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One of These! “There’s only one chance to make a first impression!” That’s a fair statement and definitely applies to the Opening of your presentation. That component of your talk literally ‘sets the stage’ for what’s to follow. Quickly, the audience is going to be on the edge of their seats, either breathlessly waiting for more, or, if your opening isn’t a great one, waiting for the moment when they can leave their seat and bolt for the exit! Your Opening serves two purposes: Grab your audiences’ attention. Tell them what you’ll be telling them. This post deals with the first goal: Grabbing their attention with your Speech Opening! Here are some Openings to considerfor your next presentation. Paint a Word Picture No physical pictures equal what our minds can “see. Example: “Picture this. You’ve just taken your seat in English Class, and the professor says, “Class, clear your desks and take out a clean sheet of paper.” What are your thoughts? Ask a Question This gets people focusing and thinking Example: “Raise your hand if you know anyone who had Covid.” Bonus: If you raise your hand while asking a question more people will raise their hands. Depending on the subject, this can make a significant difference. Start with a Joke It must be relevant to your talk. Laughter gets the endorphins going and makes your audience feel good Example: “I once joined a Toastmaster club and soon realized I didn’t fit in. They were very smart people who probably belonged to Mensa, the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world. I graduated in the half of the class that made the top half possible!” Deliver a Famous Quote The quote, and person quoted, should be germane to your presentation. Quotations make connections and stir emotions. Example: “There’s a sucker born every minute.”— P.T. Barnum The news recently has been about scams where callers said they were with the IRS and needed to check social security numbers. Today in History The historical event should be factual and applicable to your subject matter. Using a little creativity with this information can segue into your speech opening. Example: On June 22, 1944, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the G.I. Bill, an unprecedented act of legislation designed to compensate returning members of the armed services –known as G.I.s – for their efforts in World War II. Think about the efforts today to provide free college education and how that G.I. Bill helped thousands achieve that educational goal and not be overburdened with debt. In This Morning’s New York Times or other media A current event, if appropriate, can be part of your opening. Make an analogy between the headline and something important to your audience. Example: “Biden and Putin Meet for Difficult Dialogue.” What if you met face-to-face with one of your fiercest competitors? What outcome could benefit both of you? Start with a Story that builds suspense then . . . Surprise them with a contrary statement Example: “In preparing for this presentation over a two-week period of time, I personally took over 200 pictures, picked the 15 best ones, cropped and edited them to get the exact content I needed to make my points today, loaded them into a power point presentation – and my hard drive promptly crashed!” Use a Physical Prop or a Visual or Audio Effect This will get their attention! Your Opening Statement should tie directly to what your audience just experienced. Example: “The beep – beep – beep sound of a heart monitor I knew I had put myself under a lot of pressure. Waking up in a hospital bed and hearing that sound confirmed how bad the work strain had been. Start with a statistic Stats make us think. Example: “An average user spent 2 hours and 24 minutes per day on social media in 2020. How much time do you spend on social media and is it well spent? Bonus Tips Don’t start talking as soon as you’re introduced. P-a-u-s-e – and count silently to 5. The silence signals the audience to give you their attention. Smile before speaking. Unless your presentation is a somber one, smiling indicates you are confident, and ready to present! Never, even if true, tell the audience you are not prepared for your presentation. Statements like that are self-destructive.  The audience will not expect much from you, and you’ll probably meet their low expectations. Use some of these Openings in your upcoming presentations and I guarantee they will be absolutely, positively – 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, and Presentation 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!” #Leadership #Questions #ExecutiveSpeakerCoaching #ElevatorSpeech #PresentationTrainer #Communication #SpeakerTraining #UltimateGuideforPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeakingAuthor #PublishedAuthor #VirtualVideoConferences #PublicSpeakingCoach #audience #UltimateGuideforPresentations #VirtualVideoEvents #PresentationTraining #Talking #ElevatorPitch #ExecutivePresentationCoaching #NOSWEATPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeaking #SalesPresentations #Speaking #KeynoteSpeaker #SelfImprovement #PublicSpeakingTraining #Management #EXPRESSElevatorSpeech #ExecutiveSpeechCoach #PresentationCoach #GuideforPublicSpeaking #VirtualVideoMeetings #LesseningtheFearofPublicSpeaking #ElevatorSpeechWorkshops #CommunicationSkills #FredMiller #VirtualVideo #GuideforPresentations #MarketingStrategy #Networking #QampA #presentationskills #LeadershipDevelopment #PresentationTrainingStLouis #PublicSpeakingClasses #ExecutivePresentationCoach #TEDTalkCoach #Success #PublicSpeakerTrainer #PublicSpeakingClassesNearMe #ProfessionalSpeaker #PresentationSkillsCoaching #StLouisSpeakerStLouisPresentationCoach #presentation

Help Your Audience GET IT! If you deliver information an attendee doesn’t agree with they may start to view you with a bit of disbelief. If this occurs several times, they might tune you, and your message, out completely. FREE InfoGraph: 17 Nuggets to Lessen The Fear of Public Speaking That’s a shame because they might be incorrect. Even if that part of your message is up for interpretation, there’s a lot more in your talk that has great value and they will likely miss some of it. One proven way to avoid this is to issue a Disclaimer early in your talk. I deliver mine after my Opening and before telling the audience I will be asking them for “Lessons Learned” towards the end of my talk. Those two announcements dramatically increase the odds your listeners will GET IT! Here’s a DISCLAIMER I use in many of my presentations. I use it right after the Opening and it goes like this. “Before I get started, I want to give you a Disclaimer. I’m going to show you my way to develop, practice and deliver a great presentation. It works really, really well for me and for a lot of the businesses, individuals, and organizations who hire me. But, I gotta tell you, there are people who do it differently, some very differently. And what they do works really well for them and others. My advice is to Be a Sponge: absorb everything, squeeze out what you don’t need, and Do It Your Way.” The reason to do that is threefold. Number One It gets their attention. They weren’t expecting that. Some speakers want to be seen as the ultimate authority on their topic. Number Two It gives me more credibility By saying, “My way is not the only way” I’m acknowledging I’m like most in the audience because I don’t know everything and accept the views of others. Number Three It opens up their mind to taking in everything and actually squeezing out what they don’t agree with. That’s a pretty good life lesson, isn’t it! Combine a Disclaimer with a “Lessons Learned” statement early in your presentations and I guarantee they will be absolutely, positively – 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, and Presentation 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!” #Leadership #Questions #ExecutiveSpeakerCoaching #ElevatorSpeech #PresentationTrainer #Communication #SpeakerTraining #UltimateGuideforPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeakingAuthor #PublishedAuthor #VirtualVideoConferences #PublicSpeakingCoach #audience #UltimateGuideforPresentations #VirtualVideoEvents #PresentationTraining #Talking #ElevatorPitch #ExecutivePresentationCoaching #NOSWEATPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeaking #SalesPresentations #Speaking #KeynoteSpeaker #SelfImprovement #PublicSpeakingTraining #Management #EXPRESSElevatorSpeech #ExecutiveSpeechCoach #PresentationCoach #GuideforPublicSpeaking #VirtualVideoMeetings #LesseningtheFearofPublicSpeaking #ElevatorSpeechWorkshops #CommunicationSkills #FredMiller #VirtualVideo #GuideforPresentations #MarketingStrategy #Networking #QampA #presentationskills #LeadershipDevelopment #PresentationTrainingStLouis #PublicSpeakingClasses #ExecutivePresentationCoach #TEDTalkCoach #Success #PublicSpeakerTrainer #PublicSpeakingClassesNearMe #ProfessionalSpeaker #PresentationSkillsCoaching #StLouisSpeakerStLouisPresentationCoach #presentation

Help Your Audience GET IT by asking for Lessons Learned! Before taking questions and closing my presentations, I often asked the audience to share something they learned from my talk. Occasionally, very few hands were raised. That frustrated me because I knew I had presented a lot of great material. Why weren’t folks raising their hands? I realized some of that low response was because of the Fear of Public Speaking. Many share that fear and hate speaking in group situations. Others were probably caught off guard by my question and, given time, would have come up with a few responses. Getting attendees to share something they thought has value is an important part of many presentations. The research shows: Audiences have very short attention spans. It is unusual for someone to give the speaker their undivided attention for the entire presentation. Information considered new and important by some can easily be missed by other attendees. Another finding was that when people in the audience hear something they disagree with, the likelihood of them turning off much of the remaining presentation increases dramatically. I understood that finding a way to get more people contributing what they gained from my talk would help everyone learn more. Now, after my Opening and before starting to deliver the body of my presentation, I do two important things to better help my audience GET IT! I give a Disclaimer: A short acknowledgement that “my way is not the only way.” I’m admitting others have good ideas on this topic and suggest to the audience that they “absorb everything and squeeze out what they don’t need.” This keeps them from tuning out everything I say after hearing a statement or concept they may not agree with. I tell them I’ll be asking for “Lessons Learned.” Example: “Towards the end of my presentation and before the last Q&A session I’m going to ask you for “Lessons Learned.” When you hear something of value, please write it down so you can share it when I call on you. Experience tells me that by telling you now. •  You’ll pay more attention and get more out of this talk. •  Folks will hear things you missed and sharing each other’s insights will be valuable for everyone.” By giving your audience a Disclaimer and telling them you’ll be asking for “Lessons Learned,” I guarantee your presentations will be absolutely, positively – 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!

When to take questions. How to answer them. Done correctly, having your audience ask questions can be an important part of your presentation. Hearing and answering questions is significant because it is a check on how clearly your presentation was understood and an opportunity to clear up any misunderstandings. When to take questions In your Opening tell them when questions will be taken. Telling your audience from the get-go when you’ll be taking questions lets them know not to interrupt your talk because you told them when you’ll have Q&A. A question about something in a different section of your presentation can throw off your presentation and confuse your audience. You eliminate that by telling when you’ll take questions. If someone asks a question on material you’ve not yet covered, say, “Do me a favor and write that question down. If I haven’t answered it, when it’s time for questions on that topic, be sure to ask. Thank you!” For longer presentations, take questions after each section, only on that section, and before your Closing. Important: Take questions before you Close your presentation. This is because of the Law of Primacy and Recency. Your audience best remembers the first and last  things you say and do. This is why you want a strong Opening and a stronger Closing. Example: “I’m going to discuss the components, parts, and elements of a presentation. I have time set aside after each section for questions. I have time set aside at the end for questions. Then I’ll deliver my closing.” How to ask for questions Don’t ask, “Do you have any questions?” That’s a Yes or No question. Best to raise your hand high and say, “In my Opening I said I’d take questions after each section. This is that time. What questions do you have for me?” Better yet, after asking for questions, “prime the pump” by saying, “I’m going to ask the first question. One of the things I’m always asked is  . . .” How to answer questions Especially in a larger audience, repeat and paraphrase the question so your entire audience knows what is being asked. Example: “To be sure I understand your question, you want to know . . .” Start answering the question by looking directly at the person who asked it. Finish a thought and move on to look directly at someone else in another part of your audience. Repeat until finished. Only looking at the person who asked you the question could result in more questions from them and lead to a conversation, leaving out the rest of your audience. Don’t say, “Good question!” Answer by stating: “Let me answer it this way.” or “Here’s how I understand it.” If you don’t know the answer to a question Don’t throw it out to your audience. If you do, you lose control. You can’t be sure the person answering is giving the correct answer. What if they are challenged? It’s best to reply, “I’m sorry. I’m drawing a blank right now. If I don’t think of the answer, let’s get together after the presentation and we’ll figure it out.” In most scenarios, DON’T call on someone for a question who hasn’t raised their hand You might embarrass them and that isn’t what you want to accomplish. Follow these suggestions for when to take and how to answer questions, and I guarantee your next presentation will be absolutely, positively – 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, and Presentation 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!” #Leadership #Questions #ExecutiveSpeakerCoaching #ElevatorSpeech #PresentationTrainer #Communication #SpeakerTraining #UltimateGuideforPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeakingAuthor #PublishedAuthor #VirtualVideoConferences #PublicSpeakingCoach #audience #UltimateGuideforPresentations #VirtualVideoEvents #PresentationTraining #Talking #ElevatorPitch #ExecutivePresentationCoaching #NOSWEATPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeaking #SalesPresentations #Speaking #KeynoteSpeaker #SelfImprovement #PublicSpeakingTraining #Management #EXPRESSElevatorSpeech #ExecutiveSpeechCoach #PresentationCoach #GuideforPublicSpeaking #VirtualVideoMeetings #LesseningtheFearofPublicSpeaking #ElevatorSpeechWorkshops #CommunicationSkills #FredMiller #VirtualVideo #GuideforPresentations #MarketingStrategy #Networking #QampA #presentationskills #LeadershipDevelopment #PresentationTrainingStLouis #PublicSpeakingClasses #ExecutivePresentationCoach #TEDTalkCoach #Success #PublicSpeakerTrainer #PublicSpeakingClassesNearMe #ProfessionalSpeaker #PresentationSkillsCoaching #StLouisSpeakerStLouisPresentationCoach #presentation

To be successful in delivering outstanding presentations, there are Very Specific Laws that apply. These are not suggestions! The following Laws of Presentation are tested, proven, and essential if you want to have a high quality talk. Read them – Study them – Apply them! Know your “Stuff!” This is the first of the Laws of Presentation. Really know your material. Continually study and keep abreast of the latest information. Read books and blogs on the subject. Set up google alerts for specifics that will help you stay up to date. Strive to be the expert on the subject. Write your own Introduction. The Introduction is not your bio. No one cares where you went to school, what you hobbies have, or how many pets you’ve had. It is the speaker’s responsibility to write their own Introduction. It should answer three questions. Why this subject? Why this speaker? Why now? Know the Structure of a Presentation. There are specific ingredients . . . You put in at specific times . . . In specific amounts . . . You do specific things to them, and . . . You get a Great Presentation! Know how to Present. Be proficient with all the Components, Parts and Elements of a great presentation. Have great content and use all the verbal and nonverbal communication skills available to deliver your presentation. Remember: Delivery trumps Content – NonVerbal Communication surpasses Verbal Communication and Everything must be in sync! If you use slides, use high quality, universally understood images. Use very little text and make frequent use of the “B – Blank Screen” button. The Law of Primacy and Recency. The Law of Primacy and Recency says the audience best remember the first and last things you say and do. That’s why you want a strong opening and a stronger closing. The last thing you say and do, is the first thing the audience remembers. Be Audience Centered. It’s all about the Audience. The presentation is not about the speaker! If you take your focus off the audience and place it on you, things can go bad, really bad. This is one of the Key Laws for presenters. Doing it results in better presentations and lessens the Fear of Public Speaking. Practice – Practice – Practice Practice makes perfect – No! Perfect practice makes perfect – No such thing! “The Road to Perfection never ends!” – This should be your mantra! I coach speakers for TEDx Talks and the rule of thumb for practicing is one hour of preparation for each minute of presentation. That’s the minimum amount of time that should be invested! Steve Jobs, who was the consummate presenter, would practice weeks on a 90 minute keynote presentation. Speak! – Speak! – Speak! The “Learning is in the Doing!” Watching others, studying, meditating, listening and practicing are all good, but, the only way to really become a great speaker is to SPEAK! Speak as often as you can and wherever you can. Every presentation is an opportunity to learn something and improve. Don’t wait for speaking opportunities to come to you; seek them out! Personal Responsibility. No one wants to hear the AV guy forgot the batteries for the remote. Your responsibility, as the speaker, is for everything you can control. That means bring your own speaker, adapters, remote – everything you can: Personal responsibility. If your goal is to be a Great Presenter: Follow and use these proven Laws of Presentation.Do that, and my prediction is this: “Your next presentation will be absolutely, positively – 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, and Presentation 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!” #Leadership #Questions #ExecutiveSpeakerCoaching #ElevatorSpeech #PresentationTrainer #Communication #SpeakerTraining #UltimateGuideforPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeakingAuthor #PublishedAuthor #VirtualVideoConferences #PublicSpeakingCoach #audience #UltimateGuideforPresentations #VirtualVideoEvents #PresentationTraining #Talking #ElevatorPitch #ExecutivePresentationCoaching #NOSWEATPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeaking #SalesPresentations #Speaking #KeynoteSpeaker #SelfImprovement #PublicSpeakingTraining #Management #EXPRESSElevatorSpeech #ExecutiveSpeechCoach #PresentationCoach #GuideforPublicSpeaking #VirtualVideoMeetings #LesseningtheFearofPublicSpeaking #ElevatorSpeechWorkshops #CommunicationSkills #FredMiller #VirtualVideo #GuideforPresentations #MarketingStrategy #Networking #QampA #presentationskills #LeadershipDevelopment #PresentationTrainingStLouis #PublicSpeakingClasses #ExecutivePresentationCoach #TEDTalkCoach #Success #PublicSpeakerTrainer #PublicSpeakingClassesNearMe #ProfessionalSpeaker #PresentationSkillsCoaching #StLouisSpeakerStLouisPresentationCoach #presentation

“Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities!” Want to be a better speaker? Do These Three Things! 1. Write! That’s correct, write! Blog regularly, a minimum of 300 words, at least every other week. “Content is King!” You’ll learn something each time you write a post. The information you’ll share will make you an EXPERT in the minds of others. 2. Make an Audio Recording of that post. After you’ve written the article, record the audio of it. The first time I recorded a post, it was a very humbling experience! As I was making the audio, I found grammatical errors. I found spelling errors. I had to rewrite some things. Making those changes made my article much better. In addition, as I was listening, that experience was humbling, also! Sometimes I mumbled. A few times my voice faded, and at times, I found myself speaking in monotone. I re-recorded the post until I got it correct. Listening to my recording was one of best things I’ve ever done, and I do it every time I write a blog post. Written Post + Audio Post = Better Writing and Better Speaking. I export my audio recording to my NO SWEAT Public Speaking! iTunes Podcast Channel. Having a podcast channel has two benefits. 1. It’s another way for Google to find you. 2. Many prefer listening to reading. Note the popularity of podcasts and audio books. 3. Make a Video. This suggestion will take your speaking skills to the next level. Video yourself delivering a presentation. The first time you hear yourself it’s tough. It’s tougher when you see and hear yourself. But, it is absolutely worth it. You don’t need anything fancy. Your phone works fine. When looking at yourself, you’ll see your nonverbal communication: facial expressions, gestures, and body movements. Those non-verbal elements of communication trump your voice and how you use it. Adjust those elements as needed when making more videos. The combination of Written Post + Video Post will absolutely take your presentations to another level! This stuff works! Till next time, this is Fred Miller – NO SWEAT Public Speaking!————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 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, and Presentation 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!” #Leadership #Questions #ExecutiveSpeakerCoaching #ElevatorSpeech #PresentationTrainer #Communication #SpeakerTraining #UltimateGuideforPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeakingAuthor #PublishedAuthor #VirtualVideoConferences #PublicSpeakingCoach #audience #UltimateGuideforPresentations #VirtualVideoEvents #PresentationTraining #Talking #ElevatorPitch #ExecutivePresentationCoaching #NOSWEATPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeaking #SalesPresentations #Speaking #KeynoteSpeaker #SelfImprovement #PublicSpeakingTraining #Management #EXPRESSElevatorSpeech #ExecutiveSpeechCoach #PresentationCoach #GuideforPublicSpeaking #VirtualVideoMeetings #LesseningtheFearofPublicSpeaking #ElevatorSpeechWorkshops #CommunicationSkills #FredMiller #VirtualVideo #GuideforPresentations #MarketingStrategy #Networking #QampA #presentationskills #LeadershipDevelopment #PresentationTrainingStLouis #PublicSpeakingClasses #ExecutivePresentationCoach #TEDTalkCoach #Success #PublicSpeakerTrainer #PublicSpeakingClassesNearMe #ProfessionalSpeaker #PresentationSkillsCoaching #StLouisSpeakerStLouisPresentationCoach #presentation

Edwin Dearborn, Growth Driven, Interviews Me for Presentation Tips! Transcript Edwin Hey, this is Edwin Dearborn, another edition of Growth Driven, where we bring to you insights and experts about various topics in business to help you grow . And today, I have with me, Fred Miller, and we’re going to be talking about how to improve your presentation skills by giving you some effective presentation tips. Thanks for joining us today. Fred Oh, thanks for having me, Edwin. Edwin Yeah, yeah, so tell me, I know we connected on LinkedIn and I’ve looked at your website, which is, NO SWEAT Public Speaking! I’ll be featuring that throughout the podcast and the youtube video here for your viewers to find out more about you. How did you get started in public speaking and the world of presentations? Fred Well, many years ago I used to see all these great speakers like, Zig Ziglar. I guess I’m dating myself now. Zig Ziglar and Brian Tracy and Tony Robbins and I thought, WOW, that’s amazing and I wish I could do that. And I joined Toastmasters. For those who aren’t familiar with Toastmasters, it’s an international organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills. I was in Toastmasters for many years. I was in a number of businesses and saw the value of public speaking. My mantra is “Speaking opportunities, like this, are business, career, and leadership, opportunities.” No one’s ever questioned that statement. That inability and that fear of public speaking holds so many people back from reaching their potential. so that’s basically it. Edwin Yeah. Well, I agree with you. I think public speaking is a critical skill in business whether you do it professionally or not.I think it just elevates everything that you do whether you’re a formal public speaker or not. I think it just adds to your repertoire of skills. At NO SWEAT Public Speaking! how do you engage with businesses and business people and what do you teach them? Fred Well, I teach them how to . . . I’ll give you my Elevator Speech. I’m Fred Miller. I’m a speaker, coach, and a writer. The title of my first book is: NO SWEAT Public Speaking! Businesses, individuals, and organizations hire me to improve their networking, public speaking, and presentation skills. And we’re going to talk about Elevator Speech and I think that’s relevant because we’re talking about zoom calls. You get on a zoom call or anything, somebody says, “Before we get started, let’s go around and tell us who you are and what you do. An Elevator Speech is a mini presentation and most people mess it up. It’s a Speaking Opportunity. But you want people to know exactly who you are and what you do because if they don’t, how are they going to refer you and they’re certainly not going to hire you. So, it’s all relevant to the zoom world now. This is how we’re all meeting. Edwin Yeah, there’s no question that since the lockdowns and the virus situation we’ve had to go to an online world and I know that everybody’s kind of looking at like, okay, how do I use it effectively? What you’re saying is, here’s just another public speaking opportunity, but use it effectively and have your Elevator Speech. I think a lot of people have heard the term, Elevator Speech. How would you define that to, maybe, somebody who’s not in sales and doesn’t know what that means? Fred Thanks for asking. Well, it’s a mini-infomercial because we all want to know who you are and what you do. You know, it’s fascinating. I looked you up. You dealing branding. Well, it’s an opportunity to brand yourself. Edwin Yes. Fred If you’re working for someone else or if you’re working for yourself. Let’s talk about zoom for a moment, and it’s all about stories. Presentations are all about stories. Make a point –  tell a story. My story about zoom, because I’ve been doing a lot of writing and speaking on it. We were in South Africa in March. We got back March 17th and the world we came back to, 300 people on a plane for 16 hours, I was sure I must have had covid. Got off in Atlanta. They took our Temperature, gave us some papers, said, “Go home and quarantine.” I didn’t do anything for about a month. I was really bummed out. But then, I started getting on zoom calls and it’s like, “Whoa! This is not the way to give presentations!” Usually, Edwin, when I’m speaking I’m the only one in the front of the room. I’m looking everyone’s face. Everyone’s looking at me. In a zoom call, everyone’s looking at everyone else and some people don’t have a clue! I mean, I’ve looked up more noses than an ear, nose, and throat doctor. It’s really discouraging and the biggest point I want to make here is that in terms of communication, whether a formal presentation or just talking one-on-one, non-verbal communication, facial expressions, gestures, body movement, surpasses verbal communication. And when people are looking like this, and they’re looking like this, looks like I’m from Mars right, with my ring light and they’re looking like this, it’s very discouraging. In fact, one of my tips now is: if you’re a presenter have everyone turn their screen off, and their sound, because, here’s the biggest thing. It’s really important –  We cannot multitask. If I’m looking at your background, I’m looking at you. I’m not listening and watching the speaker. The best example I can give to prove this point is: if you ever watch cable news, any channel: Fox, CNN, MSNBC: There’s a little ticker tape comes along the bottom of the screen. If you’re reading that ticker tape, you have no idea what they’re talking about. To prove that, as soon as the commercial comes on the ticker tape is gone! Advertisers would never pay big bucks to have you not watch their commercial. And if you’ve got 24 different screens and I’m looking up: “So what’s that helmet in the picture in the back of that, Edwin? over there and what’s the picture behind his head? Looks like there’s a door. Well, I’m not watching and listening to you. Other things worth mentioning: Lighting: A lot of people have bright light behind them. You can’t even see the person. Sound: If you’ve got an older computer and you’re sitting back, it sounds like you’re in a tunnel. So those, and the other big thing I just mentioned, the background. You know, I see people and they’ll be holding their books up and they’ll have all kinds of junk behind them. I was watching a medical person on tv once. I think HIPPA would shut her down if they saw the that was on her white board behind her. The best background you can have is the one nobody notices. If you watch the professional ones on television. they’re usually blurred. Because if they were crystal clear, you’d be trying to pick out that detail. You know, “What building is he standing in front of and what does that sign say? Does that make sense to you, Edwin? Edwin Absolutely! So, okay, so now we’re in this zoom world. You came back from South Africa. Obviously, the world did change in March and so you kind of circled back in terms of reinventing how you were going to help people do presentations. What do you find is the biggest struggle in this brave new world of zoom that most business people are having in their elevating their game and doing presentations. Fred Well, I think it’s all the distractions. Again, we can’t multi we can’t multitask. If I’m looking at all those windows, you know, kind of like the Brady Bunch or Hollywood Squares. That’s really distracting. You have to turn those off. The other challenge for a presenter is if you’re showing slides. How many times have you been on a zoom meeting and somebody says, “Can you see my screen? What are you looking at now? You know, actually this is an interesting time to have this conversation. There’s a new piece of software. It’s mac only right now and it’s going to be PC. It’s called mmhm. That’s a terrible name, but this literally it integrates with zoom and some other platforms for online presentations. It can actually put you in the room. It can be like the same thing. Doing on zoom is just it’s really, really tough. We’ve got the attention span of a gnat, and if you have all these shiny objects flying over and, “Oh, who just came on? Wait, they’re streaming light. That’s terribly distracting Now another possibility, let me get this hint: pre-record your presentation and then play it. Then, you can stop it and come in for Q&A and things like that. There’s some real challenges with zoom. There’s no doubt about it, but I think we have to meet them and that new application is a great step to do that. Edwin Yeah. Okay, so let’s say we have a small business owner entrepreneur network guy. You know, Whatever. There’s going to be a lot of people coming out of, you know, the lockdowns all excited to meet, again. I mean we are going to get back to live presentations. I live here in Las Vegas. This town was built on conventions so it’s got to get back to business. What if you were to sit down with a guy going, “Hey, I get to give a presentation and I’ve never really done anything at this scale or at this level importance. What would be three top tips that you would give somebody to help them do a better presentation if they didn’t have those skills. Fred Thanks for asking, again. Well, first of all you want to talk to the meeting planner and find out about your audience. What do they expect? I mean, I’ve been to conventions in Vegas and I’ve seen presenters like, “Why did you invite this guy?” Some of them get big bucks! One guy I’ll never forget he was talking about his family business. All he did was talk about himself. I saw another gal do that, too. But find out what your audience wants. Gear your presentation to that. Find out what your time limits are. I like using slides the proper way. The proper way is images because we have three three learning styles. Most of us are visual learners, sixty-five percent of us. Thirty-five percent are auditory learners learn by listening. You mention a podcast. The rest are kinesthetic. I’ve got a friend, Edwin, if he was sitting here he’d fill a ream of paper. If you can appeal to two of those learning styles, that increases the odds the audience will GET IT! and GETTING IT! is the bottom line of all communication: verbal, written, or visual. They may not agree with you, but if they don’t GET IT! you can’t have a conversation going forward. So you put images on slides that are universally understood. Images, just that image, then make the screen go blank. and then you speak to that slide. That also keeps you from having to look at notes. How many times have you seen a talking head and he’s looking at notes. Nobody comes to read your presentation in terms of bullet points. Nobody comes to hear somebody speak and read their notes. So you have high quality images. You know your stuff you want to speak conversationally like we’re doing here. You want to have a strong opening and a stronger closing. This is a good point, too. There’s something called the law of primacy and recency. It says the best the audience best remembers the first and last things you say and do. So, the last thing I say and do is the first thing the audience remembers. Edwin Right, Okay, that’s a good point. I think probably most speakers worry about the middle. You know, the stuff in the middle of the oreo. But really, it’s the edges of the oreo cookie that people hold on to. Fred I love that analogy! I’ll steal it! But you want to have good content, too. If you don’t have good content. You’ve got to have good content. In that content, three to five main points. Make a point  – tell a story. I mean, you’re going to remember the story I told you about coming back South Africa; 300 people and they take my temperature. That’s a great story. People remember stories. Nancy Duarte is a presentation guru. She did the slides for Al Gore, in “An Inconvenient Truth.” She says, “Personal stories are the emotional glue that connect your audience to your message.” Because when I tell a story, everybody’s going back when they first experienced zoom. Like, oh my gosh that’s right! I remember. I got on there. I couldn’t figure out how to software or anything. All kinds of stuff like that. So, it’s all about stories and everyone’s got a back-story. Everyone has a back-story. You’ve got a story of how you’re in Vegas, or were you born there? Edwin No, no. Fred There’s a story about how you got there, right? Edwin Absolutely! There’s definitely a story of how I got here. People don’t end up in Vegas by accident. Fred No, and they don’t extradite to other countries or cities. That’s why you’re staying there, right? You have that witness protection program? Edwin No, no, you know you take a look at Las Vegas. I tell people, “All business roads lead to Las Vegas.” Eventually, if you’re in the business world professionally at a high level sooner or later you’re going to come to this city to do networking a presentation or some type of um convention. Fred Oh yeah, absolutely! I was in the coffee service business for many years and we had a national convention at the Hilton there. I remember. Edwin So I don’t have to go to anybody because they’re all eventually going to come see me, in my town. Fred Got it! Edwin So it’s a perfect if you wanted to find the perfect networking town, at least on the west coast. I would say Las Vegas is that city. Moreover, we don’t pay any state income tax. Fred Oh, nice! Edwin So, there’s also the financial advantage of coming to Las Vegas. Fred And the climate, of course! Edwin When you are working with the businesses, tell me what typically are the types of businesses that reach out to you. There must be an audience that tends to gravitate towards your services. Is it medical? Is it coaches? Is it authors? Like who comes to you and why? Fred I think basically it covers everything. It’s kind of interesting. A lot of individual consulting or coaching. It might be somebody who’s working at a company and a call typically is like this. They say, I’m sick and tired of people who don’t work as hard as I do, they’re not contributing much to the company, but they’re getting recognition, they’re getting bonus, but sometimes they’re getting promotions because they’re speaking. And they’re not that good, but they’re doing it and I’m not. Can you help me? This is for anyone. Probably, my best clients are the ones who are already super successful. I remember an attorney called me once and he said, Actually, he was coming about PowerPoint presentations, and he says, “Are you a novice or are you a guru in this?” I said, “I don’t know. You tell me.” I gave him a link and he came back and he said, “You know, I’m pretty good at presenting. I’m probably about a nine on a scale of one to ten. I want to be a 13.” This guy was good. I mean this guy was making a lot of money already but, “Those who know what they don’t know, really know the value of coaching.” A good coach will listen and ask questions so you hear yourself. I always tell people, “Professionals have coaches – amateurs don’t.” The best of the best have a coach. The guy who thinks he can do it all by himself – that’s crazy! I mean, I’m rewriting one of my books now. I’ve learned so much since writing NO SWEAT Elevator Speech! I’m rewriting it! I hired a professional editor and it’s awesome! This book is going to be so much better because she knows so much that I don’t know. Edwin Yeah, yeah. Fred You go and you take a bunch of tests and you find out what you’re good at and what you’re not good at and you start working on things you’re not good at. No, no! That changes. You hire someone to do that and you do what you’re good at because you probably love it. I got to tell you, the first time she sent back the manuscript, I’m looking and think I’m an idiot. It looks likeI didn’t know punctuation, I didn’t know this, I didn’t know that. She said, No, no. That’s my job that’s, what you hired me to do. And she’s absolutely right. She’s absolutely right. But that’s how it is in the world. You hire people who can really do their job well. But communication is so important. I’ll give you another example. We have a local college that does a survey every year of businesses. One of the things, or the main thing that they find lacking in new hires is – communication. So, you could be the best electrician, attorney, accountant, auto mechanic, whatever it is, but if you can’t communicate, you’re not going to go anywhere You’ve got to communicate with your fellow workers, with customers, with your boss, with underlings. That inability to communicate is going to affect your career negatively and the big companies know it. They are putting money and time into training people. I’ve just been very fortunate, I’m observant of this. I had new furnace put in and these young people came and did the furnace work and checked with me and asked questions. Just outstanding how their communication ability was. They were technicians. They did stuff I could never do. You know my wife always says that I’m the professional’s best friend. I can turn a minor repair into a major construction project. But it’s that ability to communicate that makes all the difference. You know, your business is branding. You’ve got to communicate that brand, right?  They got to know who you are. Edwin Absolutely! So, if you’re just joining in or you joined in maybe a little earlier, I’m with Fred Miller, NO SWEAT Public Speaking! You can visit his website at nosweatpublicspeaking.com. So, Fred, I think there’s a couple points I want to circle back on. Number one, I agree you’ve got to surround yourself with other professionals and the example you gave was the editor. Having written a couple of books and working with an editor, if I didn’t have an editor my books would have been a disaster. Fred Now, did you have that same experience you felt like an idiot? Edwin Yeah, Yeah ! I’m thoroughly convinced that editing is a skill set that I don’t have, but others do and I just defer that work to others. Then number two: the person that hired you because they saw other people advance. I think it’s important to note that you can advance your career not just on skill but your ability to communicate effectively. Meaning it’s not the superior artist that’s going to win the big price tag for their art. It’s going to be the artist that somehow finds a niche and communicates Effectively. The people that are on top 40 radio, are they necessarily the best musicians in the world? Probably not, but they’re at the top because they found a way to whether it’s through shock, or being sexy, or whatever it is they found some way to rise to the top regardless of skill or lack of. Fred Well, you just told the story that reminds me of when I spoke to a real estate association once, real estate investors, and the president was a really good speaker. I went to him afterwards and I complimented him, “Boy, you’re really good! What’s your day job?” He said, “Well, I’m an engineer at Boeing.” We both chuckled because you don’t think about engineers as being dynamic speakers. They’re left-brained people and left-brained people are usually not that way. He said, I know. I know, left brain – engineer. I am very am very fortunate. I’m an engineer but I also have the ability to communicate. That’s why I’m the team leader.” He said, Honestly, Fred, every one of the guys that I’m the team leader of, the guys in my team, they can do circles around me with their work. They know far more than I do. But because  can communicate, I’m the leader.” I’ve told that story. There’s so many people that say, “Oh, yeah. That’s my boss. I know I’ve forgotten more than he knows. But boy, he’s got that gift for gab. He can communicate with people. I wish I had that. But, you’ve seen that haven’t you? Edwin Oh, yeah. Absolutely! So, I think it’s the great takeaway is: that if you want to advance your life, your career you know. Like I’ll see this with doctors. They’ll go, well, I need more doctor degrees. I need to learn more about doctoring. I need to learn more about nutrition. And I go, “You need to lean on the soft Skills. Quote – unquote: Communication: your ability to come across effectively. Leadership, how you negotiate. All these soft skills is really the critical skills. Particularly now that we’re on zoom and we’re judging you on how you present. Fred Oh yeah. No, absolutely! I mean absolutely, you’ve got it! I mean, that’s it! You’ve got to be able to communicate or your job will suffer. And it doesn’t matter what that job is. You know, here again, you could be the best HVAC guy, but you’re not going to become a supervisor unless you can communicate. Management knows the value of that. A lot of times those people are the last contact with customers. So the price might have been good. They might have done dynamite work. But the guy’s a jerk. They’re not going to get referred and with all the social media these days, get on Yelp and NextDoor and you know that company will be out of business. I mean bad words spread quicker than good work. Edwin Yeah, absolutely. I think even you bring up a good point which is, our communication skills or lack of will show up somehow in the business. Like you said, a bad Yelp review, a bad google review, or if you’re really good as a good google review. You know good word of mouth just because of your soft skills your ability to communicate. So, in 2021, here we are in February of 2021, going forward where are you taking your services and kind of tell me what how you’re rolling out your future plans in 2021. Fred Well, I blog on a regular basis. Every two weeks I blog and the learning is in the doing. I used to blog once a week. I’ve been doing this since 2011 so I’ve got a lot of stuff. My focus right now is rewriting that elevator speech book. I’m going to have to rewrite the first book, “NO SWEAT Public Speaking” also because I have learned so much since writing those books. All this zoom stuff, I’ve got to get into there. I’m looking forward to doing more coaching. I’m looking forward to doing in-person, I guess eventually, but certainly presenting by zoom, too. But if you if you really want to learn something, I think this is important to – Teach it. If you go to med school, one of the things they tell you is: “See one – Do one – Teach one!” So, start I started a meetup, I teach a community college, just a continuing education, three nights. And I never got any teaching courses when I went to college. My wife was a teacher. But when you teach something, you have to master it. The nice public speaking, it’s a skill you can learn. Let me tell you a story. It’s worth telling. I got a call a number of years ago from an OBGYN. She was moving from New York to St. Louis. Terrible fear of public speaking. I could hear in her voice and she told me. She said, “This is really a challenge because I’m going to have to present to my colleagues. I’m going to be teaching a class. Can you help me?” I said, “I don’t know, doctor. Can I ask you a few questions?” She said, “Sure.” I said, “Well, you’re a doc. You’re an OBGYN, right?” She says, “Yeah.” I said, “It means you deliver baby boys and baby girls?” She goes, “Yes.” “I said. “Well, have you ever delivered a baby public speaker?” “No, I haven’t” “And let me ask you another question. You’re a doctor. You’re an adult. You’ve dealt with death, it’s part of life. Do you know anyone who’s passed away giving a presentation?” She said, “No, I don’t.” “So doctor, you just proved something. You know there’s not a public speaking gene that we’re either born or not born with. It’s a relatively safe activity to engage in. Somewhere between birth and death, it’s a skill we can learn. You can you can learn those skills. You know, some people have. You’ve got that for gab. You’re a good interviewer. People don’t aren’t born with those but they can learn some of those skills and do much better at them which will help them immensely and you’re right, it’s all those soft skills. You know, there’s a lot of geniuses who are the best of the best and nobody knows it. A friend of mine once said that, “It’s a hungry dog that doesn’t wag its own tail. Getting up and speaking, being a leader, taking an opportunity to ask questions. Just speaking is huge! You’ll stand out from others because most people won’t do it. It’s still one of the biggest fears people have. Edwin Totally. Hey, I’m with Fred Miller. You can check them out at nosweatpublicspeaking.com Hey, Fred, I want to thank you so much for being on the show. You added a lot of value to our community. You brought some really good points which is we’ve got to get our presentation and communication skills to advance our career. If you’re going to write a book get a great editor. I like that what you said earlier which is “Professionals have coaches and amateurs do not.” So if you’re if you’re looking to get coached on public speaking reach out to Fred. You’ve seen his website. I’ll put the link below. When the video uploads to youtube, I’ll add the link there, also on the podcast. You can just type ‘Fred Miller’ on the podcast but you can also just type in ‘Fred Miller’ NO SWEAT Public Speaking into LinkedIn and you will find his LinkedIn profile. You can connect with him there on social media. So, once again, Fred, Thank you for being part of GROWTH DRIVEN and if you’re listening to or watching GROWTH DRIVEN, thank you so much for being part of this community. I’m making every effort to add value by bringing experts, like Fred, on the show to help you elevate your game so that you can have the prosperity that you want in your life as well as the happiness and self-satisfaction. Until next time, we’ll see all of you later. ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 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, and Presentation 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!” #Leadership #Questions #ExecutiveSpeakerCoaching #ElevatorSpeech #PresentationTrainer #Communication #SpeakerTraining #UltimateGuideforPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeakingAuthor #PublishedAuthor #VirtualVideoConferences #PublicSpeakingCoach #audience #UltimateGuideforPresentations #VirtualVideoEvents #PresentationTraining #Talking #ElevatorPitch #ExecutivePresentationCoaching #NOSWEATPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeaking #SalesPresentations #Speaking #KeynoteSpeaker #SelfImprovement #PublicSpeakingTraining #Management #EXPRESSElevatorSpeech #ExecutiveSpeechCoach #PresentationCoach #GuideforPublicSpeaking #VirtualVideoMeetings #LesseningtheFearofPublicSpeaking #ElevatorSpeechWorkshops #CommunicationSkills #FredMiller #VirtualVideo #GuideforPresentations #MarketingStrategy #Networking #QampA #presentationskills #LeadershipDevelopment #PresentationTrainingStLouis #PublicSpeakingClasses #ExecutivePresentationCoach #TEDTalkCoach #Success #PublicSpeakerTrainer #PublicSpeakingClassesNearMe #ProfessionalSpeaker #PresentationSkillsCoaching #StLouisSpeakerStLouisPresentationCoach #presentation

Showing slides on zoom . . . Now, “There’s an App for that!” Watch THIS Video! If you’ve ever attended a zoom meeting using slides you’ve heard: “Can you see my screen? What do you see?” Presenters prefer to be in-person with live audiences. We like our slides displayed over our left shoulder, and making them go blank when we want the audience looking at us! We want them looking at us because non-verbal communication; facial expressions, gestures, and more; surpasses verbal communication. Fortunately, like many things, “There’s an App for that!” The app is mmhmm. (I am a happy mmhmm customer. I have no affiliation with them and receive no compensation.) It integrates with zoom and other platforms to enable presentations to be delivered the way the should be. Zoom does have the ability to show the slides in the background and the presenter at the same time, but lacks all the bells and whistles mmhmm offers. A link describing how to do that in zoom is HERE. Watch the video and check out their site for all the app offers. You will be amazed! FREE Zoom Checklist. Get this before attending or hosting your next meeting! CLICK HERE! Transcript of Video Fred Miller, NO SWEAT Public Speaking! One of the challenges with zoom is showing slides. I’m sure you’ve been the slide presentation on zoom and the speaker is saying, “Can you see my screen? Can we can you see my screen? What are you looking at? Well, that’s all changing! I want to show you something really slick! Okay, now here’s a slide. Oh, I’m in the way. I can get out of the way. Let me get out of here. There’s a slide. I talk about be a sponge in life. Absorb everything. Squeeze out what you don’t need! Now, couple things. I can disappear completely. I can make that slide go full screen. I can go to the next slide. I can come back. There I am. I can get bigger. Right in the way . I can go to another slide. Oh! I better get out! You go to a networking event and somebody usually says, “Before we get started, let’s go around the room. When it’s your turn, stand up . . . Enough of that! But all this can be done with a new piece of software that integrates with zoom. Super cool! Till next time this is Fred Miller, NO SWEAT Public Speaking! ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 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, and Presentation 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!” #Leadership #Questions #ExecutiveSpeakerCoaching #ElevatorSpeech #PresentationTrainer #Communication #SpeakerTraining #UltimateGuideforPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeakingAuthor #PublishedAuthor #VirtualVideoConferences #PublicSpeakingCoach #audience #UltimateGuideforPresentations #VirtualVideoEvents #PresentationTraining #Talking #ElevatorPitch #ExecutivePresentationCoaching #NOSWEATPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeaking #SalesPresentations #Speaking #KeynoteSpeaker #SelfImprovement #PublicSpeakingTraining #Management #EXPRESSElevatorSpeech #ExecutiveSpeechCoach #PresentationCoach #GuideforPublicSpeaking #VirtualVideoMeetings #LesseningtheFearofPublicSpeaking #ElevatorSpeechWorkshops #CommunicationSkills #FredMiller #VirtualVideo #GuideforPresentations #MarketingStrategy #Networking #QampA #presentationskills #LeadershipDevelopment #PresentationTrainingStLouis #PublicSpeakingClasses #ExecutivePresentationCoach #TEDTalkCoach #Success #PublicSpeakerTrainer #PublicSpeakingClassesNearMe #ProfessionalSpeaker #PresentationSkillsCoaching #StLouisSpeakerStLouisPresentationCoach #presentation

It’s All About the Backstory. You have a story, don’t you? Rarely, when asking this to students, seminar attendees, and clients, do I not immediately see a twinkle in their eye. That non-verbal communication is saying things like: If you only knew! or Absolutely, and I need to write a book. and sometimes Story? I’ve got a million. Example: We’ve done some traveling and when given the option at meals to sit with people we don’t know, my wife is great at getting people to tell stories. She simply asks, “How did you two meet?” CLICK for FREE Speaker’s Template! The responses are wonderful. “I’m a mechanic and she was the barmaid at the pub I frequented after work many days” Another: “We each were widowed and met at a support group for people who lost a spouse or partner.” One story stands out. There was a couple who wore the same T-shirts every day of the cruise, like kids dating in high school. The gentleman, a big, burly white guy was in his sixty’s and had been married two or three times. He was in his second career, nursing. Previously, he’d been a carpenter. His wife, a gentile black woman in her early seventy’s was a physician and this was his first marriage. The backstory: They met on match.com. Stories, specifically personal stories, are used to demonstrate, clarify, and emphasize points in your presentation. Everyone has them. Stories about: Overcoming obstacles. Physical, mental, or social ones. Who helped you? Who stood in your way? Failures in Education, business, or a personal one. What happened and what was the outcome? Successes in a Job, organization, or a family. Trips Why did you choose to go there at that time and with those people? Are you glad you chose that destination and do you recommend it to others? A picture, vase, or sculpture in your home. Where did you purchase it? Who are others in the picture? Who was with you? Why did you pick this and not a different one? When audiences hear stories they go into the hard drives of their brain looking for similar events in their life. Often, they’ll realize they are not the only one with challenges, some tougher than theirs. Hearing those tales of surviving and thriving gives them impetus to move forward with renewed expectations. Use personal backstories in your presentations and I guarantee they will be absolutely, positively – NO SWEAT! Question: What’s Your Story? ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 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, and Presentation 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!” #Leadership #Questions #ExecutiveSpeakerCoaching #ElevatorSpeech #PresentationTrainer #Communication #SpeakerTraining #UltimateGuideforPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeakingAuthor #PublishedAuthor #VirtualVideoConferences #PublicSpeakingCoach #audience #UltimateGuideforPresentations #VirtualVideoEvents #PresentationTraining #Talking #ElevatorPitch #ExecutivePresentationCoaching #NOSWEATPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeaking #SalesPresentations #Speaking #KeynoteSpeaker #SelfImprovement #PublicSpeakingTraining #Management #EXPRESSElevatorSpeech #ExecutiveSpeechCoach #PresentationCoach #GuideforPublicSpeaking #VirtualVideoMeetings #LesseningtheFearofPublicSpeaking #ElevatorSpeechWorkshops #CommunicationSkills #FredMiller #VirtualVideo #GuideforPresentations #MarketingStrategy #Networking #QampA #presentationskills #LeadershipDevelopment #PresentationTrainingStLouis #PublicSpeakingClasses #ExecutivePresentationCoach #TEDTalkCoach #Success #PublicSpeakerTrainer #PublicSpeakingClassesNearMe #ProfessionalSpeaker #PresentationSkillsCoaching #StLouisSpeakerStLouisPresentationCoach #presentation

Zooming? Get a good Checklist first! CLICK HEREhttps://nosweatpublicspeaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Zoom_Backgrounds_Pet_Peeve.mp3 Transcript Fred Miller, “NO SWEAT Public Speaking!” Let’s talk about one of my pet peeves on zoom – Backgrounds! Now this one, this is pretty good. It looks like a microphone. It’d be appropriate for me. I speak, coach, and write about networking, public speaking, and presentation skills. But everybody doesn’t pay attention to their background. Look at some of these. Whoops! I better get out of the way. I mean, people are looking out the windows. They’re looking down. They have no idea where the camera is. That’s horrible! We can’t do that. That doesn’t make any sense at all. Now here’s a background that looks like this guy’s just trying to promote himself. And you see it sometimes. Somebody’s being interviewed on television and they’ve got their books on the shelf. They’ve got their books in front of them. They’re almost holding the book up. I don’t think that’s right. I think it’s distracting. Not a good background. Now this is a pretty good background. Actually, my definition for a good background is: You don’t notice it. And you shouldn’t because you should be looking at the speaker because we cannot multitask. You can’t be looking at a background. Oh, that’s a pretty one! Black and white and I’m in color. That looks great! But you can’t be looking at a background and the speaker. We can’t multitask. Now, I talk about Elevator Speeches. That’s a pretty appropriate background. It makes a lot of sense to have me in that elevator. That’s not really distracting. I’m talking about zoom. That’s a good background. A little branding for zoom. I’m okay with that. Now this background is nice also only because it’s blurred. If it was crystal clear, you’d be looking at those beautiful buildings, at the ferris wheel. You don’t want to do that. This background. Whoa! Going too quick. I don’t know if I like that. A little distracting, and then Whoa! Went to the other place. I don’t like that, either. And I kind of like this. Again, black and white background. I’m colorized. Anyway, in any case, always give attention to your background because it distracts the audience. They can’t concentrate on you and your message. Till next time, this is Fred Miller “NO SWEAT Public Speaking!” ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 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, and Presentation 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!” #Leadership #Questions #ExecutiveSpeakerCoaching #ElevatorSpeech #PresentationTrainer #Communication #SpeakerTraining #UltimateGuideforPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeakingAuthor #PublishedAuthor #VirtualVideoConferences #PublicSpeakingCoach #audience #UltimateGuideforPresentations #VirtualVideoEvents #PresentationTraining #Talking #ElevatorPitch #ExecutivePresentationCoaching #NOSWEATPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeaking #SalesPresentations #Speaking #KeynoteSpeaker #SelfImprovement #PublicSpeakingTraining #Management #EXPRESSElevatorSpeech #ExecutiveSpeechCoach #PresentationCoach #GuideforPublicSpeaking #VirtualVideoMeetings #LesseningtheFearofPublicSpeaking #ElevatorSpeechWorkshops #CommunicationSkills #FredMiller #VirtualVideo #GuideforPresentations #MarketingStrategy #Networking #QampA #presentationskills #LeadershipDevelopment #PresentationTrainingStLouis #PublicSpeakingClasses #ExecutivePresentationCoach #TEDTalkCoach #Success #PublicSpeakerTrainer #PublicSpeakingClassesNearMe #ProfessionalSpeaker #PresentationSkillsCoaching #StLouisSpeakerStLouisPresentationCoach #presentation

In Your Lane! Be Specific about: Who you are and What you do. Like me, I’ll bet you’ve been to networking events where people are telling the group, “Who they are and What they do?” They are delivering Elevator Speeches. FREE Elevator Speech Template and Worksheet Many struggle with this mini-infomercial. In our jobs and businesses we often wear many hats and have a tough time clearly articulating our Elevator Speech without confusing audiences. If we can’t clearly tell people Who we are and What we do, our chances of being hired or referred are greatly diminished. In many cases, if we mention all the things we do, folks will think we’ll wash windows, rotate tires, and clean gutters. Be specific about Who you are and What you do! Example: I speak, coach, and write about networking, public speaking, and presentation skills. I also make presentation slide decks for other speakers and I am a Mind Mapper. Mind Mapping is a non-linear, visual, brain storming tool. It’s something I often use when coaching clients. However, if I mention it in my Elevator Speech it’s going to confuse people. This is because it seems to be outside my core skills of speaking, coaching, and writing. Twitter has forced us to say more with less. Good! We have short attentions spans and want information now. Less = More applies to Elevator Speeches, also. They need to be clear, concise, and consistent to similar audiences. Plain, simple language rules! Don’t use buzz words, acronyms, or techno speak. We don’t impress people with words they don’t know. We make them feel stupid. They won’t ask what those words mean, but they’ll also never hire or refer us. How’s your Elevator Speech? Here is the ULTIMATE Test for a great Elevator Speech. Everyone hearing it should be able to tell anyone who didn’t, exactly who you are and what you do. Those folks should be able to do the same. Test it on people the next time you deliver it. Follow the above suggestions for staying in your lane and simplifying your Elevator Speech and I guarantee it will be absolutely, positively – 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, and Presentation 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!” #Leadership #Questions #ExecutiveSpeakerCoaching #ElevatorSpeech #PresentationTrainer #Communication #SpeakerTraining #UltimateGuideforPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeakingAuthor #PublishedAuthor #VirtualVideoConferences #PublicSpeakingCoach #audience #UltimateGuideforPresentations #VirtualVideoEvents #PresentationTraining #Talking #ElevatorPitch #ExecutivePresentationCoaching #NOSWEATPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeaking #SalesPresentations #Speaking #KeynoteSpeaker #SelfImprovement #PublicSpeakingTraining #Management #EXPRESSElevatorSpeech #ExecutiveSpeechCoach #PresentationCoach #GuideforPublicSpeaking #VirtualVideoMeetings #LesseningtheFearofPublicSpeaking #ElevatorSpeechWorkshops #CommunicationSkills #FredMiller #VirtualVideo #GuideforPresentations #MarketingStrategy #Networking #QampA #presentationskills #LeadershipDevelopment #PresentationTrainingStLouis #PublicSpeakingClasses #ExecutivePresentationCoach #TEDTalkCoach #Success #PublicSpeakerTrainer #PublicSpeakingClassesNearMe #ProfessionalSpeaker #PresentationSkillsCoaching #StLouisSpeakerStLouisPresentationCoach #presentation

Many meetings, conferences, and seminars are now on-line. These virtual gatherings are very different from in-person, live events. Attending can be challenging. Presenting can be extremely challenging, but it can lead to New OPPORTUNITIES! Get this ZOOM CHECKLIST for yourself and attendees. The Challenges. Lots of “heads in boxes” including yours! Audience members are looking in different directions and trying to see all participants. The presenter knows non-verbal communication surpasses verbal communication. Suddenly, their body language is greatly reduced and the focus on facial expressions dramatically increased. Technology that’s always changing and being tweaked. Using slides in a presentation. Example: Have you ever heard the presenter ask, “Can you see my screen?” If so, what do you see?” Optimizing sound from a computer and into the talk. Letting others participate when appropriate and silencing the audience when needed. Recording the presentation. Using other tools offered by the hosting platform: Chat, voting, screen sharing, reactions, and more. Need for new equipment and learning how it optimize it. Lighting. Ring lights and other lighting to look your best. Challenges when wearing glasses and reflections from lighting equipment and the computer monitor. Microphone. Microphones on older computers can make it sound like you’re in a tunnel. Distracting backgrounds. People sitting in front of windows that interfere with seeing the participant. Bookshelves loaded with pictures, awards, and books that distract the audience. Cameras. Older ones without high definition capability that give a less than flattering image. Aimed incorrectly at the person so the audience is looking up their nose or side of the face. Lessening Distractions. Animals, family members, phones ringing, alarms sounding and more divert attention from the event. The OPPORTUNITIES! The BIGGIE! An OPPORTUNITY to reach a much larger than local audience! What you offer probably has value beyond your specific geographic area. Your local audience could expand regionally, nationally, and even internationally! There’s a good possibility you’ll add topics to your collection of presentations. Example: Who was making presentations about using zoom two years ago? No one! Learning how to present in a new manner means acquiring new skills. Getting out of our comfort zone makes it larger! The Challenges that Lead to OPPORTUNITIES. I’ve presented to live audiences for years. Usually, I’m the only one in the front of the room looking at faces in the audience. Everyone else is looking at me and the backs of attendees. They usually see me standing to the left of a screen and using slides in my presentation. Virtual meetings changed all of this. Now, everyone is in the front row and looking at everyone else. Presentations previously delivered in person usually don’t work the same virtually. Invariably, they have to be updated and often rebuilt from scratch. It’s a lot of work, but well worth it because: The research shows when going through a complete rebuild of a previous talk, they are usually dramatically improved. Outdated slides are removed. Example: My slides showing people shaking hands during a “Meet and Greet’ session is no longer appropriate. Many slides are replaced with better ones. Who, when presenting, hasn’t thought, “I could use a better slide.” Topics and slides not included previously are added. Example: I’m rewriting a book because I learned so much since publishing it. Sometimes topics and reinforcing slides are rearranged and reprioritized. Have you ever thought, “This topic should be presented before . . . “ Follow the above suggestions for attending and presenting on a virtual video platform and I guarantee it will be absolutely, positively – 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, and Presentation 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!” #Leadership #Questions #ExecutiveSpeakerCoaching #ElevatorSpeech #PresentationTrainer #Communication #SpeakerTraining #UltimateGuideforPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeakingAuthor #PublishedAuthor #VirtualVideoConferences #PublicSpeakingCoach #audience #UltimateGuideforPresentations #VirtualVideoEvents #PresentationTraining #Talking #ElevatorPitch #ExecutivePresentationCoaching #NOSWEATPublicSpeaking #PublicSpeaking #SalesPresentations #Speaking #KeynoteSpeaker #SelfImprovement #PublicSpeakingTraining #Management #EXPRESSElevatorSpeech #ExecutiveSpeechCoach #PresentationCoach #GuideforPublicSpeaking #VirtualVideoMeetings #LesseningtheFearofPublicSpeaking #ElevatorSpeechWorkshops #CommunicationSkills #FredMiller #VirtualVideo #GuideforPresentations #MarketingStrategy #Networking #QampA #presentationskills #LeadershipDevelopment #PresentationTrainingStLouis #PublicSpeakingClasses #ExecutivePresentationCoach #TEDTalkCoach #Success #PublicSpeakerTrainer #PublicSpeakingClassesNearMe #ProfessionalSpeaker #PresentationSkillsCoaching #StLouisSpeakerStLouisPresentationCoach #presentation