Art Of Great Speaking

It is True… for some, it is spiders; for many, ghosts; and others would say heights, but there are those who actually admit that public speaking is their greatest fear.

It is actually commonplace. Come to think of it, there can sometimes be nothing more frightening than having to stand up and speak in front of a group of people who could very likely shout at you, laugh at you, or leave while you are in the middle of talking. Even actress Debra Messing of the hit show Will and Grace surprisingly had this fear all her life. And she is a professional actress! Imagine how much worse this could be for those who have not even had the chance to go up on a stage at all in their lives.

Thankfully, public speaking is a fear that can easily be overcome. If you are not exactly paralyzed by fear, but you think you still have room for improvement on it, then you are realizing the fundamental truth that is facing us all. You can improve your public speaking skills quite easily by following the beginning tips mentioned below.

Remember to be prepared and get your practice. The value of preparation can never be overemphasized. It adds confidence and substance to your speeches and presentations. Research the topic you will talk about and try to find the best way to present it (angle-wise). Outline your major points and use cue cards if necessary/available. Practice your speech-delivery to make sure that your talk will not exceed the time allotted for you, and so that you could also asses your delivery from your own perspective. If you are to be the lead-speaker in a very important engagement, try to practice your speech in front of someone who could properly assess how you have done… and is able to provide honest feedback to you.

Also, Know your audience… technically, this is still part of being prepared. However, it is just so important that it calls for a separate mention. Knowing your audience provides you with valuable insight on the angle and perspective of presentation that would appeal best to them. It guides whether you can be casual and funny or whether you would be better served to be serious and analytical. It also gives you great input in streamlining your speech by suggesting what you need to include and what you can do without.

Also critical is to dress the part. As much as we refuse to admit it, image can sometimes be everything. How the audience responds to you can highly depend upon how they perceptually perceive you. Generally, you would appear as a more convincing speaker if you are dressed as business casual or business formal. Also, since the audience will have to look at you anyway, you might as well make your appearance a pleasant one for them.

Keeping the KISS in mind. Keep It Short and Simple. Even geniuses have limited attention spans… no special talent for the A.D.D. afflicted needed at all. 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 while preventing you from being perceived as someone who came unprepared and is fumbling through their presentation. It also allows your listeners to retain what you have said easily. Including the opportunity for you to perform valauble rephrasing of your concepts – for added comprehension by your audience.

In addition to these quick tips, your public speaking skills will also be improved if you practice establishing periodic or constant eye contact with your audience. Also, if the occasion and your resources will permit, you can use visual aids such as slide presentations, handouts, product samples, etc to stimulate your audiences attention. To finish off your presentation, you should plan to answer the audiences question confidently and with a caring and informative attitude.

Remember that there will really come a time when you will have no other meaningful choice but to speak in public. So you might as well be ready for when that time comes. It could be either a disastrous or a pleasant experience for you; and you have all the power and abilities to make the most out of it. Follow the tips above and you will surely be on your way to becoming a natural at public speaking.

Dedicated to Your Public Speaking Success – http://www.EZPublicSpeaking.com

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Can you stand in front of huge audience and express your self? Most of us have butterflies in our stomach with the very thought of doing this. Apart from few that have natural talent for connecting with other people or had some one who could actually teach them to communicate, few of us get the best results that could from the wonderful communication tools that we are given with most of us are in a dire need to improve public speaking skills.

We all have people with whom we have to work to get things done. Our ability to communicate with clients, customers, subordinates, peers, and superiors can enhance our effectiveness or sabotage us. Many times, our public speaking skills make the difference. Here are 10 ways to improve public speaking:

1. The first way to improve your public speaking is by developing your voice. A high whiney voice is not perceived to be one of authority. In fact, a high soft voice can make you sound like prey to an aggressive co-worker who is out to make his/her career at the expense of anyone else. Begin doing exercises to lower the pitch of your voice.

2. The second way to better public speaking is to talk slowly. People will perceive you as nervous and unsure of yourself if you talk fast. However, be careful not to slow down to the point where people begin to finish your sentences just to help you finish.

3. The third way better public speaking is to animate your voice. Avoid a monotone. Use dynamics. Your pitch should raise and lower. Your volume should be soft and loud. Listen to your local TV news anchor; take note.

4. Fourth way better public speaking is enunciating your words. Speak clearly. Do not mumble. If people are always saying,”huh?” to you, you are mumbling.

5. Fifth way better public speaking is by using appropriate volume. Use a volume that is appropriate for the setting. Speak more softly when you are alone and close. Speak louder when you are speaking to larger groups or across larger spaces.

6. Sixth way to better public speaking is by pronouncing every word correctly. People will judge your competency through your vocabulary. If you aren’t sure how to say a word, do not use it.

7. Seventh way to better public speaking is by using the right word. If you are not sure of the meaning of a word, do not use it. Start a program of learning a new word a day. Use it sometime in your conversations during the day

8. Eighth way better public speaking is by making eye contact with the person you are talking to.

9. Ninth way to better public speaking is by using gestures while you speak Make your whole body talk. Use smaller gestures for individuals and small groups. The gestures should get larger as the group that one is addressing increase in size.

10. Last but not the least, tenth way to better public speaking is by not sending mixed messages. Make your words, gestures, facial expressions, tone, and message match. Disciplining an employee while smiling sends a mixed message and, therefore, is ineffective. If you have to deliver a negative message, make your words, facial expressions and tone match the message.

Public speaking is an art, which can be developed by practice. You can draw attention of thousands of audience if have good public speaking skills. Not only while addressing large audience, you can make your talks a pleasure for everyone by improving your public speaking skills.

John Khu is an experience entrepreneur and internet marketer. He specializes in communication development and personal happiness.

http://www.communicationessence.com

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I’m a professional psychologist, a member of Rotary, a book author (on achievement motivation), a resume writer and career coach, and someone who has heard an endless number of professional and non-professional speakers for over 30 years. I’ve seen how it’s the little things that make a big difference. Here are 7 “little things” you can do that will instantly improve your public speaking dramatically.

1. TALK TWICE AS SLOW. Most speakers (even professional ones) talk too fast. Have you ever listened carefully to professional speakers on TV? They talk slower than in normal conversational speech. Slow down. Take your time. Don’t rush through individual words. Linger on them. It may feel unnatural, but just listen to a tape recording of yourself. It will undoubtedly sound a lot better.

2. TALK TWICE AS LOUD. Most speakers talk too softly. Speak up. It may seem to you that you are screaming, but (again) a tape recording will prove that it sounds fine.

3. ENUNCIATE THE CONSONANT SOUNDS CLEARLY. When we listen, we hear clearly because of the consonant sounds (the “hard” sounds – sss, t, d, p, m, and so forth), not the vowels (a, e, i, o, and u). Pay attention to those hard sounds. Make sure they are clear and distinct. Exaggerate them.

4. USE SHORT SENTENCES. You may like speaking in long, long sentences, but your audience doesn’t. Break up your ideas into short sentences. “Once idea per sentence” is as good a rule for speaking as it is for writing.

5. PAUSE OFTEN. Forget the ummmms and the aaahhhhs. Dead silence for a few seconds may seem like an eternity to you, but an audience doesn’t mind it at all. Take your time. Pausing creates interest and anticipation.

6. ORGANIZE YOUR TALK AROUND 3 TO 5 BULLET POINTS. No matter what you may think of off-the-cuff speeches and how entertaining they may be, nobody likes rambling on and on. Whatever you have to say, put it in the form of 3 to 5 bullet points. You’ll make listeners out of your audience.

7. SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST. What is the most important, the most dramatic, the most impactful thing you have to say in your talk? Figure out what it is, and PUT IT LAST. That’s the most effective way to end a talk.

Dr. Sander Marcus is a clinical psychologist at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago. Specializing in motivational, career, and business areas, he has co-authored two books on underachievement and a nationally used sales test for hiring and training (the SalesAP, Sales Achievement Predictor). He can be contacted at marcus@iit.edu, 312-567-3358. www.center.iit.edu

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Presentation, presentation, presentation is the name of the Public Speaking game!

You may be the most knowledgeable person in the world on a given subject, you may be a PHD with clusters, but if your presentation of the presentation does not have presentation skills your presentation will fail! “Now that was fun!”

Have you gone to a seminar you were really excited about and if you made it to the end, got nothing out of it? Let’s take a look. When the presentation started this is what your heard; Welcooome toooday. . . . . . we will talk abouuut . . . . . .blah de blah, blah blah, blahblahblah. “Monotone, I hate monotone!”, “Drives me absolutely crazy!” Standing in one spot, like a mannequin and has the excitement of watching ice melt. Got the picture?

Continuing the series of “So You Want To Become A Public Speaker?” we are going to dive into Presentation. Not to be confused with the presentation itself, but how it’s presented.

Remember, a presentation is a performance, like an actor. Always bring your “A” game. No “B” movie acting here! How you are being perceived is critical to your longevity in this business.

Dress properly for the occasion. As stated in a previously published article in this series; you can always dress down, but not up.

If your topic is serious, be serious, but not stiff. Present the desired image to your audience. Be enthusiastic, confident, carry yourself with pride, but not cocky. Remain calm. Appear relaxed, even if you feel nervous. Remember the duck story; calm and collected on top of the water, even though your feet are going like heck below the surface.

Speak slowly, articulate clearly, and show appropriate emotion and feeling relating to your topic. But don’t be phony your audience will pick up on that immediately. Take the time to connect with your audience. (Refer back to “Public Speaking Pre Preparation” in the area of “know your audience”.) Speak to the person furthest away from you to make sure your voice is heard from back of the room. It’s okay and encouraged to ask that furthest person in the back if you can be heard. Fluctuate the tone of your voice and dramatize if necessary. If sound equipment is required, as was determined during your pre preparation, adjust accordingly. DO NOT TALK MONOTONE!

I was taught to speak with conviction as if I really believed in what I was saying. Throughout my public speaking career I have changed that teaching to, “Speak with conviction as I truly believe in what I’m saying!”

The material you present verbally should have the same structure as a written research paper, i.e. INTRODUCTION to BODY (strong supporting arguments, accurate and up-to-date information) to CONCLUSION (re-state intro, summarize, and a logical conclusion) with a verbal presentation, add a questions and answer period.

Body language is critical. Standing, walking and moving around using appropriate hand gestures is a MUST. Never present a presentation sitting down or standing still, reading from a prepared presentation. I encourage you not to use a lectern. “Here, check this out” American Heritage Dictionary – lec·tern (lěk’tərn) A stand that serves as a support for the notes or books of a speaker. Now here’s my definition – “A lectern is a crutch for the unprepared speaker.”

Audio-visual aids are okay; don’t torment your audience by creating a lengthy overhead presentation and reading it out to them. You will loose your audience for sure and most importantly your credibility.

Do not read from notes. It’s okay to glance at your notes, but personally I don’t use them. However, I do use overhead presentations so if I loose my place I can glance up, adjust and continue on. Know your subject! If you make an error, correct it, inject some humor and continue.

Add humor when appropriate. Keep your audience interested and relaxed throughout the entire presentation. Caution; don’t be a clown! Humor is great to get your audience relaxed and at the same time relax you the presenter. Don’t open with a joke. This is a bad practice. Trust me there will be plenty of time and opportunities for humor during your presentation. Remember that an interesting presentation makes time go by fast, but a boring presentation is always too long to bear even if the presentation length is the same.

Maintain good eye contact with your audience. Have direct eye contact with a number of people in the audience, and once in a while glance at the whole audience while speaking.

Maintain a constant visual on your audience. Their body language will tell you if you need to adjust your presentation. Speak to your audience, listen to their questions, respond to their reactions, adjust and adapt on the fly.

Your presentation of the presentation (gotta love it) is critical to your public speaking career. Voice tone, eye contact, humor, body language, subject matter knowledge, visual-aids and structure are items you must understand and implement. As stated in previous sessions, “You’re a walking billboard for your Public Speaking career and these are some of the tools in your toolbox of success. Good luck and see you at the next session.

Visit Us at our Public Speaking site.

Mr. Simmons has been public speaking since 1973. Mr. Simmons has presented hundreds of public speaking presentations from business concepts to motivational. Mr. Dale Simmons, known as the “WHY” man, is a interactive motivational and “self-help” public speaker.

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Choosing good public speaking topics is not as difficult as you might imagine, although it will always depend on the occasion and the people you are going to be addressing. In addition it will depend on who you are and what you know about.

Anyone with any experience in public speaking knows that it is much easier to talk about something you believe in and know about than something that doesn’t interest you, or that you have only a cursory knowledge of. If you are very familiar with a topic, not only will the words come more easily, but you will also be more confident.

So if you have to come up with a speech topic, first find out about your audience and the event you will be speaking at. Find out if there is a theme and what other speakers, if any, are going to be discussing. Then see how you can relate the theme to yourself, your interests and to your business or personal activities. Also consider how you can make the speech topical and relevant.

Here are a few examples:

    * A university professor who normally teaches information technology is asked to give a speech at a conference that is going to be attended by travel agents. The theme of the conference is Changing Trends in the Travel Industry. So he decides to talk about The Impact of the Internet on the Travel Trade and to focus on how travel agents can improve their business and change their accounting systems by setting up secure web servers for online payments.
    * A popular television presenter is asked to be MC at the same conference. She has been told to give a short speech at the beginning, to open the conference, so decides to discuss her personal experiences travelling. She calls her opening speech A Sign of the Times, and tells three humorous stories about travelling on cheap airlines versus travelling in business class on a popular but expensive national airliner. She keeps her speech short and sweet, makes delegates laugh and thus breaks the ice for the rest of the speakers.
    * A high-powered company director is another speaker at the conference. His business involves finance and the stock market. He is a renowned speaker who is well travelled, but decides that he will not talk about his travels. Instead he gives a speech that is more closely related to his business: The Stocks and Shares of Travel, and analyses the impact of inflation on the travel trade.

Each of these speakers has stuck to the theme of the conference, and has chosen a topic they feel comfortable with.

Of course, having decided on a particular topic, you will need to define exactly what you are going to discuss. Be careful not to go into too much detail or to allow your topic to become too broad. Work out a logical outline with an interesting introduction and a convincing conclusion, and make sure you know exactly what point or points you intend to make.

Tim Ackerman is a public speaking enthusiast, author, and owner of PublicSpeakingInsider.com. Be sure to visit his visit his site for other great insights on choosing public speaking topics, along with many other useful tips to help you become a more powerful and effective communicator.

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

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Our continuing series of “So You Want To Become a Public Speaker”; we will look at Public Speaking Pre-Preparation.

How many seminars have you gone to and paid good money to participate to find the speaker reading from cards, or reading from an overhead presentation? And let us not forget the “and, ums, ah’s”.

I went to a seminar once and it was so bad that I found myself counting how many “and’s and um’s” were being stated. I really cannot remember what the subject was. I found myself viewing the seminar participants sleeping, writing, day dreaming and so on. Have you ever been to one of those? There are really only two major causes for this type of poor performance.

1. Just there to get paid

That is to me the most disgusting reason of all. If you’re just there to get paid and not passionate about your speaking career GET OUT! People pay good money for seminars and expect to hear a good presenter with good information. Nuf said!

2. Bad preparation

Pre-Preparation is critical to your delivering a good presentation. In Public Speaking the pre-preparation, or lack of, will be noticed by your audience.

So, we are going to address pre seminar preparation.

So now you have the subject matter for your next seminar. You know the venue and the time allotted for your presentation. What else do you need to know?

Elements of Pre Prep

Know your audience; – their age group, gender, ethnicity, education, income level. You may ask yourself, “Why do I need to know all that information?”

The more your presentation is geared towards your audience the more impact and success you will have in its delivery and the less chance of a blunder. Example; There was a speech given by a government official where a question was raised on how the presenter thought about a specific person. Me personally, I felt the response was well stated, but was offensive to some with regard to “he is articulate” and was taken as a racial thing. There was rhubarb about that whole thing.

In this new politically correct (PC) world one must be careful of the words used. Unless you are a well known controversial speaker, one must address this issue in your pre-prep.

Can see the value of knowing your audience before presenting?

To find out audience information, contact the seminar planner, they would have a good idea of your audience.

Speech Preparation – Okay you have your subject, now what? Organizing your speech is one of the most important skills to learn. Good organization is often the key to understanding. The audience is more likely to understand your message if it is well organized.

Write out your speech. Writing for public speaking isn’t so different from other types of writing. You want to hold your audience’s attention, communicate your ideas in a logical manner and use reliable evidence to support your point.

When you write a speech understand your audience is made up of listeners. They have only one chance to comprehend what you’re presenting. Your speech must be well-organized and easily understood, and your delivery must fit the audience. Again with the audience!

Practice, Practice, Practice! – In my eyes this is the most important part of public speaking! To put this in straight talk, “you need to nail this!” ”You only have one shot. You blow it here and you’re all done.” I’m not joking!

If this is a new subject for you need to start practicing this presentation 1 week before show time! Your reputation is riding on every presentation you present regardless of the public speaking venue. Ask a friend over to help, it may cost you’re a dinner or beer, present it and ask for honest feedback.

You really don’t want to read off cue cards or read off you Power Point presentation. Your audience can read the onscreen presentation. It does not hurt to glance up if you loose your place. But again if you practiced this presentation enough you shouldn’t have to.

Equipment Requirements – Understand your venue. Seating capacity, number of expected participants, size of room and acoustics play a huge roll on your planned delivery. Also find out about existing sound equipment, projectors, screens and lighting.

Once you have gathered all this information you can start your pre-prep for equipment needed like wireless microphone systems and adaptability to existing sound equipment, USB presentation projector, laptop, extra batteries, extra bulb, USB flash drive (backup for your presentation), and screen.

There is nothing worst than getting to your public speaking venue and you don’t have the correct equipment for your presentation. Backup, back-up backup! Basically be prepared for the worst!

Pre-preparation is critical to your public speaking career. Know your audience, write out your speech in a logical manner, practice, practice, practice and then practice some more. Understand your venue and have the required equipment there to present your best presentation ever!

For more information on public speaking contact us 1-888-696-6424, email or visit our web site.

Mr. Dale Simmons, known as the “WHY” man, is a interactive motivational and “self-help” public speaker who introduced the Pebble in the Pool © theory. With more than 28 years in the corporate market and conducting hundreds of training and career motivational public speaking presentations, Dale has developed the Pebble in the Pool © theory.

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The number one fear in the world is fear of public speaking. Most people are totally freaked out by the concept of talking in front of a group. As a speaker you cannot be afraid, you must enjoy being in front of large groups of people. The only way for this to happen is through practice and repetition. However here is a phrase to remember to keep you excited about speaking: “The person who holds the pen makes the most money.” Remember that whenever you start to feel nervous.

The rest of this article is dedicated to helping you become a dynamic public speaker.

Keys for Dynamic Public Speaking

Personal Appearance
When you speak in front of people you should wear dark clothing. NOT all black. You should avoid loud flashy colors because they will take the audiences attention away from your face. Wear pants and long sleeve shirts. You want the audiences attention to bee drawn to your hands and your face. A speaker should also be immaculately groomed and clean-shaven. Studies have proven that sub-consciously people relate facial hair with being dishonest and/or having something to hide. You do not need this triggering negative emotions in the room.

Smile
One of the most important things you can remember to do while presenting is Smile. Smiling softens your face as well as what your saying. The audience needs to see that you’re happy and excited to be sharing this opportunity with them. Smiling also releases endorphins into your system, which helps you relax

Do NOT Make Eye Contact
There is no quicker way for a speaker to lose their train of thought, than to look into the eyes of someone in the audience. Make your audience think your looking into their eyes by looking at their foreheads instead this is a great tactic for making people in the audience feel involved and important.

Move a Lot, But Not to Much
Be animated, It is more enjoyable for you and the audience. Movement also helps you send a more powerful message. Use lots of hand movements while your talking, but keep your hands in the box. The box is an imaginary box going from your neck to your waist and just a little past your shoulders. Use this box to keep your gestures from becoming too expansive, which can distract the audience. Avoid pacing around, it makes you look nervous, if you need to move only go two or three steps in any direction.

Do NOT Tap Your Feet or Click the Pen Cap
Avoid tapping your feet as it shows that you are nervous, and it also distracts the audience. The same goes for clicking the pen cap, many times you don’t even know your doing it, but the audience does. You do not want anything to break the spell. HOT Tip: Replace the cap on the pen each time you use it, a dry erase pen left uncapped can dry out in one presentation.

NEVER Point into the Audience
Pointing is a negative gesture, and needs to be avoided while speaking. If you need to point to someone, then use an open hand gesture or a loose fist. Same goes for the pen, do NOT point with it.

Show Your Palms
When you speak show the palms of your hands to the audience frequently. Sub-consciously this tells them that you have nothing to hide and that you are not threatening them.

NEVER Turn Your Back on The Audience
No matter what, NEVER turn your back on the audience, or you’ve lost them, you might get them back, but either way you have broken the spell. Many times when you are presenting you use a dry erase board or an overhead projector and it become very easy to turn your back…be conscious of this fact. Learn how to write with your off hand, so that no matter which side of the board you are on you never have to show your back to the audience.

Get the Audience to Laugh
Your first goal when you start speaking is to get the audience to laugh. Tell a joke, or say something funny or amusing. When a speaker can make the audience laugh they feel on top of the world. It is the best confidence boost you can get during a presentation. It also lifts a huge weight from your shoulders and you instantly loosen up.

Speak Clearly and Loudly
You need to speak clearly and loudly enough so that everyone can hear you easily. Articulate your words and use proper English. Do not use complicated words. However if you do have to use a complicated word make sure you explain it without making anyone feel dumb.

Involve the Audience
Great speakers get the audience involved in the presentation. They ask general questions for everyone to answer. They also pick out people in the audience to answer specific questions and they do it in a fun and easygoing manner. Asking questions is a good way to keep the audience on their toes. It is also very effective if you see someone goofing off or not paying attention, you can ask them a question, which will embarrass them (People have a guilty conscience) and they will then pay attention for the rest of the presentation so that they don’t get embarrassed again.

Create a Great ID
At the beginning of your presentation you should introduce yourself and the best way to do that is with an ID. An ID is simply a short summary of yourself that tells about you, your experiences in life and with your company. Your ID should be short and powerful. A speaker uses their ID in their presentations to relate to the people in the audience and to show the audience that he/she is a real person, not some inhuman presenter. If a speaker has a great ID every person in the audience will be able to relate with the speaker in some way. Work hard on creating your ID and have it evolve as you evolve. Tie your ID in with your presentation so it flows smoothly together. Here are some questions your id should answer:

-Who I am -Where I was -What I saw -What I did -Results

Do NOT Memorize the Presentation
Do not try to memorize your presentation word for word. Only memorize the key parts. A great speaker never does the presentation the same way twice. He still gets the same information across he just tailors the way he presents it depending on the audience. Have fun with it. If you’re not having fun you can’t sell the audience.

Ditch the Ego
You must lose your ego in order to become a good speaker. Nobody wants to listen to a speaker that’s full of himself. However people will flock to hear a dynamic presenter tell an interesting story or present an opportunity.

Be Excited
Above all you must be excited and overflowing with energy. Energy and excitement are contagious, and a good speaker will infect his audience with his energy and excitement.

“People will be more excited about your enthusiasm, than the depths of your knowledge.”

Practice
If you want to become a dynamic speaker, you must practice your craft. Speaking is not like riding a bicycle. You do forget how and you do lose your skill. Practice in front of the mirror at home. Have a representative film several of your presentations and then watch them later and critique yourself. Get together with a group of other speakers and practice together. Regardless of how you do it, remember: Practice makes improvement, not perfect.

Tanner Larsson is an entrepreneur and an accomplished public speaker, who in addition to hosting his own workshops, is also often a guest or keynote speaker at business conventions and seminars. His website provides a wealth of information to help you become a dynamic speaker.
http://www.Dynamic-Speaking.com

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People who aren’t used to public speaking may never the less be called on at some time to give a talk, perhaps as part of their job. This can be a daunting task but there is a very easy, step by step formula for writing and delivering a great talk.

Step 1: Decide What Your Main Message Will Be.

Let’s use this article as an example and say that your main message is that “there is an easy step by step formula for writing and delivering a great talk”.

Step 2: Break That Main Message Into Up To Five Headings Or Steps.

Sticking with this article as your example for a talk, your five steps would be:- 1. Decide on your main message. 2. Break that message down in to no more than 5 parts. 3. In the beginning of your talk tell your audience, in summary, what you are going to cover in the talk. 4. Cover each of the five points in more detail. 5. End your talk by reminding them, in summary, what you covered during the talk. The reason why you use five points is that the human brain can only absorb 5 to 9 chunks of information in a sitting. Choosing five (rather than 6, 7, 8 or 9) ensures that you are keeping your talk within the capacity of every audience member.

Step 3: Tell The Audience, Early In The Talk, What You Are Going To Cover.

Staying with the theme of using this article as our example, you could say:-

“Today I will be showing you a simple but powerful system for writing and delivering a great talk. In the course of the presentation you will see that writing and giving a great talk comes down to five simple steps.

1. Decide on your main message. 2. Break that message down into no more than 5 parts. 3. In the beginning of your talk, tell your audience, in summary, what you are going to cover during the talk. 4. Cover each of those five points in more detail. 5. End your talk by reminding your audience, in summary, what you covered during the talk.”

Step 4: Present The Five Points In More Detail.

If the talk is short, and you know your subject well, then you can speak off the top of your head on each of the five points. All you will need as notes is a single card with your main theme written at the top, and underlined, and then the five key headings written down the card in numbered point form.

This simple structure has the advantage of actually giving your talk enough structure while at the same time allowing enough freedom for your talk to sound spontaneous. The spontaneous aspect makes it interesting for your audience to listen to, while the structure makes it easy for them to follow and understand.

If the talk that you have to give needs to be too long for this simple structure then you can further breakdown each of the five key points into no more than five sub-points per main point. Now all you need for notes is a card with the theme, at the top and underlined, then the five main headings in numbered point form, plus five more cards each with the a main heading at the top (underlined), and the five subheadings for that point written under that main heading in numbered point form.

I suggest that you use a different numbering system on each point card than on the main card. For example, if your main card used 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 then each of the other cards could have its heading at the top (with its number, say 1) and the sub points below numbered A, B, C, D, and E. In this way it avoids you getting confused as to which card you are on.

Step 5: Finish The Talk With A Summary Of What You Told Them.

You could say something like:- “To wrap up today’s talk I would just like to remind you of what we covered, so that it will stick more firmly in your mind. I started by promising you a simple system that will enable you to write and deliver a great talk. I delivered on that promise by showing you that it really is a straight forward five step process. 1. Decide on your main message. 2. Break that message down into no more than 5 parts. 3. In the beginning of your talk, tell your audience, in summary, what you are going to cover during the talk. 4. Cover each of the five points in more detail. 5. End your talk by reminding your audience, in summary, what you covered during the talk.

I trust that you enjoyed today’s talk and that you will put this simple but powerful system into practice soon and discover how easy giving a talk really is.

Thank you and goodnight” (or good day as the case may be)

You will notice that I made the concluding remarks flow by using the terms “by promising” and “delivered on that promise” and then made it clear that the talk was over by encouraging them to put the new learning into action and thanking them for listening.

The terms “by promising” and “delivered on that promise” also reinforce in the minds of your audience members that you did a good job and that you gave them exactly what you promised. This will make your audience appreciate the talk and, as a result, when you thank them they will spontaneously applaud you.

Please try this five point system the next time that you have to give a talk and you will probably be pleasantly surprised just how easy, and how much fun, speaking in public can be.

James Delrojo would like to help you by giving you his ebook “Unleash the Success Power of Your Mind” (valued at $27) completely FREE. Go to http://www.YourSuccessMind.com

James Delrojo would like to help you by giving you his ebook “Unleash the Success Power of Your Mind” (valued at $27) completely FREE. Go to http://www.YourSuccessMind.com

Technorati Tags: Presentation Skills, Public Speaking

Just finish hearing a 5 mins audio lesson by David Brooks on public speaking. For those of you who do not know him, he is the 1990 World Champion Speaker. In this week’s audio lesson, he talked about two sets of six words that can essentially cover all you need to know about public speaking. Sound too good to be true? I thought so initially but after hearing it, it does make sense. Let me give you a quick recap.

In Bill Gove’s golden gavel speech, he summarized the essence of public speaking into six words – “Tell a story, make a point”. The story does not have to be a BIG story like how you fought cancer or conquered Mount Everest. It is the everyday story that happen to you and anyone else. Not only do stories help connect with your audience instantly, it also invoked one or more of the six emotions that people can have. Namely – happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, disgust and fear (the other set of six words). If you feel these emotions in your story, it will also invoke these emotions in your audience.

Three things to note however.

1. Every story that you tell must make a point, else it would just be plain chatting.

2. Use your own stories! (No one can tell your story as well as you do)

3. Everything that you encounter can become a story with a lesson.

So my friends, it is really impossible NOT to have any stories to tell. Even for loners who stay home all day long, they have a story to tell like what goes on in their mind for example! So the issue isn’t really with your stories, it is more about the point that you can make with the story. Some speech coaches (even me!) suggest that you write down all interesting stories that happen to you and save them in your computer. You can even categorize them if you want to. And when you need to prepare a speech (with a ready message), you can browse through the collection of stories and pick the most appropriate one. Not only does it make your speech more interesting and personalized, it is also unique!

Take yesterday’s lecture for example. It was a really long lecture, three hours to be exact. And it was impossible to remember everything the lecturer has to say. And those that I remember, are either in the form of stories or visuals! At one point, he was explaining about the concept of red flags (i.e. all recruiters and investors nit pick so that they can select the best). And he shared with us this story. There’s this recruiting company that has a very interesting way of filtering resumes. They will shuffle all the 200 over resumes and throw away the first 50 resumes… coz they don’t want to hire unlucky people!

It was a really simple story. Not only did he made a point (on the red flags and the unfairness of the world), it was also funny. And we really appreciate it especially after sitting through almost three hours of lecture!

So…as you are preparing your next speech or even presentation, see if you can incorporate a personal story in it. Stop giving speeches. Start telling stories!

Eric Feng is one of the youngest international certified coach and an Advanced Bronze Toastmaster with too many awards in public speaking to be listed here. Sign in to Eric’s subscriber list to receive daily insightful tips on public speaking and receive a complimentary copy of “Unleash The Speaker In You : 8 Ways To Become A Better Speaker” worth $50 for FREE. Visit www.ericfeng.com .

Technorati Tags: Public Speaking

Did you know that adults have special needs as learners?

When we were kids, we went to school, and we sat through class every day, and our teachers taught everyone pretty much the same way. It didn’t really matter if you were a visual learner, an auditory learner, or a kinesthetic learner. The teacher pretty much did whatever s/he felt most comfortable doing. Times have changed, and teachers are more aware of learning styles now, and other issues that affect children’s learning.

But the principles of adult learning are still pretty new to most people. If you’re a speaker, and you’re doing any kind of education or training with the groups you’re speaking to, this applies to you.

First, a little history.

Malcolm Knowles is considered the “father of adult learning”, although the topic had been discussed and researched over a century earlier.

Knowles’ assumptions were that adults:

1) move from dependency to self-directedness;
2) draw upon their reservoir of experience for learning;
3) are ready to learn when they assume new roles; and
4) want to solve problems and apply new knowledge immediately.

In his book, “The Modern Practice of Adult Education: From Pedagogy to Andragogy,” Knowles opposes the view that adults are unable to learn: “…the rapidly accelerating pace of change in our society has proved this doctrine to be no longer valued. Facts learned in youth have become insufficient and in many instances actually untrue; and skills learned in youth have become outmoded by new technologies.”

The term “andragogy” has come to mean self-directed learning for people of all ages, as opposed to the term “pedagogy” which defines teacher-directed learning. In practical terms, it means that when educating or training adults, process comes before content.

Knowles may not have invented these terms or concepts, but he was the first to put them together into an organized theory. Additional theories of adult learning have been developed since Knowles’ time, as well. Here is an overview of adult learning principles that will greatly improve your understanding of how and why adults learn. This will allow you to tailor your presentations and training more effectively to the groups you serve.

1. Adults are autonomous and self-directed

Adults want to decide for themselves what, when, how and why to learn. Speakers/instructors should allow adults to direct some of their own learning. Here are some ways to facilitate this:

* Ask your participants what they already know about your topic and what they’re interested in learning. Find out what their goals are for being there.
* Share your agenda and ask for input. This might lead to switching around the order of your workshop to better serve the group’s needs. You might find you spend more time on certain subjects than you had planned, and less on others. Be flexible.
* Act as a facilitator, guiding the group and encouraging them to reach their own conclusions, rather than force-feeding information in a lecture format. Allow them to be responsible for their own learning.
* Do your research on the group and organizational needs beforehand, so you can provide a combination of information that meets their perceived needs and their actual needs.

2. Adults have a lifetime of knowledge and experience that informs their learning Adult learners can be a valuable resource for you as an instructor/speaker. It’s also important for them to connect learning to those previous life experiences. Here’s how to make the most of your audience’s experience and knowledge.

* Don’t assume that your participants are “blank slates” and know nothing about your topic. Nothing is more insulting than a speaker who launches into a lecture without first finding out the needs and knowledge level of the audience. Do your research and ask first to find out what they already know.
* When appropriate, ask your audience to share their experiences, and create activities that call on them to use their experiences, for example, in small group discussions.
* Prepare activities that involve choice, so the learning process can better fit the individual levels of your participants.

3. Adults need relevancy in learning

It’s important to adults that they are learning something relevant and applicable to real life, whether it’s work-related or personal. Here’s how to make learning relevant to your audience.

* Identify learning objectives and ask participants to share their goals.
* Discuss and ask for sharing of real-world applications of your topic.
* Avoid giving a workshop or presentation that’s too theoretical.

In the book “Teacher”, Sylvia Ashton-Warner discusses relevancy in her work as a teacher with Maori children. She recalls trying to teach them to read out of European textbooks with images and language that mean nothing to them. When she starts working within their own language, culture and experiences to teach them reading, they blossom. Relevancy is one of the major keys to learning for people of all ages.

4. Adults are motivated to learn by both external and internal factors

When we were kids, many of us were not motivated to learn by anything other than our parents’ and teachers’ rewards and punishments.

As adults, we have many reasons for pursuing learning:

* it’s a requirement of a job
* we want to make new friends and connections
* for professional development and to advance our careers
* to relieve boredom
* because we’re interested in a particular topic and want to learn for fun
* to create a better environment for our children and families

. . . and the list goes on.

As an instructor/speaker, it’s important to understand the many reasons why your attendees are in your seminar. They may not be there by choice, for example. Ask them why they’ve come and what they hope to gain from the experience.

As it is important to understand what motivates your participants to learn, it’s also important to understand what might be barriers to their learning:

* worry about finances
* time constraints
* childcare issues
* relationship issues (one partner feels threatened by advancement of the other)
* lack of confidence in ability to learn (some people grew to believe they were not good in school, and they carry that with them forever)
* insecurity about intelligence
* concern about practicality and relevance

. . . and the list goes on!

Understanding the motivations and barriers your participants face can help you as an instructor pinpoint how best to serve them, by increasing their motivation for learning.

5. Adult learners have sensitive egos

Many of us, over the course of a lifetime, have developed a fear of appearing stupid or incompetent. As children, we were encouraged to explore, ask questions and learn about the world, but somewhere along the way, that was taken away from us. Many adults have mixed feelings about teachers, school, and structured learning.

Some people go to great lengths to hide their inability to read, for example, or their lack of understanding of the duties of their job.

An instructor/speaker must be aware of these issues and build trust by treating learners respectfully, sensitively, and without judgment.

* Allow participants to build confidence by practicing what is learned in small groups before facing the large group
* Use positive reinforcement to encourage participants
* If sensitive issues are to be discussed, create a safe space by enforcing confidentiality and allowing participants to “pass” if there’s something they’re not comfortable talking about
* Provide activities that are low-risk before moving on to activities featuring higher risk or greater trust
* Acknowledge participants’ previous life experience and knowledge and allow them to voice opinions and share in class leadership

A speaker who believes she/he knows more than anyone else in the room is asking for trouble, and creating an environment that will discourage learning.

6. Adults are practical and problem-oriented, and want to apply what they’ve learned

Probably the most important result for adult learners is to be able to apply their learning to their work or personal life – immediately. Help facilitate this by doing the following:

* Use examples to help them see the connection between classroom theories and practical application
* Use problem-solving activities as part of learning
* Create action items or task lists together with participants
* Help learners transfer learning to daily practice by offering follow-up coaching or mentoring
* Create an experiential learning environment that follows an experiential learning cycle

This has been just a brief overview of adult learning principles. I hope you’ve found some of the tips in these articles to be helpful.

At its most basic level, adult learning tends to be self-directed and based on the person’s individual needs and life experiences. Follow these tips when working with adults, and you will be on your way to creating a truly effective learning experience.

Lisa Braithwaite works with individuals to uncover their challenges and build their strengths in presenting themselves confidently as speakers. Find your voice with public speaking coaching! Sign up for my newsletter and find out about my free consultation by visiting www.coachlisab.com.

Technorati Tags: Presentation Skills, Public Speaking