Archive for St. Louis Speaker

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It’s That Time of the Year!
Here are My 2012 Resolutions.
What are Yours?

#1.  Prepare and Practice for each Presentation
even if I’ve given it 100+ times.

  • It might be the umpteenth time I’ve delivered it, but it’s the first time most of the audience have heard it.
  • The size of the audience doesn’t matter.  I should always give my best.
  • “Practice makes perfect.”  No!
  • “Perfect Practice makes Perfect.” – No such thing!
  • The one I subscribe to is: “The road to perfection never ends!”

#2.  Regularly Refresh and Update my Content and Delivery.

  • The only constant is Change.  I’ll continue to practice Kaizen, the Japanese word that means continuous improvement.

#3.  Get Out of my Comfort Zone with Content and Delivery.

  • When we Get Out of our Comfort Zone – our Comfort Zone becomes Larger!

#4.  Study, Study, and Study more about my subject of Expertise,
the Art & Science of Public Speaking/Presenting.

  • I always learn new things from the blogs, articles, books and videos I seek out on public speaking/presentations.

#5.  Continue to regularly Write a New Post with great Content
and to place the Audio in each Post.

  • The combination of Written Post + Audio Post has made me a better writer and a better speaker.

#6.  Take just about every opportunity I can to Speak.  Paid and Fee Waived. Read More→

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"No Sweat" Public Speaking - 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→

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Verbal Communication

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. Read More→

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“If it’s Sunday, it’s Meet the Press.”

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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: Read More→

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"No Sweat Public Speaking!" The Last Thing. . .

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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 Read More→
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    The Doors of Opportunity!

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    "No Sweat Public Speaking!" Key to Door of OpportunityOpportunity is waiting!

    On the other side of that door is Lots of it!
    How do we unlock and open it?

    Speak!

    Public Speaking/Presenting
    is the Key to opening the
    Doors of Opportunity!

    Here’s why:
    We perceive really good speakers as Experts!

    Perception is reality, and we like to work with Experts.

    The Research Shows:
       •  Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities!
       •  Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities!
       •  Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities!

    The people who take and make Speaking Opportunities grow the perception they are Experts. They grow their businesses, careers, and leadership possibilities.

    Think of great business and political leaders.  Many attained their positions because of their great Read More→

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    Oct
    23

    Need a Speaker? Talk to Me!

    Posted by: | Comments (0)

    Does your Association, Company or Group need a Great speaker?

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    If so,
    We should have a conversation!

    The Fear of Public Speaking holds many back from reaching their potential.  75% of the population, to one degree or another, has this fear.

    One of my Presentations addresses:
    • Why we have this fear and
    • Gives specific nuggets for lessening it.

    Another Talk adds:
    • The Components, Parts and Elements of a Presentation.
    • I Name them, Explain them, and Give Examples.

    Bonus Tips:
    • Subtle little differences that make all the difference can be added to either        presentation.

    PowerPoint/Keynote Presentations are widely used today.
    • They are usually not done very well.
    • Many detract, rather than add, to helping convey the presenter’s message.
    • I show how to reverse this!

    The Research Shows:
         • Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities.
         • Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities.
         • Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities.

    I have never had anyone challenge the above statements.
    That’s why my message is important to many people!

    My presentations can be customized to meet your specific needs.  Programs can be expanded to include Workshops and/or Individual Executive Coaching.

    Fees are individually negotiated.

    It all starts with a conversation.
    Call 314-517-8772 or Email and let me know what you want to accomplish.

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    Make the Invisible – Visible!  Sometimes – Not! 

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    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.
    Appealing to more than one of those styles of learning increase the odds your audience will GET IT!

    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, Read More→

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    BLANK - You’re Going to Need It! - Glad I Had Mine!

    "No Sweat Public Speaking! Blank-Screen

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    Do 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.

    Read More→

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    Will Be Far Better Than the One You Never Give!

    "No Sweat Public Speaking!" Microphone GrabThat’s worth repeating:
    “The worst speech you’ll ever give,

    will be far better than the one you never give!”

    Many are held back from speaking because of the
    Fear of Public Speaking.
    They mistakenly think:

    • They have to be perfect.
    • They’ll make a fool of themselves.
    • The audience won’t like them.
    • They’ll forget something.
    • The previous speaker was so much better!
    • The audience knows more than they do about the subject.
    • They have nothing worthwhile to say.
    Nonsense!
    Everyone has something to speak about!

    Each and every one of us, at times in our lives, has something we feel strongly about.
    Often, we want to make our feelings know to others so that, perhaps, action can be taken.
    Sometimes there is a forum and opportunity to “speak up” and make our wishes known.
    Some grab the opportunity.  Many opt to pass.  Some pass, unfortunately, because of the above reasons for the Fear of Public Speaking.

    Watch This Video of a young lady, who hates public speaking, but is so passionate
    about keeping her library off the budget cutting block in Toronto, she had to speak.
    She makes the essential “emotional connection” with her audience.

    Read More→

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