So how do you read a speech effectively without sounding like you are reading?

The first thing you must do upon completion of your speech is to practice it out loud. This means going over it often enough so that you can read it well without mistakes. What this really means is that you must know your speech inside and out.

While I do not advocate memorization, I do urge you to memorize your opening 2 or 3 sentences. Without a doubt, the opening for any speech or presentation is the most difficult aspect of presenting. Getting through your opening smoothly, flawlessly, and without hesitation will bolster your confidence and make the rest of your delivery easier.

Why do I recommend not memorizing the rest of your speech? There are two reasons:

1. The likelihood of forgetting and thus having difficulty remembering where you were; and,

2. The chance of sounding rote or memorized, much like those callers who interrupt our dinner to try to sell us something.

If you practice your speech diligently and concentrate on your words, actually thinking about what you are saying, you will find it much easier to acknowledge your audience throughout your delivery. When you look up, make eye contact with your listeners. Of course, you can’t acknowledge everyone at one time, but you can at least look in one direction. Go back to your script and then look up again as you continue to ’speak,’ this time focusing on a different section of the group.

Part of the secret of delivering a speech without sounding like you are reading is to have your attention more on your audience and less on your material. Should your eyes be glued to your script, however, you will not be able to make eye contact and that is a dead giveaway that you are reading to them. Remember, delivering a speech means public speaking, not public reading. (If you want to read to a group, join a book club at a library.)

Use variety in your voice when you speak and allow your facial expression and body language to further enhance your delivery. In doing so, you will be much more interesting to listen to.

If you can employ the above techniques, you will sound like you are talking to your listeners and not at them.

Bottom line? Treat your audience as if you were having a conversation in your living room and they will not be aware that you are reading to them.

The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. To see how voice training can improve your life, both professionally and personally, visit Voice Dynamic

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On the opposite side of that coin, however, are those who ramble; and, while the ramblers are a minority, they are out there. If you have a tendency to go on and on aimlessly, you must put an end to that quirk. Rambling is akin to a neon light advertising poor organizational skills within your presentation. And, while some in your audience may enjoy a good ramble, there are many more who would prefer that you get to the point.

Rambling generally occurs once the speaker becomes comfortable; but, it can also happen to those who are extremely nervous. Nervousness is like a wild animal that needs to be tamed. Because most are unable to control the beast, they are not in control of what comes out of their mouth. We in the audience can hear and see it in the presenter: quivering voice in which one’s pitch continues to rise, uncontrollable speed, and hands that shake as well as the lips. For the ramblers, the problem is that their thoughts are scattered and they are unable to keep to their outline or their script.

How do you solve the problem of rambling?

1. Practice your material out loud daily. This means that you must know your material by means of opening, development (2-5 subtopics), and closing. When you practice, work on it in sections. Then when you are in the shower or driving to work or walking the dog, for example, go through each section individually. This advice is very similar to learning a piece of music which can also be broken down into sections. If you make a mistake in a particular section, you don’t practice the entire piece over and over, you practice the one area that is giving you trouble. The learning of your presentation is very similar: break it down into sections and learn each section as a whole.

2. Stick to your Script. While rambling is most uncommon in a speech in which you are ‘reading’ words that you have formalized in a particular fashion, it is certainly more often heard in a presentation in which you are speaking around ideas and thoughts. [By the way, if you are reading your presentation, you just failed the course. Your audience didn't come to hear you read to them! It is called public speaking for a reason.]

3. Watch your anecdotes. Anecdotes, those wonderful stories which add interest and credibility to you as a speaker, can be dangerous. It is best to have your anecdotes firmly ensconced in your script; however, you may find that you want to add some additional material because of your audience. This is where the danger lies. Audiences vary as much as speakers; and, you may have an exceptionally receptive audience which can move you to want to add more material. The problem is two-fold: by adding more material, you are a) lengthening your presentation and b) taking the chance of losing your place. Suffice it to say that you are being led off track. And, getting back on track can be a nightmare.

It is always better to say too little than to say too much; so stop the rambling and stick to your script. You audience will thank you. The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. Visit Voice Dynamic and watch Nancy as she describes Your Least Developed Tool!

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Speaking (in person) to groups can be a very powerful marketing strategy. Listed below are many of the benefits and results you can reap when you add speaking to your marketing plan:

1. Expand your visibility and increase your exposure

Get known locally, nationally, internationally – whichever one you’re aiming for. Gain visibility amongst prospects, clients, your community, referral partners, peers, joint venture partners and affiliates – anyone really that you come in contact with in business.

2. Be seen as an expert

When you share your expertise and knowledge while speaking, you gain recognition as an expert in your specific field.

3. Give people a taste of what you offer

Speaking in front of people lets them hear first-hand what you do and how you can potentially help them. You can answer people’s questions and leave them with a very clear picture of what you have to offer to them.

4. Build business and personal relationships

Speaking is another form of networking, as you can forge relationships before, during and after your talk. The people you meet at your talk can become your partners, referrers, customers, clients and friends. 5. Grow your list of prospects and clients

Let’s face it, that’s a big part of why a person would add speaking to their marketing repertoire – the chance to get in front of large groups of people – some of whom will become paying customers, then and/or later.

6. Open the door to bigger and more opportunities

As you get known as a speaker, other doors will open to you: you’ll be asked to contribute to books, be interviewed by media, invited to speak at someone’s event, be offered higher paid speaking gigs

7. Increase your skills

The more talks and presentations you write, prepare for and give, the better your professional skills get. You’ll hone many skills that you can use in all facets of your business – not just speaking.

8. Leverage your time

You can better leverage your time by spending a few hours and connecting with a large number of people at once.

9. Build connection

A great presentation will move, inspire, motivate people and help them get to know, like and trust you. A face-to-face talk with a room full of people can establish instant rapport and help them feel they’ve built some kind of connection with you.

Jody Gabourie, The Small Business Marketing Coach, teaches small business owners and entrepreneurs how to take action with their marketing in order to get more results and more profits. To learn all about her unique “done-for-you” ebooks called Ready Made Marketing Plans™ and to sign up for her FREE special report, ezine and articles, visit her site at http://www.JodyGabourieMarketingCoach.com

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Some people believe that charisma is an undefinable thing, an ‘it’ quality that you either have or don’t. But others are convinced that charisma is actually something that can be broken down and understood, and maybe even replicated by someone who doesn’t naturally have it. The logic is that all inspirational speaker, even Barack Obama, have at their disposal the same basic tools for communicating: tone of voice; cadence; the words themselves; eye contact; posture; dress, and so on.

Research appears to indicate that some factors are more important than others in being a charismatic inspirational speaker. For your consideration, here we present three of them:

#1 Message

Interestingly, it appears that in order for someone to be perceived as very charismatic, they need to first of all be communicating a message that is at least a little controversial. We don’t tend to find people as charismatic when they simply reinforce the status quo, no matter how well the message is delivered.

#2 Posture and gestures

When speaking, a charismatic person will adopt an erect but relaxed posture, with their hands away from their face and their palms pointing either forwards towards their audience or up towards the sky. Their torso will face the audience directly, and not from an angle.

#3 Speech

Keynote motivational speaker will generally speak with an upbeat, positive tone,that slows for emphasis. Also very important is clear, simple language that invokes imagery. A charismatic person will speak fluently and articulately, with no unnecessary pauses, use of ‘filler’ words, or any other distracting speech habits.

The next time you watch a motivational speaker, pay attention to these things and see for yourself if they ring true. If so, you could try adopting them yourself the next time you are called on to give a speech or presentation.

Zander Smith
Site representative
GreatBlackSpeakers
Member of black motivational speaker group

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Let’s look at the picture in its entirety. Nervousness does not cause breathlessness. It only exaggerates it. Simply put, breathlessness is caused by lack of breathing.

When you stand at the lectern to deliver a speech or a presentation, what is the first thing you do?

1. Open your mouth and speak;

2. Open your mouth, take a breath, and speak;

3. Regard your audience, open your mouth, take a breath, and then begin to speak.

Chances are you do #1; it would be better to do #2; but, it would be ideal to do #3.

Because of nervousness, many people often walk onto that podium or up to that lectern and begin speaking before their legs are even in place with no regard for acknowledging their audience. Not only are they not breathing properly, but at the lectern, most people never even think to breathe. They wait until they are totally out of air and then they audibly inhale, trying to catch up on their air supply. What results is a cat and mouse game of constant catch up.

The problem lies in waiting until you are totally out of air before inhaling. When I work with clients or in my DVD training, I teach people to breathe before they run out of air. It is called supplementing your air supply. Think of your air as a balloon. The secret is to keep replenishing that balloon – keep the balloon inflated and don’t allow it to deflate.

You are allowed to take a breath almost anywhere in your speech. We do this in normal conversation and don’t think twice about it. My advice is to talk to your audience in the same manner.

Look at the following sentence:

I would rather go to the game ● than watch it on television. You can easily take a breath where you see the bullet; however, you could have taken a breath after any of those words if you have any expression in your delivery. Try it. It works.

So the next time you stand to give a speech or make a presentation, acknowledge your audience first, take a breath, begin speaking and then supplement that balloon so that your air supply is never depleted.

The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. Visit Voice DynamicYour Least Developed Tool! and watch Nancy as she describes

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However, there are four basic things that you can do to ensure that your verbal messages are understood – and remembered – time and time again.

Although somewhat obvious and deceptively simple, these are:

* Understand the purpose of the presentation
* Keep the message clear and concise
* Be prepared
* Be vivid when delivering the message

Understand what you want to achieve:
Before you start working on your talk or presentation, it’s essential that you really understand what you want to say, who you want to tell and why they might want to listen. To do this, ask yourself: Who? What? How? When? Where? Why?

Who are you speaking to? What are their interests, beliefs and values? What do they share in common with others; how are they unique?

What message do you wish to convey? One way of answering this question is to ask yourself about the ’success criteria’. How do you know if and when you have successfully communicated what you have in mind?

How can you best put across your message? Language is most important here, as are non verbal cues such as body language and expressions. Choose your words and non verbal cues while keeping your audience in mind. Plan a beginning, middle and end. If time and place allow, consider and prepare audio-visual aids.

When? Timing is important here. Develop a sense of timing, so that your contributions are seen and heard as relevant to the issue or matter at hand. There is a time to speak and a time to be silent.

Where? What is the physical context of the communication in mind? You may have time to visit the venue, for example, and rearrange the furniture. Check for availability and visibility if you are using audio or visual aids.

Why? In order to convert hearers into listeners, you need to know why they should listen to you – and tell them if necessary.

The Importance of Simplicity:
When it comes to wording your message, less is more. You’re giving your audience headlines, too much information will overload and bore your listeners. They are not expecting to become experts on the subject as a result of hearing your presentation, therefore simplicity is best.

If you’re using slides, limit the content of each one to a few bullet points, a single statement or a very simple diagram.

Preparation:
Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. In fact, it is the most important factor in determining your communication successes. When possible, set meeting times and speaking and presentation times well in advance, thus allowing yourself the time you need to prepare your communications. Each minute of a presentation deserves thirty minutes preparation.

Of course, not all communications can be scheduled. In this case, preparation may mean having a good, thorough understanding of the office goings-on, enabling you to communicate with the knowledge you need to be effective, both through verbal and written communications.

Successful Delivery:
The manner in which you deliver your speech or presentation has a lasting impact on your audience. Again, preparation is paramount here, in order to hold the listeners attention. Some useful tips for keeping your presentation vivid include:

* Use examples to bring your points to life.
* Keep your body language up-beat – don’t stay stuck behind a rostrum.
* Don’t talk to fast. Less is more here too. Pauses are effective.
* Use a variety of tones of voice.
* Use visual aids.

Presentations and public speaking, although daunting, can be a very enjoyable, rewarding experience, once adequate time is taken to prepare and rehearse them. An enthusiastic speaker who is confident with their material will make a lasting memorable impression on their audience.

The author Chris Williams manages the free Nigerian newspapers Online website which offers quick and easy access to all reputable online Nigerian newspapers plus facts about Nigeria online

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In teaching color – the life, the animation, the emotion one expresses in speaking – I love when we get to the pause. Truly, one of the most important components in dynamic speech, the pause allows the listener to regroup, it allows the speaker to breathe and to think (although ever so quickly), and it allows for a moment of silence, if only for a nano-second.

To be assaulted with endless words is exhausting, certainly for you the speaker, but more importantly for your audience. You don’t want to tire your listeners: you want to enervate them, to educate them, to motivate them, and to inspire them. A bombardment of sound is not any of these things. It is noise.

If your goal is to become a dynamic speaker, be it professionally or for your job or because you’ve been elected president of your weekly business referral group, learning to speak to your audience and not at them means that you will allow yourself to pause and you will not give a ‘memorized performance.’

In public speaking you are either giving a speech or a presentation. Do you know the difference? Speeches are more common at funerals, weddings, and inaugurations. Speeches will be read; however, those who are good at giving speeches don’t sound like they are reading. Presentations, on the other hand, tend to be longer, usually incorporate visual aids, and should never be read or memorized. Whether a speech or a presentation, the idea is to sound like you are talking to someone in your living room. And, just as you would pause in the conversation in your living room, so too, should you pause during the presentation or speech.

Try this exercise. Say the following sentence and briefly pause where you see the carat or inverted v.

I couldn’t possibly ^ do that.

Now this time say the sentence and pause after the word I (not two pauses, just the one). If you are expressive in speaking, you will find that the pause works in either case; however, you can actually pause after any of those words. You may have found that you shook your head in a negative manner as you said the sentence or possibly glided on the word I when you paused after that pronoun.

With good training, you will discover that you can pause almost anywhere in any sentence if you have any color, any life in your delivery – if you speak in a monotone, however, the pause doesn’t work.

Pausing is not rhythmic; for example, you don’t want to pause after every 3 or 4 words, nor should you pause after every sentence. Pausing is flexible; however, it should never be overdone. My mother-in-law, a very intelligent woman, is a perfect example of the overdone pause and I think it happens because she is so deep in thought. Listening to her tell a story is a most lengthy and cumbersome process and it is very difficult to stay focused on what she is trying to say.

We are also under the mistaken belief that if we are saying or reading a very long sentence with no punctuation, we are not allowed to pause. I disagree. Just as there is a writer’s license, so too there is a speaker’s license. You can add commas, take out commas, and even ignore a period at the end of a sentence if you so choose. The secret is to be yourself. If you can treat your audience as if you were having a conversation, you will speak to your audience as if you were having a conversation; and, from my experience, I have found that most people, in normal conversation, pause. It’s natural; it’s normal; it’s rewarding.

So the next time you stand to speak to an audience, try pausing. You will be surprised at how much more control you will have over your presentation or your speech if you will allow yourself the power of the pause…

The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group seminars in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. Watch Nancy at Voice Dynamic as she discusses your Least Developed Tool.

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Decide how you will start and how you will end your speech.

The two most important parts of any speech are the opening and closing. If your beginning and ending stink, nobody will care about the middle. Tell your second funniest joke first and your funniest joke last. Close with a powerful ending.

Create an agenda. Your objective has to be dramatic and mean something to your audience

You have to have a dramatic agenda. If you are going to explain what you will talk about, it should have some impact. Be creative! Find a way for introducing your agenda that is personal, that everyone can relate to. That is not about YOU. Knowing your audience means knowing what they value. You can only influence people if you know what they value. The body of the speech: Point-Story-Point

A superior method for developing the body of your speech is to use point-story-point.

Here is the formula: Opening – Agenda – Point – Story – Point (repeat as necessary) – Close Make a point; tell a story, then cap with a point again. Make a point, use a story to illustrate the point and then make the point again in a different way.

Additional tips for developing stories and making points.

Very good stories are short stories that make a strong point. No one wants to hear your long stories. They don’t care. There are not any good long stories. Some people can get away with a long story such as Bill Cosby. However, most people are not Bill Cosby or Lewis Black. A vignette has a point. People learn from stories. They are the number one vehicle for knowledge and inspiration. You can teach, inspire and entertain with a story. HUGE TIP: Never be the hero of your own story. People will not put up with it. Find a way to tell the story in which you learn the lesson, not a story that exemplifies your greatness. You have to be funny and confident if you are going to make yourself the butt of a joke. You can have a giant monster ego, but to influence people you have to manage your ego and tell a story that delivers THEM the tools for success without sounding like your Moses with the tablets. Vignettes can be complex; they can deliver a message that spreads throughout the keynote but you have to be centralized enough that you do not wander off to where you’re speaking about something completely different. Most motivational speakers are criticized because they hammered the same 3 points repeatedly. Do not do this. Most speakers do not have enough points and tell too many stories with the same boring point. Points should be different but connected enough that they should be able to live together comfortably in the same speech. Make use of callbacks. A callback is a point that calls back to another point (or story). If a story is good but your point is not, you went along way to deliver nothing. When you give a point, tell an enjoyable story and make point again, they enjoy the story. You may not be a sophisticated comedian, but you can still hold their attention very well if you make a good point, tell a story that supports it and then make the point again in a different and dramatic story. If you do not give the point upfront, people will not where your going and will not want to follow you. Entertainment is when people have a general idea of what is coming but are surprised or impressed by what shows up.

Tips for customization:

Research on your client or audience. What are the demographics? Define the outcome of the presentation: What do you want your audience to walk away with? Are they going to leave with tools to deal with life’s challenges? An inspiring message? Do you want them to believe in themselves more? Depending on your topic, it might help to speak to a few people within the organization in addition to the person who hired you or ask you speak.

Ginger Dailey has worked with professional speakers for the last ten years in the areas of brand development, creating effective marketing materials, successfully working with speakers bureaus, internet marketing and event coordination. She was voted NSA Houston partner of the year in 2005.

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Is it possible to achieve ‘perfection’ in a live performance? Who is to say it is perfect? Perfection is subjective in this type of venue. What I may see as perfect, someone else may not. For the Type A personality, this obsession is what often leads to failure – and for that individual, the results are discontentedness in which he/she focuses only on the negative aspects.

Last century witnessed one of the greatest pianists of all times, Arthur Rubenstein. Known for making mistakes in his concerts and even in his recordings, Rubenstein was not concerned with a few missing notes or passages that had blemishes. According to biographer, Harold Schonberg, Rubenstein “was daring, he took chances, and if a few notes suffered en route that was unimportant….when he was on the concert stage one felt as though the piano itself was welded to his body. Musician and instrument were one.”

The difference between Rubenstein and many other technically proficient pianists was that the former made music. In an interview with Schonberg in 1964, the pianist said, “I will take a chance. There has to be an element of daring in great music-making. These younger ones, they are too cautious. They take the music out of their pockets instead of out of their hearts.”

No better statement could be made about public speaking as well. Too often the presenter takes the notes from his/her pocket and proceeds to deliver a dry rote presentation, which may be perfect in the sense that every word is well planned and well scripted but there is no heart in the delivery. No passion, no enthusiasm, no emotion. Part of the lackluster presentation is this obsession with perfection coupled with nervousness.

When the delivery exhibits passion and a mistake or two is made, it matters not. Mistakes are made constantly by great performers, athletes, and public speakers as well. If you don’t believe me, just listen to the news on any given day, at any given time, by any given radio or TV station. If the greats in broadcasting, stage acting, performing, sports, or public speaking were to allow an occasional mistake to consume them, we would have no broadcasters, actors, performers, professional athletes, or public speakers to entertain or inform us.

That does not mean a presentation replete with errors however. When there is an abundance of mistakes, then you are not well prepared. You must practice your script so that you are comfortable with and know your material. And that means practicing it out loud. Record yourself and study the playback so that you can hear what you are doing. If you can record yourself by means of video, by all means do so: you will then be able to see your delivery as well as hear it.

It is only after repeated practice or rehearsal that you are ready to deliver your speech or your presentation. In this respect, public speaking is akin to music lessons, rehearsals on a stage for the musicians or actors, or the playing of sports, none of which you will accomplish well without practice.

Had Rubenstein focused only on the technical skill of his delivery, his music would never have been as great. So instead of focusing on the possibility of an error, focus on knowing your material so that you can speak from your heart, allowing your emotion not only to be heard in your voice but also seen in your facial expression and body language.

If this pianist, considered by some to be the greatest of the 20th century, could accept and acknowledge his mistakes, do you not think you can do the same?

The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. Visit Voice DynamicYour Least Developed Tool! and watch Nancy as she describes

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It can be wrong to believe an expert on business matters will also be an expert on delivering an effective speech.

Full-time, business speaker John Bell describes some of the techniques he uses that have resulted in delegates voting him ‘Speaker of the Year’ on so many occasions.

In this article John gives an overview of how a professional business speaker goes about creating order by giving a speech some sense of structure.

They may be confident, experiences business gurus, but stick them in front of an audience to speak and they may go to pieces.

I begin by stating a fact ~ the best business speakers are not born with an ability to give informative, memorable, and entertaining speeches.

The best learn the art of giving a business speech and then practise, practise and practise.

Here are my tips to a business speaker on structuring a business speech.

Determine what the title and objective of the business speech is to be. By way of example the title might be ‘Earning a Living as a Business Speaker’ and the aim to give delegates an understanding of the art and techniques used in the public speaking profession.

You can establish the objective as a business speaker by simply asking ‘by the end of my presentation what would you like delegates to do or what would you prefer them to be thinking?’

It’s also wise as a business speaker to know exactly how long your speech is expected to last in the event’s proceedings.

In preparation for the task ahead clear your desk of all clutter and you are already on the road to becoming a polished business speaker admired by many.

Use something similar to the Post-its that are available at most office supply stores and write the title and aim or objective of your business speech on two separate sheets and place them near the middle of your desk.

Carry out a brainstorming session by writing anything that comes to mind that is connected to your title or business speaker objectives onto additional Post-its and place them around your title and defined objective.

Once you have covered your desk you will then need to cull. Get rid of anything that is not central to the objectives of your presentation as a business speaker.

Take into account the amount of time that the event organisers have set aside for your speech, and the time allocated to you, the business speaker, at the end of your talk to take questions from the audience etc.

I work on the basis that each topic or issue I include as a business speaker will normally require around three minutes of time.

Establish order in your business speaker presentation by separating the Post-its and creating a beginning, middle and end in your speech. The beginning might be related to what existed prior to the production of the the amazing, new product, the middle a reference to the main advantages of the product, and the end perhaps some reference to the future benefits the delegates will achieve when they use the fantastic product.

Experienced business speakers have come to realise that an overview of their presentation assists an audience digest the business information being provided.

The conclusion provided by a business speaker usually consists of little more than a brief summary of the presentation and an equally short ‘thank you for listening’ comment or an ‘any questions in the time remaining?’ type statement.

Remember that important matters in your business speech may mean other less important material needs to be dropped. Quality business speakers know how to allocate time to talk topics.

Providing a sound platform for which to launch a business speech is a sure-fire way to gain the admiration of those who make up the audience.

Business speaker John Bell is one of the most popular speakers on the professional circuit. Working internationally, he offers his many clients an ‘all-in’ speaker fee. Visit his website to watch short show-reel videos of him performing, to better understand how he provides a ‘total satisfaction guarantee’ to his many clients.

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