Archive for Developing A Presentation/Speech

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It’s That Time of the Year!
Here are My 2012 Resolutions.
What are Yours?

#1.  Prepare and Practice for each Presentation
even if I’ve given it 100+ times.

  • It might be the umpteenth time I’ve delivered it, but it’s the first time most of the audience have heard it.
  • The size of the audience doesn’t matter.  I should always give my best.
  • “Practice makes perfect.”  No!
  • “Perfect Practice makes Perfect.” – No such thing!
  • The one I subscribe to is: “The road to perfection never ends!”

#2.  Regularly Refresh and Update my Content and Delivery.

  • The only constant is Change.  I’ll continue to practice Kaizen, the Japanese word that means continuous improvement.

#3.  Get Out of my Comfort Zone with Content and Delivery.

  • When we Get Out of our Comfort Zone – our Comfort Zone becomes Larger!

#4.  Study, Study, and Study more about my subject of Expertise,
the Art & Science of Public Speaking/Presenting.

  • I always learn new things from the blogs, articles, books and videos I seek out on public speaking/presentations.

#5.  Continue to regularly Write a New Post with great Content
and to place the Audio in each Post.

  • The combination of Written Post + Audio Post has made me a better writer and a better speaker.

#6.  Take just about every opportunity I can to Speak.  Paid and Fee Waived. Read More→

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"No Sweat" Public Speaking - No App For That!

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You Gotta Do It Yourself!. . .and 
You Should Want To!

There’s NO App to download that will make you a Great Speaker and lessen the Fear of Public Speaking.

Because of the Fear of Public Speaking, many in leadership positions pass on taking and making Speaking Opportunities and delegate the task to others.  That’s Nuts!

You should not hand a Speaking Opportunity off to someone else. Steve Jobs never did, and it’s one of the reasons Apple grew to be one of the most successful and innovative companies ever.

What would you think of a President, Prime Minister, or any leader of a country handing
off their annual “State of the Union Address’ to others?  It would not be seen as a positive move, would it?

Leadership is executed through superb communications!

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know My Mantra:
Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities!
Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities!
Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities!

Those who present well are perceived as Experts. Perception is reality, and Read More→

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Verbal Communication

Have you ever watched a Professional Mime? They speak no words, but communicate very well, don’t they!

If they were to use their voice, their NonVerbal Communication: eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, posture, and body movements, would outweigh their spoken words.

Our NonVerbal Communication carries more weight than the words we say and how we say them.

Example: The speaker on the podium says, “I’m very excited to be speaking to this group today.”  At the same time, he is yawning, not giving eye contact to anyone in the audience, and continually looking at his watch.  What’s the message he’s sending?

Everything in the Delivery of our presentation must be in sync, else the audience will believe what they “See.”

While we can consciously use our NonVerbal Communication Skills to emphasize parts of our presentation, it’s important to remember that we exhibit involuntary NonVerbal Communication, also. Read More→

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“If it’s Sunday, it’s Meet the Press.”

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This is how David Gregory, the moderator of the the longest-running television series in American broadcasting, signs off each Sunday morning.

Tim Russert, the previous host, and all hosts before him, signed off with the same words.  It’s part of this weekly television news/interview program’s Branding.

Branding yourself and company in several ways, so others know who you are and what you do, should be part of your marketing strategy.  Using it in your Closing can be particularly effective.  This is because of the Law of Primacy and Recency which says, “The last thing the audience sees and hears will be the first thing they will remember.”

If you’re a fan of the great motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, you know his presentations always closed with his Branded Tag Line, “I will see You - At The Top!”

My good friend and internet marketing expert Russ Henneberry blogs on the site,
Tiny Business, Mighty Profits.  He closes and Brands his presentations with the statement, “Starting tomorrow, do the things we worked on today, and Your Tiny Business will have - Mighty  Profits!”

If you hear the phrase, “It just works!” you associate it with Steve Jobs.  Another of his favorites was, “And one more thing!”  Combine those statements with a black turtleneck sweater, blue jeans, and white sneakers and you have the Brand, Steve Jobs!
That Brand was, and will forever be, associated with the bigger Brand, Apple.

I’ve worked very hard on my “No Sweat!” Brand: Read More→

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Really?

I’ve sometimes heard this from executives, business owners, and other professionals.

It’s all about how you define the word “Presentations,” isn’t it?

Here are some questions for them:

  • Does anyone ever talk to a prospect?
  • Does anyone ever talk to a client?
  • Do you have salespeople?
  • Does anyone work in customer service?
  • Do co-workers ever discuss the opportunities and challenges of their job?
  • Do co-workers ever discuss the opportunities and challenges of the company?
  • Does anyone ever attend networking events?
  • Does everyone have an elevator speech in case someone asks them what they do and where they work?
  • Are there ever company meetings?
  • Does anyone ever attend trade shows or conventions?
  • Do you ever have a booth at one?
  • Do teams ever meet?
  • Do you ever have vistors?
  • Does anyone ever visit other companies.
  • Do you ever have an Open House for clients and prospects?
  • Does anyone ever interview job candidates and/or suppliers?
  • Here are some more questions:

    • Do you believe Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities? Read More→
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    "No Sweat Public Speaking!" The Last Thing. . .

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    The First Thing the Audience
    will Remember!

    The Law of Primacy and Recency states:
    The First and Last Things your audience hears
    and sees, will probably be remembered more
    than anything else in your presentation.

    Of the two, the Closing will be better recalled.

    Knowing that Law is important for several reasons.

    • It’s why speakers should have a Strong Opening
      and a
       Strong Closing!
    • The Opening should grab the attention of the audience and make them desire to hear more.
    • Example:
    • “Picture this!  Friday is our annual Open House and the president of the company wants each department to give a fifteen minute presentation.  I have you scheduled for 1:15 – right after lunch!”
  • After your Opening grabs the attention of the audience, give them an agenda of how your presentation will proceed.  This is important because Read More→
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    Read them – Study them – Don’t do them!

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     If you’re a speaker there are certain things you should do, and should not do.  Here are 11 Definite Don’ts!

    1. Don’t  ”Wing it.”
    1. Your non-effort will show.
    2. You’ll embarrass yourself and waste the time of your audience.  They came to learn something from your talk.
    3. It is your responsibility they leave the room knowing more about your subject than they did when they entered.
    4. Prepare and practice your presentation as if it were very important – because it is!
  • Don’t think the speech is about You.  It’s not.
    1. It is, and always should be, about the Audience!
    1. Being Audience Centered is one of the
      Laws of Presentation.
  • Focusing on the Audience, and not you, will raise the quality of your presentation and lower your anxiety.
  • Don’t give the same speech to all audiences. Read More→
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    Make the Invisible – Visible!  Sometimes – Not! 

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    A prop is something used to support your presentation.  Props can be very effective tools for presenters to use.

    People have three styles of learning:

    • Visual – Learn by seeing.
    • Auditory – Learn by hearing.
    • Kinesthetic – Learn by doing.
    Appealing to more than one of those styles of learning increase the odds your audience will GET IT!

    Example:
    I used to be in the Coffee Business.  If I were speaking about Coffee, I might hold a mug in my hand and talk about different beans, roasts, and brewing equipment.  The audience sees the mug.  Most of them have probably had a cup or two that day.  It reinforces my message about coffee.  When I finish talking about coffee, Read More→

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    BLANK - You’re Going to Need It! - Glad I Had Mine!

    "No Sweat Public Speaking! Blank-Screen

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    Do you have a spare tire in your trunk?  If you do, and I hope so, do you know if it’s properly inflated?  Do you have a jack to lift the car so the tire can be changed?  How about a lug wrench to remove the bad wheel and install the good one?

    Have you ever changed a tire? (I don’t mean calling the Auto Club and waiting for the service truck to arrive!)  I know many of you haven’t.  So if you had the misfortune of getting a flat in the middle of nowhere and had a properly inflated tire in your trunk, and all the tools to make that change, you might have to grab your manual and figure how to change that tire – correct?

    Having a ‘Plan B’ doesn’t mean implementing it is going to be easy!

    Murphy’s Law, if something can go wrong it will go wrong, applies to the world of Public Speaking and Presentations, also.

    I always have a ‘Plan B’, and often a ‘Plan C’.  But, like having that spare tire, I never really expect to need it.

    Read More→

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    "No Sweat Public Speaking!" Audience Centered

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    The AUDIENCE!

    Speakers: It’s not about you!

    It’s all about your Audience!

    Successful Companies are Customer Centered

    • They focus on the Customer; the needs and challenges their customers have.

    They focus on meeting those needs and solving those challenges.

    That means:

    • The Medical Community is Patient Centered.
    • The Educational System is Student Centered.
    • The Hospitality Industry is Guest Centered.

    To be successful in the Public Speaking / Presentation World we need to be
    Audience Centered!

    The audience didn’t come to see and hear you.  They did come to learn!  They came to Read More→

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