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Public Speaking tip – Define your image

When you first begin to prepare your presentation, you defined an image that you wanted to present. “What do I want them to remember of me?”

Who are you? How will you be remembered after this presentation?

Everything the audience sees needs to reinforce that image – clothes, facial expression, stance and gesture.

At its most basic this means projecting confidence and sincerity. Unless you decide otherwise, the audience needs to know that you are comfortable with your message and that you believe in it.

If you are also using this presentation to present yourself as the face of your business, or as a candidate for a position, then take that into account as well. You need to be seen as trustworthy, competent, at ease with your material.

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6 Techniques to Make Your Presentation Unforgettable

It’s great to find yourself at the front of the room, speaking clearly, shuffling confidently through your perfectly-chosen slides, seeing looks on the faces of your audience members that seem to say “Yes, I am listening. No, I cannot turn away.”

If only it was always that easy…

It can be helpful to think about attention in terms of presentations in three ways …=> http://bit.ly/9XkHuQ

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Public Speaking – Research first – Audience as well as content

Everything that you say or do in your presentation has to be geared to your audience… what you want them to do or think at the end, what they will be receptive to, what their triggers are, the language that they will respond to.

So in researching that presentation to write it, or prepare it, you will also need to research the audience.

Find out as much as you can – their age range, gender, income levels, dreams, needs, wants, culture.

You can gain much from a registration form.

You can ask the event manager.

In your preparation routine, you can mingle with them before your speech.

Then you can use that information in constructing your speech. If you need to persuade, for example, you can use your knowledge of their interests and dreams.

You will choose language that they understand, and that is not irritating or offensive to them, and subject matter to suit that audience – themes, supports, anecdotes all will be tailored to them.

I’m not sure whether researching the audience is more important than researching content. What do you think?

I do know that for the content to be effective, the research you do on your audience will be vital.

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So, if learning styles are not as relevant as we thought – what next?

Learning Styles: What every presenter ought to know
by OLIVIA MITCHELL

Before Copernicus we believed that the the earth was the center of the universe and that the sun revolved around the earth. That’s what it looked like and it made sense. But science showed us that it’s not the case.

Today, many people believe in learning styles theory. At face value it makes sense and it’s easy to make your own experiences fit with the theory. But science does not back-up learning styles theory.

… read more for the evidence and what Olivia suggests in response. http://bit.ly/9PcVGG

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How to Use a Story to Engage Your Audience

Preparing your speech and writing appropriate stories can be a challenge at the best of times, but the real challenge is in using and writing those stories in such a way that they really engage your audience.

First, think about how other speakers and presenters manage to grab your attention. Sure, their stories about themselves may be amusing but as with anybody who is all about “me me me”, you can find your concentration drifting. What really grabs your attention, and keeps it, is when the presenter talks about things that relate to you… so it’s more “you you you” than “me me me”.

A successful storyteller engages their audience by telling stories that elicit responses like, “Wow, that’s happened to me, too!”, and “Yeah, I’ve seen that happen!”, and feelings of sympathy and empathy because for whatever reason, they can identify with your story. You may be telling a story about yourself, but in their minds it is about them and everyone is interested in themselves, right?

The secret to connecting with your audience is by bonding with them on an honest level. Honesty can be funny or it can be sad, but everyone can relate to the human condition. At some stage of our lives we have all experienced something similar that made us laugh or cry or just want to go hide under a rock. So don’t just talk at your audience – talk to them in an honest way.

When you are preparing a story, relate it to your intended audience. A popular presentation these days, as in most economies, is addressing small business owners who are struggling to reach success. So think back to a time when you were struggling, but through sheer determination and perseverance you managed to hang in there and come through relatively unscathed. So what was it you did, exactly, that helped you through your trying times? It’s one thing to say to your audience, “think positively” – but put yourself in their shoes, listening to this advice. These are empty words unless you can demonstrate their effectiveness. Just HOW does one think positively and use that advice day to day? How did you do it? Did you catch yourself with each negative thought and say “cancel, cancel” and replace it with a positive one? If you became too downhearted, did you take yourself off to the gym to sweat it out? Did you watch a funny movie to lighten your mood? Did you visit a homeless shelter and volunteer? What was it you did?

Think about all the emotions and experiences you had that your audience has likewise experienced and spin the story to relate to them. You’ll want to explain your own feelings during your own time of difficulty so they can identify with them, and once you have them on side, then you teach them how to keep going when the going is tough, because then they will know you have been in their shoes and if you succeeded, maybe they can too if they listen to you.

Don’t turn your talk into a glorified lecture, preaching to the audience about how clever you are. There are a lot of ‘guru’s out there who like to tell their audience how successful and wealthy they are and became that way despite difficult economies, near bankruptcies, etc. and this information is not only taken with a pinch of salt by some, but is totally unhelpful to them. How does knowing that you are so filthy rich and successful that they should be grateful you spared the time to come talk to them help them? They didn’t come to hear how clever you think you are or how rich and successful you are now. They came to hear you talk about your similar problems and learn new ways of managing their own challenges. Of course, at some stage you will want to tell them that you came through struggles and became successful, but talk about it in a way that is tasteful – don’t brag – show your humility. You are offering them hope, not a look into the life of Mr or Mrs Clever Pants and if they buy X or do X or hire you, they will be as clever. Audiences are becoming savvier. Maybe they really will be doing themselves a favor if they buy X or hire you, but the secret is to let them come to this realization and make it easy for them to find your products or reach you.

You are talking about grave matters that weigh people down – they were already weighed down when they signed up for your talk… are you going to send them home as heavy as when they arrived? Will that make you a memorable speaker? The trick is to share your wisdom but in an entertaining manner. If you entertain your audience, you will have their undivided attention. I’m not suggesting you turn all your speeches into comedy routines because that has its time and place, but what I am suggesting is you mingle your sad stories with some humorous stories. Get your audience to laugh – share an embarrassing moment – people love to laugh at others! Some of the best laughs have come from stories where pain was mingled with humor. An oft used example of this is when talking about a much loved deceased friend or family member… one minute you’ll be teary eyed and the next laughing your head off. Life is like that. It is okay to find humor in grave situations, provided it doesn’t hurt or insult your audience. It must be tasteful.

Don’t just throw your stories into the speech willy-nilly. A great talk is like a book – it has a beginning, a middle and an ending. You must start by grabbing their attention right from the start, getting them to identify with you and wanting to hear more. This is where great stories come into play. Regardless of how much more successful and rich you may be than your audience, you want them thinking that you are one of them, not some smarty pants come to preach at them. Here is where you need to establish rapport with your audience.

How do you want your audience to react by the end of your talk? Crying? Laughing? Deep in thought? Primed for action and raring to go? The end of your talk must make a powerful impact on them. You don’t want to look like you are deliberately trying to get a laugh or tears out of them… it should come naturally. This is where you save your best story for last… the most powerful story… the one that will elicit the required response. This is where you must allow yourself to be vulnerable, to remind them you are one of them and to enable them to feel a rapport with you and your message. Your final story may be the one they most remember, so make it count. If you are hoping for donations, appeal to their better natures; if you want support for a special cause, pull at their heartstrings; if you want them to lighten up and think positively, leave them laughing and feeling good about themselves and hopeful for the future…

Make sure you rehearse – tape yourself or video yourself to ensure you are achieving your speaking goal. Is your humorous anecdote as funny when you say it as it looks on paper? How best to deliver it then? How are your facial expressions and mannerisms? Do your words say one thing but your face says another? Look for areas of improvement and practice… because practice makes perfect.

Peter “The Reinvention Guy” Fogel is a humorist, speaker, seminar leader and proud member of the National Speakers Association has appeared on over 22 television shows. He delivers presentations on humor, reinvention, copywriting and marketing to corporation and associations across America and parts of Jersey. As an information marketer he is also the creator of Peter Fogel’s Guide to Effective Public Speaking. For more information on his products, or to sign up for his FREE 7 Days to Effective Public Speaking E-course, go to http://www.publicspeaklikeapro.com.

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The Interactive Approach to Doing a Presentation

Even if you are already an engaging presenter, add more audience participation. It will help the people you’re talking to remember more of your content.

Here are some ways to add variety and help people remember the important points that you are trying to make. They are especially effective in a learning or problem-solving situation

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Public Speaking – The Power of Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm is a necessary qualification for effective speaking. When you show enthusiasm it is contagious. The enjoyment and knowledge that is demonstrated for your subject will result in increased listener enjoyment and your speech being more convincing.

For public speaking, the enthusiasm required, as described by Coleman Cox, “is inspired by reason, controlled by caution, sound in theory, and practical in application, reflects confidence, spreads good cheer, raises morale, inspires associates, arouses loyalty and laughs at adversity.”

Enthusiasm in public speaking is about being passionate about the subject of your speech and being able to convey it to others. The enthusiasm must be demonstrated in your tome of voice, body language, gestures and facial expressions to transfer it to your audience. The feeling of excitement must come through as you deliver.

Some people are naturally enthusiastic and they are that way because they have developed the necessary habits. You must want to be enthusiastic to become enthusiastic.

Frank Bettger author of “How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling” attributes his success to enthusiasm. His advice is “act enthusiastically and you’ll be enthusiastic.” By acting on his own advice he put his “heart” into selling and went from failure to the top of his field for several years.

If you are not naturally enthusiastic, it can be created as a result of your attitude and enjoyment of the topic or by believing in a cause. By taking the time to apply the following it is possible to develop enthusiasm:

1. Choosing a positive optimistic nature and attitude

2. By putting your whole heart and soul into every you do

3. Do not let criticism put you off your stride

4. Develop a burning desire in your subject by thinking about it and living it everyday.

5. Have an active interest in people

6. Spend your time with people who are genuinely enthusiastic. Their positive emotions will “rub off” onto you.

Unless you want to be enthusiastic you will never be enthusiastic. If you are ashamed of the topic, or dislike it you will not be able to develop enthusiasm for it. Genuine enthusiasm only comes from something you believe in or enjoy.

One of the factors that contributed to the late John F. Kennedy’s speaking success was the enthusiasm he displayed when delivering his speech. Sure, he had good speechwriters but without his enthusiasm the speeches would not have been nearly as effective. A person conveying their speech in a monotone voice, boring and steady manner will not be as effective at getting their message across.

An enthusiastic delivery can overcome other shortcomings in your presentation. Where you are not naturally enthusiastic it can be developed provide you choose to be. By being genuinely enthusiastic and combined with preparation and knowledge your public speaking will be more confident and effective.

Be more effective in your public speaking and conversation with “The Art of Great Conversation.” To claim your free preview visit http://www.SelfConfidentSpeaking.com

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Public Speaking Audiences Are Your Friend

For the rank amateur to the ignorant professional, audiences create the same effect no matter how small they are to a speaker. Fear and anxiety.

From a single person to a crowd as big as the fans in the Super Bowl, speaking in front of a serious listening audience is the true test and baptism of fire.
Despite this, audiences are predictable. Audiences listen to you because they want to learn something from the speaker.

Following this logic, the speaker would do well to follow the strategy of making it informative as well as interesting to listeners to see your speech through till the end.

Here are some tips on how you can have the audience listen in rapt attention.

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Public Speaking Guide – Leave Your Best Impression With Your Audience Every Time

Regardless of how experienced you are as a speaker, the thought of how the audience will think about you will have surely crossed your mind many times. If you are always worried about what your audience thinks about your speech, here is a short public speaking guide to guarantee a good impression amongst your audience.

1. Refrain from reading notes

It is acceptable to glance at your notes infrequently, but not all the time. When speaking, always make sincere eye contact with your audience. Ensure them that THEY are the most important people during your speech. Speak out loud and clear. Sound confident. Do not mumble. If you made an error, correct it, and continue. Don’t apologize profusely; the audience probably will not notice it.

2. Pause and relax

Allow yourself and your audience a little time to reflect and think. When shifting from point to point in your speech, your audiences probably need time to digest whatever is being said. Don’t race through your presentation and leave your audience, as well as yourself, feeling out of breath. While giving time to your audience, maintain your smile. Before you start again, count to three. (“One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand. Pause. Begin.) Transform your nervous energy into enthusiasm.

3. Communicate with your audience

The key to a successful speech, or in fact, any presentation is to communicate ideas to your audience. If what you prepared beforehand seems to be misaligned with the audience expectation, do not hesitate to make improvements on the spot. If you find out mid-way that your audience are interested in politics, mix some of them in it. If they are interested in finance, use currency as an analogy. Be prepared to make changes, or even simplify your speech. Ultimately, you want your audience to understand you and your ideas.

Applying the subtle techniques in this short public speaking guide will transform your audiences’ impression of you. Practice them constantly to bring out the best in you and your presentation.

Good luck,
MJ

MJ is a young enthusiast and expert in public speaking. Helping and supporting others in gaining confidence to speak out is his passion.

Visit http://www.publicspeakinghelp.jjtipbits.com now to experience learning from a World champion.

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Tip:

When you are making a speech or presentation, you need to be aware that your gestures can support or detract from your message.

Learn to become aware of what your hands are doing while you speak.

If necessary, make yourself hold them still.

Many people have habits that are terribly distracting and yet they aren’t aware of what they are doing. They click or twiddle a pen, play with their hair or their clothes, hold a microphone with fingers unconsciously making a rude gesture, take glasses on and off, put hands in pockets and take them out.

All of these things are not necessarily detrimental in themselves, if the audience is absolutely focused on the speaker and the message. But if there is any reason for the audience’s attention to stray (and we all have short attention spans) then they will become fascinated, at best, and possibly annoyed at whatever it is that the speaker is doing with their hands.

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Friday freebie – How to write a great speech

A presentation can succeed or fail depending on whether your audinece stays with you or not.

Get this free set of tips on “Writing your presentation to keep audience attention”, and improve YOUR chances of success!

As always just let me know if you want to receive the tips

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Good content/Bad presentation?

From a Commentary post at Meetingsnet …

Don’t Let a Speaker’s Style Defeat Substance

A keynote speaker at Meeting Professionals International’s MeetDifferent 2010 has been generating sparks from bloggers who followed the conference, not because of his message, but for the way he delivered it.

The speaker was branding specialist Marty Neumeier, who preached a philosophy of radical simplicity for organizations in search of products that are both good and different. The message was strong, but for much of the audience, Neumeier’s style was his undoing.

Read the rest of the post … and what do you think… should a speaker be hired if his/her material is outstanding, but presentation woeful?

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Engage your audience when you speak

From one of my favourite “gurus” ….

How do you make your presentation more interesting to your audience? Perhaps the most important technique is to include them when you speak. You can choose your words to engage your listeners — or leave them out. If you leave them out, boredom is the probable result. In this article, I’ll give you some specific techniques for crafting your content in a way that grabs the attention of your audience.

Here’s the rest of the article in Pivotal Magazine

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Is Twitter a Presenter’s Nightmare or a Dream Come True?

with Cliff Atkinson

Armed with laptops and smartphones, audiences are no longer sitting quietly while speakers are talking — instead they’re using Twitter and other tools to create a backchannel where they chat with one another, make comments about your presentation and broadcast their thoughts to people all over the world.
If audiences are happy, the backchannel can spread your ideas far and wide, create buzz about your ideas, and keep a conversation going long after you leave the podium. But if audiences are unhappy, the backchannel can criticize your ideas and delivery, disrupt your talk, and even derail your presentation completely. So is the backchannel yet another thing to fear when you give your next presentation? Or a great opportunity to really know what your audience is thinking?

Cliff Atkinson, author of The Backchannel: How Audiences are Using Twitter and Social Media and Changing Presentations Forever, will share his research and ideas for making the backchannel work for you.
You will learn:
• How audiences are changing the power dynamic of presentations
• Why you need a Twitter account and how to use it
• How to make your presentation Twitter-friendly
• How to avoid backchannel disasters
• How to extend your message farther than previously possible
• How to use Twitter feedback to adjust or fine-tune your ideas

Click here for all the details …

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Friday freebie

Today’s freebie is a set of tips on public speaking ….

Keeping Audience attention.

It’s just so basic, so crucial to your success as a speaker. And particularly for beginners, it can be very nerve-wracking, wondering how to make sure your audience stays with you. What will you do if they get bored? What if they start chatting, or worse still, go to sleep, while you speak?

From the First Steps series, this set of tips will be sent by email. It will give you strategies for the planning and for the execution of your speech to make sure the audience gets you and gets your message.

Just send me an email … and I’ll send you the tips.

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Public Speaking and Adult Learning Principles

If you haven’t already–as a public speaker, you should dedicate yourself to a lifetime study of adult learning principles. It will pay you colossal dividends.

And there’s a lifetime of “adult learning stuff” to learn. Today we’ll look at one such principle; Elaborative Rehearsal.

It’s more than practice. It’s a proactive approach of making the most out of past learning in order to maximize new learning.

For your audiences to make the most out of this proven learning and memory technique, you will have to teach them. Most adult learners just aren’t aware of these methods. Here are five tips you can pass along to all of your audiences.

1. Proper Note Taking. For a learner’s notes to enhance one’s memory, it is important that a learner is able to record the speaker’s ideas in their own words. And, as a presenter you need to tell them so.

2. Paraphrasing. This is like the above note taking, except that care is given to the actual words the note-taker uses. Ideally, the words the learner replaces the speaker’s with has equal or added meaning to the learner.

3. Predicting. It will help a listener to project a speakers message into the future. This “projection” allows a person to simulate the material they are learning in the theater of their mind.

4. Questioning. A good Q and A will help your audience learn your principles better. Challenge your audience to come up with creative and meaningful questions, and then dig into them together.

5. Summarizing. There much talked about the concept but it is seldom used in most learning environments. Plan a specific, “Now what did we learn here today?”

There’s a lot more to the idea of Elaborative Rehearsal than these five tips, and we’ll discuss them in future articles.
The “take-away” today is the need for the public speaker to “train” their audiences how to use elaborative rehearsal to their greatest learning benefit.

One thing that will help your audiences to be able to “practice” your message is a strong visual representation of your message. The presentation world calls these graphics by many things, Process Models, Method Maps, Matrix’s, and Hierarchy Models, etc.

Wayne Kronz

Wayne Kronz is the host of http://MethodMap.blogspot.com. Visit it today for the best free, online information about the design and use of visual aids in public speaking. You’ll discover many actual models you can use in your next presentation plus a host of videos showing you how the top pros are using visual aids in their public speaking. And a lot more!
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Seating Strategies to Engage and Involve Your Audience… and Boost Back-of-Room Sales


 with Paul O. Radde, PhD


Paul Radde

Your normally well-received presentation isn’t going so well. You are used to people laughing, nodding, and being engaged, but this room is set with rounds of 8 and people’s backs are to you. And the last row is so far back you can’t see their eyes. Or maybe you’re a light-hearted speaker and the rigid straight-across rows don’t allow anyone to see each other, which you know is critical for humor.

What is the right setup for your presentation? How do you specify and educate meeting planners to set the room to get more engagement from the audience? Are there better designs to give the planner and the hotel staff? How can the seating setup affect back-of-the-room sales?

You will learn how to:

  • use state-of-the-art seating arrangements to optimize the learning environment, and increase capacity and back-of-the-room sales!
  • improve line of sight, comfort, safety, access, audience responsiveness, and networking.
  • utilize 4 state-of-the-art seating principles to design, set or troubleshoot or set any meeting room, and use 3 factors to fine-tune the room.
  • put into action tips on design, A/V, traffic flow, noise, and lighting.
  • accommodate last-minute registrations and ADA requirements.

Click here for all the details …

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Free PowerPoint Twitter tools

Here is a site where you can download tools to add twitter to your presentations …

Ever wanted to make presentations a more interactive, Web 2.0 experience?
The PowerPoint Twitter Tools prototypes are now available.
Get ahead of the backchannel! Put in feedback slides at regular intervals throughout your presentation, so you’re not the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on!
Tempted, but worried about what people might say? No problem – the tools include the ability to include a moderated feed

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Every speaker must respect the power of a potato

A potato?  Jim writes …

Bored audiences will get up and walk out of your speeches. How would you keep the attention of 400+ engineers who were attending an industry dinner event that they didn’t really want to be at on a weekday evening? I recently had the opportunity to be the master of ceremonies at such an event – great gig, tough crowd.

OK so how was a potato of use here?   Read the article for an example of how Jim used creativity and how it works so well in successful public speaking assignments

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Are you host or guest at your presentation?

What an interesting thought form Sarah Gerschman:


So often we begin a speech by thanking the audience or someone in the audience for asking us to speak. This small (arguably unnecessary gesture) perhaps unknowingly puts the speaker in the mindset of being a guest. The speaker subsequently must ingratiate himself to the “hosts” – the audience.

What happens?   … Read more >>>

http://sarahgershman.blogspot.com/

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Cicero Versus Demosthenes

There were two great orators from ancient Mediterranean: Demosthenes the Greek and Cicero the Roman.

It was said that when Cicero spoke, people exclaimed, “Great speech. Wonderful message. I couldn’t agree with you more.” And they showered him with accolades, adoration and standing ovations.

It was said that when Demosthenes spoke, people shouted, “Let Us March!”

Did you notice the difference?

Two great orators. People admired and loved the one. People were gripped and compelled to act by the other.

Cicero appealed more to logic. And reason. He carefully crafted his message to speak to the analytical and rational side of people.

Demosthenes appealed more to emotion. His message touched, tangled and transformed people’s feelings. Feelings so strong they were willing to drop what they were doing to go into battle.

Let’s travel in the time machine to the present…

Christy gave an excellent speech about her involvement with Women’s Empowerment International. They help provide small loans to the world’s poorest women, lifting them out of poverty, and creating a better future through their own hard work and ingenuity. You could say WE International is providing the dream of entrepreneurship to help poor women provide for their families, to better themselves and to live with a heightened sense of dignity.

She talked about the founder, Muhammad Yunus. She displayed a blown-up photograph of Rosario, a Mexican loan recipient who is making cheese and selling them door-to-door because her husband is no longer able to work. And she talked about what we, the audience, can do to help.

Christy had everyone’s attention. You could almost hear a pin drop throughout her talk. When she concluded, we knew she had more to share. She did a phenomenal job. Everyone loved her message.

While there were a few people who wanted to join WE International, the majority sat on the sidelines. Why is that? Why wouldn’t more people join up or donate their resources after Christy’s fine presentation?

It goes back to Cicero and Demosthenes…

While Christy’s message was technically sound, it didn’t connect on an emotional level. Her message touched minds. It lacked the ability to touch hearts. And this is huge.

Here’s the difference in a nutshell:

The audience thought WE International is a great idea. They felt good about its purpose and mission. A few donated $20 to become members.

But not one person said, “Let us march. I’m going to get involved. I’m going to pick up the WE International torch and run with it. I’m going to spread the word to everyone I know.” Not even one.

Here’s an important point…

Practice to become the best speaker you can. If your audience adores you, that’s a good thing. You’re taking up after Cicero.

But if you really want to move people to action – take up after Demosthenes. You’ll touch people on a gut-wrenching, emotional level. You’ll know by appealing to their hearts… their minds, desires and actions will follow.

Want to include this article in your newsletter? You can if you include this blurb:
Tommy Yan helps business owners and entrepreneurs make more money through direct response marketing. He publishes Tommy’s Tease weekly e-zine to inspire people to succeed in business and personal growth. Get your free subscription today athttp://www.TommyYan.com

If you’re a speaker, trainer, coach, or a consultant, the major challenge you face is connecting with your audience. You talk, shout, or recite your message while they are dreaming about dinner.

Their eyes are glossy, their minds’ elsewhere, and their bodies ready to bolt. You don’t have a lot of time, so you’ve got to grab their attention fast. Or else, you’ll die wrestling against audience resistance.

Find out how…
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Connecting with your audience

Tim Wilson makes a short but very valid point about the questions to ask while speaking so that you can connect with the audience.

http://speakingquicktips.blogspot.com/2008/07/power-of-moment.html

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Presentation Mistakes: The View From the Audience

I routinely do presentations and thought many of the things I do and know about presenting to an audience were simply common sense.

However, sitting in workshops over a three-day conference gave me the perspective of a participant. It appears that many of the common sense things that I do and know are not so common sense.

How many ways can someone screw up a presentation?

From the back row, let me count the ways!

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Get Your Audiences Involved and Get More Business

with Karen Lawson, Ph.D., CSP
Karen LawsonToday’s audiences are different. Conditioned by their experiences in school and corporate training programs, they expect a presentation to be a learning experience, and they expect learning experiences to be active. Contemporary audiences are greatly influenced by computer games and simulations as well as videos and television. With a multitude of options at their fingertips, people are less tolerant of limited programming options. They want to be wowed by both quality content and quality entertainment, and it’s incumbent on us as speakers to deliver.

Your goal is to connect with your audience, and one of the most effective ways to do this is to get them involved. Audience involvement requires a different approach. Sometimes speakers prefer to simply stand before an audience and deliver their message. The ability to actively involve the audience requires a different skill set that many speakers have not as yet mastered. They may want to, but don’t know how.

Karen Lawson, Ph.D., CSP will share her practical, how-to approach to using interactive methods to increase audience impact and ensure speaker success whether an individual is delivering a keynote speech, making a sales presentation, or conducting a seminar or training session.

You will learn to:

  • Identify trends, influences, and considerations that shape demand for interactive speaking
  • Use specific interactive techniques to increase audience participation
  • Adapt interactive techniques to “dry” topics
  • Adapt existing material to a more interactive style
  • Identify sources for interactive techniques

Register (the date of the seminar is Tuesday, June 9) or order the CD or MP3 recording. Note: people who register for the teleseminar will get the MP3 recording of the session for free.

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The Tipping Point

This was the start of a nightmare. A painstaking presentation was taking place. I was trying everything known to man to stay awake. For 5 minutes I scrolled through my blackberry looking for distractions. When that proved to be futile I began thumbing through my notebook looking for an interesting story or factoid. In a last ditch effort to show respect and stay awake I vigorously rubbed my eyes. This didn’t work either. With each stroke I moved closer and closer to unconsciousness.

My search for a jolt of life was failing miserably. There were no signs that the presentation was ending. After 10 minutes of fighting I succumbed to the twin towers of boredom and sleep. Just as my face grazed the surface the speaker brought his presentation to a close. Applause from my fellow audience members brought me back to life. Relieved, I stood up and quickly left the room.

Boredom is rampant in the public speaking world. Look around you at your next conference or meeting. You’re bound to see people fighting sleep, playing with their phone, or drawing in a notebook.

As a communicator you don’t have to be boring (it may seem like a rule but trust me it is not). Grabbing the audience’s attention as soon as possible will ensure that you are not boring.

Once you reach the Tipping Point the audience is fully engaged for the duration of your speech. That is why this concept is so important. Reaching this point as soon as possible should be your goal in each presentation.

If you understand the concept of the Tipping Point in public speaking you can use it to maximize your effectiveness. In public speaking the Tipping Point is defined as:
“the point in which you gain the audience’s attention and they begin actively absorbing your information”

There are 2 key takeaways from this definition:

  1. Gaining the audience’s attention
  2. Active absorption of your information

Gaining the Audience’s Attention
To take full advantage of the Tipping Point you need to gain the audience’s attention quickly. An ear catching introduction is the best tool in this scenario. Since most people use normal speaking patterns this is not a difficult thing to do.Here are some of my favorite tactics for gaining audience attention:

  1. Start with a thought provoking question (How many of you have heard of ……?)
  2. Quote an uncommon statistic
  3. Engage a respected audience member in conversation (CEO, VP, President, Leader, etc)
  4. Make a definitive ear catching statement (this was the start of a nightmare).

Certain extreme cases (eulogies, statistical deep dives, fact only information exchanges etc) may not seem like the place for one of these openings. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Dry scenarios like these need some spice to keep people engaged and following the message.

Active Information Absorption

When an audience is actively involved in your presentation you will know. There really is no mistaking it. People take notes, ask questions, and focus all their attention on you when they are actively involved.

When you see this you will know that you have reached the tipping point. It is nearly impossible to negate the effects of the Tipping Point once you have reached it in a speech. You have to make a colossal mistake, and we both know you won’t do that.

Conclusion

The war on boredom in public speaking is an ongoing struggle. Many people fight for the rights of boring speeches. Don’t be one of them.

A bored audience is much less likely to absorb information than an involved one. Do your part in fighting boredom by getting to the Tipping Point with your audience as soon as possible.

Prove your merit at the beginning of your speech and ears will open immediately. When they do, use what you know about the tipping point to keep them engaged and informed until you are done.

Marcus Antuan Smith is a creative force in the public speaking world who strives to meet the needs of each and every client. His experience as the Toastmasters President at a fortune 15 company will prove invaluable to you.

Go to his website, http://www.marcusasmith.com for more information.

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Keeping audience attention? – try interaction

From Nick Morgan a great article on

How to interact with an audience — 7 questions to get you started

Audiences today expect to have a conversation with speakers, and they crave real connection with successful speakers.  The best way to ensure that these good things happen during your presentations is to involve your audiences throughout.

But that takes some art.  How do you think about it?  How do you avoid the lame arrangement of too many presentations where the speaker drones on for 45 minutes, then stops and says, “Any questions?”  As the audience shakes itself awake, and starts wondering if it does in fact have any questions, the speaker stands there for what seems like an eternity, then gives up and concludes that no one cares.

How do you avoid this dysfunctional state of affairs?  How can you involve audiences in your presentations?

Following are a series of questions to ask the audience, in order to start connecting with them

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Public Speaking – 3 Ways to Get Them to SEE Your Speech


Patricia Fripp once said to me, “Craig, people will not remember what you say as much as they will remember what they see when you say it.” In other words, we have to make our speeches very visual in order to have the deepest impact. Here are 4 ways to accomplish this:

Connecting with the audience

Tim Wilson makes a short but very valid point about the questions to ask while speaking so that you can connect with the audience.

http://speakingquicktips.blogspot.com/2008/07/power-of-moment.html

How are you harnessing Twitter in your presentations?

The more mainstream Twitter becomes, the more chance that there will be Twitterers in your audience.  Is your presentation worth tweeting?  How will you cope with the seeming inattention?  How will you harness the power of this phenomenon in your presentation?

Olivia Mitchell as given us an excellent 8 key points on presenting live to a Twittering audience.  And Laura Bergells at Maniactive has added 2 useful ones of her own.

What do you think?

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Preparing to speak – Is it possible to have too much knowledge?

PRESENTATION TIP: THE CURSE OF KNOWLEDGE

Are you afflicted by the curse of knowledge?

No, this isn’t the latest bit of Harry Potter wizardry. It’s a phenomenom that many presenters suffer from, to the detriment of their audiences.

Popularized in Chip and Dan Heath’s book, Made to Stick, the curse of knowledge is when you can’t remember what it was like not to know the things you now know.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR AUDIENCE?

… more

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The two elements of a great presenter

1. Respect (from the audience)
2. Love (to the audience)

There are no doubt important evolutionary reasons why this is true, but in my experience, every great presenter earns the respect of the audience (through her appearance, reputation, posture, voice, slides, introduction, etc.) and captures the attention of the audience by sending them love.

more….

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Putting value on your audience’s time

A strong post from Rowan on Powerpoint.  He makes excellent points with extremely valuable supports. 

If your presentation consists of a PowerPoint and the File Properties tell you that the audience will be spending more than half of your allotted time reading your slides, I would recommend staying home and sending an email.

http://fortifyservices.blogspot.com/2009/02/putting-value-on-your-audiences-time.html

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The case of “I” vs “we” in inspirational rhetoric

The most memorable speeches are observations about the world at large, and remarks that unify, not observations about the speaker and his or her accomplishments and goals. To identify a speech given at a higher level, one that is not self-centered, simply count the number of times the word “I” is used vs. the number of times “we” occurs.

http://www.socializedpr.com/i-vs-we-in-presidential-rhetoric/

Engage your audience – learn from Barak Obama

Gary writes :

I’ve been doing my research, and I’ve identified several strategies that you and I can learn to enhance our delivery skills. It’ll probably take some getting used to, but it’s really simple to learn. All you have to do is focused is focused on ONE small word to create a BIG.

http://adjix.com/m27r

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Underdressing For Public Speaking

Has a guy ever told you something, and you just had to go, “Really?  That’s what you thought.  Really?”

I had one of those thoughts when reading Guy Kawasaki’s Reality Check.  (a must read for every entrepreneur and marketer)

Guy gives tips about public speaking, and one of the tips was to overdress – never dress beneath the level of the audience.  I totally agree.   But it was Guy’s reason not to underdress that made me go, “Really?  That’s the signal it sends?”

http://marketingtowomenonline.typepad.com/blog/2008/12/underdressing-for-public-speaking.html

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Get More Memorable to Get More Business

with W Mitchell, CSP, CPAE

MitchellHow many professional speakers have you heard speak in the past 10-20 years? A lot, we’ll bet.
How many of their presentations have stood out to you as truly memorable? Probably just a few.
Do you think that if your presentations were more memorable, you’d be asked to speak more often?
We have a treat for you. If you’ve ever heard W Mitchell, CSP, CPAE speak, you know his extraordinary personal story and his ability to command a room. Like people used to say about E.F. Hutton, when Mitchell talks, people listen. And they remember.
Come hear Mitchell’s wisdom about how to be a more memorable speaker.
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Effective Public Speaking: Audience Contact

Effective Public Speaking: Audience Contact

Although speaking in public is really a monologue of sorts, this monologue is addressed to a ready, able and receptive audience who wants to learn from you as much as you want to learn from them.

Speaking in public would be more effective if it is listened to. The following are effective tips to maintain that necessary contact with the audience.
(…more)

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Wake me when it’s over : A guide to no-nap presentations

 
 It’s 9:30 in the morning and you’ve made it to the third presentation of today’s marketing meeting. The presenter is pretty much reading word for word from a deck of 40 slides, which are mostly densely worded, bulleted items with an occasional chart or graph thrown in.


  You have no interest in the topic, and to keep from falling asleep during the next 30 minutes, you are taking this opportunity to proofread some documents for a pressing deadline.

Read on …

Creating an impact with your presentation: consider the audience

Why are you giving this speech? What do you hope to achieve with your presentation?

What sort of impact do you want to create? What will that “WOW” be?

In creating that “WOW”, that impact, one of the most important steps will be to research and consider the audience, because unless they understand what you are saying and respond to it, there can be no impact, no WOW.

Before you can even start to plan what to say and how to say it, you will need to know as much as you can about that audience – their likes and dislikes, their needs and values, what they hope to take from your presentation. You will need to explore age, sex, income bracket, lifestyle as well as needs, wants and ambitions.

Of course this may not always be possible – it may be that when you stand to speak and connect with the audience, you have to assess them, then and there. And in that moment and those following, you will need to adjust your material and presentation accordingly. Your planning, of course, will have taken this into account.

But there may be opportunities before the presentation to assess the audience. When they register for the event you could gather details. After they register you can send a questionnaire. Use this opportunity to also ask for any questions they particularly want answered and this will help your planning even more.

If at all possible, mingle with the attendees before your presentation. This gives you a chance to get to know them and their likely patterns of response. (It will also give them a chance to get to know you … and … you the opportunity to warm up your voice before the speech!)

Then, when you have conducted your assessment, you can fine-tune your presentation to create the impact you desire.

The content of your speech or presentation can be designed to respond to their needs and wants – provide the answers they wanted, provide the motivation they needed. You might choose to stimulate creative thinking for them, provide alternative options for them, based on your research of their interests and needs. That would certainly create an impact!

You may want to present yourself, both through your image and your content, as something your audience can aspire to, if that would provide an answer to their dreams and aspirations.

At the very least, your image should be chosen to be inoffensive to your audience. If possible you can research what they are likely to be wearing, and dress according to their code and culture, or a step higher in terms of formality, or business. You can create a WOW with your image, either by fitting in with your audience’s tastes or by impressing them. You can impress by creating an image that supports your message, and that sells you as the person you want the audience to see – trustworthy, honest, sincere or maybe exciting, mystical – whatever will support your message and the impact you want to create. But it will only create that impact, that WOW, if you tailor it to your audience – their likes, dislikes, tastes, values and culture.

Your language structure and vocabulary can be crafted to make the audience feel that you speak their language. And this will be based on factors like age, educational level, occupation, and lifestyle.

You can also ensure two other things – that your language does not provide offense and that it can be easily understood.

Otherwise, not only will you not create an impact; people will simply tune out and you will also have destroyed your personal credibility. So make your material; your anecdotes, your humour and your explanations; as well as your image, appropriate to your audience’s sensibilities and their levels and areas of understanding. Confine your jargon and vocabulary to words the audience feels at home with and you will maximize their understanding of your message and the impact you can create.

Successful speech-makers consider their audience in as much depth as they can, and use that as an integral part of the planning for their presentations. Use this tool when you speak, and you too, can create that impact, that WOW.

© 2005 Bronwyn Ritchie All rights reserved. If you would like to use this article, you have permission to use it only in full, and with the following Resource box attached.
Bronwyn Ritchie AALIA AC(ITC) is a librarian, an award-winning public speaker and ITC-certified trainer – For more resources on public speaking, visit http://www.consultpivotal.com/public_speaking