Presentations

To quote Mark Twain: “If you want me to give you a two-hour presentation, I am ready today. If you want only a five-minute speech, it will take me two weeks to prepare.”

The communicator's job is to make the important, interesting. John Howze

Remember that accomplished speakers set themselves up to deliver high-value information, not to convey detailed, pedestrian material that is best read in written format.

The shorter a presentation, the better it needs to be organized. Use the time-tested “power of three” – introduction, body and conclusion – to structure your talk. Schedule three minutes for the introduction, 12 for the body (with four minutes for each of your three core points), and three for the conclusion.

However long you’re scheduled to speak, you simply cannot go over your allotted time. 

Many attempts to communicate are nullified by saying too much. Robert Greenleaf

You can be a brilliant orator, but the moment you roll past your limit, your credibility begins to suffer. Today’s audiences, with busy work lives, have less tolerance for speakers who lack the discipline and manners to stop at the appointed time. 

Rehearse your talk often enough so that if your presentation time is reduced for whatever reason (perhaps a technical malfunction at the venue), you can still deliver your material with confidence and clarity. It’s not about how long you speak. It’s about how well you connect

Jim Gray
Jim Gray is a speaker and communication skills coach in Toronto author of How Leaders Speak: Essential Rules for Engaging and Inspiring Others. Website: jimgray.ca.

Press on: nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. Calvin Coolidge (1872 - 1933)

To your speaking success!!

Fran Watson

Assertive Communication

Communication is fundamental in our lives. We communicate our thoughts and our feelings to family, friends, co-workers and strangers every day. Effective communication allows us to build healthy relationships in our private lives and healthy partnerships in our business lives. Ineffective interaction leads to frustration, dysfunctional personal relationships, stagnant organizations, and even war between countries.

 

Assertive communication requires the effective use of all aspects of communication from body language and symbols to persuasion and listening.  Assertiveness is being able to state your viewpoint without provoking another person.

Think about assertive communication as a two-way flow, an exchange of information.  It is open, honest, direct, shows mutual respect, values the thoughts, ideas, opinions and feelings of the other person(s) and strives for a winning outcome for everyone involved.

When you communicate assertively, you are expressing both positive and negative feelings – honestly and directly.  You are acknowledging that you have the right to be listened to and taken seriously, to say no without feeling guilty, to ask for what you want, and to make mistakes.  You also recognize and acknowledge that the other person has identical rights.  The result is that your relationships will become much more genuine, because you are communicating honestly and openly. 

What holds many people back from communicating assertively is the fear of displeasing others and of not being liked.  By not speaking up for yourself, you may avoid some immediate unpleasantness, however, you could also jeopardize the relationship in the long run if you refuse to assert yourself and then feel taken advantage of over and over again.  When this happens you become frustrated and unhappy with yourself, which reinforces a poor self-image and makes it difficult to command respect from others.

Awareness of yourself is a key part of learning to be assertive.  You can start by asking yourself questions such as:  “What do I want to change?” and “How do I tell the other person without blaming or attacking him or her?”

Assertive communication uses a special technique known as “I-message”s to say how it is for you. When you use an “I-message”, you state what you need clearly, directly and specifically.  You let others know what you feel and think while being polite and firm. 

For example, “I would like to discuss the options in detail” instead of “Maybe there should be some discussion about the options.” Or “I understand the Tuesday deadline is really important.  However, as a result of the computer problems we’ve had today, I won’t have it completed on schedule unless I have some help.  Which other staff would be able to work on it with me?”  It is helpful if you can plan what you want to say before you say it.  That way, you can avoid saying something you might regret later.

Tips for Positive Communication

The key to communicating assertively is to express yourself clearly, without blaming or judging the other person.  One of the ways to learn how to do this is to sign up with a local Toastmasters Club. As a club member you will learn how to make your messages clear, complete and specific.  You will learn how to plan what you want to say before you say it.  You will learn how to ask the questions that will gain you the answers you need to make effective decisions.  You will learn how to listen so that you can become genuinely interested in discussions and give listeners or speakers your full attention without interrupting them.  You will learn how to give effective evaluations to demonstrate your comprehension of what has been said. 

You will learn how to give feedback, by being tactful, firm, and sensitive.  You will learn to focus on the behaviour or the specific task rather than on the person. You will point out what worked well, suggest alternatives, and give any additional feedback in private.

You will learn to invite feedback about your own work and regard it as an opportunity to improve the quality of your work and not as a personal attack.  You will learn to believe in yourself and value what you have to say.  Your insights could benefit others.

 Respect yourself, communicate assertively with those around you, and they will respect you too!

 

To your communication success

 

Fran Watson

 

P.S. For more information click here

 

Face Your Fears

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." -, Nike ad

 

Do you "feel the fear" when asked to do some Public Speaking?

 

Public Speaking is still one of our greatest fears and it turns grown men and women into nervous wrecks. The mere thought of it turns our tongue to cotton wool, causes our internal plumbing to act up and turns our knees to jelly.

 

Well, there's no need for all of this because help is at hand. All you need to remember are your P's and Q's.

 

Let's start with the P's

 

Preparation -

When you sit down to write what you're going to say, bear in mind who you'll be speaking to. Will they understand what you're talking about; will they understand the technical stuff and the jargon? If in doubt remember the old saying - "Keep It Simple Stupid".  

 

Make sure that what you say has a beginning, middle and a conclusion. Think of some anecdotes that help reinforce your story. People think visually so paint verbal pictures for your audience. And always remember, people want to know what's in it for them - so make sure you tell them!

 

Place -

Have a look at the venue before the event if you can. It's not always possible, however, even if you get there half an hour before, you can check out where you'll be speaking.  Stand at the point where you will deliver from, imagine where the audience will be and check that they can see and hear you. You may even wish to place a glass of water where you'll be able to find it.

 

Personal Preparation -

Before any Public Speaking event, think about what you are going to wear; when in doubt dress up rather than down. You can always take things off for a more casual look. Men could remove their jacket and their tie. Women could remove items of jewellery.

 

Part of your personal preparation should include some mouth and breathing exercises. Practise saying some tongue twisters to give your speaking muscles a good work out. Take a deep breath and expand your diaphragm. Then breathe out, counting at the same time; try and get up to fifty and not pass out.

 

As part of your personal preparation, write your own introduction. Write out exactly what you want someone to say about you, large font, double-spaced and ask the person introducing you to read it. Believe me they won't object and will probably be pleased and impressed.

 

Poise and Posture -

Whenever you're called to speak, stand up or walk to the front quickly and purposefully. Pull yourself up to your full height, stand tall and look like you own the place. Before you start to speak, pause, look round your audience and smile. You may even have to wait until the applause dies down.  Remember, you want the audience to like you, so look likeable.

 

Pretend -

I'm suggesting you pretend you're not nervous because no doubt you will be. Nervousness is vital for speaking in public, it boosts your adrenaline, which makes your mind sharper and gives you energy.  The trick is to keep your nerves to yourself. On no account tell your audience your nervous; you'll only scare the living daylights out of them if they think you're going to faint.

 

Some tricks for dealing with nerves are: Before you're called to speak, get lots of oxygen into your system, run on the spot and wave your arms about like a lunatic. It burns off the stress chemicals.  Speak to members of your audience as they come in or at some time before you stand up. That tricks your brain into thinking you're talking to some friends.

 

Have a glass of water handy for that dry mouth. One word of warning - do not drink alcohol. It might give you "Dutch courage" but your audience will end up thinking you're speaking Dutch.

 

The Presentation -

Right from the start your delivery needs to grab their attention. Don't start by saying - "Good morning, my name is Fred Smith and I'm from Smith Associates." Even if your name is Smith, it's a real boring way to start a presentation.  Far better to start with some interesting facts or an anecdote that's relevant to your presentation. 

 

Look at the audience as individuals; it grabs their attention if they think you're talking to them personally and talk louder than you would normally do, it keeps the people in the front row awake and makes sure those at the back get the message. Funnily enough, it's also good for your nerves.

 

PowerPoint -

And for those of you who haven't heard of it, it's a software programme that's used to design stunning graphics and text for projection onto a screen. As a professional speaker, I'm not that struck on PowerPoint. I feel that too many speakers rely on it and it takes over the presentation.  After all, you're the important factor here. If an audience is going to accept what you say then they need to see the whites of your eyes. There needs to be a big focus on you, not on the technology.

 

Use PowerPoint if you want but keep it to a minimum and make sure you're not just the person pushing the buttons.  Why not get a bit clever at using the faithful old Flip Chart, lots of professionals do.

 

Passion -

This is what stops the audience in their tracks. This is what makes them want to employ you or to accept what you're proposing. Couple this with some energy, enthusiasm and emotion and you have the makings of a great public speaker.

 

Give your presentation a bit of oomph and don't start telling me - "I'm not that kind of person." There's no need to go over the top but you're doing a presentation to move people to action, not having a cosy little chat in your front room.

 

That's the P's finished, so let's look at the Q's.

 

Questions -

Decide when you're going to take them and tell people at the start. In a short speech it's best to take questions at the end. If you take them as you go then you may get waylaid and your timing will get knocked out.

 

Never - never - never finish with questions; far better to ask for questions five or ten minutes before the end. Deal with the questions and then summarise for a strong finish. Too many presentations finish on questions and the whole thing goes a bit flat.

 

When you're asked a question, repeat it to the whole audience and thank the questioner. It keeps everyone involved, it gives you time to think and it makes you look so clever and in control.

 

Quit -
Quit when you're ahead. Stick to the agreed time; if you're asked to speak for twenty minutes, speak for nineteen and the audience will love you for it. Remember, quality is not quantity. One of the most famous speeches ever - "The Gettysburg Address", by President Lincoln, was just over two minutes long.

 

Right, that's my cue to quit when I'm ahead. Now that you're armed with this information you too can minimise your fear of Public Speaking.

 

To your public speaking success

 

Fran Watson

P.S.  For more tips on public speaking, Click here



Giving A Toast

Whether giving a toast at a wedding or delivering a speech to a large assembly, most people make a big deal about public speaking and try to avoid it as much as possible. But public speaking should not cause such a big fuss. Challenging as it may be, public speaking can be done with a few simple guidelines.

Throughout the history of human civilization, people have been expressing their confidence and strength, not only by force, but also by the noble art of public speaking. The orators of ancient Greece were highly respected and valued in the community. Likewise, today’s world leaders are admired and esteemed when they have the power to address the public with poise and conviction.

Like any other endeavor, public speaking requires careful preparation to be successful.

First, one should know what the occasion the speech is for. The Gettysburg address would definitely not be appropriate for a wedding; thus, a speech has to fit the event it will be delivered to.

Second, you should think about the audience who will be listening to the speech. An assembly of academics may not take a perky speaker seriously; you should choose a suitable public speaking style based on the audience.

Third, think about the content of the speech. A farmer’s association would usually not be interested on a speech about the intricacies of beadwork. 

When writing  your speech, you need to pay attention to how you organize the contents of the speech.

Begin with a very strong introduction to catch the audience’s attention early to prevent them from being bored easily. Next, the body should be purposeful and the contents of the speech should relate well and support each other. Lastly, one should make a conclusion that sticks to the mind. No matter how stirring a speech is, it is useless if the people forget it the instant they leave the gathering. Conclusions should give a concise but memorable recap of the body.

Public speaking is challenging, but can be a very worthwhile skill

 

To your speaking success

 

Fran Watson

 

P.S.  Check out my book Mastering Public Speaking - click here

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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

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 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