Posts Tagged ‘Presentation Skills’
Public Speaking – How Not To Sound As If You Are Reading Your Speech
While you may be giving presentations in your business or your public speaking career, there are times in which you may be called upon to give an actual speech and not a presentation. One of the differences between the speech and the presentation is that the former should be read and the latter should be spoken.
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
Banish Your Public Speaking Fear
Whether you’re standing before an audience of businesspeople or your classmates, the effect is the same. All of your preparation flies out the window, your knees knock together and you must force yourself to take the stage. Public speaking is a terrifying experience for most people, but it need not be. Most people would rather have a root canal performed than speak in front of a group of people. However, performing well in this environment is not as difficult as it sounds. In fact, it can be an enjoyable experience once you get past your fear of public speaking.
To suceed in the corporate world and to some extent your own personal world, overcoming your fear of public speaking is essential. Which poses the questions: How do you get past this seemingly insurmountable obstacle? How do you bury that fear deep in your heart and not let it overwhelm your defenses? How do you survive such a ghastly ordeal?
1. It’s Not as Bad as It Seems The very first thing you need to understand is that it is not as bad as it seems. You are focusing on the bad things, the things that might happen or could happen that would make you seem foolish or unprepared, that would make your audience laugh in derision, rather than in good humor. Such fears are natural, but baseless. The audience is not there to laugh at you; they have no desire to pick apart your performance looking for absurdities. They have come to hear you speak. They believe you have valuable information to impart and they want to know what you have to say. They obviously place a great deal of value on your opinion and expertise; else, they would have found somewhere else to go.
2. Everyone Experiences a Fear of Public Speaking Everyone experiences a fear of public speaking, no matter how experienced a speaker they might be. This is important to understand – everyone feels the same fear, the same trepidation. Everyone gets the same butterflies in their stomach and experiences the same sweat-slicked palms; even those with years of experience under their belts still succumb to the fear of public speaking. So what does this tell you? It tells you two things: first, the fear you feel is natural and nothing of which to be ashamed. Second, it tells you that you are not alone and if you work through it, you can reap tremendous rewards.
3. You are the Expert – You were Chosen to Speak for a Reason Perhaps you have the most in-depth understanding of a particular product’s features. Perhaps you are responsible for developing and implementing new techniques with wide-ranging ramifications. Maybe you are the only person who understands your company’s new product/service and must explain how it works to potential investors or even to company sales reps. Regardless of the reason, you are the expert – it was no mere accident you were chosen to speak at this event. You have important, vital, unique information to impart, which brings enormous value to your audience. This is your chance to share your information, so that alone should help you resolve your fear for public speaking.
4. Understand the Value You Bring to the Table Once you understand the value you bring to the table, the rest of the process is very simple. While overcoming that fear of public speaking might seem impossible, you can use numerous techniques to help you move past it. For instance, meditation-style breathing techniques, used before you take the stage, will help slow your racing heart and stem the flood of adrenaline surging through your body.
Remember that the audience is likely not going to notice your sweating palms or your nervousness; in many ways, fear of public speaking is simply all in your mind. Having a positive mindset and the right outlook on the event will help you move past this fear. Remember, you are the expert here, take that to heart, and all else will fall into place and you can confidently deliver your engaging speech.
David Wilkins has put together a complementary 20 page report full of simple and effective ways to reduce your fear of public speaking, which will help you quickly deal with and solve any anxiety issues. To download it instantly visit: http://www.publicspeakingmentor.com/banishfearreport.html
Public Speaking – Keep To The Point
For many people, getting through one’s speech or presentation as quickly as possible seems to be the objective when faced with the horror of addressing an audience. While they may have planned on 20 minutes for their presentation, once they begin, they are off to the races and manage to spit it out in 10!
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!
Public Speaking Is Great For Your Business
One way that you and your business can be seen as the expert in your niche, is to take advantage of public speaking opportunities. There are so many different venues and types of speaking engagements that there’s sure to be one that fits you!
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
Overcoming The Fear Of Public Speaking
Some people are stressed just with the thought of standing up and speaking in public. They avoid public speaking like a plague. It´s hard for them to have all eyes on them. Whether they work alone or with large numbers of people, they would have to speak in public if they want to accomplish certain tasks. Also, one cannot be a leader and achieve meaningful accomplishments if they themselves are afraid to speak in public.
One of the main things to remember in order to figure out a way on how to overcome fear of public speaking is that it does not have to be stressful. Understand what the cause of the stress is and where it is coming from. You would also have to remember the key principles. This will give you the confidence that you need when speaking in public.
So many aspects in life are stressful as they already are. Public speaking does not have to be stressful. If you can´t help but feel stressed with just the idea of speaking in public, then deal with the stress in the same way that you would deal with any of the stress in your life.
So many people have already learned the tips when it comes to speaking in front of people and they managed not to be stressed at all. Voices tremble and knees would shake – these are the most common signs of fear of public speaking.
If these are already happening to you, and you want to overcome your fear, the first thing you should do is to stop these from happening. It´s your body, clearly you can control it.
It does not make you abnormal if you are afraid to speak in public. A way for you on how to overcome fear of public speaking is to have the right plan of action, right understanding, and right guiding principles. It is not hard, in fact, you can do this overnight. You just have to set your approach on the right path when it comes to speaking in public.
Another thing one must remember as a way on how to overcome fear of public speaking is that he does not have to be brilliant nor perfect in order to succeed. The people who are afraid to speak in public watch the people who could and think that they should be as entertaining, smart, witty, polished, and calm as them.
That shouldn´t be the case. First of all, they should stop bringing themselves down. The main key is to just believe in themselves and to just do it. If you want to learn how to overcome your fear of public speaking, i recommend Martin’s Ng surviving speaking disasters guide. Learn how you can get rid of your public speaking phobia easily and be able to give public speeches with confidence.
Charisma In Public Speaking
What is is about great public speakers like Barack Obama that allows them to hold, interest, and arouse a crowd so well? There are probably multiple factors, some of which we don’t fully understand yet, but ‘charisma’ is the label we give some of them. So what is charisma? One definition of charisma is ‘A rare personal quality attributed to leaders who arouse fervent popular devotion and enthusiasm’, but what does that really tell us?
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
Public Speaking – Don’t Lose Your Breath
One of the most common complaints I hear from my clients is that they run out of air in public speaking. And, not surprisingly, breathlessness at the lectern often goes hand in hand with nervousness.
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
Being Prepared For Public Speaking
Think of the last really memorable talk or presentation that you attended. Now, was that easy to do, or did you really have to rack your brains to remember one? Sadly, too many presentations are easy to forget. And that’s a big problem because the only reason the presenter gave the talk was to communicate something to you.
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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Training For Public Speaking Training
Public speaking training programs are very useful to many people. The fear of public speaking, also known as glossophobia, is thought to affect as much as 75% of the population. Symptoms include intense anxiety, physical distress, nausea, or even panic. Oftentimes people would rather excuse themselves from the event than be forced to speak in public. When the speaking engagement is unavoidable, people tend to become extremely nervous and inject the words “umm” or “ahh” into their sentences, and speak with a quivering voice or stutter.
Despite this, public speaking is widely regarded as one of the tools necessary for success. Public speaking books are bestsellers in the self-help category, but public speaking training programs are more helpful in teaching people to overcome their fear of addressing a crowd. Effective public speakers employ oratory, emphatic gestures, voice control techniques, and sometimes humor to impart a message onto the audience and influence the way they feel and think. President Obama is a perfect example of how influential a good public speaker can be.
Training programs usually focus on presentation and communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal. They analyze how the person moves and talks, as well as the aura he/she is projecting. Confidence is a key to effective public speaking, as well as the ability to articulate the message concisely. By improving on their public speaking skills, people are one step closer to professional and personal success. Public speaking training programs help people get the message across, whether it’s to a small group of five people or a crowd of 5,000.
For more on public speaking training go to http://www.SelfConfidentSpeaking.com
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RZC Impact is a communication firm that aims to provide communications, public relations, media, and messaging services to help clients with their media requirements. They believe that public speaking training programs will be effective in helping individuals and their organizations convey their message articulately. For more information about their products or to avail of their services, please call 973-362-1082 or visit www.RZCImpact.com. Jeff Paul is a writer and copy editor who likes to share information on many different topics.
Public Speaking Skils – Experiencing The Power Of The Pause
Recently at a Voice and Presentation Skills workshop I was holding in Toronto, Canada, a man stood to give a brief presentation and for the next 3 minutes we were bombarded by constant verbiage. Loud, fast, in-your-face words which were difficult to assimilate because of the non-stop delivery of this particular ‘professional’ speaker.
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.