Art Of Great Speaking

Following on from my last post on using variety in public speaking, how much “force” do you have in your voice.

Observe this statement: “The policeman stopped me and said, ‘Pull over to the curb, Junior!’” When stating this a speaker could boost the force when he or she quotes the policeman, and thereby get variation in the force of his speaking. Some speakers, however, will make a daunting policeman appear as if he were a floor-walker in a trendy department shop.
In public speaking, when relating conversations, use direct quotations – use the exact words each character said, as opposed to to expressing indirectly what was said.
For example, a speaker could say, “Bill said that he had a toothache.” But using these words would not give the opportunity to put variety in vocal tones nearly so well as if the speaker had said, “Bill yelled, Oh-h-h, Oh-h-h-h! This tooth is killin’ me!”
A speaker doesn’t need to be an actor to do this. All he or she has to do would be to make each character speak in his or her own words and manner, to alter his voice naturally and as well as he can to mimic each character. This often gives one a chance to get variety in force, rate and pitch. It also allows an audience a restful chance to hear several words spoken in a tone which is somewhat different than the one typically.used by the speaker. A speaker who is fairly good at mimicking characters may use this skill to add fascinating variety to his speaking.
For practice, say this, “We stopped at a cabin. A feeble old man came to the door and said, ‘Good morning, strangers. What can I do for you?’ ”
As you speak the old man’s words, “Good morning, strangers. What can I do for you?” is your voice slow, rather high-pitched, and without much force?
Now say, somewhat as a rough sailor would speak, “My name is Barney O’Day, and I can wipe up the deck with any man, I can!”
Does this seaman speak faster, deeper, with much more force compared to feeble old man?
Imagining those two characters sounding alike is difficult, yet some speakers would make them sound exactly alike. Of course all speaking will not consist of such vivid contrasts as just indicated, although every speech will offer you possibilities to vary vocal rate, pitch, or force.
If you want more information on how to use your voice in public speaking, please sign up to my blog by using the box on the right and have tips on how you can speak with more conviction and get the benefits from being an effective communicator.

In just about every profession public speaking is often a necessity. For most people who haven’t had much public speaking experience, the thought of speaking in front of a group of people may make them cringe. What these people don’t realize, though, is that once they are actually in front of the group giving the speech, their nervousness should dissipate, or at least decrease. There are several things that the speaker has to remember in order for the public speaking experience to go as smoothly as possible.

First of all, before a person can give a successful speech, he or she needs to be properly prepared. If the person hasn’t thoroughly researched the topic of the speech and doesn’t know much about it, then the public speaking experience could possibly be disastrous. By ensuring that the speech material has been carefully written and prepared, anyone giving a speech will feel a lot more confident Having confidence in oneself during public speaking is imperative to having a positive outcome. If the speaker feels like they will perform well, then their performance will most likely be successful.

Additionally, the old saying ‘practice makes perfect’ applies in many situations, especially public speaking. It is an extremely good idea for anyone planning on giving a speech publicly to practice aloud until they feel comfortable. It could be quite embarrassing for a person to get in front of an audience and start reading a speech that contains unfamiliar material. Even if the speaker wrote the material himself but did not memorize it, it can appear to be foreign material. This is even more possible if a severe case of nervousness sets in. Everyone knows that when someone is nervous, their mind has a good chance of going blank, especially during a public speaking experience.

Practicing will enable the person to memorize the speech so that it will appear less like he or she is reading it. Speeches weren’t meant to be read, but instead they should be memorized and presented with confidence and vigor. The monotone of one’s voice while reading a speech word-for-word is sure to bore any audience. Although the actual written speech can be referred to from time to time, the speaker needs to make eye contact with their audience and this can’t be achieved if their eyes are on the text during the entire affair. Practicing in front of the mirror, or friends and family members, is a good idea. It gives the person the opportunity to experience how it feels to give a speech for an audience, even if it’s only the reflection of the person with the impending public speaking event.

Even those who are veterans at public speaking sometimes experience bouts of anxiety prior to giving a speech. To avoid anxiety during a public speaking event, the speaker needs to prepare thoroughly in advance by carefully writing the speech, practicing it in depth, memorizing it, and finally relaxing before getting behind the podium. If all of these tips are remembered, then the person is sure to give a very successful speech.

Michael Jeffreys is the president of Seminars on DVD, a premiere provider of video based training for businesses and individuals, featuring renowned experts and speakers. Learn more at: http://www.SeminarsOnDVD.com.

Public speaking ranks right up there with death in terms of the things we are terribly afraid to do. Whether it’s the fear of being watched closely by others, or the insecurity and self-conscious feeling of slipping up during the presentation, these six tips will help you give a polished, professional speech that you (and your audience) can be proud of!

1. Know your audience. This is the single best piece of advice for delivering a presentation that really hits home. What are their interests? Their backgrounds? Why are they coming to hear you speak or present? What ideas do you have to share with them? Approaching your speech as more of a “me-to-you” discussion rather than a full-blown broadcast will make it more manageable (and less stressful) and easier on you.

2. What do you want your audience to do as a result of your speech? What’s really at the heart of your presentation? By concentrating on the end result rather than slogging through the beginning, you can create a powerful punch that drives home your message instead of rambling on and losing your audience’s interest (or missing the point entirely!)

3. Share a story. In public speaking circles, this is called a “hook” �” something that gets your audience’s attention and makes them sit up and listen. Start off by asking questions or sharing an experience you had. People like to be active, rather than passive listeners. By giving them something that they can identify with, you’ll find that these people are, in essence �” just like you! And that makes giving a presentation a whole lot easier. Just be sure your story has a beginning, a point, and an ending. There’s nothing quite as bad as telling a story to an engaged audience and then forgetting why you told it!

4. If you’re selling a product, focus on the benefits instead of the features. People would much rather hear WHAT a product can do for them than HOW it does it. Narrow down your product’s features until you get to the core of how it solves a problem. If you need help with figuring out the difference between a feature and a benefit, ask yourself “So What?” For example, if you’re selling a vacuum cleaner that has a hypoallergenic filter, put yourself in the customer’s shoes and ask yourself “so what?” The answer would be something like, “It picks up dust, mold and pet dander”. Again, so what? Answer, You’ll feel relief from runny nose and sneezing plus itchy, water eyes. Now THATs a benefit!

5. Don’t lean too heavily on media to make your message clear. PowerPoint presentations are great for making specific points, but they can be overwhelming �” or downright boring. Instead, give your audience something to DO by providing them with fill-in-the-blank flip charts or “team activities”. These help reinforce and emphasize your message in ways that a computer presentation simply cannot.

6. Above all, make sure your speech ends in a way that reiterates the beginning. Too often, speakers get carried away with the details and leave their audiences asking, “What was the point of all that?” People naturally digest information in “chunks”, so focus on the big picture rather than all the pieces. If the details are just as important, save it for an after-speech handout that the audience can take with them and read over at their leisure.

If you keep these six tips in mind, you’ll not only have an easier time overcoming your fear of public speaking, but you’ll have a very appreciative audience who will in turn be more receptive and eager to try your product or service. Go get ‘em! All Managers Are Customers Too Whatever business you are in, you will find that there is one key cause of your success.

How your customers experience your business and service.

Many departments and companies have processes in place for assessing their services to their customers. However very often the measures in place don’t reflect what the customer perceives to be important. They don’t reflect the true benefit and often processes which suit the business, are not customer-friendly, however much they suit the internal needs. What has the customer experienced? In addition, the key for an excellent customer experience is in the relationship between person/department/company and their customer. I had a new washing machine delivered recently. It arrived the day and time slot the company stated. Great! If the company measures ‘did they deliver when they stated they would’ they would have a 100% service. The managers will be proud of themselves!! However, what they didn’t measure was my satisfaction. The delivery driver was the most miserable person I had met in ages. He obviously wasn’t passionate about his job. He left muddy footprints on my carpet. So was I happy? No! They may have delivered on the right day/time but my overall experience was poor. Will I be using the same company again? I doubt it. Do the managers of the company know? No! They think they are providing a fantastic service because they are only measuring their processes, which suit them internally. One of the keys to creating an excellent customer relationship is the interface between the customer and their point of contact within the company. One way to avoid this issue is to ask your employees what gets in the way of making the very best of relationships with their customers. What do they need more of (as well as less of) to deliver exemplary customer service?

Another valuable way to approach this is to ask your people what they find works well for them when they themselves are customers, as we all are, elsewhere. What was good about it and what did they think could have been done better. Also, ask the customer! What was the experience like for them? You could ask them to complete a questionnaire. However, a great way would be to ring them a few days later. Finally, experiencing the customer journey through their experience is probably one of the most value-creating actions that can be taken.

For employees to watch, listen and even act out the experience of one of the customers they would normally be serving, is a very enlightening role they can play.

This can be achieved by taking them out of their usual working role, for a while, and getting them to watch or listen to what happens when their customer starts the interaction. They then really share the experience and start to notice how things could be different.

If that can then be brought into a discussion forum where several share their experiences and propose changes, there are the ingredients for continuing progress and change.

Most employees want to do a great job. They want their customers to leave satisfied, thrilled even, wanting to do business again in the future.

Enabling your people to spend time getting all the pieces in place for their customer, really understanding how to meet their needs fully and even exceptionally is a way to get them motivated and excited to be part of your team. It builds team spirit and morale.

Using the capabilities of your own people, to give better service through sharing their thoughts and ideas, is a valuable exercise – and one, which creates untold value in your business for the future. It is easy to establish such a way of working. Be the person to instigate such an activity. Make sure you implement some of the ideas suggested. Track the benefits as a result. You will be seen as the manager who ‘makes things happen’.

Andrew Rondeau transformed himself from a $4 an-hour petrol-pump attendant to a highly successful Senior Manager earning $500k every year. Discover How to Maximize Your Income and Minimize Your Effort by receiving Andrew’s free e-Course and report: http://www.greatmanagement.org/

n my line of work I run into a million and one opinions, myths, and untruths. To understand why you have to look at the nature of the subject:

• Is public speaking mysterious? Check
• Is public speaking a subjective topic? Check
• Are many people afraid of public speaking? Check
• Is public speaking grossly misunderstood? Check

When you have a subject that manages to be mysterious, subjective, fear inducing, and misunderstood these things tend to happen. Fortunately, I’m here to right those wrongs and put 3 common myths to bed for you.

1 – YOU are the Focus

This statement is a flat out lie. The speech is never about you. If it was there would only be 3 people in attendance:

1. You
2. Your Wife
3. Your retired neighbor

People open their ears and listen to you because you have something of value to offer them. Our world is very selfish, face-paced, winner take all environment. People aren’t going to show (or shut) up to hear you speak if there are no benefits. Many inexperienced speakers make the mistake of scaring themselves silly thinking they must be the focal point of the presentation. In actuality there are only 2 ways for this to happen:

1. You are an incredibly bad speaker (5%)
2. You are an incredible speaker (5%)

If you are part of that other 90% then you honestly have nothing to fear. The odds are in your favor.

2 – You Must be the Know it all Expert On Your Topic

Another rookie mistake is thinking that you must be the know it all expert to present. You should speak from a solid knowledge base in order to feel comfortable. Don’t burden yourself with the expectation that you will know everything. You’re setting yourself up for failure if you do.

Last week I was giving a seminar to the Executive Board of the National Action Network. One of the participants was incredibly feisty and argumentative. She jumped down my throat when I mentioned that it wasn’t feasible to know everything about a specific topic. To prove a point I purposefully asked her about a recent disagreement between rapper Lil’ Wayne and Al Sharpton. Her face went blank. She looked around the room as her colleagues screamed out different answers to my question. Before they could blurt out the answer I quieted them and returned to her.

“Do you know the answer to my question?” I asked.

“Honestly, I have no idea who you’re talking about. I thought this Wayne character was a mayor or governor or something” she replied. A look of disappointment drowned out her facial features.

I turned to her and said, “Remember this. The words I don’t know are your friend. It’s smart to admit that you don’t know the answer to a question. It allows you to save face and reply to the question later. If you lie or try and make something up you lose credibility with each passing word.”

Repeat after me…I don’t know but I can find out. Those words will save you much pain.

3 – People Will Ridicule You Afterward

Remember what I said earlier about being the center of attention? It applies to this myth as well. If you’re giving a presentation and its going bad then consider this.Most people would prefer not to stand in front of a crowd so they sympathize with and support you. I’ve seen speakers get a boost from the audience mid speech because they appeared to lose control of the situation. The audience wants you to succeed.

I’ve experienced about 100 speeches in the last few years. I’ve heard 2 or 3 people with extremely negative feedback with regards to a speech. 3 out of 100 (3%) is a number I can live with. The likelihood doesn’t substantiate the myth.

Conclusion

Many myths exist about the wonderful world of public speaking. Those myths are derived from a lack of experience and practice. In today’s article I focused specifically on 3 of them:

1. You are not the focus of the speech.
2. You don’t have to be a know it all expert to make a presentation.
3. People will not ridicule you afterward.

I’ve disproved all of these myths in one fell swoop. Remember, you are NOT the focus of the speech, you do not have to be the know it all, and people will not ridicule you after a presentation. Stop listening to the myths and drink some truth serum. It tastes good.

Marcus Smith is a creative force in the public speaking world who strives to meet the needs of each and every client. His experience as the Toastmasters President at a fortune 15 company will prove invaluable to you.

Visit his site at www.marcusasmith.com for more information

Have you always dreamed of being a successful inspirational speaker on professional development? There are a large number of people who have had this dream and succeeded at it. Individuals like John C. Maxwell, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, and Jim Rohn are all motivational speakers on professional development. These individuals, and others in the industry, engage in a number of activities like authoring books, holding conventions, and similar events in order to share their insight as a leader and expert in the field of professional development. If they can do it, so can you! Here, I will share some secrets on how to be a successful inspirational speaker on professional development.

If we have to become a successful inspirational speaker on professional development, then we must see to that we have some information that has value, the information we convey must motivate others so that other’s benefit from your message. No one is a born a inspirational speaker, it is only some who are lucky to be gifted with this quality can become. Your speech must encourage and revitalize every individual to reach out to success and not holdback anyone from reaching their goal.

Having a special niche to become an inspirational speaker is the next step to ensure success towards becoming successful inspiration speaker. Every one of us are interested towards something that is more exciting to us. Your interest becomes a passion and this passion may be generally by different activities that we do like books that we read, people we meet, conferences or seminars that we attend. There are varieties of topics one can begin with to increase their public speaking but choosing a special niche is important. It is sure that one can become a successful inspirational speaker and reach crossroads in life if he puts all his efforts in the initial stage.

Another way of becoming a successful inspiration speaker on professional development is to make sure that you prepare yourself as preparation is very much necessary especially if you want to make your speech a motivating and inspire others. Don’t forget that Preparation is the key to success to become a inspirational speaker. This will not only build your confidence but also establish you as a successful speaker. Turn your speech into a motivational message by creating an outline of all your ideas.

If you want to be an inspirational speaker on professional development, there are many things that should be kept in mind. The items mentioned in this article are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to your own professional development.

Remember no one who is a successful inspirational speaker was born that way; it’s your turn to become a successful inspirational speaker now just visit the website http://www.newonlinelife.net and become a successful inspirational speaker now!

Dr. Richard Baiz has nearly 34 years experience as educational administrator, governmental lobbyist, official entrepreneur and corporate consultant. He loves to share his comprehensive plan to become a successful inspirational speaker. Do you want to become an Inspirational speaker the visit the website http://www.newonlinelife.net now!