What did you expect when you wrote your speech?

You wrote your speech, prepared it, presented it. Was it successful? Did you get some response?
 
What did you expect?
 
If it was not successful, if it did not get response, then possibly it did not meet your expectations. What were your expectations? Did you have expectations?
 
Expectations are vitally important in creating a presentation.  And they need to start before the speech, be a part of the planning stage, not just a part of the finale. If you do not know exactly what you want, or if you don’t plan your speech/presentation around what you expect, then you are playing Russian roulette with your speech – shooting it off without knowing if it will work or not – without preparing for it to succeed in the way that you want it to.
 
Every successful speaker knows, before they even start writing their speech, what it is that they want to achieve with that speech.
 
When we build a house, even though the part of the process that seems more important is creating the rooms, first a foundation has to be laid. Eventually it will be out of sight, but without it, the house is lost. So it is with a speech. Before we start putting together the words and phrases, there are things to be done.
 
First ….If the words and phrases, the body language and the visuals are to have impact, that impact has to be defined. What is it that you want to achieve? What is it that you would see as success for this speech?
 
The public speaking literature lists “impacts” as things like
 
· To inform or educate
· To persuade or motivate
· To thank
· To inspire
· To entertain
· To provoke thought
 
And you can think in those terms. Or maybe you have your own personal view of the impact you want to make – to impress the boss, to gain funding for a new project, to sell a product – the list of possibilities is endless.
 
Whatever that impact is, it is vitally important to keep it in the forefront of your thoughts, and make it the basis of all the processes involved in creating your presentation.
 
Visualisation works. It does. Visualise what you want at the end of the speech. How do you want to feel? What do you see the audience doing? Are they flocking to buy your product? Are they cheering? Are they coming to you with quiet admiration? Are they asking questions? Are they signing up for your course or ezine? Are they hiring you for the job? Are they heading for the polling booths to vote for your candidate, or vowing to be more attentive to environmental issues in future?
 
When you have a picture of this outcome, when you know in detail what it is that you want to achieve in this presentation, then you can go ahead and put together the words, gestures and facial expressions that will make up the speech. But not before. Impact is not an accident. It is something that is planned. For experienced speakers it may be an instinctive process, but it happens nevertheless. If you want success for your speech or presentation, plan for it and let that plan permeate everything you put into the presentation, and you have the foundation for success.

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© Bronwyn Ritchie If you want to include this article in your publication, please do, but please include the following information with it:
Bronwyn Ritchie is a professional librarian, writer, award-winning speaker and trainer. She is a certified corporate trainer and speech contest judge with POWERtalk, a certified World Class Speaking coach, and has had 30 years experience speaking to audiences and training in public speaking. Get her 30 speaking tips FREE and boost your public speaking mastery over 30 weeks. Join now or go to http://www.30speakingtips.com

Your own perspective

Powerful stuff!!

"Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to."

-- Alan Keightley

Music and life

It's not just about the ending ...

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The Power of Words

Did you see this when it went viral on Facebook? It really is a powerful reminder that every word we use has an impact - in our sales presentations, our speeches, whatever their desired outcomes and our marketing - not to mention any communication that we use.

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“The Top 10 Secrets of Today’s Most Successful Speakers”

Maya Angelou, JFK, and President Obama didn’t become gifted orators overnight. It takes old-fashioned practice and perseverance to master the art of public speaking.

As a business owner, you’d be surprised how much your world will expand when you begin to connect with a live audience. Your confidence will attract new clients, new resources, mentors, and the media. So, if you’re ready to master this powerful business development tool, here are my top 10 tips for success on the stage:

1. Research — Prepare carefully by doing your research before you even attempt to write your speech. Who is your audience? What are your “take aways” — the most important things you want them to walk away having learned from you? The more you know about your audience as well as your subject, the more confident you’ll feel when you are in front of them.

2. Make clear notes — Write down your entire speech, then pick out the main areas you’ve covered. Jot them down as bullet-points, words or phrases on 3? X 5? cards to prompt you during your speech. Use different colors to separate your points, in case you lose your place or work them into your PowerPoint presentation.

3. Practice thoroughly — Practice giving your talk into a recorder and use a timer to watch your minute marks. Surprisingly, having a recorder running puts pressure on you to know your material. From here, you can graduate to practicing in front of others. Practice using tools such as your PowerPoint clicker or laser pointer.

4. Visit the venue beforehand — Make an advance visit to where you’ll be speaking, even if you can only do this an hour beforehand. Stand exactly where you will be giving your speech to get a feel for the space. Also, ensure you get a sound check beforehand if there is a sound engineer provided for you.

5. Dress to stand out from the audience — If the backdrop is dark on stage, make sure you wear light colors. If the backdrop is light on stage, wear a contrasting color or darker shade. Never wear black on top, although black pants with a light or colored top works well. If you wear a dress, pick one with a belt, so you can clip the wireless mic transmitter to it! (Otherwise, in a pinch, I have clipped my mic pack to my bra strap.)

6. Breathe deeply – Take deep breaths before you go on stage. A minute or so of calm, deep breaths will slow your heart rate, increase your oxygen levels, and ground you nicely to give a calm, confident performance.

7. Think positively — If you’ve rehearsed and prepared adequately, there is no reason not to believe in yourself. Visualize no other outcome but being a raging success. Think how much the audience will like you, and how good you will feel after you’ve done it!

8. Don’t rush — Speak slowly to ensure you don’t trip over your words, and don’t rush to finish points. Ideally, set timings in your speech notes, so you know if you are going too fast or too slowly as you go along. Timing checks in your notes will help you sail along at a comfortable, relaxed speed.

9. Show your passion! — Feed off the passion you have for your subject. This will engage your audience’s attention. Let your voice get louder for some points and softer for others; have some variance in your presentation as far as your sound dynamics.

10. Be yourself and have fun – Audiences may forget what you say, but they will remember what you make them feel. And no one will know that you “messed up” but you. So go for it!

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© 2011 Ali International, LLC
Self-made entrepreneur and Inc. 500-ranked CEO Ali Brown teaches women around the world how to start and grow profitable businesses that make a positive impact. Get her FREE weekly articles and advice at www.AliBrown.com

Re-write the corporate rule book with Re-Imagine

It's crunch time - learn to re-write the corporate rule book with management guru Tom Peters

We're in a new business climate and we'd better make some big changes. And what changes does Peters propose--or, shall I say, demand? Try these on for size:

* Basing all business (from the smallest department to the biggest megacorp) on projects and the professional service firm model, thus increasing value.

* Embracing branding and design--and providing experiences to Clients rather than just products and services.

* Charging after new markets: Boomers, seniors and--especially--women.

* Relentlessly pursuing talent, especially among (again) women.

* Rebuilding education to prepare young minds for the new world they will soon face.

" Author, provocateur, and business visionary Tom Peters is recognized around the globe as one of the most influential and revolutionary management gurus of the last century. The author of more than 10 best-selling books on innovative business practices, including the groundbreaking In Search of Excellence, Peters gives more than 100 major seminars each year and serves as the chairman of Tom Peters Company.

 

Buy the book - The Book Depository or Amazon

Yes those are affiliate links, and I will earn a few cents

if you buy the book through them.  Thank you!!

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Time to change direction?

"Employ the power of positive quitting. Most of us view quitting as something negative, but it’s not. ‘Winners never quit,’ we’re told, when, in reality, winners quit all the time: choosing to stop doing things that aren’t creating the results they desire. When you quit all the things that aren’t working for you, when you quit tolerating all the negative things that hold you back, you’ll create a positive ‘charge’ in your life as well as create the space in your life for more positive experiences."

-- Jim Allen


Image by Aran Ho Yeow Yong.

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Galileo Discusses Self-Growth

Recently I came across a quote by Galileo that both puzzled me and that I liked. He said:"You cannot teach a man anything. You can only help him discover it within himself."

It is the first part of the quote "You cannot teach a man anything" that puzzled me. I find that knowing what to do or what to expect can make a big difference. My neighbor just had neck surgery. Learning what to expect in recovery, having specific exercises that will strengthen the neck muscles and understanding the pace of recovery have all been extremely useful in helping her emotionally deal with the slow recovery from this major surgery. Not only in physical matters but also knowing communication and relationship skills can make a big difference in life satisfaction.

The part of the quote that speaks to self-growth is "you can only help him discover it within himself" is so true. We all know deep inside us what we need. Often times that wisdom is hidden from us as we have built up defenses and shut off the ability to get in touch with our authentic self. By being open to discovering our essence we are able to discover strengths and talents that we may not have t known we had.

What is true about what Galileo says is that ultimately we each are responsible for ourselves. He understood that it is up to each of us to discover who we are and what we are capable of doing. My mother in her late eighties began crocheting afghans for her great-grandchildren. She knew how to crochet and was used to following patterns. This time however she took the bold step of designing each afghan herself and created a unique personalized design for each afghan. She did what Galileo said we all need. She discovered within her new talents and her work had a purpose of providing a memory for her great-grandchildren.

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As we take in information and expand our potential we end up discovering who we really are. It is then as Galileo said that "you cannot teach a man anything you can only help him discover it within himself."

To learn more about strengthening Communication in Relationships I invite you to visit http://www.relationshipcommunicationsimplified.com and claim your special report on SPEAK FROM THE HEART AND GROW YOUR RELATIONSHIP.

Kristina von Rosenvinge is passionate about helping individuals and couples grow in their self-mastery and increase their relationship skills in order to enjoy personal and business success.

Enlighten with a question

"It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question."

-- Decouvertes