Search Results

For Groups vs. Face-To-Face An Elevator Speech has two distinct audiences. Groups Individuals in a Face-To-Face Meeting The Group Scenario usually goes like this: You’re attending a business event, social function, or seminar. To get things going the leader often announces, “Before we get started, let’s go around the room. Stand up, tell us who you are and what you do. Give us your Elevator Speech!” For Groups, the Goal is to give them information, they clearly understand, so they can decide if they want to know more. If “Yes”, they’ll buttonhole us during a break, or after the meeting, to answer their questions. If time or circumstances don’t permit, we’ll agree to connect, and set a mutually agreeable date and time to continue the conversation. Of course, they can always email or call us, at their convenience, after the event. In the Group Scenario, without infringing on the time other presenters are allocated, we want to give an Elevator Speech that clearly tells attendees: Who we are. What we do. Who is a prospect. Something that gives us credibility and distinguishes us from others in our field. The audience should be actively listening, as they want others to do when it is their turn to give an Elevator Speech. They should quickly be able to discern if the offering is for them, for someone they know, or not a fit. Example: I recently attended an event where several Elevator Speeches grabbed my attention. One lady was an Event Planner. She specializes in corporate functions, a natural for me. Two were Speakers, like myself, with different areas of expertise. They are the kind of people I always like to meet and share leads with. Another person was a security consultant. My son is VP of a company that offers a unique 911 service that could provide financial opportunities for that person and my son’s company. The Individual, Face-To-Face situation and Goal is different. This is especially true for those Networking Opportunities where we’re told, “Networking will be from 7:00 to 7:30. Then we’ll have our scheduled presentation.” If there are more people than minutes, and there usually are,  We don’t want to waste Major Time on Minor Possibilities! We want to determine, as quickly as possible, whether the person we are speaking to has an interest in what we offer. If not, it’s time to quickly move on and find someone who does, or knows someone who might be a prospect. We want to do the same as we listen to them. If their offering isn’t a fit for us, or someone we know, and we’ve already told them what we do, it’s time to move on to someone else. I’m certain I’m not the only person who has “anchored” themselves to someone at an event and possibly lost out by not meeting more people. This is why the Individual Face-To-Face Elevator Speech should be delivered By The Floor!  If the person doing the talking doesn’t get verbal and/or non-verbal cues that there is an interest to know more – Stop and move on to another attendee. The Ideal Conclusion for the Face-To-Face Elevator Speech is for the person to say, “Hold it. I’ve heard enough. We need what you offer. Here’s my card. Please give me a call tomorrow morning, before 10:00 AM and we’ll set a time and date where I can learn more.” At that point, you both go on to meet other people. Get this proven Elevator Speech Template and start working on yours! HERE ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— About the Author Fred E. Miller is a speaker, an international coach, and the author of the books, “NO SWEAT Public Speaking!” and “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” Businesses, Individuals, and Organizations hire him because they want to improve their Networking, Public Speaking, andPresentation Skills. They do this because they know:"Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities." They also know:We perceive really great speakers to be Experts. We like to work with Experts. He shows them how to: Develop, Practice, and Deliver Fantastic Presentations! with – NO SWEAT! Services: Keynote Speaker Workshop Facilitator Breakout Sessions Personal and Group Public Speaking and Presentation Coaching Topics: Lessening The Fear of Public Speaking with – NO SWEAT! Crafting Your Elevator Speech, Floor by Floor with – NO SWEAT! Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities. We are All Self-Employed! Subscribe to my YouTube Channel, Podcast Channel, and connect with me on LinkedIn and Facebook. My books can be purchased on amazon.com. “NO SWEAT Public Speaking” “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” Audible offers “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” as an audio book. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about this post or other posts please contact me: Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com. Thank  you for your continued support. It is greatly appreciated!

Blogging (Writing) and Speaking Go Hand-in-Hand. They are both communication skills a speaker needs to continually sharpen and will make you a Better Speaker! Writing is a great way to develop, and make better, the content of your presentations. The analogy  is: “If you really want to learn about a subject – Teach It! The same holds true for blogging. I know the subject of Public Speaking and Presentations.  I’m an expert in this field.  I’ve practiced and studied it for years. However, each and every time I write a new blog Post, I add to my knowledge of the subject. My good friend and internet marketing mentor, Russ Henneberry blogs at least four times a week.  Every Post he writes has valuable content.  Over the last year, this activity plus others, have given him ‘Expert Status’ in the eyes of his readers and those who attend his monthly MeetUp, Tiny Business, Might Profits. That ‘Expert Status’ gets him hired by people who need his internet training and services.  We’d all rather deal with experts, wouldn’t we? Following his advice, I’ve disciplined myself to publish a new Post every Friday.  Each of them, including this one, pushes me to put my thoughts on paper (virtual paper) and do research.  The research inevitably leads me to finding new information. Often my findings put in context something I knew, but had not used in my speaking or coached to others.  Russ confirmed the same thing happens to him when writing Posts or preparing lesson plans for his MeetUps. Blogging is not easy.  It is hard work.  Sometimes very hard work!  It’s Monday, as I’m working on this Post to be published Friday.  I’ve edited it and re-written it more than several times.  I’ll work on it, again, before Friday.  I check and recheck for grammar and spelling errors – and find them.  (Sometimes not all of them!)  That’s the nature of good blogging, and writing in general. Each time I write it is a learning experience. If you blog, you are teaching those who read the Posts.  This is my goal. My Posting teaches the components, parts and elements of a speech.  I focus each Post on a specific subject relevant to developing, practicing and delivering presentations.  If I do that well, you learn and improve your presentations.  If enough people read and benefit form my Postings, I will become an expert in their minds.  And since people want to deal with experts, the next step . . . Take this advice on blogging and pledge yourself to do it on a regular basis.  Do this and Your speech swill be: absolutely; positively; there’s no doubt in my mind; no ifs, ands, or buts about it; Your speech will be – No Sweat! ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— About the Author Fred E. Miller is a speaker, an international coach, and the author of the books, “NO SWEAT Public Speaking!” and “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” Businesses, Individuals, and Organizations hire him because they want to improve their Networking, Public Speaking, andPresentation Skills. They do this because they know:"Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities." They also know:We perceive really great speakers to be Experts. We like to work with Experts. He shows them how to: Develop, Practice, and Deliver Fantastic Presentations! with – NO SWEAT! Services: Keynote Speaker Workshop Facilitator Breakout Sessions Personal and Group Public Speaking and Presentation Coaching Topics: Lessening The Fear of Public Speaking with – NO SWEAT! Crafting Your Elevator Speech, Floor by Floor with – NO SWEAT! Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities. We are All Self-Employed! Subscribe to my YouTube Channel, Podcast Channel, and connect with me on LinkedIn and Facebook. My books can be purchased on amazon.com. “NO SWEAT Public Speaking” “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” Audible offers “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” as an audio book. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about this post or other posts please contact me: Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com. Thank  you for your continued support. It is greatly appreciated!

Transcript: The Phobia of Public Speaking. Fred Miller, “NO SWEAT Public Speaking!” The premise of all these videos, and my mantra, is: “Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities!” People who take and make Speaking Opportunities: grow their Businesses, Advance their Careers, and Increase their Leadership Roles. No one has ever challenged that! Why would they! This is the second in a series of videos about the Phobia Public Speaking! Survey after survey lists The Phobia of Public Speaking at the top of the ‘Fear List’ most people have. Some say they would rather die than stand in front of an audience and deliver a speech. This is unfortunate because it holds many back from reaching their potential. Up to seventy-five percent of the population, to one degree, or another, has this dread. There’s even a word for it – Glossophobia. Glosso from the Greek, meaning tongue, and Phobus, fear. Important to note here, is glossophobia is a w-o-r-d, not a disease, and it can be lessened! It is a fear worth confronting and overcoming. You might be the world’s leading authority on a subject, but if you can’t present that expertise to others in a manner that educates, entertains, and explains it well, you won’t achieve the goals that should be yours! Sometimes this Fear is Situational. Size of Audience. Speaking one-on-one is something we do all the time. What about speaking with five people? Ten people? What number in the audience makes someone nervous. A good analogy is a Fear of Heights. Standing on a step stool is not a big deal.  A step ladder is okay.  Climbing a twenty-four foot extension ladder to clean out my gutters – not me! Specific People in the Audience. Maybe speaking with audiences is easy until – your boss, coworkers, or spouse is seated in the front row. – “Yikes!” If a Request is to be made. Presenting might usually produce little angst unless the attendees will be asked to do something the speaker is uncomfortable asking. This could be appealing for a donation, asking to sign a petition, or inviting people to pledge something. I hear it continually from my coaching clients, and I’m sure we agree, not having that fear, and taking Speaking Opportunities, is a worthy goal. Before we talk about how to lessen the fear it’s important to understand Why? so many people dread giving a presentation. My first response is, “Why not!” Think about it. Most of our conversations are one-on-one. Many of those are on a phone where we don’t see the person we’re communicating with. Increasingly, we converse by texting or emailing people. Those mediums eliminate seeing and hearing the other person. It stands to reason that standing in front of, and speaking with twenty, forty, or one hundred sets of eyeballs, is ‘out of our comfort zone.’ That’s a big reason we’re uncomfortable giving a presentation. (Relevant to Public Speaking, and other activities we avoid: “When we get out of our Comfort Zone we make it larger!”) That uncomfortableness will, if presenting regularly, eventually lessen. There are several very real reasons to have a Fear of Public Speaking. If you don’t know what you’re speaking about! Don’t get in front of an audience and talk about something you have little or no knowledge of. That activity, rightfully so, will give you anxiety. Study the subject and know enough to have confidence in your competence on your topic. If you don’t know the structure of a presentation. Just as the recipe for a delicious cake dictates specific ingredients are added in specific amounts at specific times; there is a proven structure to a great presentation. You can learn this. If you haven’t practiced before the event. Practicing is not optional! Then there are the “What Ifs?” What if the audience doesn’t like me? What if the speaker they had last month was really, really, good and compared to them I stink! What if I forget something? I must be perfect! Then there is, perhaps, the biggest What if? What if I’ve got nothing to talk about? What could I ever present to an audience that anyone would have an interest in hearing? (I often hear in the public speaking classes I teach.) Make next presentation – NO SWEAT! ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— About the Author Fred E. Miller is a speaker, an international coach, and the author of the books, “NO SWEAT Public Speaking!” and “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” Businesses, Individuals, and Organizations hire him because they want to improve their Networking, Public Speaking, andPresentation Skills. They do this because they know:"Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities." They also know:We perceive really great speakers to be Experts. We like to work with Experts. He shows them how to: Develop, Practice, and Deliver Fantastic Presentations! with – NO SWEAT! Services: Keynote Speaker Workshop Facilitator Breakout Sessions Personal and Group Public Speaking and Presentation Coaching Topics: Lessening The Fear of Public Speaking with – NO SWEAT! Crafting Your Elevator Speech, Floor by Floor with – NO SWEAT! Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities. We are All Self-Employed! Subscribe to my YouTube Channel, Podcast Channel, and connect with me on LinkedIn and Facebook. My books can be purchased on amazon.com.“ NO SWEAT Public Speaking” “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” Audible offers “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” as an audio book. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about this post or other posts please contact me: Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com. Thank  you for your continued support. It is greatly appreciated!

SPEAKING! Everyone should build a strong EXPERT Stool. The goal is to be able, when appropriate, to tell prospects, and folks who want to know more about you – GOOGLE Me! That two word phrase, when spoken with a little “Attitude,” a little good “Attitude,” says, “There’s great stuff out there about me. Don’t take my word for it. Check me out!” Before asking someone to, “GOOGLE Me!“ You’ve got to have Googleable “Stuff.”  Building a three-legged EXPERT Stool will do that! The Three Legs are: Speaking Writing Internet / Technology This post will address the First Leg, SPEAKING! If you’re a regular reader, listened to one of my audio recordings, or seen me speak, you know my mantra is: “Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities!” No one has ever challenge that statement, and I’m certain you agree. “We perceive really good Speakers as EXPERTS. We like to work with EXPERTS!” Important for Speakers: Know your subject. Your presentation should be a good one, a very good one! If you don’t have excellent presentation skills, you can learn them. Let’s start the discussion by talking about Speaking OFF-LINE. There are many groups, associations, and companies that regularly have Guest Speakers. Some are: Chambers of Commerce MeetUp Groups Professional and Trade Associations Rotary Clubs Lions Clubs Companies that regularly have “Lunch & Learns” with Guest Speakers. Other places to “Speak” are: Radio Stations Traditional and Internet only Television Traditional and Internet only If you’ve written a Book: Book Stores Libraries Specialty stores that sell products relating to your book subject. You can find most these on line. The majority don’t pay a speaking fee, but will offer you a meal and a table to sell your books. You have one, or are working on a book, aren’t you? If asked what you charge, and your research tells you they don’t pay, tell them you’ll “waive your regular fee for them.” Don’t forget to let all in your network know you are looking for Speaking Opportunities! Referrals from others who speak to those audiences makes the event planner’s job easier. Be sure to refer, also, when you speak! Call, email, and followup to get those Speaking Opportunities. Booking them is a process, not an event, so be patient and persistent. Your talk should not be a commercial for you, your product, or your services. It should be valuable information that many in the audience can use. If all you do is sell you’ll lose future opportunities because word will spread about your non-audience focused talks. When a Speaking Opportunity is booked, it’s time to start building that Leg of Your EXPERT Stool! Be certain it is being Promoted via the Internet: On Websites Your website. Mine has a calendar Tab, “Speaking Events” where the sponsor, venue, time, and topic are described. The sponsor’s website. The venue’s website. Amazon.com’s Author’s Central. This fabulous freebie from amazon.com is offered to all authors. They allow them to list Speaking Events on a personal Author’s Site. Here is mine: https://www.amazon.com/author/fredemiller Additionally, authors can upload pictures, videos, and link to their blog and other sites. This is all FREE! Social Media Put all pertinent information on your LinkedIn and FaceBook Business Pages. Tweet it, also. Ask the venue and sponsor to do the same. Email Marketing Email information about the event to your targeted contact list and have links that will take them to your, the sponsor’s, and venue’s sites. YouTube Your YouTube Channel is an excellent place to promote your Speaking Opportunities. Links to that great video can be put on all the above mentioned sites and in your email promotional piece. ON-LINE Speaking Opportunities YouTube On Your YouTube Channel regularly post short, informational videos where, when viewed, visitors and subscribers say, “I GET IT!” There are sites like SlideShare where your videos can be embedded in a PowerPoint Presentation. Audio Post Many people are auditory learners. Having the audio of each post available will help more people GET your message. An added benefit is: “Written Post + Audio Post = Better Writing and Speaking.” Put the Audio of each of your blog posts at the top of the article. Have it link to your iTunes Podcast Channel. Internet Radio There are many options. Be a guest on a show or host your own! After Your Speaking Opportunities Social Media Talk about the great audience you had the privilege to speak to! Blog about it! Then put links into your FaceBook Business Page and LinkedIn Page. The next article will address the Second Leg – WRITING! Building Your EXPERT Stool is a Process – not an Event. Once it’s built, all the legs must be continually strengthened. That’s OK because, “The Learning is in the Doing!” and your subject knowledge and credibility as an EXPERT will grow exponentially, especially when you have enough “Stuff” so you can say, to the person who wants to know more – GOOGLE Me! For reading, and/or listening, this far I’d like to give you: An Elevator Speech Template and an Elevator Speech Worksheet.  Who hasn’t struggled with their Elevator Speech! ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— About the Author Fred E. Miller is a speaker, an international coach, and the author of the books, “NO SWEAT Public Speaking!” and “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” Businesses, Individuals, and Organizations hire him because they want to improve their Networking, Public Speaking, andPresentation Skills. They do this because they know:"Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities." They also know:We perceive really great speakers to be Experts. We like to work with Experts. He shows them how to: Develop, Practice, and Deliver Fantastic Presentations! with – NO SWEAT! Services: Keynote Speaker Workshop Facilitator Breakout Sessions Personal and Group Public Speaking and Presentation Coaching Topics: Lessening The Fear of Public Speaking with – NO SWEAT! Crafting Your Elevator Speech, Floor by Floor with – NO SWEAT! Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities. We are All Self-Employed! Subscribe to my YouTube Channel, Podcast Channel, and connect with me on LinkedIn and Facebook. My books can be purchased on amazon.com. “NO SWEAT Public Speaking” “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” Audible offers “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” as an audio book. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about this post or other posts please contact me: Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com. Thank  you for your continued support. It is greatly appreciated!

Time to Answer Questions: It’s Not the Last Thing to Do First of all, you may not have a Question and Answer Session as part of your presentation.  It may not be necessary or appropriate. Possibly, the answer to any questions the audience might have is to see you after the talk, or email you their questions.  This should come with the disclaimer that you will attempt to answer as many as is reasonably possible. You may be delivering the type of talk that is continually interactive with the audience.  Often, workshops fall into this type of presentation. Time management is extremely important in any presentation.   Taking and answering questions takes time management to a higher level.  There is usually a specific amount of material to be covered. Long questions and long answers can throw a wrench into adequately covering the scheduled material.  Questions and answers that go off subject are even worse because they waste time that can’t be recouped. The key is know exactly what has to be covered and to break it into manageable segments.  Setting timers with bells that go off is not a bad idea.  They can be used to start and mark the end of Q&A Sessions, specific segments of the workshop, break periods, and starting periods. It’s a way of putting the timing into the hands (clock hands?) of a third party.  It does take good planning and practice to do this correctly. Everyone has attend workshops where twenty-five percent or more of the material didn’t get covered adequately because of poor time management by the presenter. One interesting way to handle questions is to have people write them down and hand them to you before going on break.  This gives the presenter the opportunity to pick and choose the ones he wants to answer, and the ones inappropriate or too time consuming to be addressed.  Questions not answered at the presentation can be answered by email or, the question and answer can be posted on your web site.  This last idea is a great way of furthering the value you give. The place in your talk that you don’t want to have a Question and Answer Session is at the end or after the your closing.   That is absolutely the worse time to answer questions. Remember the Law of Primacy and Recency?  If Q&A is the last thing done before the audience leaves, it will be one of the first things they remember.  You don’t have the control over Q&A that you have in the rest of your talk.   Questions that are negative to your presentation, not easy to answer, or literally question something you presented, are not things you want uppermost in people’s minds as they head through the exits. The place to have questions asked is before the conclusion of your talk.  T he verbiage goes like this: “Before I conclude my talk I’ll take a few questions.” Additionally, you may let your audience know about this is in the Opening of your talk.  This is where you tell the audience  ‘What you’re going to tell them’.  Before getting into the Body of your speech, you say, “Before concluding my talk, there will be some time for questions. You may find them covered before that time. If not, please hold them until we set aside time to answer them.” If there are more questions then time, you can use one of the above suggestions and talk to people after the speech or accept emailed questions. If you ask for questions and don’t immediately get hands raised, you might have to ‘prime the pump’.  A way to get things rolling is to say, “Typically, one of the questions I’m often asked is, _______” If you don’t know the answer to a question there are several things you can do. Tell them you’ll get back to them. Tell them to please see you after the presentation. You can then talk to them privately about the matter. Be honest. If you don’t know the answer, tell them you don’t. A softer way to answer, from your perspective, is to say, “I’m drawing a blank on that right now. When this brain cramp goes away I’ll get back to you.” Don’t give an answer that you know is incorrect. Someone in the audience will know it’s wrong and you lose credibility quickly. Anticipate specific questions. This is important because you can be ready with answers. You’ll do a better job of giving the correct answer, and give it more succinctly, if you’ve anticipated the questions you’re likely to be asked and the appropriate answers. A Q&A Period, and answers to those question can be included in your presentation.  But, like the other parts of a good presentation, they should be prepared and planned for. ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— About the Author Fred E. Miller is a speaker, an international coach, and the author of the books, “NO SWEAT Public Speaking!” and “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” Businesses, Individuals, and Organizations hire him because they want to improve their Networking, Public Speaking, andPresentation Skills. They do this because they know:"Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities." They also know:We perceive really great speakers to be Experts. We like to work with Experts. He shows them how to: Develop, Practice, and Deliver Fantastic Presentations! with – NO SWEAT! Services: Keynote Speaker Workshop Facilitator Breakout Sessions Personal and Group Public Speaking and Presentation Coaching Topics: Lessening The Fear of Public Speaking with – NO SWEAT! Crafting Your Elevator Speech, Floor by Floor with – NO SWEAT! Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities. We are All Self-Employed! Subscribe to my YouTube Channel, Podcast Channel, and connect with me on LinkedIn and Facebook. My books can be purchased on amazon.com .“NO SWEAT Public Speaking” “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” Audible offers “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” as an audio book. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about this post or other posts please contact me: Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com. Thank  you for your continued support. It is greatly appreciated!

Quotable Quotes We remember great quotes. Wouldn’t you like to be the person who is ‘quoted’? How cool would it be to have other people repeating your words to others, and crediting you! Well, coming up with that memorable line that people are repeating is not as hard as it might at first seem. Here are some tips to accomplishing this: Google ‘quotable quotes’ and Read a bunch of them so you have a benchmark of something to aim at. Be clear and brief. It must be easily understood and easy to repeat. Say it a little bit differently than it’s been said before. Different will be memorable. Use metaphors A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them. Examples: See if you can ‘picture’ them in your mind’s eye! The sun was smiling on her. It’s raining cats and dogs. He’s rolling in dough! Rhyming feels good to say, and can be memorable. Examples: Use these tools to gain and retain clients. In this example, the word tools is a metaphor.  Gain and retain rhyme. “We’ll discuss the components, parts, and elements of a speech.  I’ll name them, explain them, and give some examples.” Alliteration is repeating the initial sounds in neighboring words or syllables. A great example is Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech at the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963.  He looked to a day when people “will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of the character. One I use in concluding one of my talks is, “Do that and my prediction is this!” Contrasts can make lines memorable. Fat – thin Black – white Full – empty Examples John Kennedy, in his inaugural address on January 20, 1961, said, “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich,” “During the break at my first Toastmasters Meeting, Paul and Mitch came over and introduced themselves.  Instantly, these new people in my life were like old friends.” Set up the Quotable Quote!  If your quote is not set up it will not have the desired impact. Examples: “Let me leave you with this final thought . . .” “And as you go to your warm home this evening, I’d like you to think about . . . “ P-A–U-S-E before delivering the ‘Quotable Quote’ Use these tips in crafting your ‘Quotable Quote’ and my prediction is this: Your quote will be: Absolutely – Positively – There’s no doubt in my mind! That quote will be – Quotable! ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— About the Author Fred E. Miller is a speaker, an international coach, and the author of the books, “NO SWEAT Public Speaking!” and “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” Businesses, Individuals, and Organizations hire him because they want to improve their Networking, Public Speaking, andPresentation Skills. They do this because they know:"Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities." They also know:We perceive really great speakers to be Experts. We like to work with Experts. He shows them how to: Develop, Practice, and Deliver Fantastic Presentations! with – NO SWEAT! Services: Keynote Speaker Workshop Facilitator Breakout Sessions Personal and Group Public Speaking and Presentation Coaching Topics: Lessening The Fear of Public Speaking with – NO SWEAT! Crafting Your Elevator Speech, Floor by Floor with – NO SWEAT! Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities. We are All Self-Employed! Subscribe to my YouTube Channel, Podcast Channel, and connect with me on LinkedIn and Facebook. My books can be purchased on amazon.com. “NO SWEAT Public Speaking” “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” Audible offers “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” as an audio book. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about this post or other posts please contact me: Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com. Thank  you for your continued support. It is greatly appreciated!

Because people learn in a variety of ways, These sight & sound props Rock! The right prop, used at the right time in the right manor helps the audience GET IT! Here are some ideas you can use. Large Black Leather Portfolio Case This one was like artists and architects us. The speaker, whose name I can’t recall, spoke about his advertising business and how print ads had to send the same messages radio and tv ads. He went on and on, giving an excellent talk, and switching the hand that held the case. Everyone kept waiting for him to open the case and display examples. He never lost the attention of the audience. In fact, it grew and grew. He closed his speech having never opened the case! (Most of us wanted to jump him, grab the case and open it!) It was great! Hat Rack The speaker, Tom Hobbs, placed a hat on it and then began to talk to it as a character. It became a non-imposing item on the stage until he referred to it as his dad who had passed. Tom could see tears in the eyes of people in the audience as they was their own father on stage. Hockey Goalie Stick Tommy Maloney uses one. It is part of the presentation where he is talking about watching his son in the stands as he plays hockey. He speaks about divorce and how to build lasting bonds with your children. Five Months Pregnant Carry Oliver Lemmon, standing in her fifth month of pregnancy in front of an audience, spoke about starting, planning, and marketing a small business. Feeding Tube Speaker Darcy Keith used one that goes up the nose and down the throat to the stomach. She asked the audience for volunteers to try the tube, but didn’t actually have them try it. This is what Darcy had to endure when she suffered a traumatic bran injury and had to be fed. Thunder Maker Susan Bender Phelps uses one to tell the hackneyed story about how Mentoring got its name, from Odysseus’s friend, Mentor.  But that’s not the end of the story.  Athena and Zeus had to step in . . . Susan uses the thunder to signal ‘divine intervention’. Then she uses it judiciously a number of times in the presentation to draw attention to a brilliant idea from the audience. Use the right prop, at the right time, in the right manor and Your speech will be: absolutely; positively; there’s no doubt in my mind; no ifs, ands, or buts about it; Your speech will be – No Sweat! Have you used a prop successfully? If so, please share by writing about it in the Comment Section.  Thanks! ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— About the Author Fred E. Miller is a speaker, an international coach, and the author of the books, “NO SWEAT Public Speaking!” and “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” Businesses, Individuals, and Organizations hire him because they want to improve their Networking, Public Speaking, andPresentation Skills. They do this because they know:"Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities." They also know:We perceive really great speakers to be Experts. We like to work with Experts. He shows them how to: Develop, Practice, and Deliver Fantastic Presentations! with – NO SWEAT! Services: Keynote Speaker Workshop Facilitator Breakout Sessions Personal and Group Public Speaking and Presentation Coaching Topics: Lessening The Fear of Public Speaking with – NO SWEAT! Crafting Your Elevator Speech, Floor by Floor with – NO SWEAT! Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities. We are All Self-Employed! Subscribe to my YouTube Channel, Podcast Channel, and connect with me on LinkedIn and Facebook. My books can be purchased on amazon.com. “NO SWEAT Public Speaking” “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” Audible offers “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!” as an audio book. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about this post or other posts please contact me: Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com. Thank  you for your continued support. It is greatly appreciated!