Archive for January, 2010

Public Speaking – Basic Tips

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
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Have you ever wondered if what you know about public speaking is accurate? Consider the following paragraphs and compare what you know to the latest info on public speaking.

The content of the speech should match the information needed by the audience. Preparing the material carefully and specifically can ensure success on your public speaking endeavor. It will be helpful to tape record one’s own speech and then listen to it carefully. Do this in front of the mirror. This would tell you which are the strong points and which are the weaknesses of your speech.

Below are the most important things to take note of when invited to do a public speech:

· Doing a speech is like performing as an actor on stage. The attire should be appropriate to the occasion. If the topic is serious, then be serious. The image should reflect the topic being presented. However, it does not mean that he has to look boring at all. Despite the seriousness of the topic, project yourself as an enthusiastic, lively, and confident speaker.

· It is often said that the eyes are the windows to a person’s soul. Do eye contact when giving the speech presentation. Never ever stick to only one person in the room. Look at the people as if they’ve been long time friends and acquaintance. · The opener must be really catchy. This will get the audience’s attention. These people have a lot of things going on in their minds prior to hearing the speech presentation and a good eye opener of the speaker’s words would definitely get their minds into participating during the talk. An icebreaker will help; write the topic on a board and ask the audience what things they would want to hear about the topic. Lastly, never miss a good joke.

· Make a pause. This will let the speaker and the listeners to reflect and absorb everything that has been said. Never look like someone who is already out of air.

You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about public speaking. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.

· Enhance presentations by using audio-visual materials. There should be plan A and B, so that if ever one plan does not work, there is an alternative that can be used.

· Keeping track of the time is important so as not to bore the audience. Never go beyond the time allotted since there could be other speakers and listeners could also have other appointments.

· Provide a main point of what has been discussed at the end.

· Open the floor for questions and never fear not being able to answer each. Remember, prior to making that speech, necessary research should have been made.

· Enjoy the whole experience. The audience can feel any discomfort that the speaker is feeling at the moment. Do not make pretensions, just relax as long as the topic is well researched and clear. The image projected is often remembered more than the topic discussed anyway.

Of course, it’s impossible to put everything about public speaking into just one article. But you can’t deny that you’ve just added to your understanding about public speaking, and that’s time well spent.

 

About the Author: Hans Hasselfors is the founder of http://www.SubmitYourNewArticle.com. You may find varied public speaking articles in our article directory.

Body Language is Effective in Public Speaking

Monday, January 25th, 2010
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ublic speaking is a very important skill that kids need to learn when in school. You need to have self-confidence to be an effective public speaker. Enhancing your public speaking skills is never a difficult task.

Treat your listeners as your friends and you will not feel any anxiety and pressure when doing your presentation. However, there are instances where you may encounter hostile audiences. If your audience participates and listens attentively, they would expect you to have a good result in the presentation.

You may encounter different kinds of people. You may find people that are helping you to build confidence in public speaking. You may think of ways to interact with them. You can also make some activities to involve them in any discussion. Always remember that even if they are not participating, you can always have a two-way communication one way or another.

You have to give your attention to those people who are actively involving themselves in your presentation. You can easily distinguish those people who are listening and interested. You may look at their facial expressions and body movements such as if they are nodding their heads. This means that they may agree with what you are saying.

There are also those audiences that frown and show their disagreements to what you are saying. If there are instances like this, you should be satisfied with the reactions you have created. This means that they are listening to you.

You have to point out the subjects and issues in your presentations. Keep them awake during the course of your speech. There may be times that you are a lousy speaker. Listeners will tend to sleep and be lousy as well. That is one thing that you do not want to experience in your public speaking.

You may ask rhetorical questions to keep them away from going to sleep. You have to include them by directly calling the name of the person when you are about to ask a question. If the situation is still at a lousy pace, you should change your strategy on the way you deliver the topic.

You have to be ready for any circumstance that may occur in public speaking. Eye contact with the listeners is very important in communicating with your audience. You can at least lend 5 to 10 seconds to each person in the conference room.

You may change the volume of your voice and be provocative in the way you speak. A lively speaker can create an active audience. Always remember that public speaking requires a lot of practice. The first time may not bring you a satisfactory outcome. However, that will make you improve as a public speaker.

 

 

 

About the Author

Marlene Challis is the owner of several websites. She can be contacted through the website, http://www.world-travel-options.com. If you love to save money when you travel, check out http://www.world-travel-options.com/travel-blog.html. Feel free to republish this article provided you do not edit it in any way and include the author bio as well.

 

Public Speaking Tips For Non – Public Speakers

Sunday, January 24th, 2010
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Public speaking ranks as one of the top fears of Americans. Understandably so: all eyes are fixed on you and your every word is scrutinized. This can be a daunting task which sends tremors through the bodies of even seemingly confident people.

No matter how much you hate public speaking, you are going to have to do it at some point. Whether as a student, an employee, or a manager. Even as a relative or friend you may be called upon to bestow some insights or wisdom about a particular person or subject. When you do, here are some tips to help you conquer your fears, and excel as a public speaker.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
: Knowing your audience is key. It helps you determine the approach, tone, and language to use in communicating your message. Speaking to adults is very different than speaking to children who lack your maturity, experience, and education. The same is true of speaking to groups that are comprised of people from different cultures, industries, and social groups. Your number one consideration, and most important assignment, is to know who you are speaking to.

KNOW THEIR EMOTIONAL STATE
: People connect through emotions. President Obama won his campaign based upon this premise. His message of hope and optimism was chosen to appeal to the emotions of voters who were experiencing strife resulting from financial hardships. By knowing what emotional state your audience is in, your message can be designed to appeal to those emotions.

HAVE A SIMPLE MESSAGE
: The more elaborate your message, the more likely people will forget it. You want your message to be clear, concise, and memorable. As a public speaker, I actually tell my audience the message I came to deliver by packaging it as the most important thing I want them to leave with (e.g., preparation is the key to success…your network improves your net worth…talent is not enough, etc.). This way they can recall and process the message.

SPEAK TO BE UNDERSTOOD: When speakers start thinking (or fearing) that they are going to be judged by others, they put the satisfaction of their ego ahead of their message. The result is a disconnection from their audience. Get over it!. Your message, not the messenger, is the real focal point of every audience. Speaking publicly is not a platform to show how smart you are, but an opportunity to show you care about and understand the problems, concerns, and desires of the people in your audience. Don’t speak to impress; speak to be understood.

SPEAK FROM THE HEART
: When you speak from a place of truth and honesty, your message resonates with others. Studies show that people rank honesty and sincerity as the number one trait they value in public speakers (or anyone who speaks publicly). Speaking from the heart is what public speaking is all about; having the courage to use your voice and to share your truth in an effort to meet others on some common ground. As long as you don’t lie to yourself about who you are, what you think, how you feel, or what you believe in, you can be effective at public speaking, even if you are not a public speaker.
Gian Fiero

Gian Fiero is an educator, speaker and consultant. He specializes in business development, career planning, and personal growth issues. Gian is also affiliated with San Francisco State University as an adjunct professor, and the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) where he conducts educational workshops to inspire and empower entrepreneurs and professionals. He is available for speaking engagements throughout the country.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/public-speaking-articles/public-speaking-tips-for-non-public-speakers-1772376.html

Public Speaking with Self Confidence

Sunday, January 24th, 2010
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Public speaking can be a rewarding experience that allows individuals to showcase their skills or knowledge in a public forum. Public speaking opportunities can allow an individual to help enrich the lives of anyone in the audience by impressing experiences or information that can have life changing qualities.

That being said, many individuals suffer extreme shyness or nervousness when faced with public speaking situations. These situations can range from large audiences of hundreds or thousands of participants to rooms with a few people present. Regardless of the situation, ensuring you have the proper level of public speaking self confidence will aid you remarkably in this foray.

When it comes to public speaking, possessing self confidence is a must. If you find your self confidence low or nonexistent, the best way to boost it up is to practice, practice, practice. Individuals with high self confidence have an ingrained sense that they can handle any and all situations, regardless who is watching or listening. These individuals are well versed in their specific subject matter and have a good idea of how they are going to present the information so that the audience will have the greatest understanding. Additionally, these individuals are capable of fielding questions on their particular subject and can explain the topic on several different levels.

If you find yourself unable to do this, begin preparing for your public speaking opportunity at once. Ensure your knowledge in the topic is high and seek out to learn as much as you can. This knowledge will help you indefinitely in both planning your speech and delivering the speech to an audience of individuals who may or may not be familiar with it.

Furthermore, in depth knowledge of your subject will aid you immensely when dealing with question and answer sessions that most likely will follow any public speaking opportunity. If necessary, ask other individuals about your topic and be able to explain the topic to individuals of all levels.

When writing your speech, take care to analyze your audience. If you are speaking to individuals who have a great understanding of the topic, you can clearly use a more in depth approach, more acronyms, and more jargon than if speaking to an audience unfamiliar with the subject.

Furthermore, know the average age and educational extent of your audience in order to create a speech that will speak directly to these individuals. After you have written your speech, being making notes and prompts to that use can use when giving your speech in public. Knowing your speech is written to the best of your ability will boost your self confidence, as will having the necessary notes and prompts that you can rely on while giving your speech.

When preparing for your speech, take care to not memorize the content. This may seem like a good idea, but can lead to disasterous results. If you find yourself to be nervous before you present any project or speech to a public audience, you might forget the content of your speech and be forced to pull it together from memory. Additionally, if you leave out a specific idea or topic from your speech, your audience may not clearly understand the topic of point of your presentation.

The best way to prepare for your speech is to make notes that allow cues or special points you should make in your speech. Have a general idea of what you plan to say and ensure the content covers these points. Also, have any visual materials carefully arranged in the order of presentation so that you will remember to include all items seamlessly in your presentation. Public speaking should not produce a crisis, and ensuring your self confidence is high in yourself and your capabilities will make all the difference in the quality of your presentation.

 

 

Tony Robinson spent many years as a School Teacher and Administrator. Always of concern was low self esteem and a lack of confidence with some students. For more information visit http://www.better-self-esteem.com

Public Speaking – Are You Speaking Fluently – or do you suffer from a vocal virus?

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
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There’s a very popular addition to the language around at the moment.  It is used by a majority of speakers from TV and radio presenters, public speakers and possibly members of your family.   It is unfortunately taking over all our conversations and threatening to destroy clear and concise communication.  It will double the amount of time that it takes to deliver a simple message and its overuse can affect the ability of our listeners to understand our message.  What is it?  It is the ubiquitous expressions  UM  and  URR.    If we are forced to listen to a sufferer from this vocal virus we will often find ourselves concentrating on the number of times it creeps into the conversation; we get fixated on it, counting the times it is used.  We can get irritated with the speaker, and that irritation will affect the way we receive the actual topic under consideration.   When I first started my public speaking career, which was over twenty years ago, this vocal virus was an isolated disease but now it has become an epidemic and often, when answering a question, it will be the first word out the victim’s mouth.   Is there no cure?  Well yes there is, all is not lost ~ all it needs is an understanding of the problem, concentration and practice.   First the problem –  UM  is a word that we use to fill in the silent pause used by people who don’t quite know what to say.  UM… see what I … URR  mean?  Often it is the first reaction to being asked a question and used as a security blanket while organising our thoughts.   I am afraid that the results may be alarming, but take heart there is a simple medication, it’s called  “The Pause for Poise”     Just remember that  UM   or  URR  will   only take over when you are thinking,  it is a verbal pause for thought.    So step 1 on your way to a cure is to  Shut the mouth when not speaking.    Mouth breathing will allow the virus in, and when we take a breath without speaking, the exhaled breath often triggers the vocal virus.   Step 2 is to pause while you think about the next thing you are going to say.  Use nasal breathing techniques with a firmly closed mouth while considering your response, and when you do open your mouth to speak you will find that you have defeated the virus.  This is known as “The Pause for Poise”.   Appoint yourself a vocal coach, a close friend, family member or work colleague to monitor your progress, to make you more aware of how you are doing with your cure.  Reward yourself for your first virus free day ~ you will have earned it. Work at eliminating the vocal virus from your ordinary speech and it will not attack you in your public presentations.   So  join our campaign to eliminate this disease from the English language.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/public-speaking-articles/are-you-speaking-fluently-or-do-you-suffer-from-a-vocal-virus-1763025.html

About the Author:
Michele Keighley is a Co-Founder and Senior Trainer with Trischel – Innovative Communication Training Company.  -  She is an award winning trainer, published author amd profession speaker