How to craft a story

Kate started out with a powerful quotation ....

“The highest-paid person in the first half of the next century will be the ‘storyteller.’ The value of products will depend on the story they tell. Nike and many other global companies are already mainly storytellers. That is where the money is — even today.” -Rolf Jensen, futurist and author of The Dream Society

She makes the point

Not all stories are created equal. A good story is indeed powerful, but what many people call stories are not complete. They are just reports or facts. Many are just set ups for the real story. So what makes a good story good and also useful?
• Get the whole story
• Evoke an emotional response
• Deliver it well

Get all the details here http://bit.ly/bPQQYS

Power Your Mind To Master Social Finesse!

Improve your social confidence dramatically as you learn how to master the art of social finesse: especially for those who find such situations very difficult to handle!
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Organizing a Speech – The Five Steps Required

So you have to give a speech! It could be for a friend's wedding, for an eulogy, or a presentation at work. No matter what the reason if you are not used to public speaking your first thought might be "how can I get out of it." But don't panic as I can help you overcome your fears with organizing a speech.

A good speech that you are complemented on is great for your self-esteem. Good preparation and practice at least twenty times is the key to success and helps deal with nervousness.

I have been public speaking since 2006 and can help you get organized. Here is what I do when organizing a speech.

All speeches have five essential steps in the following order.

1. A Goal

A goal is essential for organizing a speech. It is never part of the speech but is a guide to organizing a clear and meaningful message. Discussing everything possible about a subject is usually impossible because of time constraints and of not overwhelming your audience with information.

A goal therefore contains only one idea that specifies the speech's purpose. It maybe to persuade, entertain or inform.

Here is an example of an effective speech goal for a Best Man speech.

"I want my audience to know the three reasons why John and Emma are the perfect couple."

2. The Preview Statement

The preview statement is a direct result of the speech Goal. The Preview Statement should be one complete sentence that highlights the three or four things you want to say about a particular topic. Your preview statement lets the audience know what is coming in the speech.

An example for the best Man speech would be:

"The three reasons John and Emma are the perfect couple is because they love each other, they laugh with each other and they learn from each other."

This will be the last sentence of your introduction which I will discuss in step 4.

3. Main Points

The main points make up the bulk of your speech. Your main points should be consistent with your preview statement and be in the same order because your audience now has an expectation about what you will say.

Your first main point is "they love each other." You can then fill in the reasons, examples or stories.

Your second main point is "they laugh with each other." You could tell a funny story or something funny that might have happened.

Your third main point is that "they learn from each other." You could explain how much they have changed and grown since meeting.

4. Introduction

Many people think that writing an introduction is the first step to planning a speech. This is not true. The reason I have put it at number four is because it is important to know what the speech is about before you tackle the introduction.

An introduction must grab the audience attention and make sense with the rest of the speech and should set a tone. Is it funny, somber, serious or urgent? It can come in many forms: a story, a joke, or even a song. Use your preview statement as the last sentence to lead into your main body content as mentioned in number two.

5. Conclusion

The conclusion, in part, is a repeat of your preview statement. So you could start the conclusion by saying the example from the best man's speech as follows:So "The three reasons John and Emma are the perfect couple is because they love each other, they laugh with each other and they learn from each other."

This will let the audience know the speech is ending. You can then give a brief outline of the body of the speech to complete the conclusion.

Organizing a speech helps your audience follow your message and they will walk away remembering your key points. It is also great for self-confidence. You can do it!

Terry Luffman is the creator of Get Self Improvement. Visit My Site to find out more information and articles on Self Improvement and Overcoming Fears that will help you with giving a speech.

Today's read – the Gene Thieves

The Gene Thieves
By Maria Quinn
Brilliant, lonely genetic scientist Piggy Brown is desperate for a child, but he's in a tricky legal situation. Dancer is a lawyer with his own reasons for wanting to grant Piggy's dearest wish - and he can set up Conjugal Contracts which push the envelope of the law. Dancer visits The Nest, the official centre for surrogates, and inveigles them into recommending someone they have used before, someone who won't ask too many questions about the baby she carries. But choosing a surrogate can be risky, and this one, Angela, comes with baggage: her own child, Molly, a six-year-old who has already seen too much of her mother's world. When a grotesque kidnapping occurs, everything is thrown into chaos and Jack Lee, Chief Investigator for the UN Ethical Science Council, decides it's time to take charge of the case - for the sake of humanity's future.
(Winner: The inaugural Norma K Hemming Award for excellence in the exploration of themes of race, gender, class and sexuality in Australian speculative fiction )

Today’s read – the Gene Thieves

The Gene Thieves

By Maria Quinn

Brilliant, lonely genetic scientist Piggy Brown is desperate for a child, but he's in a tricky legal situation. Dancer is a lawyer with his own reasons for wanting to grant Piggy's dearest wish - and he can set up Conjugal Contracts which push the envelope of the law. Dancer visits The Nest, the official centre for surrogates, and inveigles them into recommending someone they have used before, someone who won't ask too many questions about the baby she carries. But choosing a surrogate can be risky, and this one, Angela, comes with baggage: her own child, Molly, a six-year-old who has already seen too much of her mother's world. When a grotesque kidnapping occurs, everything is thrown into chaos and Jack Lee, Chief Investigator for the UN Ethical Science Council, decides it's time to take charge of the case - for the sake of humanity's future.

(Winner: The inaugural Norma K Hemming Award for excellence in the exploration of themes of race, gender, class and sexuality in Australian speculative fiction )

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Smile

... where does our capacity to smile without reason exist ...

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LC Study Claims U.S. Sound History in Jeopardy

The Library of Congress National Recording Preservation Board has issued a report claiming that the nation's sound history is threatened and digital technology alone will not ensure its preservation and survival.
Read more => http://bit.ly/cztYox

Eye contact is vital in a speech or presentation

Eye contact with your audience is vital because it reinforces your sincerity.
If you are nervous, choose the most responsive, supportive faces.
If the audience is large, focus on three or four people and making eye contact with them.

Keep a watch for the Autobiography of Mark Twain – 100 years after his death


"Dip into the first enormous volume of Twain's autobiography that he had decreed should not appear until 100 years after his death. And Twain will begin to seem strange again, alluring and still astonishing, but less sure-footed, and at times both puzzled and puzzling in ways that still resonate with us, though not the ways we might expect." --New York Times