Archive for January, 2010
But, I Don’t Speak in Front of Groups.
So Why Should I Care about Public Speaking?
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My response:
“Do you ever speak to an Audience of ONE?”
I’m sometimes asked a question like this when approaching a group about being a guest speaker.
It happened recently when the meeting planner told me, “We have a group of people who are sole proprietors in their businesses. Quite a few work from home. They have no staff and rarely, if ever, speak in front of groups. Honestly, most of them would quickly pass on an invitation like that anyway.
The only ‘Speaking’ they do is one-on-one sales presentations to prospects, and follow-up conversations with clients.
What, if anything, would your ‘No Sweat Public Speaking!’ talk have to offer them?” Read More→
PowerPoint / Keynote Presentations
Posted by: | CommentsYOU Supply the Text!
If I project the slide on the right onto a screen, and at the same time say, “It’s time for you to leave!” – You ‘Get It!’
The slide, showing a door opening with an EXIT Sign above , is clean and simple. My verbiage supplies the text - keeping the slide, and hence the message, clean and simple!
There is no need to have text, stating what I just said; flying, dropping or twisting in from one, two or more angles! This only confuses the audience. It actually lessens the understanding.
YOU are the star of your presentation - Not the slides! Read More→
Speech Competition
Posted by: | CommentsThere’s really only one person you
need to compete with . . .
Toastmasters, and other speaking clubs, sometimes have speech contests. When I was a Toastie, I entered several. I’m sure I won a few, but know I lost more than I won.
I hate to disagree with the famous coach Vince Lombardi, but ‘winning is not the only thing! ‘ It’s actually the process – not necessarily the event, that’s important.
In the club I belonged to, there were some amazing speakers. One member, Paul, had forgotten more words than I ever knew. Another speaker, Dan, had a great baritone voice that, had he been a preacher, would have sounded like God himself from the lectern. (My voice is pretty nondescript.)
Now, if I decided not to speak when either of these people were in a contest, it would have been silly. First of all, like in football, in any given contest, the presumed winner could stumble. Secondly, it’s the journey, not the Read More→
Non-Verbal Communication Element # 3 –
Gestures – They communicate, also!
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Shhhh!
The figure on the right is not speaking, but their finger raised in front of their mouth is communicating - “Please be quiet!”
Gestures, like other forms of non-verbal communication, can stand on their own communicating a message.
They can also be combined with other forms of non-verbal communication, or be used in conjunction with the verbal part of speech delivery.
Gestures are not confined to the hands and movements we make with them. Gestures are defined as Read More→
Speech Content – Part #5.5
Closing Your Speech
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Your LAST WORDS
Will probably be the FIRST WORDS Your Audience will Remember!
Before closing, tell the audience that you are about to close the speech. This is important.
It’s OK if your closing has a surprise in it, but not if your closing is the surprise!
Here’s an analogy. You’re on a trip and have been leisurely driving down the road for a while. There’s a large, wide bend in the road and as you drive it and the road starts to straighten out, suddenly, and with no signs to warn you, there’s a dead end!
Don’t do that to your audience. Give them that ‘sign’ that it’s time to close the speech.
Here are some ways to tell them: Read More→
