Art Of Great Speaking

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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I’m convinced that it’s nearly impossible to get through life without speaking in public. Perhaps you are asked to give a toast at a wedding. Maybe you want to give a eulogy at a dear friend’s funeral. Maybe you’re invited to speak to a group of potential contributors for the charitable organization you’re a part of. Maybe you are called upon to speak to your peers at work to give an update on your department’s progress.

Whatever the case may be, there are so many situations in life where we could find ourselves standing in front of a group of people and trying to inform or persuade them. How would you do in that situation?

For some, the fear of public speaking is debilitating enough for them to do whatever is necessary to get out of the situation. For many, that fear causes extreme anxiety but they push through and speak anyway. Being able to speak effectively means potentially advancing in your work or social life or bringing honor to the deserving person you’re speaking about. It’s important, then, to be able to speak effectively and to overcome your fear.

One way to help you is with a visualization technique. I advise people who are planning on presenting to visualize themselves taking the stage and giving an incredible presentation. The result? They feel the scenario long before they deal with it and they enjoy the visualized success. This builds confidence and having confidence helps to create actual success. Here’s how you an visualize your way to a successful presentation:

First, imagine that you’re sitting there in the room. Imagine the room and its surroundings in detail, including the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and temperature. Are there others nearby? Is someone wearing perfume? Did you just drink the too-strong coffee? Picture the scenario exactly as you expect it to be.

Next, imagine yourself being called to the stage in the manner that will likely happen. Sometimes it’s an introduction by the Master of Ceremonies, or maybe it’s a glowing report by your manager. Imagine yourself standing and walking to the stage. In your imagination, think about every step you’ll take and each breath you inhale and exhale as you go.

Now, imagine taking the stage and beginning your speech. Imagine the speech in detail: visualize yourself speaking, thinking on the spot, interacting with the audience. Don’t gloss over your speech, but actually deliver it while doing this visualization exercise. Imagine yourself hearing your voice booming over the audio system. Imagine yourself referencing some of the visuals that you might have with you. Imagine the sights and sounds that you’ll experience as you present.

Lastly, imagine the audience. As you present, visualize them enthusiastically responding to you. Imagine them nodding in agreement or writing copious notes because of what you have to say. And finally, imagine them applauding enthusiastically as you finish and then rushing out to perform the ultimate action you want them to take (for example, to donate money to your cause or to buy the product you’re selling). Visualization: it’s an effective way to practice your presentation.

Deborah Torres Patel is an internationally acclaimed Voice & Presentation Coach. Sign up for a complimentary 35 lesson voice & presentation skills online training course at http://www.expressingyou.com . To dramatically reduce fear of public speaking, register for 20 free lessons at http://www.fearlessinfive.com .

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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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Like most pubic speaking consultants, I usually hammer all the reasons a person should not be afraid of presenting. However, the more coaching I do, the more I realize the fear is legit. People should be afraid of getting in front of a group.

While there is a lot to gain from speaking publicly, there is also a lot to lose. Here are seven reasons to be scared…

Number One: No skill.

Would you want someone repairing your car that knows nothing about mechanics? The average speaker receives no training, takes no classes, and doesn’t read one book on presenting. He or she expects to do an adequate job with no experience.

Number Two: Not Fearing Death

The OLD adage is that public speaking is the #1 fear. If you would RATHER die than speak, then you don’t need to be speaking. Period.

If you spillover Niagara Falls walking a tightrope, you’re going to die and it will all be over. When speaking you won’t die. You’ll live to face the embarrassment, the whispers, and the snickers. But you’ll still be alive. If you look forward to a Niagara, yet look away from speaking then put on your swim trunks and stay away from the podium.

Number Three: Failing to Organize.

One of my services is critiquing the outlines of speakers. On average the format and structure is elementary at best and confusing at worse. It’s as if the speaker’s brain spewed out on a sheet of paper and left it at that. Organizing does not take long, nor is it difficult, but only a handful do it successfully. Without a proper outline the fear is understandable.

Number Four: Confusing Writing and Speaking.

Writing is formal. People rarely forgive errors in spelling and grammar. From this article I’ll get several people attempting to correct me. However, there is room for error when speaking. The ears are very forgiving and the brain is sharp enough to fill in the blanks.

Speakers get tripped up when they try to talk like they write. They become more academic and antiseptic and who wants to listen to someone like that. How many college professors did you find hypnotizing? Do you remind yourself of a monotone bore? Frightening, yes?

Number Five: Trying to Survive.

“I just want to get through the speech and get it over with.” If that is your attitude then be afraid. Chances are extremely high that you will not do well. “Survival” causes you to do and say things you wouldn’t without the duress.

Number Six: Lack of Commitment.

This ties into the first point. The majority of speakers do a single presentation and that’s it. No problem. A book can help them. On the other hand, there are thousands of monthly, or even daily presenters who fail to make marked improvement. Why? No commitment.

You can’t take one class and do brain surgery. You can’t attend one seminar and suddenly become a tax expert. The same with speaking. One book, class, or course will not create excellence. To become the best you have to commit yourself to long term achievement.

Number Seven: The Freeze Factor.

Chances are high that you will forget something and freeze during your speech. Unless you know how to play it off, or use the moment, you will look uncomfortable, or even stupid. People will talk about it afterwards. They will mention how they felt sorry for you.

It seems that folks are always looking for ways to be afraid. Well, you just got seven reasons. The question is: What are you going to do about it?

Paul Evans is the executive creator of Instant Speaking Success. His company has helped over 35,000 speakers avoid the fear and strengthen their skills. If you just want to survive one speech go to http://www.instantspeakingsuccesspro.com If you’re committed to becoming a speaker audiences want to hear time and time again then claim your public speaking training

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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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The main objective of any presentation is to communicate effectively and efficiently the information, the ideas or plans with the audience. Speaking before an audience and making an effective presentation is an art, which has to be learnt with serious effort.

While working in an organization or in business, there may be many occasions for public speaking, where you have to make a presentation such as launching of a new product or service, presenting new business plans or making a marketing or sales proposal. Whatever be the purpose of your presentation, it always requires careful preparation to make it a successful presentation.

Following 5 steps can help you to make your presentation an effective presentation.

Be clear about the occasion and the subject:
Speaker should be aware of the purpose he wants to fulfill through his presentation. Whether it is a seminar or launching of a new product or conference or annual meeting. Whether there is sufficient time for presentation and discussion thereafter. You can put your best foot forward for presentation for inaugural occasion or launching of a new service. However, if organization is facing financial problems then presentation should focus on vital statistics and inferences from data available and positive suggestion.

Make audience analysis and know your audience:
Whatever be the topic of your presentation, you should understand your audience for whom it is meant. Their age, sex, experience, education background have great relevance to the presentation and it can influence the choice of words, tone, need for explanation in depth and details etc. Analysis of audience should be continued even during the presentation. Their body language and reaction on their faces can give you immediate feedback about your presentation.

Get the idea about the location or visit the location:
You should visit the location before making your presentation to get an idea about the size of the room, seating arrangement, lighting controls and audiovisual equipments.

Plan your presentation:
Plan out your presentation in writing with outline showing what you will say in the beginning, the middle and at the end. Also decide upon the method you will use for your presentation such as reading or extemporaneous. Visual aids with illustration and graphs can be used to make your presentation more interesting and interactive.

Rehearse your presentation:
Rehearsal is very important to gain the confidence before your presentation. Rehearse as a part of team to get the suggestions for improvement.

For writing the topic or content of your presentation or visual aid, business writing software can be used to make it more effective. Text enrichment feature of business writing software can enrich your text with adjectives & adverbs, which enhances the simple sentence into more professional and sophisticated sentence and also suggest context related synonym for repeated words. It also helps for proofreading and to check and correct grammar errors and spellings in your visual aid. For more information on business writing software, please visit http://www.truevalue4money.com/businesswriting.html

Author is a freelance writer. For details on softwares to enrich your business writing or creative writing, please visit Business writing software or English writing software website.

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Many people express fear of public speaking – which is quite a large category of fear when you think about everything that might be considered public speaking. But is it really “speaking” that they fear, or is it something else? What people are really afraid of may be something much more personal:

* Fear of being judged
* Fear of not being liked
* Fear of being boring and not having anything worthwhile to say
* Fear of being exposed as an imposter – as someone who isn’t really an expert
* Fear of losing one’s place during the talk
* Fear of making mistakes
* Discomfort with being the center of attention

Public speaking is perceived as a venue for scrutiny, and much of what people really fear is that their flaws will be revealed. Is your biggest fear on this list?

Now ask yourself these questions: How many of the fears on the list are based on reality for you – that is, you absolutely know that they will happen? How many of them have happened to you before? Which fears might you be able to decrease or lose entirely – with preparation, practice and letting go of rigid expectations of perfection?

Today’s pointers are not about you. They’re about your audience. Today’s pointers are also about reframing, or training your brain to perceive the situation of public speaking in a different way.

Pointer #1: People want you to succeed

The audience is not sitting there hoping you’ll fall on your face. The audience doesn’t care if you mess up. Even if you make a mistake, everyone can relate. We’ve all been there, and we’re all human.

It’s actually much easier to relate to a speaker who is human and imperfect than it is to relate to an overly polished, overly slick speaker. Put yourself in the audience’s shoes for a moment. You’ve been on the other side many times – did you ever want the speaker to fail? Of course not!

People want to connect with the speaker, have a relationship with the speaker, whether they are conscious of this or not. Your job, as the speaker, is to build that rapport with the audience. The more you connect on an emotional level, the better the audience relates to you.

Before the event, while you’re visualizing your successful presentation (you do visualize your successful presentation, don’t you?), say to yourself, “People want me to succeed.“

Pointer #2: People want to learn from you

They have come because they are expecting to learn something new or hear something interesting from you. They know you are the expert. They don’t know how nervous you are; they don’t know that you feel insecure. They expect you to know what you’re talking about. And guess what – you do!

Think of yourself as a teacher. You are there to convey information that your audience needs and wants. Nobody can deliver this particular information the way you can. Your content, style, and delivery are all unique and special to you. Take pride in your ability to pass along this valuable information to your audience.

Remember this phrase: “What’s in it for them?” If you put the needs of the audience above your own concerns about how you’re being perceived, you will find great satisfaction in meeting those needs and your fears will become secondary.

Before the event, while you’re visualizing your successful presentation, say to yourself, “I have valuable information to share and I know my stuff.“

Pointer #3: You can’t always tell what your audience is thinking

Have you ever looked out into the room where you’re speaking and noticed someone sending e-mails from his handheld device?

You’re rarely going to have the full attention of everyone in the room when you give a presentation. People have too many other things on their minds, and that’s just a reality that all speakers face.

You might be the most intelligent, engaging and humorous speaker they’ve ever heard, but someone in the room will not be paying attention. Are you going to focus on the one person who appears to be nodding off, or the 47 people who are smiling and enthralled?

Something else to keep in mind: not everyone expresses her/himself in the same way. We all know this rationally, yet we still feel uncomfortable and anxious when we spot someone who appears to be bored or distracted.

A participant may process your words better while doing something else, like reading e-mails, playing a game, or doodling. Some people hear better when they’re not distracted by visuals, so those people may not be making eye contact with you or looking at your materials. They may be paying attention to everything you say, but in a way that’s not familiar to you. You may even be surprised when one of these audience members comes to you at the end and tells you how much they enjoyed your presentation!

Now, if half of your audience appears to be nodding off or scrunching up their faces in confusion, there may be some basis for shifting gears a little. Do pay attention to your audience throughout your talk, and make an effort to read their body language so you know where you stand. There are plenty of good books and articles online about body language if you’d like to learn more.

Before the event, while you’re visualizing your successful presentation, say to yourself, “I am an interesting and engaging presenter.“

Practice reframing the way you perceive your audience, putting your attention on meeting their needs, and using positive affirmations before speaking engagements, and you will greatly reduce your public speaking anxiety.

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 the Presentation Pointers newsletter and find out about having a free consultation at www.coachlisab.com.

Technorati Tags: Public Speaking Anxiety

Do you suffer from the fear of public speaking? You’re not alone! In fact, speaking in public is not only one of people’s biggest fears, it’s also the fear shared by a majority of people around the world. No one wants to get up in front of others and suffer under their scrutiny while stumbling through a speech and trying to keep sweaty palms dry.

In spite of this all-encompassing fear, it’s surprising that presentation skills, including public speaking skills, are crucial “must-haves” for the person who wants to advance in their career. Opportunities to speak in public are business-building and career-boosting situations that can’t be ignored. From sales presentations to annual meetings, and from Chamber of Commerce events to trade shows, there will be a lot of opportunities in your career to get up in front of an audience and speak.

Will you let the fear of public speaking keep you from succeeding?

Don’t let the fear of public speaking eliminate the many opportunities to succeed at work. There are several ways that you can overcome your public speaking phobia. One of those ways is to simply pretend that you are confident.

That’s right – feign self-assurance! Why? People see the exterior: someone that has a smile on his face and can hear your clear, strong voice speaking knowledgably and engagingly about a topic won’t be aware of your knocking knees or pounding heart.

How can you act more confident? Here are 6 simple ways:

1. Offer to speak when the opportunities present themselves. Other people share your fear of public speaking and that keeps them from presenting. That leaves a vacuum… that you can fill!

2. Smile when called upon. Don’t frown or shake your head. Stride confidently up to the stage, shake the hand of the person who introduced you, face the audience and make eye contact.

3. Breathe! Inhale and exhale to help calm yourself down.

4. Remember that even though you’re scared to be up there, most people can’t even make it that far!

5. Be prepared. Know what you want to say before you have to say it. This requires doing some homework and practice, but the confidence & credibility it will give you will be unmatched.

6. Before going up to the front, look around the room for a couple friendly faces of people. When you take the stage, look for their faces again and make eye contact. Those faces smiling back at you, will help to give you the confidence, assurance and support that you need to begin speaking.

Many people will agree the hardest thing is getting started. Planning and practicing the moments immediately before public speaking and the first few minutes into your speech are the hardest. Being aware of these simple facts can give you the security you need to take a leap of faith to overcome the fear of public speaking one speech at a time.

Deborah Torres Patel an internationally acclaimed Voice & Presentation Coach. Sign up for complimentary online training at http://www.expressingyou.com . To dramatically reduce fear of public speaking, register for 20 free lessons at http://www.fearlessinfive.com .

Technorati Tags: public speaking fear