Something to Talk About

Have you ever been discouraged thinking about how to come up with a topic for your next speech?  well, I have a unique way to approach that.  Pile books on top of your bookcase.  That's right, just pile them, as you get new books put them up there too.  When the time is right, then the books will fall off your shelf and into your lap as you are sitting on the couch.  Well, at least that's what happened to me.

I had been perusing my speech manuals, considering what speeches I would like to do next when the avalanche started.  24 in all.  I took this as a sign, so I began to look at the titles: 

"Inner Peace for Busy Women" (who me, busy?),

May You Always Have An Angel By Your Side ( a good idea),

How to Be Like Women of Influence, (some great examples here)

Character Matters, (yes it does)

The Secret of Letting Go (yes this would be good too),

Confidence Booster, Rising Higher,

The Best Thing in Life is a Friend (indeed),

Creeds of Life Love and Inspiration,

 A Philosopher's Notes,

The Tools (5 tools to help you find courage, creativity and willpower and inspire you to live life in forward motion )(a new acquisition),

also Tai Chi, Self-Renewal,

The Power of You,

Dr. Seuss "Oh The Places You Will Go", and a few more including this book:  You Have To Read This Book.  by Jack Canfield of Chicken Soup and Gay Hendricks, and more. 

 

There you have it, enough titles to fill a manual or two.  I have already done speeches on "Oh The Places You Will Go and "You Have To Read This Book", and I have another speech I will be giving tonight.

 

If you are stuck and need more help, I have a list of over 800 speech topics.  Just leave me a comment and I will send you the link.

 

To your speaking Success.

 

Fran Watson

How Do I FInd A Topic To Speak on?

Although this seems difficult at times, there are many things we can speak about, we simply need to be open to "listening" to the world around us for topics.

For instance, one night last month I was sitting on my couch, relaxing and watching some TV when a number of books fell off my bookshelf and onto my head (now I must confess that my bookshelves are piled almost as high on top as the bookshelf is high.  I love books.  Real ones you can hold in your hand, and also Kindle ones.).  I thought that perhaps there was a message in this and began to look at the titles of the books.  What I discovered was that there were several speech topics in these titles.

I was working on an Advanced Manual for my Toastmasters club and one of the topics was "Reading Out Loud" from the Specialty Speeches Manual.  The theme for the week was Perseverance and it seemed like Dr. Seuss's book - "Oh The Places You'll Go" was a perfect complement to the theme as he directed us through good times and bad times in his book.

Another book that fell was "You Have To Read This Book".  And I did.  And I discovered that many of us have been influenced by a particular book and not always the same ones.  And I discovered a speech topic  or two from this - "Read A Book" and "The Importance of Reading".

I have also written a speech about a Cup and Saucer  based on a workshop given at a Toastmasters Conference.  I have written about my collection of angels, Santas, eggs, etc.

You can give a speech about something that has happened in your life or in the life of those around you.  Just put your thinking cap on.

If you need more help, I have a list of over 800 speech topics that I would be happy to send to you.

Fran Watson

Public Speaking Tips

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions.  Small people do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can somehow become great.  - Mark Twain




I found this recently in my collection of quotes and other interesting things.  It was written by Christian D. Larson.

Promise Yourself:

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words but in great deeds.

To live in faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

As Jim Rohn said - "Look at each day as a chance to invest life into life.  A chance to share your experience and deposit it into someone else's conscience.  Each day is a chance to work miracles in the lives of others."

Ideas for speech topics are everywhere.  Look around you and let your eyes rest on a number of different things.  For each thing come up with two or three ways they can be used or how they impact your life.  For instance, your kitchen table - what do you do at it besides eat?  Is it a place for gathering family and friens to engage in conversation, games, puzzles, etc?  What about your couch?  A place to nap, watch tv, take the cushions off to build forts?  You get the picture.  Get creative and get speaking.

To your speaking success

Fran Watson
P.S.  For more speaking tips, click here

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

Body Language

Body language is very important when delivering a speech.


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

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

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

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

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

The answer is to maintain eye contact.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To your speaking success

Fran

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

Timing Is Everything, Particularly in Public Speaking

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 keeping your audience from drowsing off. Couple this with humor and you are definitely on a roll.

Timing is crucial during reactions that are spontaneous especially laughter. You don't want to step on the laughter and need to time your pause so that you don't begin speaking again too soon, as your voice and whatever it is that you are saying will most probably be drowned out by the noise of the audience.

Laughter is extremely difficult to get and so very easy to discourage. If you continuously keep on talking, the audience will laugh less so they don't miss your next line. Think about a funny play you may have been too. If the actors didn't pause long enough for the audience's reaction, the audience laughs less and less as they go on. Try as much as possible to maintain eye contact with the audience for a little longer when you are about to 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 get to be a little longer and not as quick as if the audience is small. 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 everything 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 in order for you to separate your thoughts. These pauses last from half a second to two seconds. 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. Pause just before any word or thought you want the audience to focus on, they will most definitely get that.

To your successful communication

Fran

P.S. Get a copy of over 800 speech topics and more tips on public speaking here

Get Their Attention With Your Speech Topic

First, if you are looking for a persuasive speech topic, you must know that the more controversial the speech topics, are the more response you will get from your audiences.


The topic sentence has to be short, declarative sentence that states the central idea of your speech. Your persuasion speech topics should zero in on one main idea rather than focusing on entirely different areas.

If you are looking for science related speech topics, there's plenty of those in the science forums. It is relatively easy to join forums. A visual presentation is sure to bring your informative speech topics to a whole new level of interest.

Choosing a persuasive speech topic for your presentation is not an easy task. Introduce the topic with a statement of fact and support that statement with the main points of your speech. Write a purpose statement by stating the goal and topic for a speech and specifying the method to be used in developing the speech. This means you will have to research your topic and work your sources into your speech and outline.

The more controversial your persuasive speech topic, the harder challenge your creating for yourself, and the more you'll learn. Interest the listeners in the topic, purpose, and issues of the speech. Developing a topic and identifying the purpose of a speech will aid in the organization and direction of the overall performance. You will get enthusiastic applause...perhaps even a standing ovation, every time you speak if you develop informative speech topics which are slightly controversial in nature!

If you should emphasize both the positive and negative characteristics of your topic in order to provide a well-balanced speech, you will definitely make your speech more interesting! So, the idea here is to first pick a topic and then list down the positive and negative characteristics of your topic. It will stimulate your mind in more ways than you can imagine, and could easily spawn dozens of speech topic ideas.
 
Happy speaking!
 
Fran
 
P.S.  For a list of more than 800 speech topics and to sign up for my public speaking newsletter, click here: http://www.franwatson.ca/publicspeaker.html