Archive for Speaking/Presenting
This Slide is BLANK on PURPOSE.
Don’t Forget the ‘B’ Button!
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It’s BLANK for a
Very Good Reason!
The ‘B’ Button is one of the most powerful features in PowerPoint / Keynote software.
When in presentation mode, pressing the ‘B’ Button makes the screen go blank. Blank, in this case, means completely Black. Use it to enhance your presentation.
Blanking the slide immediately takes the attention off the screen, and puts it on the presenter. Read More→
A Speaker’s Template – SEE The BIG PICTURE
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Develop, Practice and Deliver Your Presentation
A Speaker's Template - Click to Enlarge!
This Speaker’s Template gives you the Big Picture. Your entire speech is on a single page.
It’s a great visual to ‘See’ how the Content of a Speech should be constructed and Read More→
When You Speak,
Don’t Jingle or Deliver Other Distractions!
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“Did you ever spend a lot of time on a ship?”
That was the question I asked the speaker I was evaluating at a Toastmaster Meeting.
The reason I asked, was that Michael, the person I was critiquing, possessed the habit of rocking from side to side during his speech. He wasn’t aware of it, but it was so bothersome I had to mention it.
Michael, like all Toastmasters, was attending the meeting to improve his presentations. Just telling him what he did correctly wasn’t going to help him get better. I certainly did mention the positives of his presentation, but ’sandwiched in’ the ‘room for improvement’ advice.
Whether it’s rocking back and forth, jingling change and keys in pockets, or Read More→
Lessons from a Street Performer
Posted by: | CommentsThis one was O-U-T-S-T-A-N-D-I-N-G!
I was in Boston last week and had an opportunity to do some sightseeing.
Around the famous Faneuil Hall Marketplace there were several street performers.
They’re mostly very good.
One was O-U-T-S-T-A-N-D-I-N-G!
The Content of his performance was juggling.
The Great Delivery was what set him apart from the majority of street performers.
I was reminded of Delivery Lessons all great speakers should emulate.
Here they are: Read More→
BLOG!
It will make you a Better Speaker!
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Blogging (Writing) and Speaking Go Hand-in-Glove.
They are both communication skills a speaker needs to continually sharpen.
Writing is a great way to develop, and make better, the content of your presentations.
The analogy is: “If you really want to learn about a subject – Teach It!
The same holds true for blogging.
I know the subject of Public Speaking and Presentations. I’m an expert in this field. I’ve practiced and studied it for years. However, each and every time I write a new blog Post, I add Read More→
Be ‘The Man in the Arena’!
TR’s Famous Speech – A Great Lesson!
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Be In the Arena – Not in the Crowd!
So you give your speech and stumble – BIG DEAL!
Remember what TR said . . .
It’s been a bit over 100 years since President Teddy Roosevelt gave his ‘Arena Speech’, but the message rings as true today as it did then.
The essence of that quote, from the longer talk Roosevelt gave that day (one of my favorites and placed at the end of this blog post), is that it is
far better to have tried and failed, then to have not tried at all.
The ‘crowd in the arena’ watches the battle, but doesn’t benefit as much as the individual actually in the arena – or at the lectern!
Those words are still a great reminder for anyone who needs to remember that life is full of Read More→
The ‘Show-Before-The-Show’
Warm up the Audience Before the Emcee Speaks!
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This does it for My audiences! What do You do?
This Slide Show and Music will be playing when people enter the room I’ll be speaking in.
What effect do you think it has on them? My thoughts are that it reminds many of them why they chose to attend. It preps them for the information I’m going to deliver. Read More→
I Get Ideas for My Presentations,
But Forget Them!
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Use a Digital Recorder to
Capture those thoughts ‘In the Moment!’
None of us have the great memories we wish we had.
We’re exercising, walking, driving or maybe just sitting at a coffee shop and an idea for a speech, or a story to make a point in one, comes to us. We don’t have a pen or paper handy, but we mentally promise ourselves to start working on it when we have the opportunity. Many times that doesn’t happen because we forget that great idea – Bummer!
Yoga teaches to be ‘Always present and In the Moment’. This makes great sense for speakers because what’s happening NOW might be potential material for a new presentation or a delivery technique to add to a speech already in your ‘portfolio’.
Great speakers always update their material and consider all the speeches and techniques they ‘own’ to be works in progress.
Too many ideas have gone unused because they haven’t been ‘recorded’ for future use. Read More→
Name Tags
Insist on Them For EVERYONE!
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Do YOU always remember people’s names?
I don’t, and bet you don’t either!
All of us have had this experience:
You’re at a networking event, business show or merely shopping in the grocery store and spot someone you ‘know’. You ‘know’ them, but at that moment, have a brain cramp, and can’t recall their name. Then, like I’ve done, you start to panic because they are headed in your direction. It’s even worse if you, or they, are with someone. You know you’ll be expected to introduce everyone to each other – YIKES!
This wouldn’t be a problem if you, and ‘the person you know’ were: in the military, a first responder, hospital employee or a number of other occupations. This is because they all wear NAME TAGS. If you’ve ever attended a Trade Show, you’ve worn a Name Tag, and know the benefits they offer. Read More→
Connect with Your Audience Emotionally
and You’ve Got Them!
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“I’m a Failure!” is a great example.
Read on!
My good friend and internet mentor, Russ Henneberry, is an internet expert.
Russ Henneberry
He develops, and helps others develop: web sites, blogs, email marketing campaigns, social media campaigns, and many other things related to internet marketing. He really knows his stuff!
Russ holds a monthly MeetUp named, TINY BUSINESS, MIGHTY PROFITS and has established himself as an authority in this area. Part of his plan for ‘proving his status as an expert’ is the speaking he does at the MeetUps. They are so well attended, he’ll probably need the seating the Fox Theatre in St. Louis affords in the near future.
From the get-go, Russ connected with his audience on an emotional level.
At his first MeetUp, he announced we would go around the room and give everyone an opportunity to introduce themselves with their elevator speech. Russ then said, “I’ll go first.”
Here’s what he said:
“I’m an entrepreneur, teacher, son, father, husband, and . . . I’m a Failure.” Read More→
