always seems to be lurking around the corner, waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting victim.  That casualty could be you!

Always be prepared for anything and everything you can control.

If the computer crashes, projector dies, or sound system goes silent, you must still present your material!  There are people in the audience who came to learn something.  It’s your presentation and your responsibility they don’t leave disappointed.

Be sure your “trunk” is well equipped for all contingencies.
If I’m using slides, I backup my presentation on a USB flash drive.  Because I use a mac, my slideshows are made with iWork Keynote software.  I export copies to PowerPoint and convert, also, to PDFs.  The PDF conversion is done because they work when versions of PowerPoint and Keynote are not the versions on a backup computer.

I also print a copy of my slideshow in Light Table view, which allows me to see a large number of my slides on one piece of paper.  More about this in a moment!

If you use slides, I recommend you do the same.  If those slides contain bullet points with text, print out a copy with the text large enough you’ll be able to read it.  In stressful moments, that text can get very fuzzy!

Having a spare tire is not enough!  You must know if the tire is inflated, have a working car jack, and a lug wrench.  Even if you have “all that in your trunk” it doesn’t mean you know how to use it and change a tire.

Here’s my real life example:
I was presenting to a local Chamber at their monthly luncheon meeting and was on slide number eight of a thirty-six slide presentation.  Suddenly the screen went BLANK!  My computer was working fine, as, it seemed, was the projector.  Because the schedule was tight, there was no time to reboot and see if that would fix the problem.

As a “Plan B” I always print out my slides in Light Table View.  This allows me to place thirty-plus, very small images of my slides, on one sheet of paper.  Thankfully, I use mostly images in slides rather than text.  (This is something you’ll definitely want to investigate in my book and website!)  I’m able to look at the image, and know my material well enough, that I can continue the presentation.

However, having the “Spare Tire” and needing to switch to it instantly is not always easy.  Luckily, I was able to grab my paper, present the remainder of my presentation, and finish to a thankful round of applause.  (It was almost Big Sweat instead of No Sweat!)

My Lesson Learned is obvious.  Before going into the desert, practice, just in case of a blowout, changing that tire!

I now practice, not only my presentation, but the “Backup Plan.”  Knowing what can happen, and confident I can handle things if Murphy pounces, is a great stress reliever.  Follow my lead, and Practice “Plan B,” also!

For reading, and/or listening, this far I’d like to give you a FREE Gift.
Go to: http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com/freegift to receive it!

About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, a coach, and author of the book,
“No Sweat Public Speaking!”
Businesses and individuals hire him because they want to improve their
Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.
They do this because we perceive really great speakers to be Experts.
Perception is reality and we rather deal with Experts.

They also know:
Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities.
He shows them how to
Develop, Practice, and Deliver ‘Knock Your Socks Off Presentations!’ with -
No Sweat!

Fred E. Miller
Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com
nosweatpublicspeaking.com
Connect/Follow me:
FaceBook
LinkedIn
Twitter
314-517-8772

Related posts:

1. Have a ‘Plan B’ Because When the Screen Goes. . . There are several lessons here: Murphy’s Law rules! It’s not...
2. Fox News interviews Speaker/Author, Fred E. Miller Audio John Pertzborn, co-anchor of Fox News AM Show in...
3. The Magic Pill that Makes You a Great Presenter! There's no easy way to get rid of the Fear...

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YourYour Elevator Speech is a Mini-Presentation 

CLICK to Open Booklet

The term, Elevator Speech, implies it’s something that won’t take very long to deliver.  If someone’s only going to be in an elevator with you till the next floor, it may be less than a minute.  It’s not an exercise to take casually.

Just as an Elevator goes up one floor at a time, the Elevator Speech should be delivered “by the floor.”

At each stop, the verbal and/or nonverbal signal to look for is, “Tell me more.”

Everyone doesn’t want to go to the Top Floor with you.  Some don’t want to leave the lobby! There is no need to waste time and energy taking them all the way up.

The Elevator Speech can be a good tool for Qualifying and DisQualifying prospects.

The Elevator Speech starts simple. As interest and time permit, it is expanded.

Again, not everyone wants to go with you to the Top Floor and you don’t want to take everyone there.

Let’s get in the Elevator and start going up!

1st Floor  -  Describes Who You Are
Hello! My Name is Fred Miller.
That may be all someone wants to know about you – Your Name.

2nd Floor  -  Describes What You Do
I’m a Speaker, a Coach and an Author.
That’s what I do.
Hopefully, they want to know:
What I speak about.
What I coach.
What have I authored.

On this floor, very briefly, tell them what you do.  Don’t give a lot of details.

3rd Floor  -  Describes Your Expertise
The Title of my Book is, “No Sweat Public Speaking!”
How to Develop, Practice, and Deliver a ‘Knock Your Socks Off!’ Presentation with -
No Sweat!

This is where you tell something about why you have expertise in what you do.

4th Floor  -  Why They Hire Me
Businesses and Individuals Hire Me Because they want to improve their Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.

I prefer the words Hire Me rather than:
“I work with people who. . .
“I help people. . .
Hire Me lets them know I get Paid to do this.
Hire Me can be an excellent Dis-Qualifier.

The word “because” is important.  It has a positive psychological impact on the recipient.

5th Floor  -  More Why They Hire Me
They do this because:
We perceive really good speakers as Experts.
Perception is reality.
We like to work with Experts.

Here, expand on why they hire you.

6th Floor  -  More Information
They know:
Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities.

You may not have time or need to deliver more information, but it’s good
to have it as an option.

I could follow this up with,
“Are You Taking and Making Speaking Opportunities?”

That could continue the conversation.
This is an Elevator Speech, not a Sales Presentation.
If this leads to a meeting and a conversation, I’ll ask it at that time.

7th Floor  -  I Deliver
I show them how to Develop, Practice, and Deliver a ‘Knock Your Socks Off!’ Presentation with – No Sweat!

The “No Sweat!” is part of my Branding.  If you have a “Brand” it’s this is a great place to use it!

8th Floor  -  ASK!
“You probably don’t know any companies or people who could use the services I offer,
Do You?

Asking the question this way will catch them a bit off guard and usually get them thinking.
Their answer could be a prospect.

Somewhere on the ride up, the person you’re delivering to, is curious enough to tell you they want to know more and have a conversation in the future.
If not, ASKING them is the next best thing to do.  What have you got to lose?

Be aware that an Elevator Speech, just like any presentation, consists of two Components:
Content and Delivery.

Plan your Content.
•  Read The Elevator Speech Booklet.
•  Very little, but pertinent information, for each “floor.”
•  Continually refresh it. Change is constant.
• You learn new skills and have new experiences that can be
valuable to mention.

Delivery is Verbal and NonVerbal.
Verbal: The way the words are spoken.
•  Speak clearly and distinctly.
NonVerbal, Everything else.
•  Smile.  It’s universal and gets a positive response.
•  Make eye contact to show honesty and sincerity.
•  Stand tall and lean in slightly to listen and/or shake hands.
•  If appropriate to shake hands, give a firm handshake.

Now, work on Your Elevator Speech.
Then, if you’re inclined, go to the Comments Section, please, and
share Your Elevator Speech!

For reading, and/or listening, this far I’d like to give you a FREE Gift.
Go to: http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com/freegift to receive it!

About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, a coach, and author of the book,
“No Sweat Public Speaking!”
Businesses and individuals hire him because they want to improve their
Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.
They do this because we perceive really great speakers to be Experts.
Perception is reality and we rather deal with Experts.

They also know:
Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities.
He shows them how to
Develop, Practice, and Deliver ‘Knock Your Socks Off Presentations!’ with -
No Sweat!

Fred E. Miller
Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com
nosweatpublicspeaking.com
Connect/Follow me:
FaceBook
LinkedIn
Twitter
314-517-8772

Related posts:

1. Speakers: Brand Yourself with – “No Sweat!” I've worked very hard on my "No Sweat!" Brand: ”No...
2. Fox News interviews Speaker/Author, Fred E. Miller Audio John Pertzborn, co-anchor of Fox News AM Show in...
3. Remember: NonVerbal Communication Trumps. . . The speaker on the podium says, "I really am...

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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.  (If you saw Simon Cowell’s eyebrows rise when Susan Boyle started singing her first song, “I Dreamed a Dream,” on Britain Has Talent, you know what I mean.  Here’s a Link.)

Facial expressions like: raised eyebrows, rolling eyes, smirks, yawns, snickers and other expressions are often exhibited before we are conscious of them happening.  Yet the audience sees them and immediately an impression is made.  If not in sync with the words they were hearing, and carries a different meaning, the audience will believe the involuntary NonVerbal Communication they see.

The same holds true of gestures and body language.  If we’re talking about something we are ‘passionate about’, but not ‘showing’ that emotion with gestures, posture and body language, the ‘disconnect’ tells our audience the ‘passion’ may not be as real as we’re telling them!

If using slides in a presentation, it is critical to either insert Blank Slides or use the “B” Blank Button at points in your presentation.  This will shift the audiences’ eyes to you, the presenter.  They will the see your important NonVerbal Communication.

Use NonVerbal Communication to reinforce the words you speak and enhance your Presentation:

• Make Eye Contact with individuals in the audience.
• It demonstrates honesty, self-confidence, and sincerity.
• Use Facial Expressions.
• Smile, when appropriate.
• A smile is universal.  I call it a non-physical hug because when you give one, you usually get one right back!
• Other Facial Expressions are also universal and ‘seen’ the same by people all over the globe.  They include expressions for:
• Fear, Anger, Surprise, Disgust, Happiness, and being Sad.
• Gesture to emphasize specific points of your presentation.
• Be certain they are in sync with your message.
• Make those gestures larger for larger audiences so all see them.
• Your Posture conveys self-confidence, honesty, and leadership.
• Don’t slouch, lean, or fidget when standing.
• Posture also applies when you are sitting, before and after you speak.
• Consider yourself always on stage.
• When you Move Your Body, walk deliberately.
• Pick several ‘anchor’ points to always return to.  (Kind of an X marks the spot!)
• One of those anchors can be ‘stage center,’ directly in front of the audience.
• If you’re using slides in your presentation, be sure you have BLANKED the screen with the ‘B’ Button on your computer or remote, or inserted a Blank Slide.  If you don’t do this, you are the screen!

In summary, if everything in a presentation is not in sync,
NonVerbal Communication Rules!

For reading, and/or listening, this far I’d like to give you a FREE Gift.
Go to: http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com/freegift to receive it!

About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, a coach, and author of the book,
“No Sweat Public Speaking!”
Businesses and individuals hire him because they want to improve their
Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.
They do this because we perceive really great speakers to be Experts.
Perception is reality and we rather deal with Experts.

They also know:
Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities.
He shows them how to
Develop, Practice, and Deliver ‘Knock Your Socks Off Presentations!’ with -
No Sweat!

Fred E. Miller
Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com
nosweatpublicspeaking.com
Connect/Follow me:
FaceBook
LinkedIn
Twitter
314-517-8772

Related posts:

1. Nonverbal Communication Trumps. . . Nonverbal Communication trumps Verbal Communication. Having your total presentation in...
2. Speakers: Brand Yourself with – “No Sweat!” I've worked very hard on my "No Sweat!" Brand: ”No...
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“If it’s Sunday, it’s Meet the Press.”

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:

• ”No Sweat Public Speaking!” is my book.
• ”No Sweat Public Speaking!” is my website.
• Above my signature on correspondence and emails are the words,
  “Make your next presentation - “No Sweat!”
• When I encourage others with an upcoming presentation I tell them it will be -  “No Sweat!”
• I Close all my presentations with:
• “I’m going to close my talk with a Challenge – and a Prediction.
• Here’s my challenge, and it’s a challenge to each and every one of you.
• The next time you have a speaking opportunity - Grab It!
• Then prepare, practice and deliver that speech using all the components, parts and elements of  ”No Sweat Public Speaking!
• ”Do that, and my prediction is this:
• “Your speech will be: absolutely, positively, there’s no doubt in my mind; no ifs, ands or buts about it.  That speech will be (As I speak those words, I wipe my brow, look at the palm of my hand, then look up at the audience, smile broadly and say),  – “No Sweat!”
• I’ve even had people in the audience, who see this Closing Statement coming, mouth the words “No Sweat!” with me!
• That means they’re GETTING IT! with my Branding.
  How cool is that!

Now, My Challenge – and Prediction to you is this:
Develop a closing statement that brands you and your talks.

Do that, and my prediction is this: Your Brand will grow, and grow –
making you the ‘Go-To Person’ in your area of expertise!

Leave a Comment, please, and let us know how you Brand Yourself!

For reading, and/or listening, this far I’d like to give you a FREE Gift.
Go to: http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com/freegift to receive it!

About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, a coach, and author of the book,
“No Sweat Public Speaking!”
Businesses and individuals hire him because they want to improve their
Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.
They do this because we perceive really great speakers to be Experts.
Perception is reality and we rather deal with Experts.

They also know:
Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities.
He shows them how to
Develop, Practice, and Deliver ‘Knock Your Socks Off Presentations!’ with -
No Sweat!

Fred E. Miller
Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com
nosweatpublicspeaking.com
Connect/Follow me:
FaceBook
LinkedIn
Twitter
314-517-8772

Related posts:

1. Have a ‘Plan B’ Because When the Screen Goes. . . There are several lessons here: Murphy’s Law rules! It’s not...
2. Fox News interviews Speaker/Author, Fred E. Miller Audio John Pertzborn, co-anchor of Fox News AM Show in...
3. The Magic Pill that Makes You a Great Presenter! There's no easy way to get rid of the Fear...

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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?
• Do you believe Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities?
• Do you believe Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities?
• Do you believe that people who speak/present well are perceived as Experts?
• Do you agree we prefer to work with Experts?
• Do you agree Experts can can command a higher price for their products and services
• If someone delivers a really poor presentation, what’s the perception of the person, their product/service, and company?
• Does your competition give presentations to prospects?
• Are some of their prospects your customers?

And, if you now believe people here do give presentations. . .

• Is their Content good?
• Do they have an Opening, Body and Conclusion?
• What kind of Closing do they use?
• Is their Delivery of the Content done in a professional manner?
• How are their Verbal Communication Skills?
• How are their Nonverbal Communication Skills?
• When, and how, do they handle Questions?
• Are they comfortable in front of an audience?
• Do they present themselves well?
• Do they present your company well?
• Do they use PowerPoint in their presentation?
• What’s on the slide?
• Text?
• Graphics?
• Are the slides contributing to the presentation in a positive manner and helping the audience GET IT or. . .?
• When the presentation is over, what’s the audience’s perception of the presenter?
• How does it reflect on their product/service and company?

Do you still believe “No one here gives presentations?”

If you didn’t GET IT! before, I’m sure you GET IT! now.  
You, and most of the people you work with give presentations on a regular basis.
They may not be ‘platform speeches’ in front of hundreds, but they certainly are presentations that can have positive or negative effects.

Speaking to a group or talking to an individual,
the basics apply to most communication.

• Content – the message
• Delivery – presenting the message
• Verbal Communication – the voice and how it is used
• NonVerbal Communication – gestures, facial expressions
  and body language

Keep this in mind the next time someone asks,
“Do you and your people give presentations?”

For reading, and/or listening, this far I’d like to give you a FREE Gift.
Go to: http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com/freegift to receive it!

About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, a coach, and author of the book,
“No Sweat Public Speaking!”
Businesses and individuals hire him because they want to improve their
Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.
They do this because we perceive really great speakers to be Experts.
Perception is reality and we rather deal with Experts.

They also know:
Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities.
He shows them how to
Develop, Practice, and Deliver ‘Knock Your Socks Off Presentations!’ with -
No Sweat!

Fred E. Miller
Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com
nosweatpublicspeaking.com
Connect/Follow me:
FaceBook
LinkedIn
Twitter
314-517-8772

Related posts:

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2. Have a ‘Plan B’ Because When the Screen Goes. . . There are several lessons here: Murphy’s Law rules! It’s not...
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Read them – Study them – Don’t do them!

DON’T  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!
2. 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.
2. Focusing on the Audience, and not you, will raise the quality of your presentation and lower your anxiety.
3. Don’t give the same speech to all audiences.
1. Do your homework and get some intel on whom you’ll be speaking with.
2. All audiences are not the same.  Their makeup and knowledge of your subject will vary.  Adjust your speech accordingly.
4. Don’t turn your back to the audience and read text from your slides.
1. Slides are a tool to help the audience GET IT!  They especially appeal to the 65% of the population that are visual learners.
2. You shouldn’t be using much, if any, text.
1. Use high quality, universally understood images, and you supply the text with your voice.
3. Use the ‘B Blank’ button to blank the screen and take the attention of the audience from the screen to you, the presenter –  where their attention should be directed.
5. Don’t leave it up to the emcee to write your Introduction.
1. It is your responsibility, not the emcee’s, and is an integral part of your presentation.
2. It is not your bio.  The Introduction should answer three questions:
1. Why this subject?
2. Why this speaker?
3. Why now?
3. You write it because no one knows what should be on it better than you!
6. Don’t tell a joke to be telling a joke.
1. All presentations don’t need humor.  However, if done well, it can be “icing on the cake.”
2. Humor can be great because it can make an emotional connection to your audience.  But it has to be appropriate to the presentation and your audience.
1. The best humor is self-effacing, but don’t overdo it.
7. Don’t run over your allotted time.
1. There are scheduled events before and after you present.  Respect those events and the audience and contain your talk as scheduled.
2. Fill the time your are allotted with great content and delivery. Finishing a bit early is OK; too early disrupts the agenda.
8. Don’t assume the projector, computer, microphone, etc. will be in place and working as you asked.
1. It is your presentation and your responsibility that everything is in place and working.
2. You, or someone else, may have delegated those duties, but it’s your ultimate job because it’s your presentation.  That’s why. . .
9. Don’t - NOT have a Plan B!
1. Stuff Happens!  You must be prepared to carry on if the projector fails, the computer crashes, the emcee forgets to bring your Introduction, etc.
2. Practice Plan B.  It is different delivering a presentation with all your slides showing well vs. giving the same information with one sheet of paper with the light table view of all your slides.
   (I know this from personal experience.  My “No Sweat!” presentation could easily have gone into “Big Sweat!”)
10. Don’t use buzz words, acronyms, or technical jargon that your audience won’t immediately understand.
1. You won’t impress them – you’ll lose them!
1. No one wants to feel “not OK,” and they’ll quickly turn you off.
11. Don’t have Q&A after you close your presentation.
1. That’s why the Closing is called the Closing!
1. If you’re going to have a Q&A, place if before your Closing.
2. The ‘Law of Primacy and Recency’ says the last thing the audience hears is the first thing they will remember. That’s why it’s imperative to have a Strong Closing.
3. If the Q&A is after your closing, and you are challenged, or don’t know the answer, that is what the audience will remember.  It’s probably not the take-away you want them to leave with.

Now that you’ve read these Don’ts – Study them and Don’t do them!

For reading, and/or listening, this far I’d like to give you a FREE Gift.
Go to: http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com/freegift to receive it!

About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, a coach, and author of the book,
“No Sweat Public Speaking!”
Businesses and individuals hire him because they want to improve their
Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.
They do this because we perceive really great speakers to be Experts.
Perception is reality and we rather deal with Experts.
They also know:
Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities.
He shows them how to
Develop, Practice, and Deliver ‘Knock Your Socks Off Presentations!’ with -
No Sweat!

Fred E. Miller
Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com
nosweatpublicspeaking.com
314-517-8772

Related posts:

1. Attention, Audience! Be SPEAKER CENTERED – Please! In most cases, the audience came to learn something, not...
2. Slides: USE TEXT – as little as possible! PLEASE! Instead of placing lots and lots of Text on a...
3. Have a ‘Plan B’ Because When the Screen Goes. . . There are several lessons here: Murphy’s Law rules! It’s not...

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Make the Invisible – Visible!  Sometimes – Not! 

Prop 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.

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, I should put the cup out of site. If I set it down where everyone can see it, it becomes a distraction because some in the audience will keep glancing at it.

Putting the prop out of sight is the same theory behind BLANKING the screen of a slide presentation.  Doing this immediately moves the attention of the audience from the screen to the presenter.  That’s where the attention should be!  The slideshow is not the presentation.  It is a prop that helps the audience GET IT! while the presenter provides the “text” with their voice.  (Very few, if any Bullet Points, please, and limited text.  High quality, easily recognizable graphics are best.)

Sometimes, the best prop for the situation is the one you don’t physically use.  For instance, if I said, “Picture your favorite coffee cup!”  (Really, do this for me, please.)  What do you see?

You might be picturing a cup your son or daughter made in pre-school or kindergarten. Maybe, you’re looking at one given to you for a present by a special friend, or one you received for achieving a specific goal.

Perhaps, you’re seeing the one you bought on a special vacation.  I know, it was a cheap cup you bought at a souvenir shop, and now there is a crack in it.  But picture that cup and the memories associated with it.

In these examples I’ve personalized that cup.  Nothing can beat that for getting you to “see” a prop.  What cup are you seeing?

I remember an old interview with Gene Siskel & Roger Ebert, the movie reviewers.  One question was, “What’s the best medium for communication: Radio, TV, of the Big Screen?” Without hesitation they both answered, “Radio!”  Immediately I thought of the CBS Radio Mystery Theatre Old Time Radio Shows, 1974 -1982.  I also remembered listening to baseball games on radio and the colorful commentary and play-by-play that made me feel I was sitting in the stands.

Nothing can replace what your mind can “see”.  Those in the audience who “see” that cup, get emotionally involved with you and your presentation.  That cup has a story, and stories, as Nancy Duarte said, are the “emotional glue” that attach your audience to your ideas.

Another variation on this is getting the audience to anticipate seeing a prop.

One of the best examples of this is a presentation I saw delivered by an ex ad exec.  He took the lectern with a large leather portfolio case.  It was the kind artists use to protect their work.

He talked about the agency he had owned, and the campaigns his company had done for companies. The work, he said, would involve developing posters, print advertising, logos, letterheads, radio and tv commercials and a host of other products and services made to promote the client.

Throughout his presentation, he had one or more hands on the large portfolio case.  He would shift it from hand to hand, and always seemed to be about to open it and display examples of his work for the companies he was talking about.  He never opened the case!

WOW!  When he closed his speech, we could not believe we had not seen the contents of that beautiful leather portfolio.

From the moment he opened his speech, he held our attention.  With each advertising campaign story, our anticipation grew.

Every time he spoke of the colors, custom designs, and how everything had to deliver the same message, we just knew we’d be seeing those samples.  We never did!  It was absolutely one of the best uses of a prop I’ve ever seen.  (Of course, half of us would ready to jump the guy as soon as he left the lectern, extract the case from his hands and open it!)

He achieved his goal by not showing us what was (if anything) inside the case.  Besides the extremely effective use of this prop, he also presented well.  It was a great presentation!

Try using a prop or two in your presentation.  Be creative and help your audience GET IT!

For reading, and/or listening, this far I’d like to give you a FREE Gift.
Go to: http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com/freegift to receive it!

About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, a coach, and author of the book,
“No Sweat Public Speaking!”
Businesses and individuals hire him because they want to improve their
Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.
They do this because we perceive really great speakers to be Experts.
Perception is reality and we rather deal with Experts.
They also know:
Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities.
He shows them how to
Develop, Practice, and Deliver ‘Knock Your Socks Off Presentations!’ with -
No Sweat!

Fred E. Miller
Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com
nosweatpublicspeaking.com

Photo Credit: Brett Jordan
Portfolio Picture: Smead Deluxe Art Portfolio

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MDo 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.

I often use Apple’s Keynote software to develop and present slides in my presentations.  My backup plans (spare tire and tools) include:

• Copying the presentation to the ‘Cloud’.
• Copying the presentation to a thumb drive.
• Converting the presentation to PowerPoint in case there is not another mac available should mine not work and copying that file to the ‘Cloud’ and a thumb drive.
• Checking that someone will have a PC or mac available as a backup should mine fail.
• Checking that they have either PowerPoint or Keynote on that backup computer.
• Hopefully, checking that my version of those programs will work on their version.
• As I write this, I probably should have the software program on a backup drive, also, and hope their operating system will be able to load and run my software version.
• Printed copies (yes, plural) of the Light Table View of the slideshow.
• Light Table View allows the printing of several sizes of thumbnails of all slides.  I’m able to place up to 35 slides on one piece of paper.  Because my slides are mostly images, with very little text, I can look at the slide and know what words I should be speaking.  If you use lots of text, and you should not, those thumbnails would have to be larger than ones with just images on them.
• Navigator View can also be printed.
• This shows the slides and any relevant notes.

Bottom Line:
Are you prepared for something that usually doesn’t, but could go wrong, in an instant? As I stated, I’ve always had that ‘spare tire’ but never expected to use it.

I’ve got a presentation this week and, if you’ll forgive me, I need to print out that ‘Plan B’ Light Table View and put it in my ‘trunk!’

For reading, and/or listening, this far I’d like to give you a FREE Gift.
Go to: http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com/freegift to receive it!

About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, a coach, and author of the book,
“No Sweat Public Speaking!”
Businesses and individuals hire him because they want to improve their
Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.
They do this because we perceive really great speakers to be Experts.
Perception is reality and we rather deal with Experts.
They also know:
Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities.
He shows them how to
Develop, Practice, and Deliver ‘Knock Your Socks Off Presentations!’ with -
No Sweat!

Fred E. Miller
Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com
nosweatpublicspeaking.com

Related posts:

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2. The Magic Pill that Makes You a Great Presenter! There's no easy way to get rid of the Fear...
3. Your Master Slide Deck: “Know when to
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AudienceThe 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 learn about the subject you are speaking on.

If you switch your focus from the audience to you, you’re in trouble -
You’re in Big Trouble!

For reading, and/or listening, this far I’d like to give you a FREE Gift.
Go to: http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com/freegift to receive it!

About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, a coach, and author of the book,
“No Sweat Public Speaking!”
Businesses and individuals hire him because they want to improve their
Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.
They do this because we perceive really great speakers to be Experts.
Perception is reality and we rather deal with Experts.
They also know:
Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities.
He shows them how to
Develop, Practice, and Deliver ‘Knock Your Socks Off Presentations!’ with -
No Sweat!

Fred E. Miller
Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com
nosweatpublicspeaking.com

Photo Credit: Marcel Acosta

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SlideThere are three styles of learning.

1. Auditory – Learn by hearing.
2. Visual – Learn by seeing.
3. Kinesthetic - Learn by doing.

For speakers, if more than one of these styles can be addressed to convey your message, the odds they’ll GET IT are dramatically increased.  Combining high quality, universally understood images on a screen with you, the speaker providing the “text” is an excellent way to do this.

Unfortunately, the majority of slide shows are designed with lots of text, bullet points, corporate templates and logos.  If they include any images, they are often cheap clip art or graphics that have the audience scratching their heads wondering what they are.

Sometimes you wonder why the presenter even showed up!  They are standing at the lectern, with their back to the audience, and are reading each and every bit of text to the attendees.  Yech!  They could just have well emailed their powerpoint presentation to everyone!

So your audience GETS IT! here are better ways to use slides in your presentation:

Use very little text and as few bullet points as possible.

Here’s why:
Text and bullet points do not reinforce the presenter’s message.
They confuse, compete and complicate it.  The audience will be reading at a different speed than the presenter is speaking the words.  They will be ahead or behind the point the speaker is making so the words they “hear” will not coincide with the sentences they are “seeing.”  The result is a lesser understanding than the speaker desires.

Use high quality graphics, eliminate the clutter, and deliver your message in a conversational manner.
Your slides, like the words you use, should be clean and simple.
Here’s why:
Our minds work by associations and we think in terms of pictures.
Example: If I say, “Apple.” you probably don’t see the letters a-p-p-l-e. My experience tells me you see something round, probably red, and there is a stem coming out of the top – Correct?

The images on a slide are used to supplement your words and help the visual learners (65% of the population) GET IT!  The slideshow is not the presentation!

When using a slide, as your talk goes forward and before the next slide, many times it is helpful for your delivery to press the “B” Button on your keyboard or remote control.  This will blank the slide.  The eyes of the audience will immediately move from the screen to you, the presenter – where they should be!

Allowing a slide to stay “on” for an extended period makes it a distraction.  Because our eyes are drawn to the light and the image(s) you’re projecting, while you are speaking, the audience is looking at the screen .  Since our nonverbal communication (gestures, facial expressions, posture, and body movement) is 55% of our communication pyramid (tonality being 38% and the words we speak only 7% ), the audience could potentially miss a great part of your message!

Do not use fancy transitions, build-ins, build-outs, special effects, fancy templates or any of the other “cool” things available to PowerPoint and Keynote users.
Here’s why:
It’s clutter!  All those things distract from your message.  Keep things Zen-like: Clean and Simple – Less is More!

Follow this suggestion the next time you use slides in your presentation.
Do that, and my prediction is this:
That speech will be absolutely, positively – No Sweat!

For reading, and/or listening, this far I’d like to give you a FREE Gift.
Go to: http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com/freegift to receive it!

About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, a coach, and author of the book,
“No Sweat Public Speaking!”
Businesses and individuals hire him because they want to improve their
Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.
They do this because we perceive really great speakers to be Experts.
Perception is reality and we rather deal with Experts.
They also know:
Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities.
He shows them how to
Develop, Practice, and Deliver ‘Knock Your Socks Off Presentations!’ with -
No Sweat!

Fred E. Miller
Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com
nosweatpublicspeaking.com

Related posts:

1. Your Master Slide Deck: “Know when to
   Show Them and when to Fold Them! All presentations don't need PowerPoint or Keynote. However, there are...
2. Fox News interviews Speaker/Author, Fred E. Miller Audio John Pertzborn, co-anchor of Fox News AM Show in...
3. The Magic Pill that Makes You a Great Presenter! There's no easy way to get rid of the Fear...

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