Practice Makes Perfect in Public Speaking and Presentations

Why is it that some speakers captivate our attention and move us to action, while others put us to sleep?  And how can you learn to be one of the good ones?

Contrary to popular opinion, great speakers are not born—they are made.  You don’t have to be extremely extroverted or a student of theater arts in order to get up on a stage in front of dozens or even hundreds of people and knock ‘em dead with your presentation.  All you need is for someone to let you in on the secrets to making a persuasive speech. 

What we found is that dynamic presenters follow a repeatable formula whenever they get up to deliver a winning speech.  They know that there are certain essential elements they’ve got to include if they want to captivate their audience. 

A persuasive speaker is someone who is able to clear away all the chatter and say to the audience, directly and convincingly, “This—what I am "selling" you—is all that you need.  You can forget about those other products.  You can forget about those useless services.  This is it.”

This is true no matter what kinds of speeches you deliver.  Even if you are not a “salesperson” in the literal definition of that word, when you are up on stage in front of an audience, your mission is selling your message.  Whether or not the audience buys that message depends upon how persuasive you are.

Good speakers seem to ooze confidence.  Again, this isn’t because they are naturally confident and brazen people.  It’s because they’ve gained confidence through learning the essentials of persuasive speaking.  They’ve grown sure of themselves over time because of the amazing reactions they get when they follow the very same rules that are outlined in this report.

You, too, can have that wonderful, confident feeling each and every time you take the microphone, as long as you know how to get the audience to move with you—

To your speaking success.

Fran Watson  

P.S.  If you need help to develop your skills, check out a local Toastmasters Club.  There you can practice your talks in front of a supportive audience to build your confidence.

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

Fran Watson

P.S.  For some free public speaking tips, Click here 

Leadership

How to Become an Ideal Leader

When you are at work, do you get frustrated because things don't seem to be happening the way they’re supposed to? Do you see people milling around but nothing gets accomplished? And in the daily hustle and bustle, do you feel that your goals remain just that – goals? Then maybe its time for you to stand up and do something about it.

Most people are content just to stand around listening for orders. And it isn't unusual to adopt a follow-the-leader mentality. But maybe, somewhere inside of you, you feel the desire to make things happen – to be the head, not the tail. If that is the case, then maybe leadership just suits you fine.

Some people believe that great leaders are made, not born. Yes, it may be true that some people are born with natural talents. However, without practice, without drive, without enthusiasm, and without experience, there can be no true development in leadership. Good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their natural skills. This takes a commitment to constantly improve in whatever endeavor a person chooses.

What is leadership? To be a leader, one must be able to influence others to accomplish a goal, or an objective. A leader contributes to the organization and cohesion of a group.

Contrary to what most people believe, leadership is not about power. It is not about harassing people or driving them using fear. It is about encouraging others towards the goal of the organization. It is putting everyone on the same page and helping them see the big picture of the organization. You must be a leader not a boss.

To get started first of all, you have to get people to follow you. How is this accomplished?

People follow others when they see a clear sense of purpose. People will only follow you if they see that you know where you are going. Remember that bumper sticker? The one that says, don't follow me, I'm lost too? The same holds true for leadership. If you yourself do not know where you're headed to, chances are people will not follow you at all.

You must know the vision of the organization. Having a clear sense of hierarchy, knowing who the bosses are, who to talk to, the organization's goals and objectives, and how the organization works is the only way to show others you know what you are doing.

Being a leader is not about what you make others do. It's about who you are, what you know, and what you do. You are a reflection of what your subordinates must be.

Studies have shown that one other basis of good leadership is the trust and confidence your subordinates have in you. If they trust you they will go through hell and high water for you and for the organization. Trust and confidence are built on good relationships, trustworthiness, and high ethics.

The way you deal with your people, and the relationships you build will lay the foundation for the strength of your group. The stronger your relationship, the stronger their trust and confidence is in your capabilities.

Once you have their trust and confidence, you may proceed to communicate the goals and objectives you are to undertake.

Communication is a very important key to good leadership. Without this you can not be a good leader. The knowledge and technical expertise you have must be clearly imparted to other people.

Also, you can not be a good leader and unless you have good judgment. You must be able to assess situations, weigh the pros and cons of any decision, and actively seek out a solution.

It is this judgment that your subordinates will come to rely upon. Therefore, good decision-making is vital to the success of your organization.

Leaders are not do-it-all heroes. You should not claim to know everything, and you should not rely upon your skills alone. You should recognize and take advantage of the skills and talents your subordinates have. Only when you come to this realization will you be able to work as one cohesive unit.

Remember being a leader takes a good deal of work and time. It is not learned overnight. Remember, also, that it is not about just you. It is about you and the people around you.

So, do you have the drive and the desire to serve required of leaders? Do you have the desire to work cooperatively with other people? Then start now. Take your stand and be leader today.

To your leadership success

Fran

P.S. Did you know that Toastmasters has contributed significantly to the success of many of our leaders? Find out more here

P.P.S. For tips on Public Speaking click here

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

Where Do We Find Stories for our Speeches?

WHERE DO WE FIND STORIES?

by J.A. Gamache
Third place Champion at the 2001 Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking

There are many tools you can use to illustrate a speech. You could show an image, quote a statistic or even develop an analogy. However, telling a story is my favourite technique for getting a message across to an audience. A story can have different forms. Here are a few:

- A lesson you learned from observing your child;
- An adventure read in a book and why it was important to you;
- A fairy tale and its application to your everyday life;
- An anecdote from a biography and how it helped you;
- A newspaper article and the action you took after reading it;
- A movie scene and the link you make with your own life;
- A television show and the reaction of a family member;
- A question and answer period at a press conference and what you thought of it;
- A childhood memory and the way it influences you today;
- A fable and the context in which that story was told to you;
- A historical fact and the effect it had on the life of one of your family members;
- Your pet's reaction to something and the way it reminds you of your own behaviour;
- A personal anecdote or one about an acquaintance that made you see life differently;
- The way your parents or ancestors lived and why you do or don't want to follow their example;
- A humorous adventure that you make up to illustrate an actual situation;
- The psychological traits you or someone you know may have in common with a cartoon character;
- A joke with a basis of truth;
- A telephone call that brought changes to your life;
- A good or bad surprise and its consequences.

Have you noticed that each type of story I just mentioned has a link to you? In order for a story to be efficient, it's always better to establish a direct link between the story and the message YOU want to put across. Otherwise, the audience might not understand why you're using the story.

This list is incomplete because stories can be found everywhere. I hope that it gives you an incentive to find
stories where you might not have thought to look before.

Happy speech!

©MMIX J.A. Gamache www.jagamache.com. All rights reserved.
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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/.
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J.A. Gamache is Toastmasters District 61 (http://www.tm61.org/) representative to the 2011 World Championship of Public Speaking.  Check back next week to see how he did, or go to http://www.toastmasters.org/ on Monday to see all the final results.

Hope you found these tips helpful on your journey to become a better communicator.

Fran Watson
District 61 PRO (Public Relations Officer)