AP You Gotta Do It Yourself!. . .and 

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 we like to work with Experts.  (Experts can command higher prices for their products and services, also.)

People who take and make Speaking Opportunities grow the perception they are Experts. They grow their Businesses, advance their Careers, and increase their Leadership Roles.

We expect leaders to be good presenters.  Some are; many are not. If the leader is not comfortable delivering presentations, make it a goal to learn how!

Public Speaking/Giving a Presentation is a skill that is learned.  Just as no one is born knowing how to ride a bike, work with a computer, or drive a car, no one is born a public speaker.

There are many things a person can do to learn these skills:

• Take Public Speaking Courses.
• Join Toastmasters
• Read blogs and books on Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.
• Observe professional speakers.
• Listen to great speeches.
• Watch videos on Presentation Skills.
• Hire a personal coach.
• PRACTICE delivering presentations.
• SPEAK!

Two activities stand above the others:

• Practice! – Practice! – Practice!

• Would any serious athlete just “Show Up”
  for the big game, match or meet? – NO!
• Spring Training, Summer Camp, Winter Camp,
  Workout – Workout – Workout!
• Would any serious musician, singer or actress just “Show Up”
  for the big concert, show, or play? – NO!
• Rehearsal – Practice – Rehearsal!
• Why would someone think they can just “Show Up” for a presentation and “wing it?” – NO!
• Practice! – Practice! – Practice!
• Steve Jobs was the consumate presenter.
  If he had a 90 minute Keynote Presentation scheduled to introduce a new Apple product
  or service he would practice for weeks!
• That’s the amount of time someone who was the best-of the-best would spend on preparing for a speech. How much prep time should you and I spend developing and practicing a presentation?

• Do it!  Present!
• “The Learning is in the Doing!”
• You can do all the intellectualizing you want about being a Public Speaker, but the real Learning is in the Doing!
• There’s no other way!
  Jump into the deep end of the pool (get in front of an audience) and start swimming (presenting).
• What’s the worse that could happen?
• You bomb!
• BIG DEAL!  Who Cares?
• It’s a drop in the ocean of your life.  It’s nothing!
• You really have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
• Jump in and Do It!  
• I GUARANTEE:
  “The worst speech you’ll ever give -
  will be far better than the one you never give!”
• Let me know how it works out!

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Speakers 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 people like to know what and when things are going to happen.
• Example:
• “I’ll talk about the Fear of Public Speaking.
• Why we have it.
• Nuggets to lessen it.
• I’ll then take Questions.
• Finally, I’ll Close the Presentation.”
• The Closing should be something you want them to remember.  (Think of courtroom summations and closing statements by political candidates.)
• Examples
• A Call to Action.
• “Today, as soon as you get back to your office, start writing your Introduction!“
• A Challenge.
• “We’ll be meeting again one week from today.  I challenge each of you to have an Introduction that answers the three questions every Introduction should address
• Why this Subject?
• Why this Speaker?
• Why Now?
• A Motivational Quote.
• Remember as you leave the auditorium, ”The worst speech you’ll ever give, will be far better than the one you never give!”
• It’s an opportunity to Brand Yourself.
• Each episode of NBC’s Meet the Press, the longest-running television series in American broadcasting, ends with, “If it’s Sunday, it’s Meet the Press!”
• My good friend and internet marketing guru, Russ Henneberry, Tiny Business, Mighty Profits, does this.  He ends each of his dynamic presentations with, “Go back to your offices and start using the marketing strategies we talked about today and Your Tiny Business will have – Mighty Profits!”
• If you’re going to have a Question and Answer Session, have it before the Closing.
• Taking questions at this time is important. Here’s why: As stated above, the last things the audience sees and hears will be the first things they’ll remember.
• Example:
• Suppose I have a killer Close.  It’s a “Call to Action” that has the audience rushing thru the doors to start on that goal immediately.
• But, as most speakers do, I take questions about my presentation after my Closing. Things are going along fine and I have time for one more question.  That person says, “Fred, that stuff you said about ‘practicing in your mind’s eye.  That’s garbage.  It never works.  In fact, you’re full of garbage! ”
• Now, the presentation is over.  The last thing people heard is the first thing they’ll remember:  ”Fred is full of garbage!”
• That is not the take-away I want them leaving the event with!

Follow this advice about the last thing you say and do, and my prediction is this:
Your next presentation 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
Connect/Follow me:
FaceBook
LinkedIn
Twitter
314-517-8772

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1. Fox News interviews Speaker/Author, Fred E. Miller Audio John Pertzborn, co-anchor of Fox News AM Show in...
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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It’s a Given – When a Speaker, “STUFF” Happens, and You
Best be Prepared! STUFF

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 who you’ll be presenting to.  Customizing your presentation is important to the audience Getting It!

• When you Meet & Greet people as they arrive (you do this, don’t you?) double check that the intel you were given about the people you’ll be speaking to still stands.
  • If not, you may have to make quick adjustments in your talk.
    Example: If you were told only adults would be in the audience, but a group of teens also show up, some of the examples of black and white TV shows you planned to use may need to be explained to those youngsters!

You! Your personal appearance is important!  In a microsecond, people will form an opinion about you.  Dress a bit “above” your audience.

• Don’t wear a loud tie, wild sport coat or sparking jewelry that could be a distraction to the audience.
• Be certain to give yourself a “mirror check” before taking the stage.
  • Check that buttons are buttoned, zippers zipped, hair groomed, lint removed, etc.

Your Equipment: Anticipate and be prepared for anything and everything that might go wrong with your laptop, remote, microphone and speakers (if you bring your own), etc.

• Have a thumb drive with your presentation on it.  (I use Apple’s Keynote, so I’ll put that and Powerpoint on the drive.)
• A replacement bulb and extra batteries for your remote and mouse are smart to have at hand.
• If using slides, your entire presentation should be printed out in “Light Table’ mode as a backup should the projector die and it’s not possible to “revive it.”

Miscellaneous: There are lots of other things that need to be remembered.

• Extra copy of your Introduction.
• Your own bottle of water, lozenges and breath mints.
• If you’ll be using props, check they are with you and working.
• Handouts, if using, check to see you have enough and where at the venue, you can make more copies if needed.

Bottom Line: It’s your presentation and your responsibility that everything goes as smoothly as possible.  If it doesn’t, and you start pointing your finger at someone, you have three fingers pointing back at YOU!

This stuff works!

Thanks for visiting my Post!
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.
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

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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 every opportunity to present it is not the same.  I’ll use the one I’ve developed as an example.  Put each “floor” into your world and see how it works.  CLICK the image on this Post to enlarge it to get a visual of the process.

Sometimes, it needs to be short, sweet, and immediately to the point.
“I’m Fred Miller.  I’m a speaker, an author, and a coach.”

If it’s an individual or group that warrants giving more information to, and time permits, I continue by saying,
“I wrote a book.  The title is, ‘No Sweat Public Speaking!’”

In many situations, that’s all time permits and all the information people really want.  This is especially true if it’s a social situation where the question is often asked out of curiosity and politeness.  And certainly, all people who ask are not prospects for what you do, could care less, and would be aggravated if answering their inquiry turned into you giving a commercial about yourself.  This is true for you on the receiving end of asking, also, isn’t it?

Often in business network events, more information is sought by attendees.  They are seeking specifics about what you do and how you do it.  They want to know if they could use your products and/or services and if you are a prospect for their offerings.

Oftentimes people start the next “floor” of the Elevator Speech with, “I help businesses (or people or both). . .”  Some use a similar phrase like, “I work with businesses (or people or both). . . ”

Since it’s usually with other business people, I prefer to be more forthright and say, “Businesses and individuals hire me because. . . ”  The word –  hire – hits the nail on the head.  It tells others that money is exchanged for the product or service I provide.  The word – because – is an important word from the psychology of persuasion because it provides a reason for behavior.  In this case, the reason they hire me.  The entire “floor” response is:
“Businesses and individuals hire me because they want to improve their public speaking and presentation skills.”

I take it to the next “level” and use –  because - to mention the reason they hire me.  It goes as follows:
“They do this because we perceive really good speakers as Experts.  Perception is reality, and people like to work with Experts.”

While on this “floor”, and time permitting, I like to add:
“They know that Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities.  Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities.

When I finish that sentence, I’ve arrived at the top floor.  This is where I tell specially what I do to complete the – because.

“So, I show them how to develop, practice and deliver a Knock Your Socks Off! Presentation with – No Sweat!”

Now we’ve completed the Content of the Elevator Speech.  It still must be Delivered!

When it comes to Content vs. Delivery, Delivery is far more important.  You may have just developed the your best Elevator Speech ever, but if you can’t Deliver it as the Mini-Presentation it is, most your efforts will have been largely wasted.  Your Goal is for the recipients to GET IT!; i.e. understand what you do, and hopefully want to know more. (Think about how many times you’ve heard someone give their Elevator Speech and you just say to yourself, “HUH?”)

Delivery, in your Elevator Speech and Presentations, has two parts, Verbal and NonVerbal.  It’s important to remember that NonVerbal Communication trumps Verbal. If you Verbally do a great job of Delivering your Elevator Speech, but your body language, facial expressions and other nonverbal elements say, “I could really care less about this talk,” that’s the message that will be taken away by recipients.

The Verbal Elements are:

• Pronunciation and Enunciation
  • If they can’t understand your words it’s all over, isn’t it!
• Projection
  • Everyone must hear you.
• Inflection
  • By emphasizing specific words you put the attention of the audience where you want it.
    • Example: “We perceive really good speakers to be EXPERTS!”
• Cadence
  • Too quick or too slow a pace will lose people.  Vary the speed of delivery.
• Pause
  • Pausing, at the right moment, gives them a chance to absorb what you just said.
    • Example: “They hire me because (PAUSE) they want to improve their Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.”
    • Example: PAUSE before starting your Elevator Speech.  That PAUSE will better capture the attention of the audience from the get-go.

The NonVebal Elements are:

• Eye Contact
  • Looking someone in the eyes is perceived as honesty and sincerity.  Not doing so has the opposite effect.
• Facial Expressions
  • A Smile is the first one to deliver.
    • It is universal.  I call it a non-physical hug; when you give one, you get one right back!
• Gestures
  • They should be natural and in sync with your message.
• Posture
  • Good posture, standing tall with shoulders back, shows confidence and authority, two qualities you want others to perceive in you.
• Body Movement
  • If any for an Elevator Speech they is very short, they should be deliberate and slow.

Bottom line: Take care that all components, parts and elements of your talk are in sync. And like all presentations you are “scheduled” to deliver: Practice – Practice – Practice!

If you’ve presented you Elevator Speech correctly, you’ve increased the odds people know what you do and how you do it.  They may want to probe further.  Good!  They may be prospects, or may know someone who can use your products/service.

That’s my Elevator Speech / Mini-Presentation.  What’s yours?

About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, an author and a coach.
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.Opportunities are Career 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

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NonVerbal 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:

1. Content
2. 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:

1. Verbal:
   1. Pronunciation and enunciation
   2. Projection
   3. Inflection
   4. Cadence
   5. Pause
2. Nonverbal
   1. Eye Contact
   2. Facial Expressions
   3. Gestures
   4. Posture
   5. Body Movement

Ideally, every component and part of your presentation should be in sync.  If not, the Nonverbal Component, as in the above example, will trump the words and all Verbal Components.  This is important, because being aware of the immense strength of your nonverbal communication, and how it can reinforce or completely negate your message, will help you be a better presenter.  Using the Nonverbal Components of communication can significantly help your audience GET IT!

People learn by hearing, seeing, and doing.  By hearing your words and seeing Nonverbal Communication that reinforces your content, they’ll GET IT! quicker.

Example:  I say, “A good way to gather personal stories to use in the Body of your presentation to reinforce a point is to be, as they say in Yoga, ‘Always present and in the moment.’  Then, capture those stories in real time.”  I can reinforce this idea my grabbing something imaginary and placing it into my brain by tapping my head.  GET IT?

Take this concept of using Nonverbal Communication to reinforce the words you speak and make your next presentation – No Sweat!

About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, an author and a coach.
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.
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: Sherman

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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 interest you.  Public Speaking and Presentations interests me.  Alltop is different from a search engine.  They collect the headlines of the latest stories from the best sites and blogs that cover a topic. Alltop then groups these collections — “aggregations” — into individual web pages. They display the five most recent headlines of the information sources as well as their first paragraph. They do this for lots of topics.

You can think of Alltop as the “online magazine rack” of the web. They subscribe to thousands of sources to provide “aggregation without aggravation.” To be clear, Alltop pages are starting points—they are not destinations per se. Ultimately, their goal is to enhance your online reading by displaying stories from sources that you’re already visiting plus helping you discover sources that you didn’t know existed.

BTW, I’m delighted to have No Sweat Public Speaking! featured on Alltop and equally proud to display their badge on my sites.

If you’re serious about being a better Speaker/Presenter Bookmark and regularly visit Alltop Speaking News – http://speaking.alltop.com

About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, an author and a coach.
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.
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

No related posts.

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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.
  • If it doesn’t quickly grab someones attention, they won’t look any further, and hence, won’t attend your talk!
    • If I had chosen to name my signature speech, blog and book, “How to Give a Good Speech and Presentation” would you be reading this now?  “No Sweat Public Speaking!” attaches emotionally!
• Make a “subtle little difference” by Insisting on Name Tags
  • If the meeting planner doesn’t provide them, have your own and bold Sharpie pens available.
  • Name Tags reach out, and pull you in. They close the gap between you and individuals in the audience.  The Meet & Greet you should be doing before each speaking event is made easier by approaching people wearing Name Tags and addressing them personally.
  • Audience members will appreciate the Name Tags, also!
• When taking Questions
  • Make a”subtle little difference” by repeating the question if in a large room and the person asking does not have a microphone.  (This is so often overlooked!)
  • Look directly at the person who asked the question when you start your answer, but then move on to have eye contact with others.
    • If you only look at the questioner during your answer, others will feel left out.
    • You also run the risk of getting into a dialogue with them, possibly getting off track, and not addressing other members questions.
• Don’t miss the opportunity to make a “subtle little difference” by Branding Yourself!
  • My good friend, Russ Henneberry, has a business “Tiny Business, Mighty Profits.”  He closes each presentation with, “Do the things we discussed today, and Your Tiny Business will have – Mighty Profits!”
  • When I speak, I close with, “a Challenge and a Prediction,”  stating “by using the components, parts and elements of “No Sweat Public Speaking” your next speech will be absolutely, positively - No Sweat!”
• Make a “subtle little difference” by using Self-Effacing Humor.
  • Making fun of yourself is far better than making fun of others.  The ability to make fun of yourself shows self -confidence.
  • Although there’s probably a wealth of material, don’t overdo it because it will have a negative effect on the audience.
• Connect with Your Audience Emotionally, and you’ll make a “not so subtle difference.”
  • Using my friend Russ as an example, again, he once started a presentation by telling the audience, amongst other thing, “I’m a Failure!” He went on to explain how a previous business went bust and the effects it had on him financially and emotionally.
    • When he uttered that phrase, “I’m a Failure.” it had the same impact on the attendees as when Renee Zelwicker exclaimed in the movie, Jerry McQuire, “You had me at “Hello’”  Everyone in Russ’s audience instantly connected to him on an emotional level.
    • I can not over emphasize the impact of that statement. Too many times we hear speakers talk about how great they are and their many accomplishments.  They hardly ever mention failure, and consequently, often don’t connect emotionally with their audiences.

I’ll close this Post with a Challenge and a Prediction.
The Challenge is: the next time you prepare and deliver a presentation, use some of the “subtle little differences” in this and the previous Post on the same subject.  Do that, and my Prediction is your speech will be absolutely, positively – No Sweat!

About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, an author and a coach.
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.
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

No related posts.

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Pull 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. We don’t fall down and verbally beat ourselves up about it with negative self-talk like: “I’m a failure. I’ll never learn how to walk. Everyone will laugh at me if I try it again and fall.  I’m a loser!”  Often, no one is there to pick us up, so we need to pull ourselves up.

Sometimes when we fall, there is help available.  Parents, siblings, and others help the child.  We encourage them and applaud their efforts. Books, blogs, Toastmaster Clubs, and presentation coaches help the speaker when he stumbles.  Their success are also recognized by applause and praise.

You can’t learn to walk without falling down.  You can’t become a great presenter without falling down a number of times, either!  Most everyone learns to walk.  We continue trying until we get it right.  Once we learn this skill, we’re able to use it the rest of our lives.

Not everyone learns to be a good speaker and presenter.  Why is this?  We’re afraid of failure.  We’re afraid we’ll make a fool of ourselves and forever everyone will remember how poor we performed at the lectern.

I fell down, and stayed down too long!
After taking a Public Speaking Continuing Education Course I joined a Toastmasters Club.  I had given a pretty good Icebreaker Speech, the first one Toasties do, and didn’t prepare as I should have for my second talk.  It BOMBED and I fell down.  Instead of getting up and working hard on my next presentation, I dropped out.   It wasn’t until several years later, when I realized how important presentation skills were, that I joined a different club.

I won’t tell you I didn’t Bomb, again, because I certainly did.  I delivered some speeches not worthy of being presented a second time.   However, and often with encouragement and help from others, I did stand, again!

Please learn from my mistake.  If you BOMB and fall down, don’t wait years to stand, again,  Pull yourself up  immediately!

About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, an author and a coach.
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.
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

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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.
  • Listen to their Verbal Communication.
    • Pronunciation and Enunciation
      • Can you understand each word or do they mumble and/or mispronounce words?
    • Projection
      • Can you hear them clearly or do they have to shout to be heard?
    • Inflection
      • Do they change their inflection or always talk in a monotone?
    • Cadence
      • Does the speed of their delivery vary?
    • Pause
      • Does the speaker pause at appropriate times to let the audience absorb their message?
  • Observe their Nonverbal Communication.
    • Eyes
    • Facial Expressions
    • Gestures
    • Posture
    • Body Movement
  • What is the speaker’s appearance?
    • Is it in sync with the message they are delivering?
  • Is the speaker’s delivery in sync with their message?
  • Did they have a Strong Opening?
    • Did it ‘Grab your attention?’
    • Did they ‘Tell you what they’re going to tell you?’
  • In the Body of the Speech, did they use Personal Stories to support the points of their presentation?
  • In their Conclusion. . .
    • Did they ‘Tell the audience what they told them?’
    • Did they have a Strong Closing that was a ‘Call to action?’
• If you attend a Speaking Event, always take time to shake the hands of the presenter and tell them you appreciate their efforts.

By placing yourself in the audience and observing the good and bad of fellow speakers, you can learn a lot!

About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, an author and a coach.
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.
All things being equal, we rather deal with Experts.
So, he shows them how to Develop, Practice and Deliver ‘Knock Your Socks Off!’ Presentations with – No Sweat!

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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.
Put this into your own world of presenting.  Ask yourself some questions:

• What do they already know about the subject I’ll be discussing?
  • How do you know what they already know?  Did you survey individuals or the meeting planner before your schedule time?
• Will all audience members have the same knowledge, or will there be a wide range of wisdom.
  • If wide, how wide will their education be on this?
• What new information are they expecting; i.e. what are their expectations?
• Do all audience attendees have the same expectations?
• Is there anything specific you, or they, expect them to do with the new information they will learn from you?
• Is this the first of several presentations to the same audience, or a one time talk?
  • If so, how close to this presentation?
• Do you have plans in place to survey the audience after your presentation?

People have different learning styles:

• Kinesthetic – learn by moving, touching and doing
• Auditory – learn by listening
• Visual – learn by seeing

Generally, people are dominant in one, but use a combination of these to learn.  This is why it is important to build the different styles into your presentation.

Learning by doing, the kinesthetic style, may not be possible when presenting.

It should be relatively easy to craft a presentation that talks to visual and auditory  learning styles.  Props, including PowerPoint, can be ‘seen’ while you speak.  Those two compliment each other and increase the chances of the audience Getting It!

Use the 3Es of Presenting!

Do that, and my prediction is this.
Your presentation will be:
absolutely, positively – There’s no doubt in my mind – No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
Your presentation will be - ‘No Sweat!’

About the Author:
Fred E. Miller coaches, speaks and writes about Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.
314-517-8772
Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com
http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com

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