the shaky hands or the sweaty palms. The key is for you to not focus on them either. You need to focus on the audience. When you do this two things will happen: 1) they will like you more, and 2) much of the nervousness that you feel will go away.
Many times when I have given a presentation people have spoken to me afterwards about how relaxed and confident I was. (Believe me, I wasn't.)
2. Don’t Avoid Eye-Contact.
When we are nervous, it is a natural reaction to want to hide. When you are standing in front of a group of people where do you hide? You can’t. So you will tend to look down or look away from your audience. If we can’t see them they can’t see us, right? Wrong.
The other trick people try is to look over the tops of their heads. The idea here is that by looking a peoples foreheads, they will think you are looking at them. Wrong again.
You need to look directly into people’s eyes with kindness. Create a rapport with the audience through your visual contact. If anyone smiles when you look at him or her, smile back. This will make you, and the audience, feel more at ease and will make your presentation more genuine.
Identify three people in the audience whom you want to speak to: One on your left, one in front of you and one on your right. Deliver your speech to these three people. Look at each one for about 4-5 seconds and “switch target” to the next person. Don’t maintain eye contact for too long. This will create an uncomfortable situation. You don’t want to creep people out.
If you can meet some of your audience ahead of time, as they come into the room, and can chat with them a bit, it will relax you and you can look for them when you speak.
By using this technique, it will give the impression to the entire audience that you are making eye contact, because you are sweeping the room with your glances.
3. Don't Apologize.
Never start a presentation with an apology. By starting a presentation with an apology for your nervousness or for having a cold, you are drawing attention to something the audience may not have noticed. You are also announcing to the audience, “the presentation you are about to receive is less than you deserve, but please don’t blame me.”
I have seen too many people do this and it definitely impacts how you are received. No matter whether or not you are completely prepared, have forgotten something or whatever - keep it to yourself. You are the only one who knows, or who needs to know.
4. Avoid A Rushing/Monotone Voice.
A fast paced monotone speech is a sure-fire way to make your audience feel unimportant. It will also cause them to lose focus and become bored. How many lectures did you sit through in school listening to a monotone professor drone on about whatever subject he was teaching? How much of those lectures did you actually remember?
When I was completing my degree I listened to many boring, monotone lectures as the professors droned on and on. You don’t want to subject your audience to this same torture and you want them to remember what you talked about.
You can easily avoid monotone messages. Before saying a word think about the value of your message. Think about the aspects that create passionate feelings. Think about speaking clearly with compassion. Smile. Tell yourself a joke. Take a huge confidence breath.
Use eye-contact, positively say “you,” and flow with the message. If you do, you’ll hear, “I felt like you were speaking specifically to me.” That’s one of the best compliments you can get. And it proves that you’re speaking TO not AT the audience.
5. Limit your talk to a few key points.
Have you ever attended a lecture which was supposed to last 15 - 20 minutes and 30 minutes later the person is still talking. Or gone to a public debate where each contestant was to have 5 minutes and one person is still speaking after 10 minutes?
Narrow down your topic to either one key point for a short talk, or three key points for a longer talk (a talk longer than 30-minutes). Ask yourself, “If my audience only remembered one thing from my talk, what would be the most important thing for them to remember?” The more points your presentation has, the less focus the audience will have on each individual point. Once you have your key points, then create your PowerPoint slides, if you are using them.
If you remember these five key points, you will be sure to knock-em dead.
To your speaking success
Fran Watson
P.S. for more tips on public speaking, you can sign up here for my free ezine
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Public Speaking and Your Business
When asked, the majority of people would claim that their greatest fear is getting up in front of a crowd and giving a speech. People in business often don't know how to address a group of people who are wanting to learn more about their product or service.
So why are we so afraid of public speaking? Well for one thing not very many of us are good at it and we don’t know how to get better.
Public oration was once a skill highly valued and therefore it was something that was worked on with much effort and time in school. Part of the reason that more people were schooled in speech making in the past was because school was really only for those to whom the skill would be beneficial. Only the “gifted” children were formally trained in such skills (i.e. those who had the money to be able to afford post secondary education).
Nowadays people are beginning to do pubic speaking in grade school. Young children are encouraged to speak in contests as well as in class. Adults are being asked to give presentations at school and at the office. However, many of us are not good at it, and don’t have the natural skills, desires, or regular practice that they need to be good. We may speak too softly, stumble over our words, use filler words with every breath, or simply stare at the screen instead of the audience.
So what do you do if you are in business and have to speak to people on a regular basis? Do you just hope and pray you don't sound like an idiot, or do you do something more productive like joining a Toastmasters Club.
Now, before you get all worried about joining such a club, let me reassure you that you do not need to be an excellent orator before joining. Toastmasters is a place where you learn communication and leadership skills to help you in all areas of your life. You can learn how to do impromptu speaking well. Impromptu speaking is something we do everyday, but often we get tongue tied and nervous and use a lot of uhms and ahs. At Toastmasters you learn to do without these filler words.
Businesses thrive on communication...oral and written. If you want to improve your business, improve your communication.
To your business and speaking success
Fran Watson
P.S. Check out my book Click here
So why are we so afraid of public speaking? Well for one thing not very many of us are good at it and we don’t know how to get better.
Public oration was once a skill highly valued and therefore it was something that was worked on with much effort and time in school. Part of the reason that more people were schooled in speech making in the past was because school was really only for those to whom the skill would be beneficial. Only the “gifted” children were formally trained in such skills (i.e. those who had the money to be able to afford post secondary education).
Nowadays people are beginning to do pubic speaking in grade school. Young children are encouraged to speak in contests as well as in class. Adults are being asked to give presentations at school and at the office. However, many of us are not good at it, and don’t have the natural skills, desires, or regular practice that they need to be good. We may speak too softly, stumble over our words, use filler words with every breath, or simply stare at the screen instead of the audience.
So what do you do if you are in business and have to speak to people on a regular basis? Do you just hope and pray you don't sound like an idiot, or do you do something more productive like joining a Toastmasters Club.
Now, before you get all worried about joining such a club, let me reassure you that you do not need to be an excellent orator before joining. Toastmasters is a place where you learn communication and leadership skills to help you in all areas of your life. You can learn how to do impromptu speaking well. Impromptu speaking is something we do everyday, but often we get tongue tied and nervous and use a lot of uhms and ahs. At Toastmasters you learn to do without these filler words.
Businesses thrive on communication...oral and written. If you want to improve your business, improve your communication.
To your business and speaking success
Fran Watson
P.S. Check out my book Click here
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Public Speaking Dilemma: What To Do When You Don't Have Enough Time
Do you have a standard hour-length presentation, but your host can only spare a half hour? (Been there.)
Are you in the middle of a presentation when you realize that, due to a late start or abundant questions, you are running out of time? (Here too.)
No matter what your topic, it is important to always be flexible and ready to cut short your session (or ready to lengthen, as the case may be). Here are some ways to make sure your presentation always fits the time slot.
Pointer #1: Use a timed outline
When you create your presentation outline, include time estimates next to each section (You might like to add them in red to make them easier to spot on the page).
A brief, one-page bulleted outline (or two pages double-sided) will be easier to time than a long, rambling novel written in paragraphs.
Practice your presentation and jot down time estimates as you go (two minutes for opening, five minutes for section I, seven minutes for section II, etc.) When you get to the end, add up all the time and determine whether you should add to or subtract from any sections to make it all fit into the allotted time slot.
If you have to edit severely to fit into a different time frame and your presentation will be adversely affected, you might want to develop separate self-contained presentations for short, medium and long time slots.
(If you are a PowerPoint user, see the book "Beyond Bullet Points" for instruction on creating a PowerPoint that serves different timing needs.)
Pointer #2: Shift information depending on its priority
If you notice that you are running out of time while in the middle of a presentation, you may have to shift some of your content around. If you have important points at the end of the presentation, now is the time to bring them forward. As soon as you notice the time crunch, start changing the order of your sections.
When creating and practicing your presentation, it's always a good idea to think ahead about how you would handle this situation. The layout of your bulleted outline should make it easy to see which sections to leave out, move up or move down.
If you have to leave out something that you feel is important, gather business cards from the audience and offer to e-mail them additional content.
Pointer #3: Supplement with handouts
There's usually some information that we want to share, but that we don't necessarily want to include in our live presentation. You might have some relevant articles to supplement your workshop, or you might have charts and graphs that you didn't have time for or the technology to project.
Use handouts wisely. If the material does not need to be reviewed during your presentation, then leave handouts at the back of the room for the audience to pick up on the way out. If you choose to put them on seats before you begin, be aware that your audience may spend half the time reading and not listening to you.
Your handouts should always include your contact information and a link to your website, if you have one. Make sure all resources and references are clear and easy to read; use graphics if appropriate and leave a lot of white space on the page. Don't overload handouts with text; make them concise and relevant to your presentation. Otherwise, they will end up in the recycling bin!
Follow these suggestions, and you will always be prepared, no matter how much (or little) time you have.
To your speaking success
Fran Watson
P.S. Click here for more info on Public Speaking
Are you in the middle of a presentation when you realize that, due to a late start or abundant questions, you are running out of time? (Here too.)
No matter what your topic, it is important to always be flexible and ready to cut short your session (or ready to lengthen, as the case may be). Here are some ways to make sure your presentation always fits the time slot.
Pointer #1: Use a timed outline
When you create your presentation outline, include time estimates next to each section (You might like to add them in red to make them easier to spot on the page).
A brief, one-page bulleted outline (or two pages double-sided) will be easier to time than a long, rambling novel written in paragraphs.
Practice your presentation and jot down time estimates as you go (two minutes for opening, five minutes for section I, seven minutes for section II, etc.) When you get to the end, add up all the time and determine whether you should add to or subtract from any sections to make it all fit into the allotted time slot.
If you have to edit severely to fit into a different time frame and your presentation will be adversely affected, you might want to develop separate self-contained presentations for short, medium and long time slots.
(If you are a PowerPoint user, see the book "Beyond Bullet Points" for instruction on creating a PowerPoint that serves different timing needs.)
Pointer #2: Shift information depending on its priority
If you notice that you are running out of time while in the middle of a presentation, you may have to shift some of your content around. If you have important points at the end of the presentation, now is the time to bring them forward. As soon as you notice the time crunch, start changing the order of your sections.
When creating and practicing your presentation, it's always a good idea to think ahead about how you would handle this situation. The layout of your bulleted outline should make it easy to see which sections to leave out, move up or move down.
If you have to leave out something that you feel is important, gather business cards from the audience and offer to e-mail them additional content.
Pointer #3: Supplement with handouts
There's usually some information that we want to share, but that we don't necessarily want to include in our live presentation. You might have some relevant articles to supplement your workshop, or you might have charts and graphs that you didn't have time for or the technology to project.
Use handouts wisely. If the material does not need to be reviewed during your presentation, then leave handouts at the back of the room for the audience to pick up on the way out. If you choose to put them on seats before you begin, be aware that your audience may spend half the time reading and not listening to you.
Your handouts should always include your contact information and a link to your website, if you have one. Make sure all resources and references are clear and easy to read; use graphics if appropriate and leave a lot of white space on the page. Don't overload handouts with text; make them concise and relevant to your presentation. Otherwise, they will end up in the recycling bin!
Follow these suggestions, and you will always be prepared, no matter how much (or little) time you have.
To your speaking success
Fran Watson
P.S. Click here for more info on Public Speaking
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Introducing a Speaker
Introducing a
speaker? – follow these five basic guidelines
1.
Address the
audience – grab their attention
2.
Refer to the
speaker – tell the audience who the speaker is and
prepare them by giving some background on the speaker’s experience,
qualifications or special interest in the topic
3.
Refer to the topic
– this is of great interest to the audience. It’s what they’ve come for –
explain how the topic is relevant to them and how they stand to gain from
listening
4.
Make the audience clear
on what’s to follow – for example any housekeeping items such as time for
questions, handouts, note-taking
5.
Welcome the speaker
and lead the applause – indicate for the speaker to approach, step back and
lead the applause, welcome the speaker (possibly with a handshake or some other
form of acknowledgement), wait for acknowledgement from the speaker, then leave
the speaking area and sit down
Make sure to consult with your speaker ahead of time to ask for a prepared introduction or to ask about their topic and what they would like you to say about them. Do not make the error of telling the audience how funny they are when they have a serious topic.
To your speaking success!
Fran
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Getting Along With Others
How To Get Along With People
1. Keep
skid chains on your tongue; always say less than you think. Cultivate a low, persuasive voice. How you say it often counts more than what
you say.
2.
Make promises sparingly and keep them faithfully, no
matter what it costs.
3.
Never let an opportunity pass to say a kind and
encouraging word to or about somebody.
Praise good work, regardless of who did it. If criticism is needed criticize helpfully, never
spitefully.
4.
Be interested in others; their pursuits, their work,
their homes and families. Make merry
with those who rejoice; with those who weep, mourn. Let everyone you meet, however humble, feel
that you regard him or her as a person of importance.
5.
Be cheerful.
Don’t burden or depress those around you by dwelling on your minor aches
and pains and small disappointments.
Remember, everyone is carrying some kind of a load.
6.
Keep an open mind.
Discuss but don’t argue. It is a
mark of a superior mind to be able to disagree without being disagreeable.
7.
Let your virtues, if you have any, speak for
themselves. Refuse to talk of another’s
vices. Discourage gossip. It is a waste of valuable time and can be
extremely destructive.
8.
Be careful of another’s feelings. Wit and humour at the other person’s expense
are rarely worth it and may hurt when least expected.
9.
Pay no attention to ill-natured remarks about you. Remember, the person who carried the message
may not be the most accurate reporter in the world. Simply live so that nobody will believe
them. Disordered nerves and bad
digestion are a common cause of back-biting.
10. Don’t
be too anxious about the credit due you.
Do your best and be patient.
Forget about yourself and let others “remember”. Success is much sweeter that way.
To your communication success
P.S. For some free public speaking tips, Click here
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Dealing With Self-Induced Stress
Do you have just 2 minutes? That's all the time it takes to read the following article. But if you're really short on
time, just read the first paragraph. It summarizes the whole
text.
Enjoy!
Free article no. 134
DEALING WITH SELF-INDUCED STRESS
by J.A. Gamache
Third place Champion at the 2001 Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking
I learned an important lesson when I first presented my inspirational keynote entitled "Cross the line!". When striving for perfection, we can sometimes create our own stress.
After many years as an amateur speaker, I had accumulated enough material to give a strong sixty-minute speech.
One day, the president of a company saw my free presentation and was thrilled with it; so much so that he hired me on the spot to present it to his employees.
I was nervous. It was the first time I was being paid a professional speaking fee, so disappointing my client was out of the question! I interviewed him, adapted my presentation to his employees' needs, and then organized a rehearsal in front of a dozen people.
The rehearsal was a disaster! I was shaking like a leaf and my mouth ran dry. I had lost my usual stamina and was constantly looking at my notes because I was forgetting my text.
And the real presentation was only two days away!!!
Can you imagine how hard I worked over the next two days? I practiced my speech over and over again.
On the day of my presentation, just as I was announced to the audience, I realized that my notes were still in the car. Instead of panicking, I said to myself: "Tough luck. You know your text, and if you forget, you'll just improvise." So I went on stage.
That interior dialog was the turning point that made all the difference. Unlike rehearsal day, I didn't worry about being perfect, and most of my stress vanished away.
My speech was a success. Of course I forgot a small part of my text, but the audience couldn't tell. Having already put in all the hard work, I was able to relax on the floor and allow myself to perform without my notes.
This message is for perfectionists like me. Wanting to avoid mistakes at all costs during the performance may be the cause of your stress. It was a blessing that I forgot my notes that day. Instead of trying to be a flawless speaker, I was myself, and that made the day perfect!
Happy speech!
©MMXI J.A. Gamache www.jagamache.com. All rights reserved.
To your successful speaking
Fran
P.S. Sign up for my free ezine and get 800 speech topics - Click here
------------------------------
PERMISSION IS GRANTED TO REPRODUCE THIS ARTICLE in whole or
in part if a copy of the reproduced text is sent to J.A. Gamache at info@jagamache.com after publication and also provided that this byline, including the following paragraph, appears along with the reproduced text:
This article was reproduced from "Speaking in Public with J.A.", a FREE electronic magazine authored by J.A. Gamache, International Inspirational Speaker. To subscribe to his FREE e-zine or to find out more about his presentations, visit: http://www.jagamache.com.
Enjoy!
Free article no. 134
DEALING WITH SELF-INDUCED STRESS
by J.A. Gamache
Third place Champion at the 2001 Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking
I learned an important lesson when I first presented my inspirational keynote entitled "Cross the line!". When striving for perfection, we can sometimes create our own stress.
After many years as an amateur speaker, I had accumulated enough material to give a strong sixty-minute speech.
One day, the president of a company saw my free presentation and was thrilled with it; so much so that he hired me on the spot to present it to his employees.
I was nervous. It was the first time I was being paid a professional speaking fee, so disappointing my client was out of the question! I interviewed him, adapted my presentation to his employees' needs, and then organized a rehearsal in front of a dozen people.
The rehearsal was a disaster! I was shaking like a leaf and my mouth ran dry. I had lost my usual stamina and was constantly looking at my notes because I was forgetting my text.
And the real presentation was only two days away!!!
Can you imagine how hard I worked over the next two days? I practiced my speech over and over again.
On the day of my presentation, just as I was announced to the audience, I realized that my notes were still in the car. Instead of panicking, I said to myself: "Tough luck. You know your text, and if you forget, you'll just improvise." So I went on stage.
That interior dialog was the turning point that made all the difference. Unlike rehearsal day, I didn't worry about being perfect, and most of my stress vanished away.
My speech was a success. Of course I forgot a small part of my text, but the audience couldn't tell. Having already put in all the hard work, I was able to relax on the floor and allow myself to perform without my notes.
This message is for perfectionists like me. Wanting to avoid mistakes at all costs during the performance may be the cause of your stress. It was a blessing that I forgot my notes that day. Instead of trying to be a flawless speaker, I was myself, and that made the day perfect!
Happy speech!
©MMXI J.A. Gamache www.jagamache.com. All rights reserved.
To your successful speaking
Fran
P.S. Sign up for my free ezine and get 800 speech topics - Click here
------------------------------
PERMISSION IS GRANTED TO REPRODUCE THIS ARTICLE in whole or
in part if a copy of the reproduced text is sent to J.A. Gamache at info@jagamache.com after publication and also provided that this byline, including the following paragraph, appears along with the reproduced text:
This article was reproduced from "Speaking in Public with J.A.", a FREE electronic magazine authored by J.A. Gamache, International Inspirational Speaker. To subscribe to his FREE e-zine or to find out more about his presentations, visit: http://www.jagamache.com.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Speech Contests
For Toastmasters spring and fall provide opportunities for speakers to compete against others in Speech Contests.
In the spring, the International Speech Contest draws in speakers from all over the world, competing in their districts and regions for the opportunity to compete at the conference in August and the chance to become the World Champion.
The other contests may end at the local District levels, but they too provide an opportunity for fun and competition as contestants share their funny stories in the Humorous Speech Contests or the Tall Tales Contests. They also develop their impromptu speaking skills in the Evaluation Contests and the Table Topics Contests.
Why would a person want to subject themselves to such a practice? Isn't it tough enough to get up in front of your fellow co-workers to give a presentation? Or in front of your local club?
They do it to grow, to enhance their skills.
People who participate in Toastmasters develop their confidence as they participate in weekly meetings, taking on the various roles of Toastmaster, Table Topics Master, Grammarian, Timer, Educational Tip, Ah Counter. Each time they speak at a meeting, or challenge themselves to present a speech, they grow.
When they want to challenge themselves further, they participate in contests - from club level, to area level, to division level, to district level, and in the case of the International Speech Contest, to the International level.
If you are thinking about developing your confidence and leadership skills, check out a Toastmasters Club near you. Who knows, you just might get hooked on speech contests and challenging yourself to grow.
To your speaking success
Fran
P.S.
More youtube videos on humourous speeches
In the spring, the International Speech Contest draws in speakers from all over the world, competing in their districts and regions for the opportunity to compete at the conference in August and the chance to become the World Champion.
The other contests may end at the local District levels, but they too provide an opportunity for fun and competition as contestants share their funny stories in the Humorous Speech Contests or the Tall Tales Contests. They also develop their impromptu speaking skills in the Evaluation Contests and the Table Topics Contests.
Why would a person want to subject themselves to such a practice? Isn't it tough enough to get up in front of your fellow co-workers to give a presentation? Or in front of your local club?
They do it to grow, to enhance their skills.
People who participate in Toastmasters develop their confidence as they participate in weekly meetings, taking on the various roles of Toastmaster, Table Topics Master, Grammarian, Timer, Educational Tip, Ah Counter. Each time they speak at a meeting, or challenge themselves to present a speech, they grow.
When they want to challenge themselves further, they participate in contests - from club level, to area level, to division level, to district level, and in the case of the International Speech Contest, to the International level.
If you are thinking about developing your confidence and leadership skills, check out a Toastmasters Club near you. Who knows, you just might get hooked on speech contests and challenging yourself to grow.
To your speaking success
Fran
P.S.
More youtube videos on humourous speeches
Monday, January 28, 2013
How Toastmasters Can Help
By Eric Monse (edited by Fran Watson)
I have a fear of public speaking. More precisely, I should describe it as a phobia.
I’m not really scared, I just react badly when I get up in front of a large group of people. My blood pressure starts to rise, my skin starts to get flush, and worst of all, I lose all ability to think on the fly.
I’m not so bad if I have something prepared, but God forbid if I have to think up something right then and there.
Learning to be a better public speaker is a great thing. But conquering this area of my life probably wouldn’t be enough for me to practice public speaking every other week.
I don’t make very many public speeches. But the benefits that I pickup with learning public speaking will help me in my every day life and in meeting new people.
People are attracted to the person up on the podium speaking to hundreds of people, whether he’s a preacher, a politician, or a professor. He is the one wielding control over the room and captivating the multitudes. True charisma is the ability to seduce thousands, not just one person.
Toastmasters is a worldwide nonprofit organization for the purpose of helping its members improve public speaking, communication, and leadership skills. Joining a Toastmasters club is one of the best things you can do to improve several aspects of your ability to meet new people.
I joined a club about three months ago and it has been a fantastic experience. The people there were skilled and knowledgeable and at the same time, they were warm, friendly and supportive in helping new people learn the ropes and pickup tips to improve.
Toastmasters grooms you to speak in front of large groups of people by critiquing or evaluating your public speaking.
They teach you to focus on things like your body language:
* Don’t rock back and forth when you speak.
* How to move comfortably around when you speak.
* The importance of making solid eye contact.
They also help you learn:
* Ways to vary your tone of voice.
* How to vary your pace but don’t speak too quickly.
Sound familiar? These are all things you should be focusing on when meeting new people.
You will also get critiqued on your language.
A member taking on the role of Grammarian will keep track of unnecessary words like: um, you know, and stuff, right, like, etc. That member will report towards the end of the meeting as to who used what "filler words" in order to help people improve their speaking. Eliminating riff raff from your vocabulary makes you a more effective and high-value communicator– exactly what you’re looking for when communicating with someone you are interested in.
Developing Leadership Skills
A little known fact is that one of the best aspects of Toastmasters is their focus on teaching leadership skills.
Everyone at a Toastmasters meeting is a volunteer. There are numerous roles at a meeting such as Toastmaster, Sergeant-At-Arms, Table Topics Chair, General Evaluator, Evaluator, Quizmaster, Gramarian, Joke/Word, Educational Tip, Speaker, Table Topics Speaker and Timer. During the meeting the person in each role gets up at the front of the room and conducts that part of the meeting and or gives reports about that part of the meeting.
The Grammarian is the person who listens and keeps track of vocabulary errors. The Timer keeps track of all the aspects of the meeting to ensure that everyone is on time. They will make note by use of cards or lights when the person reaches the minimum amount of time (green card), when they are close to their time (yellow card), and when their time is up at which time they will hold up a red card or turn on the red light to let the person speaking know that they should be wrapped up.
There are usually two or three people who give a 5-7 minute prepared speech at every meeting, and there are people designated to critique those speakers. These people are known as the Speech Evaluators. Those people get up in front of the room and speak for 2-3 minutes on what the speaker did well and some points for improvement.
During the Table Topics segment, members of the club who do not have a role will get an opportunity to present a 1-2 minute speech on the topic of the week. This way, a meeting will rarely pass when you would not get up and practice speaking.
Many of the members of Toastmasters are excellent speakers. They know how to captivate an audience. They are a diverse group of people and are varying ages as well. Some of them have been in Toastmasters for 20 years or more. The speeches they give are usually insightful and worth a listen, even if just to see how people can communicate.
At the same time, they provide an amazingly supportive environment for a new person to learn. These people know what it was like to have such a fear of public speaking. This makes it also easier to get up in front of a group like this and speak.
How Toastmasters Helped My Fear of Speaking to Strangers
When you’ve never done it before and you begin speaking with strangers, the anxiety can be nerve-wracking. It was an emotional roller-coaster ride for me when I started.
If I talked to three people, by the end of the night I would be drained. I felt like I’d been through an emotional heavyweight title match. However, as I talked to more new people, the fear and anxiety lessened. But Toastmasters helped out as well.
The fear of approaching people is very similar to that fear of getting up in front of a group of people and speaking. As I got more comfortable with one, I became more comfortable with the other as well.
There are thousands of Toastmasters clubs around the world. Different clubs meet at different times and for differing amounts of time. Some are breakfast clubs, some are lunch hour clubs, some are evening clubs, some are Saturday morning clubs. Some are advanced clubs, some are corporate clubs. There is a club for every need.
When you attend Toastmasters as a guest, you’ll be offered the opportunity to speak in their Table Topics impromptu section where you will speak for 1-2 minutes on a random topic. It’s a great exercise and it's good practice for speaking on the spot at work or at a cocktail party. The cost is minimal compared to the value you will receive. It varies from club to club, depending on the costs of the meeting place, but one fee will cover you for a year and you will receive a monthly Toastmasters magazine, your first two manuals - Competent Communicator and Competent Leader and when you have completed your first 10 speeches, you will also receive your first two Advanced manuals. The cost is usually less than a one day program and definitely less than a 4 day or 4 week program at a local college. Meetings are held weekly or bi-weekly. You also get educational materials and an opportunity to speak in the Speech Contests where you can get up in front of hundreds of people, not just the 15-25 people who attend at each meeting. They also try to set you up with a mentor to help you with your first few speeches, or as long as you need help.
Toastmasters is an excellent way to become more confident, and it will improve your social life and help you to feel more comfortable in social situations.
I have a fear of public speaking. More precisely, I should describe it as a phobia.
I’m not really scared, I just react badly when I get up in front of a large group of people. My blood pressure starts to rise, my skin starts to get flush, and worst of all, I lose all ability to think on the fly.
I’m not so bad if I have something prepared, but God forbid if I have to think up something right then and there.
Learning to be a better public speaker is a great thing. But conquering this area of my life probably wouldn’t be enough for me to practice public speaking every other week.
I don’t make very many public speeches. But the benefits that I pickup with learning public speaking will help me in my every day life and in meeting new people.
People are attracted to the person up on the podium speaking to hundreds of people, whether he’s a preacher, a politician, or a professor. He is the one wielding control over the room and captivating the multitudes. True charisma is the ability to seduce thousands, not just one person.
Toastmasters is a worldwide nonprofit organization for the purpose of helping its members improve public speaking, communication, and leadership skills. Joining a Toastmasters club is one of the best things you can do to improve several aspects of your ability to meet new people.
I joined a club about three months ago and it has been a fantastic experience. The people there were skilled and knowledgeable and at the same time, they were warm, friendly and supportive in helping new people learn the ropes and pickup tips to improve.
Toastmasters grooms you to speak in front of large groups of people by critiquing or evaluating your public speaking.
They teach you to focus on things like your body language:
* Don’t rock back and forth when you speak.
* How to move comfortably around when you speak.
* The importance of making solid eye contact.
They also help you learn:
* Ways to vary your tone of voice.
* How to vary your pace but don’t speak too quickly.
Sound familiar? These are all things you should be focusing on when meeting new people.
You will also get critiqued on your language.
A member taking on the role of Grammarian will keep track of unnecessary words like: um, you know, and stuff, right, like, etc. That member will report towards the end of the meeting as to who used what "filler words" in order to help people improve their speaking. Eliminating riff raff from your vocabulary makes you a more effective and high-value communicator– exactly what you’re looking for when communicating with someone you are interested in.
Developing Leadership Skills
A little known fact is that one of the best aspects of Toastmasters is their focus on teaching leadership skills.
Everyone at a Toastmasters meeting is a volunteer. There are numerous roles at a meeting such as Toastmaster, Sergeant-At-Arms, Table Topics Chair, General Evaluator, Evaluator, Quizmaster, Gramarian, Joke/Word, Educational Tip, Speaker, Table Topics Speaker and Timer. During the meeting the person in each role gets up at the front of the room and conducts that part of the meeting and or gives reports about that part of the meeting.
The Grammarian is the person who listens and keeps track of vocabulary errors. The Timer keeps track of all the aspects of the meeting to ensure that everyone is on time. They will make note by use of cards or lights when the person reaches the minimum amount of time (green card), when they are close to their time (yellow card), and when their time is up at which time they will hold up a red card or turn on the red light to let the person speaking know that they should be wrapped up.
There are usually two or three people who give a 5-7 minute prepared speech at every meeting, and there are people designated to critique those speakers. These people are known as the Speech Evaluators. Those people get up in front of the room and speak for 2-3 minutes on what the speaker did well and some points for improvement.
During the Table Topics segment, members of the club who do not have a role will get an opportunity to present a 1-2 minute speech on the topic of the week. This way, a meeting will rarely pass when you would not get up and practice speaking.
Many of the members of Toastmasters are excellent speakers. They know how to captivate an audience. They are a diverse group of people and are varying ages as well. Some of them have been in Toastmasters for 20 years or more. The speeches they give are usually insightful and worth a listen, even if just to see how people can communicate.
At the same time, they provide an amazingly supportive environment for a new person to learn. These people know what it was like to have such a fear of public speaking. This makes it also easier to get up in front of a group like this and speak.
How Toastmasters Helped My Fear of Speaking to Strangers
When you’ve never done it before and you begin speaking with strangers, the anxiety can be nerve-wracking. It was an emotional roller-coaster ride for me when I started.
If I talked to three people, by the end of the night I would be drained. I felt like I’d been through an emotional heavyweight title match. However, as I talked to more new people, the fear and anxiety lessened. But Toastmasters helped out as well.
The fear of approaching people is very similar to that fear of getting up in front of a group of people and speaking. As I got more comfortable with one, I became more comfortable with the other as well.
There are thousands of Toastmasters clubs around the world. Different clubs meet at different times and for differing amounts of time. Some are breakfast clubs, some are lunch hour clubs, some are evening clubs, some are Saturday morning clubs. Some are advanced clubs, some are corporate clubs. There is a club for every need.
When you attend Toastmasters as a guest, you’ll be offered the opportunity to speak in their Table Topics impromptu section where you will speak for 1-2 minutes on a random topic. It’s a great exercise and it's good practice for speaking on the spot at work or at a cocktail party. The cost is minimal compared to the value you will receive. It varies from club to club, depending on the costs of the meeting place, but one fee will cover you for a year and you will receive a monthly Toastmasters magazine, your first two manuals - Competent Communicator and Competent Leader and when you have completed your first 10 speeches, you will also receive your first two Advanced manuals. The cost is usually less than a one day program and definitely less than a 4 day or 4 week program at a local college. Meetings are held weekly or bi-weekly. You also get educational materials and an opportunity to speak in the Speech Contests where you can get up in front of hundreds of people, not just the 15-25 people who attend at each meeting. They also try to set you up with a mentor to help you with your first few speeches, or as long as you need help.
Toastmasters is an excellent way to become more confident, and it will improve your social life and help you to feel more comfortable in social situations.
************
I have been a Toastmasters member since 2002 and I have served in all of the Executive roles in my 3 clubs. I have also served as an Area Governor and a District Public Relations Officer. Toastmasters has made a big difference in how confident I am in speaking with minimal notice at various functions including a recent memorial service for a friend and fellow Toastmaster.
Why not check out a local Toastmasters Club? There is no cost to visit and you just might find out it isn't at all what you feared it would be. Tell them Fran Watson sent you!!
To your speaking success
Fran Watson
P.S. Get speaking topics and more speaking tips here
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Distracted Listeners ?
This article was reproduced from "Speaking in Public with J.A.", a FREE electronic magazine authored by J.A. Gamache, International Inspirational Speaker. To subscribe to his FREE e-zine or to find out more about his presentations, visit: http://www.jagamache.com.
HOW TO RE-FOCUS THE ATTENTION OF DISTRACTED LISTENERS
by J.A. Gamache
Third place Champion at the 2001 Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking
Although you may be an energetic and interesting speaker, it's still normal to lose the attention of some of your listeners. To remedy this situation, plan to include in your presentation some attention-getting elements that will pull in absent-minded audience members. In other words, make your crowd react regularly. There are many ways to make a room react. I find that I can snap out of my daydreaming if a speaker uses one of the following methods:
1- LAUGHTER When I hear everyone laugh, I stop daydreaming and ask my neighbor what the speaker said. After that, I'm on the edge of my seat so I don't miss the next joke.
Since almost everyone likes to laugh, inject humour into your presentation when it's appropriate. The more laughter you get from your presentation, the more you motivate your audience to listen.
2- MOVEMENTS OF OTHER AUDIENCE MEMBERS When everyone around me starts to move, it obviously gets my attention. I ask my neighbor what's happening and the person explains that the speaker has asked everyone to participate to an activity. In spite of myself, my interest re-focuses on what's happening in the room. That's why professional speakers often ask audience members to shake hands and say something to their neighbor.
A participating audience is an attentive audience. Make it a habit to incorporate a strategy to refocus absent-minded listeners, and make them react regularly. An easy way is to have humorous moments in your speech and invite audience participation. These are all good methods to reclaim the audience's attention.
Happy speech! ©
MMXI J.A. Gamache www.jagamache.com.
All rights reserved. ---------------------------------
To your speaking success!
Fran Watson
P.S. Sign up for some more speaking tips on my websitehere
HOW TO RE-FOCUS THE ATTENTION OF DISTRACTED LISTENERS
by J.A. Gamache
Third place Champion at the 2001 Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking
Although you may be an energetic and interesting speaker, it's still normal to lose the attention of some of your listeners. To remedy this situation, plan to include in your presentation some attention-getting elements that will pull in absent-minded audience members. In other words, make your crowd react regularly. There are many ways to make a room react. I find that I can snap out of my daydreaming if a speaker uses one of the following methods:
1- LAUGHTER When I hear everyone laugh, I stop daydreaming and ask my neighbor what the speaker said. After that, I'm on the edge of my seat so I don't miss the next joke.
Since almost everyone likes to laugh, inject humour into your presentation when it's appropriate. The more laughter you get from your presentation, the more you motivate your audience to listen.
2- MOVEMENTS OF OTHER AUDIENCE MEMBERS When everyone around me starts to move, it obviously gets my attention. I ask my neighbor what's happening and the person explains that the speaker has asked everyone to participate to an activity. In spite of myself, my interest re-focuses on what's happening in the room. That's why professional speakers often ask audience members to shake hands and say something to their neighbor.
A participating audience is an attentive audience. Make it a habit to incorporate a strategy to refocus absent-minded listeners, and make them react regularly. An easy way is to have humorous moments in your speech and invite audience participation. These are all good methods to reclaim the audience's attention.
Happy speech! ©
MMXI J.A. Gamache www.jagamache.com.
All rights reserved. ---------------------------------
To your speaking success!
Fran Watson
P.S. Sign up for some more speaking tips on my websitehere
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Public Speaking to Attract Clients?
For tips on public speaking, click here
How To Use Public Speaking To Attract Clients
When Robert Middleton moved his marketing consulting practice, Action Plan Marketing, to Palo Alto, California several years ago, he started his business from scratch. He had left his well-established client base several miles away and now had to find strategies to generate new clients.
Because Middleton had always spoken to promote his business, he turned to public speaking with a vengeance. He researched local organizations whose members comprised professional business owners, his target clientele. He called chambers of commerce, business groups and others likely to be interested in his three-hour marketing workshop.
Within a few months, Middleton had spoken at over a dozen organizations, establishing his reputation as a marketing expert for professional service firms. He quickly became a known entity, having personally introduced his business and credentials to hundreds of prospects.
Better yet, Middleton's speaking strategy helped him land all the business he could handle in a relatively short time period.
Over the course of sixteen talks, he averaged one new client each time.
Speaking Is Selling
Many business people never consider standing in the front of their buying public to share professional wisdom. If you're one of them, you're missing the boat.
Speaking is a marketing strategy you can immediately embrace to get in front of potential customers. Speaking puts you within handshaking distance of your best prospects, many times helping you close sales before you leave the room.
By speaking regularly you can end the uncertainty of knowing where your next client will come from. Speaking can help you reach dozens, and sometimes hundreds of your best prospects every time. Speakers report that speaking regularly continuously fills their prospect pipelines, ensuring a steady stream of new clients and customers.
Speaking is effective because it showcases your knowledge before groups of people who eagerly show up to hear it. Your prospects may tune out advertising, but they'll pay attention to your talk because it presents your knowledge in polished form to people who think it will help them.
Speaking gives you tremendous visibility and credibility that increases over time. Whenever you are in the front of a room, you get noticed. People will remember who you are and what your business does. The more people see you speak and see your business name, the more successful people think you are.
Speaking gives prospects a taste of what you offer in a non-threatening environment. When they are in a room full of people, they feel comfortable. There's safety in numbers. They do not feel the sales pressure of a one-on-one meeting. It's also low risk, as chances are, they didn't pay as much to hear you speak as it would cost to hire you.
Get On The Program
You don't have to be a seasoned speaker to put speaking to work for your business. If you're willing to speak for free, you'll find that there are more outlets available than you'll know what to do with.
"If you can get up there and do a decent job you will immediately position yourself as an expert in the minds of an audience," says business coach, author and professional speaker Caterina Rando. "You only have to be 'decent' to make an impact. Even though speaking can be scary at first, anybody can find groups to speak to and master the basics of giving a good speech."
Choose the right topics
Before you contact an organization about speaking, create sample talk descriptions with catchy titles. For example, a financial planner could avoid generic descriptions like "Planning Your Retirement," and use a more snappy title like "Enjoying Your Gold Years On A Champagne Budget".
Targeting speaking opportunities
Once you are clear about your topic and its benefit to the audience, make some calls and offer yourself as a speaker.
• Chambers of Commerce
• Service Clubs
• Industry Specific Associations
• University Extensions
• Professional Associations
Getting the most out of your speech
The promotional value of your talks goes beyond your time on the podium. Often, when you speak to a group, the group publicizes the event. Many people who do not attend the event will still read the information, or will hear about you from other attendees, and may give you a call.
Consistency is the big thing. Getting out there and speaking on a regular basis keeps your pipeline full of prospects. When you're done, put a follow up mechanism in place, even if it's a simple mailing or newsletter. If you keep in contact with people who've heard you speak, you get more long-term leverage from your efforts.
Steven Van Yoder is the author of Get Slightly Famous™. He teaches small business owners how to attract more business with less effort by becoming a mini-celebrity in your field. Visit GetSlightlyFamous.com to claim your free Slightly Famous Marketing Plan Workbook.
To your success in speaking!!
How To Use Public Speaking To Attract Clients
When Robert Middleton moved his marketing consulting practice, Action Plan Marketing, to Palo Alto, California several years ago, he started his business from scratch. He had left his well-established client base several miles away and now had to find strategies to generate new clients.
Because Middleton had always spoken to promote his business, he turned to public speaking with a vengeance. He researched local organizations whose members comprised professional business owners, his target clientele. He called chambers of commerce, business groups and others likely to be interested in his three-hour marketing workshop.
Within a few months, Middleton had spoken at over a dozen organizations, establishing his reputation as a marketing expert for professional service firms. He quickly became a known entity, having personally introduced his business and credentials to hundreds of prospects.
Better yet, Middleton's speaking strategy helped him land all the business he could handle in a relatively short time period.
Over the course of sixteen talks, he averaged one new client each time.
Speaking Is Selling
Many business people never consider standing in the front of their buying public to share professional wisdom. If you're one of them, you're missing the boat.
Speaking is a marketing strategy you can immediately embrace to get in front of potential customers. Speaking puts you within handshaking distance of your best prospects, many times helping you close sales before you leave the room.
By speaking regularly you can end the uncertainty of knowing where your next client will come from. Speaking can help you reach dozens, and sometimes hundreds of your best prospects every time. Speakers report that speaking regularly continuously fills their prospect pipelines, ensuring a steady stream of new clients and customers.
Speaking is effective because it showcases your knowledge before groups of people who eagerly show up to hear it. Your prospects may tune out advertising, but they'll pay attention to your talk because it presents your knowledge in polished form to people who think it will help them.
Speaking gives you tremendous visibility and credibility that increases over time. Whenever you are in the front of a room, you get noticed. People will remember who you are and what your business does. The more people see you speak and see your business name, the more successful people think you are.
Speaking gives prospects a taste of what you offer in a non-threatening environment. When they are in a room full of people, they feel comfortable. There's safety in numbers. They do not feel the sales pressure of a one-on-one meeting. It's also low risk, as chances are, they didn't pay as much to hear you speak as it would cost to hire you.
Get On The Program
You don't have to be a seasoned speaker to put speaking to work for your business. If you're willing to speak for free, you'll find that there are more outlets available than you'll know what to do with.
"If you can get up there and do a decent job you will immediately position yourself as an expert in the minds of an audience," says business coach, author and professional speaker Caterina Rando. "You only have to be 'decent' to make an impact. Even though speaking can be scary at first, anybody can find groups to speak to and master the basics of giving a good speech."
Choose the right topics
Before you contact an organization about speaking, create sample talk descriptions with catchy titles. For example, a financial planner could avoid generic descriptions like "Planning Your Retirement," and use a more snappy title like "Enjoying Your Gold Years On A Champagne Budget".
Targeting speaking opportunities
Once you are clear about your topic and its benefit to the audience, make some calls and offer yourself as a speaker.
• Chambers of Commerce
• Service Clubs
• Industry Specific Associations
• University Extensions
• Professional Associations
Getting the most out of your speech
The promotional value of your talks goes beyond your time on the podium. Often, when you speak to a group, the group publicizes the event. Many people who do not attend the event will still read the information, or will hear about you from other attendees, and may give you a call.
Consistency is the big thing. Getting out there and speaking on a regular basis keeps your pipeline full of prospects. When you're done, put a follow up mechanism in place, even if it's a simple mailing or newsletter. If you keep in contact with people who've heard you speak, you get more long-term leverage from your efforts.
Steven Van Yoder is the author of Get Slightly Famous™. He teaches small business owners how to attract more business with less effort by becoming a mini-celebrity in your field. Visit GetSlightlyFamous.com to claim your free Slightly Famous Marketing Plan Workbook.
To your success in speaking!!
Fran
P.S. Want more tips? Sign up here
Thursday, January 3, 2013
How To Give A Presentation
Almost everyone feels a bit nervous about delivering a presentation before a group. It seems that some people would rather undergo a root canal than experience the anxiety of giving a speech. They must have a really good dentist!
If you can follow some basic guidelines for preparation and delivery, you can transform your nervousness into positive energy that will allow you to achieve the results you desire.
The secrets to successful presentations are simple and are based on common sense. Unfortunately, many people fail to discover these secrets.
Step One: Purpose
This first step is the most important step. You need to ask yourself some hard questions, such as:
* What’s the purpose of your presentation? Why this topic? Why you? There are many reasons to make a speech or announcement, and you need to clearly define your goal.
* Do you have to deliver bad news to your department?
* Do you require a decision from your superiors on a problematic business situation?
* Do you have a solution and want to convince people?
* Are you trying to sell a solution or product?
The reason you are giving your speech is to persuade your audience to buy into specific ideas. You must sufficiently inspire and motivate listeners to take action or give the green light to act on suggested solutions.
However, unless they believe they “own” the decision, they won’t act upon it. You need to lead your audience through the decision-making process so the audience members can go through it with you.
It’s critical to avoid spelling everything out for them. Let them “see” what the problems are and which decisions are needed. They will then be happy to engage in finding solutions and be enthusiastic about acting on them.
Step Two: Know Your Audience
Your audience includes those who may be influenced or affected by your proposal. Before you think about what to say, you must determine who your audience is and what they’ll need from you to buy into your argument. Always focus on your audience's interests.
Make sure you’re selling the benefits of your solution—not the features. For example, if your new program benefits the company by saving time and money, this is what you should emphasize. It will appeal to your audience much more than any discussion of actual program features.
Step Three: Structure Your Presentation
Most of the time, it’s a good idea to open with a story that reveals a picture of the problem at hand. Stories engage people, especially if they’re personal and real. They create an authentic connection and grab people’s attention. Remember: Your first 30 seconds are the most crucial.
Follow up your story with an honest analysis of the problem, and back it up with research statistics. The Internet makes this part of your task easy, but be cautious about spending too much time on stats.
Then, present the solution. This is the “good stuff,” as people want to know relief is in sight. Spell out the benefits to your audience.
Strengthening Your Presentation
Slides or PowerPoint graphics should supplement your talk and illustrate key points, not deliver the presentation for you. Don’t use graphics that contain every word you say, and never read directly off the screen. After all, if people can read the information, why do they need you?
Limit text to subheadings, which should be large enough to read from the back of the room. Don’t talk to the screen instead of your audience. And always be prepared for the possibility of a power or technological failure; bring handouts and have an alternative way to deliver your speech in case there’s no screen.
Managing Anxiety
Some experts suggest memorizing the first 60 seconds of your speech. If you do this, make sure it sounds natural and authentic. Because you’re likely to open with a personal story, introduce yourself and explain why your topic is so important to you. This makes the first 60 seconds sound natural, even if you memorize your text.
Don’t draw attention to your nervousness by telling your audience about it. You can share your feelings, but not your anxieties. Your goal is to present yourself authentically, as a real human being.
Don’t fidget or fiddle with your hair, clothes or body parts.
If you can follow some basic guidelines for preparation and delivery, you can transform your nervousness into positive energy that will allow you to achieve the results you desire.
The secrets to successful presentations are simple and are based on common sense. Unfortunately, many people fail to discover these secrets.
Step One: Purpose
This first step is the most important step. You need to ask yourself some hard questions, such as:
* What’s the purpose of your presentation? Why this topic? Why you? There are many reasons to make a speech or announcement, and you need to clearly define your goal.
* Do you have to deliver bad news to your department?
* Do you require a decision from your superiors on a problematic business situation?
* Do you have a solution and want to convince people?
* Are you trying to sell a solution or product?
The reason you are giving your speech is to persuade your audience to buy into specific ideas. You must sufficiently inspire and motivate listeners to take action or give the green light to act on suggested solutions.
However, unless they believe they “own” the decision, they won’t act upon it. You need to lead your audience through the decision-making process so the audience members can go through it with you.
It’s critical to avoid spelling everything out for them. Let them “see” what the problems are and which decisions are needed. They will then be happy to engage in finding solutions and be enthusiastic about acting on them.
Step Two: Know Your Audience
Your audience includes those who may be influenced or affected by your proposal. Before you think about what to say, you must determine who your audience is and what they’ll need from you to buy into your argument. Always focus on your audience's interests.
Make sure you’re selling the benefits of your solution—not the features. For example, if your new program benefits the company by saving time and money, this is what you should emphasize. It will appeal to your audience much more than any discussion of actual program features.
Step Three: Structure Your Presentation
Most of the time, it’s a good idea to open with a story that reveals a picture of the problem at hand. Stories engage people, especially if they’re personal and real. They create an authentic connection and grab people’s attention. Remember: Your first 30 seconds are the most crucial.
Follow up your story with an honest analysis of the problem, and back it up with research statistics. The Internet makes this part of your task easy, but be cautious about spending too much time on stats.
Then, present the solution. This is the “good stuff,” as people want to know relief is in sight. Spell out the benefits to your audience.
Strengthening Your Presentation
Slides or PowerPoint graphics should supplement your talk and illustrate key points, not deliver the presentation for you. Don’t use graphics that contain every word you say, and never read directly off the screen. After all, if people can read the information, why do they need you?
Limit text to subheadings, which should be large enough to read from the back of the room. Don’t talk to the screen instead of your audience. And always be prepared for the possibility of a power or technological failure; bring handouts and have an alternative way to deliver your speech in case there’s no screen.
Managing Anxiety
Some experts suggest memorizing the first 60 seconds of your speech. If you do this, make sure it sounds natural and authentic. Because you’re likely to open with a personal story, introduce yourself and explain why your topic is so important to you. This makes the first 60 seconds sound natural, even if you memorize your text.
Don’t draw attention to your nervousness by telling your audience about it. You can share your feelings, but not your anxieties. Your goal is to present yourself authentically, as a real human being.
Don’t fidget or fiddle with your hair, clothes or body parts.
Practice your speech in front of a mirror as often as you can, and minimize nervous tics by standing behind a lectern, if necessary.
Practice drawing a deep breath for instant relaxation. Take two or three deep breaths before you get up to speak.
To your success in speaking!
Fran
P.S. If you would like some more tips on public speaking, click here
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Use of Pauses in Public Speakikng
Timing is essential when speaking in public. The cliché: "It is not what you say but more on how you say it", applies so much to public speaking.
Where you put your pauses during your presentation is one of the important aspects of maintaining an audience that is free from falling asleep. Couple this with humor and you are definitely on a roll.
Timing is the element involved to achieve reactions that are spontaneous especially on developments during important aspects of your delivery that are unexpected.
Do not forget, though, that when you expect laughter to burst any time soon, pause after your delivery and avoid speaking as your voice and whatever it is that you are saying will probably (hopefully) be drowned out by the noise of the audience.
Make sure to remember that laughter is extremely difficult to get and so very much easier to discourage. Try as much as possible to maintain eye contact with the audience for a little longer when you deliver that punch line.
The audience size could also affect the way you use your timing. When the audience is small, the presentation you have will most probably be delivered in a shorter time compared to if you have a large audience. The reaction of a large audience will be a little longer and not as quick as in a small audience. You also have to wait until the seemingly ripple effect of your punch line gets to that audience in the back row.
Believe it or not, putting that much needed silence in your presentation is one of the hallmarks of a skilled and good presenter. No public speaker should jabber constantly away in the hopes of keeping an audience glued to anything it is you have to say. Ironically, this is one effective way to keep their focus off you. The use of silence adds that much needed polish in your presentation making you appear as a confident expert.
Short pauses are effective to use in order for you to separate your thoughts. These pauses last from half a second to two. You do not have to literally count though, just keep in mind to slow down. This gives the audience a chance to absorb all of what it is you are getting across. It also helps if you change the inflection in your voice during the end of a thought as this could also signal to the audience that another thought is coming their way. Pauses are also an effective means if you want to highlight something. Put it before any word or thought you want the audience to focus on, they will most definitely get that.
To your effective speaking
Fran
P.S. You can get a list of speaking topics and sign up for my public speaking tips here
Monday, December 17, 2012
How to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills
For some, spiders; for many, ghosts; others would say heights, but there are those who would admit that public speaking is their greatest fear.
It is actually normal. Come to think of it, there is nothing more frightening than having to stand up and speak in front of a group of people who could sleep, shout at you, laugh at you, or leave while you are talking. Even actress Debra Messing of Will and Grace surprisingly had this fear all her life. And she’s an actress! Imagine how much worse this could be for those who haven’t even had the chance to go on a stage ever in their lives.
Thankfully, public speaking is a fear that can easily be overcome. Perhaps you are not exactly fearful, but you think you still need improvement in your speaking skills, then don’t worry. You can improve your public speaking skills quite easily by following the tips below.
Be prepared and practice. The value of preparation can never be overemphasized. It adds confidence and substance to your speech. Research well about the topic you will talk about and try to find the best way to present it. Outline your points and use cue cards if necessary. Practice your delivery to make sure that your talk will not exceed the time allotted for you and so that you could also asses your delivery yourself. If you are to speak in a very important engagement, try to practice your speech in front of someone who could properly assess how you have done.
Know your audience. Technically, this is still part of being prepared but it is so important that it calls for a separate entry. Knowing your audience provides you with valuable insight on the type of presentation that would appeal best to them. It guides whether you can be casual and funny or whether you need to be serious and sophisticated. It also gives you great input in streamlining your speech by suggesting what you need to include and what you can do without.
Dress the part. As much as we refuse to admit, image is everything. How the audience responds to you highly depends on how they perceive you. Generally, you would appear as a more convincing speaker if you are dressed well. Also, since the audience will have to look at you anyway, might as well make that experience a pleasant one for them.
KISS. Keep It Short and Simple. Even geniuses have limited attention spans. Do not bore your audience to death with a speech that is too long. The faster you can get your message across, the better. A short and simple message also appears smarter and it prevents you from being perceived as someone who came unprepared. It also allows your listeners to retain what you have said easily.
In addition to these, your public speaking skills will also be improved if you practice establishing eye contact with your audience. Also, if the occasion and your resources will permit, you can use visual aids such as slide presentations, product samples, handouts, etc to stimulate your audience’s attention. To cap off your presentation, you should be able to answer the audience’s question confidently and with tact.
Remember that there would really come a time when you will have no other choice but to speak in public. So you might as well be ready when that time comes. It could either be a disastrous or a pleasant experience for you; and you have all the power to make the most out of it. Follow the tips above and you’ll surely be on your way to become a natural at public speaking.
To your successful communication
Fran
P.S. Get a list of 800 speech topics here and sign up for my newsletter on public speaking - Click here
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Fear of Speaking in Public?
In a survey done by Dr. Laurie Rozakis, author of Idiots Guide to Public Speaking, it was found that many people are scared to speak before a group. It is the number one fear among Americans, "--and the number 6 is fear of death," according to Dr. Rozakis.
Even the most experienced speaker gets anxious when speaking in public. However, this fear can be controlled so that you can put your fear to your advantage. This topic teaches us why people are nervous when speaking in front of a crowd and how you can conquer your fear.
FEAR OF THE AUDIENCE
People are afraid of rejection by their audience. Thus, many are terrified of speaking in public for fear of being criticized by the crowd for how they look or how they deliver their speech. On the contrary, audiences are very understanding about the speaker's problem with stage fright. You become more nervous when your fear of the audience increases.
Below are some strategies that can help you overcome your fear of the audience.
> Choose a topic that you like and you are familiar with. The more comfortable you are about your chosen topic, the more confident you are in facing your audience.
> Concentrate on your topic. Focus on your topic and not on yourself. When you start to think of your subject matter and not yourself, your fear of speaking will likely decrease.
> Say to yourself: "I am the BOSS." Trust in your capability of delivering your speech. Showing that you are in charge decreases your fear and increases your confidence in facing the situation.
> Don't think of your audience as a threat. Bridge the gap between your audience and yourself. Analyze carefully to establish rapport. You should consider age, gender and their level of expertise. Remember to analyze your audience.
FEAR OF FAILURE
There are two ways to win over your fear of failure.
> Picture yourself succeeding. If you think that you will stutter in front of many people, chances are you will stutter. But if you visualize yourself delivering your speech well, then, you will.
> Face your fear. You cannot overcome your fear unless you show it and admit that you are afraid of it.
FEAR THAT YOUR SPEECH IS A BAD SPEECH
> Write well. Take time to write your speech. Review it and rewrite if necessary. If you are confident with your speech, the less terrified you will be about speaking in public.
> Practice and ask for suggestions on how you can improve your speech. Ask a friend of relative to act as your audience. Once you have delivered your topic, ask for their feedback. Don't be afraid to hear about what they will say. Their feedback can give you insight on what is good or bad in your speech.
Even the most experienced speaker gets anxious when speaking in public. However, this fear can be controlled so that you can put your fear to your advantage. This topic teaches us why people are nervous when speaking in front of a crowd and how you can conquer your fear.
FEAR OF THE AUDIENCE
People are afraid of rejection by their audience. Thus, many are terrified of speaking in public for fear of being criticized by the crowd for how they look or how they deliver their speech. On the contrary, audiences are very understanding about the speaker's problem with stage fright. You become more nervous when your fear of the audience increases.
Below are some strategies that can help you overcome your fear of the audience.
> Choose a topic that you like and you are familiar with. The more comfortable you are about your chosen topic, the more confident you are in facing your audience.
> Concentrate on your topic. Focus on your topic and not on yourself. When you start to think of your subject matter and not yourself, your fear of speaking will likely decrease.
> Say to yourself: "I am the BOSS." Trust in your capability of delivering your speech. Showing that you are in charge decreases your fear and increases your confidence in facing the situation.
> Don't think of your audience as a threat. Bridge the gap between your audience and yourself. Analyze carefully to establish rapport. You should consider age, gender and their level of expertise. Remember to analyze your audience.
FEAR OF FAILURE
There are two ways to win over your fear of failure.
> Picture yourself succeeding. If you think that you will stutter in front of many people, chances are you will stutter. But if you visualize yourself delivering your speech well, then, you will.
> Face your fear. You cannot overcome your fear unless you show it and admit that you are afraid of it.
FEAR THAT YOUR SPEECH IS A BAD SPEECH
> Write well. Take time to write your speech. Review it and rewrite if necessary. If you are confident with your speech, the less terrified you will be about speaking in public.
> Practice and ask for suggestions on how you can improve your speech. Ask a friend of relative to act as your audience. Once you have delivered your topic, ask for their feedback. Don't be afraid to hear about what they will say. Their feedback can give you insight on what is good or bad in your speech.
Toastmasters is a great place to learn and practice your speaking skills. You will be surrounded by people who want to help you succeed and who are willing to share their knowledge and expertise with you while giving feedback on the things you did well and the things that could be improved.
There is probably a Toastmasters club near you. To find out, simply go to www.toastmasters.org and click on "find a club". Invest in yourself and your future.
To your speaking success
Fran Watson
A Toastmaster for 9 years
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Seven Sins continued
Deadly Sin #6: Wrath
Andrew Dlugan sixminutes.dlugan.com
Wrath, or uncontrolled anger, is committed by a speaker who handles problems in the worst possible way.
As a speaker, you should always remain in control. No matter how bad your presentation is going, keep calm. Don’t let these frustrations provoke you:
When you make a mistake (even a big one), resist the urge to draw more attention to it by cursing yourself in an attempt to draw pity.
When an audience member is disrupting the room, resist the urge to “solve” it with sarcasm.
When the room or venue logistics fail, don’t start blaming the organizers or anyone else. Instead, roll with in and move on.
When an audience member is heckling you, do not take the bait.
Getting angry — whether at yourself, someone in the audience, or some other factor — is one of the worst things you can do. Your audience will feel uncomfortable and your credibility will be diminished considerably.
Finally, the first six speaker sins are all symptoms of the deadliest speaking sin of them all…
Come back and find out more
Fran Watson
P.S. In the meantime get more info on public speaking - click here
Andrew Dlugan sixminutes.dlugan.com
Wrath, or uncontrolled anger, is committed by a speaker who handles problems in the worst possible way.
As a speaker, you should always remain in control. No matter how bad your presentation is going, keep calm. Don’t let these frustrations provoke you:
When you make a mistake (even a big one), resist the urge to draw more attention to it by cursing yourself in an attempt to draw pity.
When an audience member is disrupting the room, resist the urge to “solve” it with sarcasm.
When the room or venue logistics fail, don’t start blaming the organizers or anyone else. Instead, roll with in and move on.
When an audience member is heckling you, do not take the bait.
Getting angry — whether at yourself, someone in the audience, or some other factor — is one of the worst things you can do. Your audience will feel uncomfortable and your credibility will be diminished considerably.
Finally, the first six speaker sins are all symptoms of the deadliest speaking sin of them all…
Come back and find out more
Fran Watson
P.S. In the meantime get more info on public speaking - click here
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Are you Boring?
Have you ever been waiting your turn to speak and waited and waited and waited because the people before you, all of whom were allotted only 5 minutes have gone on and on and on.......?
Deadly Sin #5: Greed
From Andrew Dlugan sixminutes.dlugan.com
“Speaking for more than your allotted time violates the contract you have with your audience, and that’s never a good thing.”
Greed is the deadly sin of excess, and is committed by a speaker who goes over time.
Does this sound familiar?
“Oh, is that clock correct? I’m only halfway through…”
“I haven’t gotten to the good part yet…”
“Are there any objections to cutting our lunch break in half so I can finish this?”
Speaking for more than your allotted time violates the contract you have with your audience, and that’s never good. People are busy and do not appreciate having their time wasted. Nobody will complain if you finish a few minutes early.
If you go over time, negative emotions begin to fill the room, making you more susceptible to experience…
Yours to better public speaking
Fran Watson
P.S. Toastmasters can help you become a better speaker. You can learn how to estimate the time it will take for your speech and how to cut to the chase if you have too many words for your time slot. Ask me how.
P.P.S. For more information and help with public speaking, click here
Deadly Sin #5: Greed
From Andrew Dlugan sixminutes.dlugan.com
“Speaking for more than your allotted time violates the contract you have with your audience, and that’s never a good thing.”
Greed is the deadly sin of excess, and is committed by a speaker who goes over time.
Does this sound familiar?
“Oh, is that clock correct? I’m only halfway through…”
“I haven’t gotten to the good part yet…”
“Are there any objections to cutting our lunch break in half so I can finish this?”
Speaking for more than your allotted time violates the contract you have with your audience, and that’s never good. People are busy and do not appreciate having their time wasted. Nobody will complain if you finish a few minutes early.
If you go over time, negative emotions begin to fill the room, making you more susceptible to experience…
Yours to better public speaking
Fran Watson
P.S. Toastmasters can help you become a better speaker. You can learn how to estimate the time it will take for your speech and how to cut to the chase if you have too many words for your time slot. Ask me how.
P.P.S. For more information and help with public speaking, click here
Friday, October 28, 2011
Deadly Sin #3 - Lust
Tips from Andrew Dlugan - http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/
“Please don’t picture the audience naked, especially if I am in your audience.”
The lustful speaker attempts to calm their nerves by applying the common (yet terrible) advice to picture the audience naked!
Please don’t picture the audience naked, especially if I am in your audience.
In theory, picturing your audience naked makes them seem as vulnerable as you feel. It may provide a brief lighthearted moment to feed your teenaged appetite, but it won’t help you speak better.
More likely, it will cause an additional distraction and impede your efforts to connect with your audience. Consider this: how easy is it for you to communicate something meaningful to a room full of naked people? Can you inspire them? Impossible.
Nervous speakers who avoid this lustful deadly sin are, unfortunately, still prone to committing another deadly sin…
Stay tuned for the next tip
to your speaking success!!
Fran
P.S. In the meantime, help yourself to more tips - Click here
“Please don’t picture the audience naked, especially if I am in your audience.”
The lustful speaker attempts to calm their nerves by applying the common (yet terrible) advice to picture the audience naked!
Please don’t picture the audience naked, especially if I am in your audience.
In theory, picturing your audience naked makes them seem as vulnerable as you feel. It may provide a brief lighthearted moment to feed your teenaged appetite, but it won’t help you speak better.
More likely, it will cause an additional distraction and impede your efforts to connect with your audience. Consider this: how easy is it for you to communicate something meaningful to a room full of naked people? Can you inspire them? Impossible.
Nervous speakers who avoid this lustful deadly sin are, unfortunately, still prone to committing another deadly sin…
Stay tuned for the next tip
to your speaking success!!
Fran
P.S. In the meantime, help yourself to more tips - Click here
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Make Public Speaking An Enjoyable Experience
For most people, giving a presentation—whether something formal to the board or something casual to a community group—is a stressful experience. And as we all know, too much stress can contribute to health problems and impede a person’s ability to live a robust life. The American Institute of Stress reports that some surveys show 75 to 90 percent of visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related complaints. And according to the National Women’s Health Information Center, the effects of stress on women’s physical and emotional health can range from headaches to irritable bowel syndrome. Fortunately, there is a way to make public speaking less stressful and something you actually look forward to.
Making public speaking enjoyable comes down to being in control of yourself and your environment. The more control you feel you have, the less stress you’ll experience in any situation. Granted, there are always some things you can’t control, like the weather, but there are key things you do have a say on. Here are the top four for presenters.
read more
To your success in public speaking
Fran Watson, DTM
District 61 PRO
Making public speaking enjoyable comes down to being in control of yourself and your environment. The more control you feel you have, the less stress you’ll experience in any situation. Granted, there are always some things you can’t control, like the weather, but there are key things you do have a say on. Here are the top four for presenters.
read more
To your success in public speaking
Fran Watson, DTM
District 61 PRO
Monday, July 4, 2011
Speak and Deliver....
I found a blog you might be interested in checking out. http://speakanddeliver.blogspot.com/
Rich Hopkins is a fellow Toastmaster....
In case you aren't familiar with Toastmasters, you should check it out www.toastmasters.org
Build your vocabulary to improve your public speaking.
Form the Book-Note Habit: To possess a word involves three things: To know its special and broader meanings, to know its relation to other words, and to be able to use it. When you see or hear a familiar word used in an unfamiliar sense, jot it down, look it up, and master it.
Use a new word accurately five times and it is yours. Professor Albert E. Hancock says: "An author's vocabulary is of two kinds, latent and dynamic: latent—those words he understands; dynamic—those he can readily use. Every intelligent man knows all the words he needs, but he may not have them all ready for active service. "
Form the Reference-Book Habit: Do not be content with your general knowledge of a word—press your study until you have mastered its individual shades of meaning and usage. Mere fluency is sure to become despicable, but accuracy never. The dictionary contains the crystallized usage of intellectual giants. No one who would write effectively dare despise its definitions and discriminations. Think, for example, of the different meanings of mantle, or model, or quantity. Any late edition of an unabridged dictionary is good, and is worth making sacrifices to own.
The same brilliant Frenchman sent this sound advice to his pupil, Guy de Maupassant: "Whatever may be the thing which one wishes to say, there is but one word for expressing it, only one verb to animate it, only one adjective to qualify it. It is essential to search for this word, for this verb, for this adjective, until they are discovered, and to be satisfied with nothing else."
To improving your vocabulary and your speaking ability.
Fran
P.S. Check out this page
Rich Hopkins is a fellow Toastmaster....
In case you aren't familiar with Toastmasters, you should check it out www.toastmasters.org
Build your vocabulary to improve your public speaking.
Form the Book-Note Habit: To possess a word involves three things: To know its special and broader meanings, to know its relation to other words, and to be able to use it. When you see or hear a familiar word used in an unfamiliar sense, jot it down, look it up, and master it.
Use a new word accurately five times and it is yours. Professor Albert E. Hancock says: "An author's vocabulary is of two kinds, latent and dynamic: latent—those words he understands; dynamic—those he can readily use. Every intelligent man knows all the words he needs, but he may not have them all ready for active service. "
Form the Reference-Book Habit: Do not be content with your general knowledge of a word—press your study until you have mastered its individual shades of meaning and usage. Mere fluency is sure to become despicable, but accuracy never. The dictionary contains the crystallized usage of intellectual giants. No one who would write effectively dare despise its definitions and discriminations. Think, for example, of the different meanings of mantle, or model, or quantity. Any late edition of an unabridged dictionary is good, and is worth making sacrifices to own.
Word derivations are rich in suggestiveness. Our English owes so much to foreign tongues and has changed so much with the centuries that whole addresses may grow out of a single root-idea hidden away in an ancient word-origin. Translation, also, is excellent exercise in word-mastery and consorts well with the study of derivations.
Search Faithfully for the Right Word: Books of reference are tripled in value when their owner has a passion for getting the kernels out of their shells. Ten minutes a day will do wonders for the nut-cracker. "I am growing so peevish about my writing," says Flaubert. "I am like a man whose ear is true, but who plays falsely on the violin: his fingers refuse to reproduce precisely those sounds of which he has the inward sense. Then the tears come rolling down from the poor scraper's eyes and the bow falls from his hand."
The same brilliant Frenchman sent this sound advice to his pupil, Guy de Maupassant: "Whatever may be the thing which one wishes to say, there is but one word for expressing it, only one verb to animate it, only one adjective to qualify it. It is essential to search for this word, for this verb, for this adjective, until they are discovered, and to be satisfied with nothing else."
To improving your vocabulary and your speaking ability.
Fran
P.S. Check out this page
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Public Speaking For Building Your Business
Are you using YouTube to market your business?
This is my daughter Leigh Watson from w-esthetics. This is a promotional video she shot with a web cam for her business.
You can do the same. I recently was directed to someone who has prepared a video series which inspired me and it may inspire you too to create your very own video for your company. I have included a link to her site below. I encourage you to check it out. Social media is growing faster and faster and you need to grow with it.
You don't have to be a public speaker to create your video. You just have to be willing to put yourself on the line to talk about your business. Isn't it worth it?
Fran
P.S. Here is the link to the Video Conversion Formula videos. http://www.videoconversionformula.com/
This is my daughter Leigh Watson from w-esthetics. This is a promotional video she shot with a web cam for her business.
You can do the same. I recently was directed to someone who has prepared a video series which inspired me and it may inspire you too to create your very own video for your company. I have included a link to her site below. I encourage you to check it out. Social media is growing faster and faster and you need to grow with it.
You don't have to be a public speaker to create your video. You just have to be willing to put yourself on the line to talk about your business. Isn't it worth it?
Fran
P.S. Here is the link to the Video Conversion Formula videos. http://www.videoconversionformula.com/
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