Art Of Great Speaking

Storytellers and all public speakers need to use good storytelling techniques. There are seven key techniques that all effective public speakers need to employ.

How will being aware of and using good storytelling techniques improve the way I communicate with others?

Being comfortable and confident as a public speaker is only one part of the equation. The bigger part of the equation is to be competent at the task. What techniques should you utilize as you perform? Are there certain techniques you can successfully use as a performer for children and other techniques that make you equally successful as a performer for teens or adults? How do you know?

As a teacher, I often utilized Donna M. Ogle’s teaching process that she called the K-W-L Model. The K-W-L Model bases all lessons on 3 key questions. The two questions you address at the beginning of the lesson are based on the K and the W. The K stands for “What do you KNOW about a given topic? The W stands for “What do you WANT TO KNOW about that topic?” After completing the lesson, you bring closure by asking the L question. The L stands for “What have you LEARNED about that topic?”

This particular article series is about building an increasing level of comfort, confidence, and competence as you prepare to tell a story or to give an oral presentation of any type. For the K of the K-W-L MODEL, what do you already KNOW about performing a story or giving a speech or a report in front of others? What experiences have you had? Think back to things you have heard such as imagining your audience in their underwear or pajamas so they will appear less intimidating. Think back to your favorite elementary school teacher or a parent reading to you. What techniques did he or she employ that made their presentation captivating? Using reverse reasoning, think back to public speakers you felt were not very good. What techniques did they employ such as rocking on their feet, picking at their clothes, stuttering, or using odd word choices that made you feel they were not what you would call effective public speakers? If you think about this question for a while, you will realize that you already know quite a bit about what it takes to successfully perform a story or to give a speech or report in front of others.

For the W of the K-W-L MODEL, what do you WANT TO KNOW about performing a story or giving a speech or a report in front of others? Where do you fall on the continuum of being entirely comfortable, confident, and competent performing in front of others to being one of those who would probably rather eat nails than be a public speaker? What do you WANT TO KNOW about public speaking that would help you sound and feel successful giving an oral presentation of any type?

Naturally, we will not address the L of the K-W-L Model; in other words, what you have learned, until the end of this entire series of articles.

To begin, storytellers and all public speakers need to use good storytelling techniques. There are seven key techniques that all effective public speakers need to employ:

1. Good Eye-Contact
2. No Distracting Motions
3. Good Enthusiasm & Expression
4. Good Preparation
5. Good Use of Voice & Good Volume
6. Appropriate Talking Speed
7. Good Use of Body & Hand Gestures

In the next seven articles, I will address each of those techniques in great detail. Stay tuned.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Debbie_Dunn

A poor sales presentations is a lot like being served potatoes without ever being offered the meat. If you can’t present professionally, clearly, and concisely while using visual aids, you will probably starve.

Imagine this unlikely scenario for a moment: You decide you want to take a trip to a beautiful island anywhere in the world. You don’t care…”just get me out of here,” you say to yourself. So you visit a travel agent who begins to tell you about three places with very beautiful beaches. She describes each in detail but by the time she has gotten to the third beach, all you can hear is blah, blah blah. Not once does she show you a picture or take out a brochure. You decide on none of them and instead, go to Disneyland. Hey, at least you know what THAT looks like. You’ve seen the pictures on television.

It’s exactly the same thing when you sell a product or service. If your potential buyer cannot “see” with their eyes exactly what you are talking about, they will likely NEVER buy from you. Besides, people remember little of what you say (I know, shocking!) but they do remember what they see.

To present clearly, you must understand exactly who your audience is and not waste their time. Let’s say that you sell swimming pools for a living and you take your computer to show your prospects what kind of pools your company has to offer. If you visit home A and it’s a mansion, having a bunch of low end pools mixed into higher end products during your presentation is a huge mistake. It’s likely a complete waste of time as you flip past products you know they will have zero interest in purchasing.

By the same token, showing higher end pools to a client that has already told you what their thier budget is will also be an absolute waste of time; especially in this economy. Plus, it will likely make them feel bad as just a few years ago they probably felt as if they could afford the higher priced pool. There will always be other things to up-sell them. Be prepared. Understand your audience.

PowerPoint

Depending on what you sell, using PowerPoint presentations will likely be an integral component to your presentation. Have you ever given a presentation where you had 40 slides and 35 of those caused your audience to drift into a daydream? Your PowerPoint must be short, relevant and inspire the message that you intend to deliver. Too few slides can also hurt unless you are showing them key points that you want them to remember.

Today adding video links into your presentation adds a great level of sophistication. Video tape 5 customers that you have sold to, describing their happy customer experience and watch how intently your potential buyer sits forward hanging on every detail.

Product Demonstrations

The most fun you will ever have selling is when you have an actual product to demonstrate. The key to product demonstrations is to engage your potential buyer from start to finish. Ask a lot of questions: “Doesn’t that seem easier than what you are currently using?” “Do you see how this could save you money?”

Remember, listen carefully to their comments and answers to your questions. More importantly, watch for changes in facial expressions and body language when they speak. Make a note of it and remember to find a way to readdress it again at some point. Your potential buyers tell you much more about what they are thinking with their body than they will do with their words.