Archive for Presentations
Speakers, There’s 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→
Speakers: The Last Thing you do, will be. . .
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The First Thing the Audience
will Remember!
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!”
Speakers: Be Prepared – “STUFF” HAPPENS!
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It’s a Given – When a Speaker, “STUFF” Happens, and You
Best be Prepared!
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And the “STUFF” can happen in many ways.
Venue: Always try to scope out the room, building, and parking areas where you’ll be presenting before the presentation. Going a few days beforehand may not cut it because the arrangement you saw may not be the layout when you return.
- Best to arrive several hours early so seating arrangements, audio, video, lighting, etc. can be checked out and adjusted as necessary.
- Know where rest rooms are located and water available.
- Be certain, if warranted, that signs directing people as they arrive point the way to the room you’ll be presenting in. If they can’t find the room, they won’t get your message!
- Check, ahead of time, to find out who is your contact for these items, and how they can be reached on very short notice.
Audience: Check with the meeting planner or host to get information on Read More→
Your Elevator Speech is a Mini-Presentation
Posted by: | CommentsHere’s mine. What’s yours?
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- CLICK to ENLARGE – Read from Bottom > Top
If you attend Networking Events, you’ve been asked to deliver an
Elevator Speech – Correct?
You should also have one in your hip pocket for those times when people ask, “What do you do?”
Elevator Speeches are Mini-Presentations. They are also, like many Speaking Opportunities: Business and Career Opportunities. They are meant to:
(1) Give a very quick overview of what you do.
(2) Provoke curiosity so someone will followup and ask you to tell them more.
That Elevator Speech should be built from the ground up, by “floors”, because Read More→
Nonverbal Communication Trumps. . .
Posted by: | CommentsNonVerbal Communication Trumps
Verbal Communication
The guy on the right says, “I’m really excited to have the opportunity to speak to you today.”
Do you believe him?
I imagine your answer is, “No!”
A Presentation has two Components:
- Content
- Delivery
Experts agree: Delivery is far more important than Content. You can have the greatest Content in the world, but if it can’t be Delivered in a manner that Educates, Entertains, and Explains, the audience will never GET IT! (GETTING It is the goal of all communication.)
The Delivery Component has two Parts: Read More→
ALLTOP is the #1 Site that’s All Over the Top of Public Speaking/Presentations!
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If You Want to Improve Your Craft, Bookmark this Site!
If you’re a regular reader of my blog, and I hope you are, then you’re interested in information that will help you become a better Speaker/Presenter.
There is a great amount of advice and information on the net. One of the places got to regularly to learn more about Public Speaking is Alltop Speaking News, http://speaking.alltop.com
Some of the best writers on the web can be found here, and I continue to learn and increase my expertise from information gleaned from their articles.
I’ve learned ways to improve my Opening and Closing, different Non-verbal Communication Skills, better ways to Handle Questions and a host of other things relevant to me and what I do.
The purpose of Alltop is to help you answer the question, “What’s happening?” in “all the topics” that Read More→
More Scoops of Chapman’s Ice Cream that. . .
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Make ”Subtle Little Differences!”
As stated in a previous Post, Chapman’s Ice Cream was famous for their advertising campaign that stated there was a “subtle little difference” in their product that “made all the difference!” Apply that philosophy to your presentations.
Here are more “subtle little differences” you can use that will “make all the difference” in how the audience perceives you, your message and how well they GET IT!
- Make a “subtle little difference” with the Title of your speech.
- Think of the Title of your speech as if it were the headline of a newspaper article, subject line of an email, or the title on the spine of a book sitting on a shelf at the bookstore. Read More→
If You BOMB, Take a Lesson from my Grandson!
Posted by: | CommentsPull Yourself Up, and Try, Again!
My grandson, Carson, just turned one. He’s not quite walking, but he sure is trying. He won’t give up, and I expect we’ll see videos of those first solo steps very soon. As I watched him, I’m reminded of lessons that apply to learning how to be a great speaker.
If you’ve never walked, it takes awhile to learn how. If you’ve never given presentations, it takes awhile to learn how.
If you’re learning to walk, and fall down, you need to pull yourself up, and try, again. If your presentation BOMBS, you need to pull yourself up and try, again.
I think you see where I’m going with this Post.
Walking is a skill we learn. We don’t come into this world walking. We don’t learn to do this the first time we pull ourselves up and try to move our feet. It takes perseverance. We can’t give up when we don’t do it right the first time, or anytime after that. Falling down is part of the learning process. Read More→
If YOU are in the Audience, PLEASE. . .
Posted by: | CommentsLearn by Observing and Listening
A good speaker can become a better one by watching others speak. Follow these suggestions the next time you are in the audience.
- Turn OFF your cell phone.
- Practice active listening.
- Give the speaker eye contact.
- Lean forward in your seat.
- Do not cross your arms.
- Smile at the speaker.
- Did the Introduction, delivered by the Emcee, answer these three questions?
- Why this subject?
- Why this speaker?
- Why now?
- Concentrate on the speaker’s message. Read More→
The 3Es of Presenting Help The Audience GET IT! #1 E – Educate
Posted by: | CommentsEducate - Entertain – Explain
The 3 Es of Presenting will help ensure your audience understands your message; i.e. Gets It!
They may not agree with everything. They may not agree with anything.
Unless they Get It!, there can’t be a meaningful discussion going forward.
Education is the first E. Future posts will discuss the other two Es.
As the presenter, I want the audience to leave my presentation with more knowledge of the subject than when they arrived.
It is my responsibility to make that information valuable. The title and description of the presentation brought them in. What I present should exceed their expectations. Read More→
