Olivia Mitchell has written a great post on “How to craft a memorable key message in 10 minutes”. Her post is an excellent model of how this works. It gives us 9 ways that the key message can be created – all incredibly relevant and useful. Sometimes it’s good to be reminded, like this, to stay focussed.
Every so often we are called upon to make a difficult speech…you know the kind I mean. It might be a speech informing your employees that budgets are being cut by 25% and layoffs are required; it might be one where you communicate that the incentive trip everyone worked so hard for is canceled; it might be announcing to your faithful supporters than you are withdrawing from the campaign.
How do you deliver these kinds of messages with grace, poise and confidence?
Use humor in presentations to make yourself more likable. Humor is a great rapport builder which knocks down audience resistance to your message. Make sure you space it throughout your presentation. You will subconsciously or consciously be tagged as trite by the audience members and out of touch if you tell a joke at the beginning and then forget humor for the rest of the presentation.
(Ref: Wake ’em Up Business Presentations Page 4)http://www.antion.com/wakebook.htm
Sometimes it can be a huge challenge to be funny.
But being funny and using humour are incredibly powerful tools in public speaking. They can make an audience relate to your message. They can provide contrast to a serious subject and lighten the mood, making the audience more receptive. They can improve your image as a speaker and as a person.
Sometimes humour can be spontaneous and that is oftentimes the most effective it will be. But sometimes it takes practice and serious attention to writing the speech to create that spontaneity – faking it till making it is one of the rules of public speaking after all!!
We can research jokes. We can copy the successful styles of speakers who use humour.
And another way is to learn from the comedians. While comedy is different in many ways from public speaking, or maybe can be seen as a specialised form of public speaking, there is much that can be learned from the comedians and implemented in your speeches.
Larry Wilde did just that. He interviewed great comedians for a book and learned much in the process. He interviewed famous comedians like Woody Allen, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, George Burns, Johnny Carson, Phyllis Diller, Bob Hope, and Jerry Lewis.
And now you can hear an interview with Larry Wilde about his experiences and the education in comedy that he gained. The interview is conducted by none other than Patricia Fripp, herself an award-winning speaker.
Learn the inside secrets of America’s greatest comedians. Hear the collective wisdom of the people who defined American comedy.
What the Great Comedians Teach Us About Comedy – Recorded live at the National Speakers Association of Northern California. Download here from Patricia Fripp’s website.
Writing an essay, taking a pop quiz, and giving a speech probably are three of the tasks students dread most. Speaking in public terrifies many people of all ages. Adolescents are not immune. It doesn’t matter that they may be speaking only to their closest friends; most students feel very nervous because peer pressure is so intense. Usually there are a few students who delight at being given a chance to address their classmates. Over time with practice, the rest can learn to enjoy making oral presentations. They simply need to learn a few secrets.
The steps involved in writing a good essay are the same as those used to prepare a good speech. Both require the student first to organize his ideas and then to present them systematically. This helps readers and listeners to understand his line of reasoning.
Secret #1 is to write an “outline essay.”
The first sentence answers the question, or makes a general statement. Each of the following sentences expresses a single reason or argument to support the first sentence. Think of these sentences as “bullet points;” students will elaborate on these points with facts and details in subsequent paragraphs. The last sentence offers a preliminary conclusion.
The “outline essay” becomes the first paragraph of the paper. It provides an overview of what the student is going to tell the reader. Then he actually tells him in the paragraphs that follow. Finally, he uses the final paragraph to remind the reader what he was told. The “outline essay” provides the student with a road map for presenting his ideas in an orderly manner.
The outline essay also can function as a “crib sheet” for presenting the essay’s content orally to the student’s classmates. So what? How does this make it any easier to stand up in front of the class and give a speech?
Here is secret #2: It is not necessary to memorize every sentence in the essay.
The other people in the class won’t have a copy of the essay in front of them. They don’t know what the student wrote. It won’t matter if he leaves out a few minor details. All that matters is presenting the ideas in a logical sequence to make it easy for classmates to understand them. Think about it: What do folks fear most about giving a speech?
A) They are afraid of appearing foolish.
B) They are afraid of losing their train of thought.
No one enjoys listening to someone reading a speech word for word. It sounds awkward and stilted. More important, it prevents the speaker from making eye contact with individuals in the audience. A relaxed speaker can use vocal tones and voice inflections to add another dimension to the content of a paper, causing it to be even more persuasive.
Accomplished public speakers always know their material well, yet they present it as if they were merely having a conversation with the audience. After writing the essay itself, a student should be familiar with its content. It should be fairly easy to address his or her classmates about the essay’s topic, referring to the outline essay occasionally to stay on track. Giving a speech provides students with a taste of what it’s like to be in “Show Biz.” The fear of ridicule is offset by the delicious sense of power that comes from delivering a speech, which is well received by the audience. Presenting an essay orally to classmates is excellent training for becoming a competent public speaker. This skill can be useful to students for the rest of their lives..
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Michael Strong created the ColorCode System to teach his daughters afflicted with A.D.D. how to write an essay. By demonstrating visually the format of a properly structured essay, the ColorCode System enabled his daughters to grasp this important concept in less than 30 minutes. The pattern of the colors helped them think logically and organize their ideas. They used those ideas to write an outline essay, which became the first paragraph. By following the format illustrated in the color-coded sample essay, they learned how to present their ideas systematically for every essay assignment, regardless of topic. They began writing good essays and getting better grades. Both daughters gained admission to their “first choice” college. You can learn more about the ColorCode System at http://essaywritesystem.com Michael Strong earned a Diplome from the University of Lyon, France; a B.A. in Political Science and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During the ’60s, he served as a Page Boy in the British Merchant Marine, a Private 1st Class in the US Marine Corps and a Midshipman at the US Naval Academy. During the ’70s, he taught school; opened Town Hall – the legendary Chapel Hill nightclub; managed Brice Street Band and ran the UNC Campus Mail Service. From 1983 until he retired in April 2009, he worked as a stockbroker and as a Certified Financial Planner. He and his wife Nancy have been married 38 years and live on 12 wooded acres 5 miles south of Chapel Hill NC. |
by Peter Jeff
End your speech with an attitude, not a platitude.
Instead of firing off a perfunctory “thank you,” consider launching fireworks of final passionate thoughts from the podium.
Want to look confident? Want to hold your audience’s attention? Want to make your point stick? You can do all the tricks and tropes out there, but these six phrases, in my experience, almost always grip the listener, make the speaker look strong, save her from a world of trouble, and invite real connection with your audience. Keep these in your back pocket for a stronger speech:
[ By Stephanie Leibowitz]
When we travel to another country and do not know the local language or have only rudimentary foreign language skills, we expect that some of what we say may not be understood by the other party (the native speaker). We are prepared for potential misunderstandings and may even see these exchanges as a source of humorous anecdotes with which to amuse our friends, families, and colleagues upon our return to familiar ground (literally and figuratively).
However, it’s no laughing matter if your prospects/clients, colleagues and employees, strategic partners, or other important stakeholders and constituencies don’t fully understand or misunderstand what you want and need them to know. This is particularly critical in today’s multicultural work environments and global marketplace. A dictionary will give a word’s definition (and a Thesaurus will give you synonyms), but your ability to communicate successfully also depends on the nuances to word usage that can mean the difference between getting your point understood and creating a communication blunder with tangible negative consequences. We sometimes mistakenly assume that two parties who ‘speak the same language’ – that is both parties are native speakers of the same language, such as English – receive the same message when they hear/read the same word(s). Experience shows that if you ask your management team, staff, and clients to define familiar terms such as leadership, value, planning, strategic, communication, and performance, you will get responses that vary greatly, not in the literal sense, but in the interpretive sense. Context and perspective act as translation filters and these filters determine whether our intention has been communicated in addition to any facts.
Here are a few tips to ensure that your intended messages are received:
• Understand your audience’s perspective on the topic. This helps you identify what part of what you want to communicate will be perceived as most important / of interest, the level of detail you will be expected to provide, and what you want the recipient to do with the information (read and file for future reference vs. take specific action).
• Understand the cultures of your external audience’s organizations. This gives you clues about preferred communication styles as well as how they speak about their organizations. You want to mirror that.
• Know your audience’s preferred vehicle for receiving communication as well as what you have determined to be the most effective one (defined as more people understand your message, less or no need for repeat communication and clarifications).
• Clearly communicate what you mean when you use a specific term or phrase. For example, when you tell others that the goal is “effective communication” or “sound financial performance”, it is up to you to define what behaviors demonstrate this, quantitative and/or qualitative examples of what these look and sound like.
• Speak/write using simple words. Avoid jargon, abbreviations, and acronyms. The same acronyms/abbreviations can mean very different things to different groups. I’m sure you’ve conducted an internet search on an acronym only to find many results that are not the one you expected.
Remember to start by asking “Why is it important that I communicate this particular content to this specific audience?” When you communicate with purpose and clarity, your audience won’t need a translator.
— Mariah Burton Nelson (Mariah@MariahBurtonNelson.com)
What does the audience hear when the speaker says “Good evening”?
“Blah, blah, blah.”
If the speaker then proceeds to thank the introducer, the committee, the… see what I mean? I don’t even want to finish that sentence, because I’m going to lose your attention — just as you will lose the audience’s attention if you drone on and on, thanking people.
I call this the Blah Blah Blah Opener. The audience has sat through this opening so many times, they literally won’t hear you; they’ll just wait (if you’re lucky) for something more substantial to come along.
Don’t bore your audience to death before you’ve even hinted at your main point. Did Abraham Lincoln open with, “Greetings ladies and gentlemen. I’m so glad to be here in Gettysburg”? No.
He dove right in: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” How can you not keep listening after that?
I know: You want to — and need to — thank people. But you can thank people toward the end of the speech, when the audience has already enjoyed a rousing call to action, or a poignant story, or an intriguing new theory, or whatever the speech is intended to convey. At that point, a few “thank-you’s” don’t detract from anything, because the “anything” is almost over.
How, then, should you open a speech, if not with “Good evening. I’m so glad to be here in ______, and I’d like to thank blah blah blah”? Say something interesting instead! Make a provocative statement. Challenge the audience to think about, or do, something new. Promise them you’ll soon reveal the answer to some mystery — or otherwise build suspense. Tell a lighthearted story about someone the audience knows well. Describe your morning — if you can make it funny and relevant. Ask a question — a real question that you’re curious to see how the audience will answer, so you can get to know them better.
All of these openings will immediately signal the audience that you’re NOT going to be a typical boring speaker, and that they’re in for a treat.
“The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here,” said Lincoln at the dedication of that Gettysburg battlefield. As it turns out, he was wrong about the world forgetting what he said. We do remember. Good thing he didn’t start with a Blah Blah Blah Opener or the audience might never have heard the rest!
Here’s a quick and effective method for preparing a presentation when you’re under the gun and can’t spend a lot of time brainstorming. Ask yourself the following 5 questions: >>>
Many tools can be implemented for success in delivering your speech, whether you are giving a speech to a public audience, talking with members of a company board meeting, or simply offering a sales presentation. Such tools comprise explaining detailed examples, designing statistical charts, in addition to providing influencing testimony. Below, we will add another public speaking skill to the list and explain four special tips for using “evidence” in a influential speech.
Do you want to inspire people? Do you have a burning desire to share your life experiences and tell your stories so that other people can benefit? If so, there are a number of things to consider when writing an inspiring speech.
read more …
But if your content is not relevant to your audience, you are wasting their time.
http://coachlisab.blogspot.com/2008/11/are-you-canned-or-fresh.html
Bert Decker has a great post he has called “Six Do’s to Open Your Presentations”. Very useful tips and his message is to “take advantage of your opening.” Well worth reading
Seth Godin says …
I’m sorry, we’re out of time
What do you do when the deadline looms?
I often hear blowhards on the radio, wrecking the entire interview because they don’t know how to call it quits when the host tells them they have thirty seconds to wrap up. They try to say one more thing, one more thing, one more thing and they get hung up on and the message is lost.
I often hear presenters who always manage to need just two more minutes than the time allows.
Read more … http://adjix.com/3i6h
Using a pertinent activity as an opening gets the audience’s attention because it makes them active. It gives them the opportunity to move physically which makes them more alert and comfortable. It lets them learn and participate with one another. Finally, it put you in charge. That’s right, when you cede temporary authority to your audience you get larger in their minds.
Three keys to using a pertinent activity
The three keys to make this work are to organize the activity, set the limits, and debrief the activity strongly and smoothly. Let’s walk through an opening activity you might try out. … more
Here is a secret for all speakers:
“You will never fit everything in”
I have seen many presentations where the speaker says “I have three points to share”, and then about five minutes before the end, he says, “Ok, and now my second point…”. This inevitably ends up in his presentation going overtime, or on him rushing through the last two points of his presentation.
This usually happen because the speaker is desperately trying to fit everything in!
The trick is to realise that you will not fit everything into your speech.
http://www.craigstrachan.com/blog/2009/01/you-will-never-fit-everything-in.html
It’s very important that your speech have an intrinsic rhythm or “flow”; otherwise, it may come across to listeners as staccato, dull and/or uninspiring. But how do you ensure that your next presentation has a natural cadence that adds to the clarity and energy of the information being conveyed?
Though some people do have a natural gift for writing and delivering speeches that keep audience members spellbound from beginning to end, it’s absolutely fine if you didn’t receive that talent at birth. The ability to create a “flowing” presentation can be learned, and it’s probably much easier than you think.
To begin, try these top seven suggestions for maximum results during your next public speaking engagement:
http://www.publicspeakingexpert.co.uk/how-make-sure-your-speech-flows.html
Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Phrases to Use to Communicate Your Strategy and Vision When the Stakes Are High ( Perfect Phrases)
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by Alan M Perlman
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There is a wide variety of phrases, many of them already familiar. So if you need somewhere to start, this is a good place. If you are new to speaking, lack confidence, or are a non-native speaker of English, the material will be a great basis for your presentation. It presents exact phrases, even entire speeches, for a variety of situations (including formal events). The are also useful for any international businessperson who is new to making presentations to Americans and is not 100% confident speaking in English.
So use the book as a starting point for your speech and use the examples I you are having difficulty finding words. Then make the speech you own by adding your own enthusiasms and unique ideas.
Words hurt, heal, motivate, and aggravate. They are powerful. They control emotions and can even control a person physically.
(…more)
Ed Sykes celebrated International Make a Point Day! and made his points very succinctly. Very useful!
Have you ever been in a meeting where the presentation when on and on. Have you ever asked yourself, “What’s the point to this presentation?”
Here are five public speaking secrets that will keep your message on point:
Read his secrets here…
Your conclusion should do much more than simply tell your listeners that your presentation is over. Your entire presentation, in fact, can hinge on the final impression you make. It’s that last impression that can linger the longest. So preparing a strong ending to your presentation is every bit as important as preparing a strong opening
There are many types of speeches depending upon the speaker’s intention, and a clear purpose statement will lead to a clear thesis statement. Reports are often given for the purpose of providing bases for action. Fact-finding boards, investigating committees, and boards of inquiry all serve as means of obtaining information to be transmitted to an action agency. This article offers guidelines and related links concerning the purpose of your public speech.
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.
More on writing great speeches
