Posts Tagged ‘Stories’
Saturday, June 11th, 2011
You can find interesting stories to use in public speaking in newspapers. But, how do you change them to be more interesting for use in a speech?
A human interest story can be made a lot more fascinating by organizing it in a way which particularly is attractive to audiences.
Musicians know that the kind of arrangements they perform will certainly have an impact on audiences’ reception of their tunes. Similarly the arrangement of a story is essential. Occasionally a public speaker will be able to improve a story he hears or reads prior to using it in a speech.
Observe the following story as it appeared in several daily papers:
307 Pounder Drops To 170 All for Love
Atlanta – Marvin “Fat” Samples, a parking lot worker, fell in love – all 307 pounds of him.
The object of his affections was attracted but insistent. “Chop off 127 pounds,” she said, “and we will see.”
Samples did exactly that, going on a rigid diet plan and getting his
bodyweight right down to a hundred and eighty in only eight months time. Maxine, an attractive redhead, said yes and they were married.
The bridegroom did not quit. He kept on staying on a diet and today weighs a mere 170. How did he do it?
“I simply ate steak and tomatoes,” Samples said, “and drank all the black coffee I wanted.”
Here is a love story. A heart throb with a hint of humor. 300, seven pounds of human interest. It’s interesting as the reporter wrote it. However one public speaker thought he could make this story more fascinating. Here’s the way he shared it:
Marvin “Fat” Samples a parking lot attendant of Atlanta, fell in love – all 307 pounds of him, with a gorgeous hazel-eyed brunette, named Maxine.
Parked in a jalopy, beneath a full moon, and in a magnolia-scented lane, Fat took her peach pickin’ hand and just like a lovesick hippopotamus, drawled, “Max, Darling, will yuh all marry me?”
The lovelight in her eyes said yes, but pride compelled her tongue to say, “Chop off over one hundred pounds, Big Boy, and we will see.”
What exactly did Fatty do?
He ate lean beef and tomatoes rather than potatoes and fat pork. And following 8 months of half starving, the poor fellow lost 127 pounds, nearly enough lard to fill a bushel basket.
Then he popped the question once again.
She gave him the once over and said, “Yes, sir-ee!”
They were married. And he adored her so much that to please her he voluntarily lost another ten pounds. However – maybe as of this very second, Fats is at the refrigerator looking for yet another beloved pork sandwich!
How does this differ from the news story?
I’ll answer the question in my next post. If you are looking to be more interesting public speaker or presenter check out our free e course in the box on the right and get it direct to your in-box.
Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
How do you start your speeches? And, how do you keep your listener’s attention?
A few speakers begin their messages with an interesting illustration or a series of jokes, then think they can be as dull as a rusty axe throughout the remaining amount of presenting time, yet keep the undivided attention of listeners.
But the nature of attention is such that it won’t continue to be active except if it is continually stimulated. Attention is rather like an auctioneer’s cry: Going -going -gone!
The average span of attention is from 3 – 8 seconds only. Therefore if a public speaker does not say or do something to maintain attention, the typical listener’s mind are going to be elsewhere in just a few seconds. Many subjects, other than the one the speaker has selected, invite attention. A listener might be looking directly at a speaker but contemplating yesterday’s ball game, tomorrow’s date, next weeks vacation. A public speaker, to be highly effective, must grab a persons attention so securely they cannot, or perhaps do not want to turn their attention from his speech.
To achieve this, of course, all the material a public speaker uses has to be intriguing. And this interest will be increased when public speakers present their material, in as far as possible, in words that create vibrant mental pictures in the listeners mind.
As an example, Brad Jnr said, “I saw Mademoiselle Minnie Curves wiggle-walking to the apple polishers’ row.” The term “wiggle-walking” illustrates Minnie much more obviously than a page filled with phrases such as: Her manner indicated that the young lady desired the interest of men; she moved in a manner designed to appeal to the interest of men, or, she was a young lady who indicated by the voluptuous way she manipulated her external extremities that she had a promiscuous perspective toward members of the opposite sex.
Next is a genuine human interest tale. However it is told in a general, non-picture-making, dull manner:
Once upon a time a person stopped at a restaurant for refreshment.
As he neared the cafe he noticed the owner standing in the entrance. Evidently the proprietor was unhappy about something. Her manner was not at all good-natured as the prospective patron neared. In fact, the condition of human interaction was so inharmonious that ultimately the potential customer left without purchasing anything.
Here’s the very same tale in a talking picture framework:
During the great depression of the 1930′s, when a nickel could buy a box of aspirin or get in touch with your sweetie on the telephone, an adolescent guy known as Roy stopped at a small restaurant in the suburbs of a city in Texas.
As Roy started to go into the cafe he observed a large lady standing right in the entrance, right behind the screen.
He believed she would step aside and let him enter. But instead she demanded in a standard irritated mother-in-law’s voice: “Just what do you want?”
Roy’s brown eyes widened and his young mouth parted in astonishment. But he was able to ask, “I would just like a cone of ice cream, please.”
“We ain’t got any!” the woman snapped.
Roy looked at her for an instant, and that was enough.
That woman would have to sneak up on the dipper to get a drink of water. Her large hatchet face had a scowl on it that could have put a Texas “norther” to shame.
However , Roy did not give up – yet. He tried again with, “Then I would like a bar of candy.”
“We ain’t got any of that either!” was the reply. And click! She secured the screen door right in his face.
Roy looked up at the Pepsi Cola sign on the restaurant, but he thought, what is the use in asking about?
As he turned to leave he overheard some other female in the cafe say, “I wonder what he really wanted, anyway?”
“I have no idea,” said the large lady in the doorway, “but I’d my rifle ready!”
The power of picture talking can help you be a more effective public speaker. This is what the two examples used above were to show. You ma not like the examples, but I think you may agree they illustrate the point. Any how, if you want to know more about using picture talking and become an effective public speaker, check out our free e-course by entering your details in the box to the right.
Wednesday, April 6th, 2011
What stories do you tell when you are public speaking? And where do you get them from?
Certainly newspapers are just one source of material for speeches. Countless magazines and books are stuffed with human interest stories. Literature, history,as well as biography are fertile fields. A speaker should read plenty of biographies, searching for human interest to assist his speech subject. The principle of selection is significantly the same regardless of the source. Have a preference for material that puts a man rather than a bird in the tree, the kind that is unusual, but quite credible. Seek out real human interest, unusual action, drama, or suspense.
Speakers ought to avoid old chestnuts which have been “cracked” too often.
Not too long ago during a public speaking class, for examplea speaker used Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the new world to illustrate courage and determination. Listeners seemed to be uninterested, probably since they had heard this particular story so frequently it had grown to be trite. The tale of Fridtjof Nansen’s battle for three years on the ice in search of the North Pole, or Mary Lyon’s determination to build a school for women would have been just as remarkable plus more fascinating because, although these stories are old, they are not nearly so well-known as Columbus’ ordeals. The average listener has not heard them from the first grade to the current moment. So many people have talked about Columbus! He needs a rest.
Effective speech material is a lot like gold -when you find it. A chat, a sign on the highway, a joke overheard, anything at all read or heard, or illustrations other speakers use can be great ideas which can be used in other speeches.
I hope this short post has got you thinking about they types of stories to relate when public speaking. If you want to kept up to date with tips and techniques for confident public speaking please enter your details and receive them direct to your inbox.
Wednesday, March 30th, 2011
In public speaking stories play a big part in drawing your listeners in, if they are interesting. But where can you find them?
A speaker who’s serious about giving inspirational talks reviewed a daily paper for subject matter. He wanted “WHAT SO?” stories instead of those that might cause audiences to yawn and say, “So what?”
Glancing at the first page the speaker noticed news about politics, crime, weather, and people killed in accidents. But this was just not the kind of news he wanted.
He turned the page and read: 3 Pay Fines on Traffic Charge.
So what? Nothing strange, taking into consideration the way some individuals drive today. . . .
Now what’s that? Ladies Aid Society Meets. So what? Maybe pink tea is going to be served. Such uneventful meetings occur frequently around the world.
At a peek the speaker knows he need not read those items.
But there is an unusual one – Man Pays $555.38 For Turkey Dinner. WHAT! SO?
Why? (Tell us much more!) Most likely this story could be different, unusual. The reader’s curiosity was aroused. Upon reading through the story he found that a guy, red with anger, had screamed at a waitress, “I won’t pay $12.88 for a chicken dinner!”
The angry customer stormed and ranted until the police arrived. He then paid $12.88 for the meal, plus a fine of $542.50 for dis-orderly conduct. In fact an overall total of $555.38 for a turkey dinner.
This is action. Human nature at work in an abnormal way. It is a little bit of real life to support a concept: An out of control outburst might be costly.
Upon examining his files, this speaker discovered he had forty-two stories about this subject alone. This is a common one:
Jim’s Burned Up – And So’s His Car By Anderson, S. C. – It was 103 in the shade here and James McDowell 22, was out in the sun half the day attempting to fix the carburetor on his 1946 car.
He couldn’t fix it. So he purchased a dollars worth, of gasoline, sloshed it on the car, and tossed a match onto it. Then he relaxed in a rocker on a nearby porch, remarking, “Let ‘er burn.”
The breach of “a city ordinance against starting a fire near a home cost him a $525 fine.
Within this story the speaker found unusual action, genuine human interest. He used it in a speech called: Spin your top – don’t “blow” it.
If you want to know more about making the most of your public speaking and presenting opportunities, enter your details on the right and receive tips and stories to your inbox.
Monday, September 17th, 2007
Why is my video and audio at different speeds save when you make it. Avi o. Mpg? Help me!
I'm doing a video project for my English class and I have been using ArcSoft VideoImpression 1.6. I have it saved as. Vif (video format printing), but when I try to put everything together and save as. Avi or mpg., Sound and video do not work together. Really need help because this project is 20% of my grade!
You can try Nidesoft Video Http://www.nidesoft.com/video-converter.html Converter. This converter is easy to use with good image conversion.
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Victorinox 48792 Cutlery 6-Piece Steak Knife Set
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When steak is on the menu, pull out this set of six steak knives from Victorinox (model 88792), each of which features a pointed tip and serrated edge. Because the blades are stamped rather than forged the price is kept reasonable, yet the high-carbon, stainless steel is extremely durable and the ground, tempered edges maintain their razor-sharpness for a considerable length of time. The molded po…
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Weston Restaurant Quality French Fry Cutter
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Where the Red Fern Grows
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Dr. Jean & Friends
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Includes the following songs: Mother Goony Bird,” “Tarzan,” and “Five Little Monkeys,” “Tooty Ta,” “Macarena Months,” “Days of the Week,” and “Special Me.”"”…
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Bridge to Terabithia [Blu-ray]
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Based on Katherine Paterson’s young-adult novel and filmed in picturesque New Zealand, Bridge to Terabithia has lessons to impart about empathy and self-expression, but the tone is never heavy-handed. Jesse (sleepy-eyed Josh Hutcherson, Zathura), a fifth-grade loner, lives in the country with his parents and four sisters, including pesky May Belle (Bailee Madison), who adores him. His strict fathe…
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