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Blast Off to Big Results: Openings Set the Tone

When you stand up to speak, you have no guarantees that your audience will listen intently to your every word. We all know that behind those "I'm-all-ears" looks, your listeners' minds can wander. Think about how much your mind has wandered during other people's presentations!

You can't gain support, sell ideas, or push a new initiative if people aren't listening. So, it's your job to shatter that fixed facade, grab your listeners' attention, and hold on tight. You have to earn their attention right from the beginning of your talk. Here's how:

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Writing a speech? Make Numbers Work for You

Speakers can use numbers to support key points. But too often, speakers use their data in place of key points, piling on number after number and, in the end, driving their audience to despair. Here are a few tips on how to use numbers to good effect.

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Today's quote about public speaking

~ A speech is like a love affair. Any fool can start it, but to end it requires considerable skill.

Lord Mansfield

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Public Speaking – One Easy Way to Present Better – Get Organized!

One of the easiest ways to be a better presenter is by organizing your content clearly and logically. It sounds so simple, yet many presenters don't organize their material; instead, they just throw everything at the audience, all jumbled together with no clear indication of how things relate to each other or to the overall message. Then the audience is stuck with the messy task of figuring it out.

As a presenter, your goal should be to make it easy for the audience to understand your content. Here are four ways for you to create a presentation that is clear and organized:

HAVE AN OVERALL MESSAGE
The message is the one thing that you want the audience to remember from your presentation. It's the point or the takeaway. Every statistic, story and slide that you use should relate to and support your message. If it doesn't, cut it out. Sure, you can have extra material in your notes or in handouts, but don't clutter your presentation with it; extraneous material distracts from your message. And if you're not clear what your message is, you're not ready to present

USE AN INTRODUCTION, BODY AND CONCLUSION
You may remember this outline form from writing essays in English class. It's an easy and effective way to ensure that your presentation has a beginning, middle and end. This outline is also known as "tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, and tell them what you told them." In the introduction, capture the audience's attention, introduce your overall message and remind them how long you're going to speak. In the body or main part of your presentation, include your supporting points - examples, data, etc. In the conclusion, summarize your points, give one final reminder of your message and explain any expected follow-up actions from you or the audience.

HAVE AN OVERALL ORGANIZING PRINCIPLE
The overall organizing principle is the link which ties all your points together. For example, you might present a specific number of points: three goals the team has achieved, four major project risks or three reasons you outperform your competitors. Or, you could present a timeline of events, debunk myths about your topic or present a series of dos and don'ts. It helps you focus and sets the audience's expectations for what comes next. And sometimes, you can even include the organizing principle in the title of your presentation. For example, the title of my upcoming presentation at the National Speakers Association annual convention is "Improv Comedy Rules! Applying the Five Rules of Improv Comedy to Make Your Presentations More Powerful and Engaging."

BE THE GPS AND ROADSIGNS
When you're driving someplace unfamiliar, how do you know how far you've come or if you're going in the right direction? The road signs and your GPS (Global Positioning System) tell you how far you've traveled and how many more miles or kilometers you have to go before you reach the end of your journey.
When you're presenting, you have to be the GPS and the road signs for your audience, especially at the intersections and transitions between points where they can get lost. One sentence is all it takes to get the audience safely from one point or section of your presentation to the next. For example, you might say, "The fourth and final major project risk is..." or "Now that I've summarized the history of the company from our founding to the initial public offering in 2003, let's look at what has happened since 2003."

Following these four tips will help you create a presentation that is clear and organized. Your audience will be grateful for the clarity - and a grateful audience is more likely to understand and remember your message. If you do nothing differently other than organize your presentation, you will still be a better presenter!

To get more tips you can use immediately to improve your presentation skills, sign up for Gilda Bonanno's free twice-monthly e-newsletter by visitinghttp://gildabonanno.com/newsletter.aspx and entering your email address.
You'll also receive a FREE Special Report, "Six Mistakes to Avoid in Public Speaking, So Your Presentation Sparkles."
Gilda Bonanno is a speaker, trainer and coach who helps people from all walks of life improve their communication and presentation skills. Copyright (c) 2010
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Today's quote about public speaking

Publius Terentius Afer said:  "In fact, nothing is said that has not been said before."

Hmmm.  Have we learnt nothing new to communicate?

Or is communication more about what is of relevance in the new things we learn?  I would like to think that we are continually learning new things as a species.

And yet our basic conditions of existence and operation tend to remain the same.  And yes, we tend to say the same things about them.  The successful public speaker is the one who can put a new spotlight on things, find new words ...  and ways of saying .... those old things so that we are reminded of them, how they operate, and how we can look at them in a better light... and use them to be better at this existence and this operation.

So, Publius Terentius Afer, I would like to think that you are wrong in some ways.  But thank you for the reminder that our creativity is just so vital if we are to create new speeches and presentations.

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Who needs a book on public speaking?

Tim Ferriss replies to the question: What books should I read to learn how to get good at public speaking? ... in five minutes. This is practical advice, worth reading.

Not sure about the diet coke!!

http://bit.ly/9TSu3e

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Speech Content #1 – The Title

Think of your Speech Title as if it were the Title of a Book Display on a shelf at Barnes & Noble.

When someone is eyeing the selections on the shelf where they have an interest, yours should jump out at them!

The Title should jump out so much that the person actually takes the book from the shelf, reads the back cover, and opens it to read the front and back flaps.

After "investigating" the book (i.e., your speech) because the title grabbed their attention, they "buy" it; that is, they come to see you speak because they want to learn more!

Unless you've given this lots and lots of thought, pencil the title to your speech in. Remember, this must be something that will make people want to come and see you speak.

The Title of your Speech is your: newspaper headline, title on the spine of your book, and the verbiage in the 'Subject Line' of your most important email, all rolled up in one.

Just like the title of a new movie might get you to go online and look at the trailers, your speech title needs more consideration than many people think.

Editors know if the Headline of a newspaper article doesn't get your attention, you probably won't read the article. Likewise, the Subject Line of an email that doesn't immediately grab the recipient's attention, might be deleted without opening it.

Until someone quotes you on national television or radio program, a great title that draws people to your presentation wanting to know more, is your best chance at filling the auditorium.

Realistically, you may have been assigned, or asked to do this talk by your boss or other official. Still, give it the thought it deserves. It may be after completing the development of your speech that the 'Ah Hah!' title will come to you.

You want the title to whet the appetite of the person who sees it. Whet it enough for them to want to know more, to see if it's something they could benefit from.

You may even find it's easiest to write your speech first, and then come up with a title. Have several titles in mind and bounce them off friends and family before deciding on one

The same holds true for a subtitle. It explains more about the contents and goals of the speech, and is an integral and important part of the title.

The Title is an integral part of your Speech.  Give it the same thorough thought and attention all the other parts and elements of your speech are getting.   Then the Title will fill the seats in the audience!

Fred E. Miller is a speaker, coach and author.     His book, to be released later this year, is: "NO Sweat Public Speaking!" How to Develop, Practice, and Deliver a 'Knock Your Socks Of!' Speech with NO Sweat!
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Busting the Mehrabian myth

Can words really account for only 7 percent of the meaning of a spoken message? This short video animation puts 'Mehrabian's rule' under the magnifying glass and shows why it can't be true

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Public speaking tip – grabbing audience attention

And the first part of any speech or presentation is to gain that attention – arouse it, focus it and keep it. Don’t waste your breath on the expected or the blah. If you must begin with something like “Good evening”, then make it different, or unusual. Here in Australia, we might say “G’day!” That would be unexpected. Otherwise use your voice and body language to make the greeting unusual, challenging, noticeable. Use pause here. Then use an opening that grabs the attention. You can use a question, a joke, a comment about the people or surroundings or event.

You can make a statement, use a quotation, or simply use body language or gesture. But choose that opening to grab attention, to align with the audience and their needs, hopes and aspirations, and to lead into your message.

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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