Archive for Delivery
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→
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→
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→
Nine Ways to Guarantee
Your Presentation BOMBS!
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If You Absolutely Want to BOMB!
- Don’t practice your presentation.
- You’ve given it before – no big deal.
- Don’t visit the facility before your talk.
- Don’t find out what style of seating is in place and don’t rearrange if not best for you.
- Don’t check the lighting; natural or in-room.
- Don’t find out where the temperature controls are located or who to call to adjust heating and cooling. Read More→
Presentation Tip # 2
Use a Mind Map
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Ever looked at your notes when giving a presentation
and everything is a BIG BLUR?
Not much fun when this happens, is it?
Nervous or not, reading notes at the lectern is often a tough thing to do.
Click for link to Master Mind Mapper
Reading black text on a white background doesn’t stimulate our minds as quickly as looking at images do. This is one reason a Mind Map is the perfect tool to use for delivering your presentation. (It’s also great for developing and practicing that speech!)
Mind Maps can be customized to meet your specific needs. They generally use pictures, symbols and colors that trigger associations in our brain so we can ‘tell’ our speech vs ‘read’ it. This invariably makes for a better, and more natural presentation.
Rather then having either a stack of index cards (if you do this, be certain they are numbered) or several sheets of paper to look at, you can have one Mind Map. 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→
Sometimes the Best Prop is – None!
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Props, as I’ve stated before, can be a great addition to a speech.
If I were to take a coffee cup, and put it on a lectern, and say, “I’m going to speak about coffee today,” your eyes would look at the cup, hear my words, and wait for the next verbiage.
But if I said, “Picture you favorite coffee cup,” your mind starts working and making associations with all the coffee cups you have at home and work.
Maybe your favorite is the one your little child made in ceramics class; or maybe it’s the one co-workers gave you last holiday season.
In either case, what I’ve done with this ‘prop’ is to personalize it.
That is powerful!
When presenting, we want them to Get It!
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The Ultimate Goal of All Communication:
Written, Spoken or Visual, is that the audience, as quickly as possible, – “Gets It!”
If they don’t understand your message, good communication can’t go much further.
The audience may not agree with everything you said.
They may not agree with anything you said.
But if they “Get It!”, they understood your message and can form an opinion.
At that point, a meaningful discussion can take place.
Some points to remember to help them “Get It!” Read More→
Taking Questions
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Often, speakers take questions after they’ve completed their talk.
Usually, this is not the best time to do this because the audience doesn’t leave having the impact of your closing on the their minds.
In fact, depending upon the questions and answers. they could exit with a completely different mindset then you intended to give.
The Law of Primacy & Recency tells us we’ll best remember the first and last things we hear. (That’s why you always want a strong opening and a strong closing.)
There are several preferred ways to handle questions.
After your opening, explain how you’ll be handling questions. Read More→
I want them to Remember my speech
Posted by: | CommentsProven ways to get your points across and for the audience to remember your message.
Primacy and Recency
People will better remember the first and last things you say.
This is why it is so important to have a strong opening and strong closing to your speech.
Repetition
Repeat – Repeat – Repeat
The more often we hear something the more likely we’ll remember it.
Constant and consistent reinforcement is important.
Something Unusual
If it’s out of the ordinary, we’re more likely to recall it.
Example:
I once saw someone give a speech about management and labor.
The speaker wore a two brimmed baseball cap, with one brim white (management) and the other brim blue (labor). When he was speaking as the manager, he had the white brim facing forward. When speaking as the labor person, the blue brim faced forward.
This speech was probably 25 years ago, but I still remember it because the speaker used – Something Unusual!
About the Author:
Fred E. Miller coaches, speaks and writes about Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.
