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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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Using Computer Presentation Programs effectively

People are tired of worn-out power point presentations!

Does this mean we should jettison the technology and go back to the "stone age", as one person put it, in giving our presentations?

No more than we should ban television because of the likes of Jerry Springer and Temptation Island.

The medium itself is not to blame, it is how that medium is used that falls short. Too often, presenters rely solely on their software to provide every bit of their presentation's creativity. The problem with this approach is that the entertainment value of PowerPoint and other programs, leaves a lot to be desired.

When a speaker decides to use it as a crutch, instead of as an enhancement tool, it can give a presenter a false sense of security about a bad presentation. I've sat through many a bad presentation where the insecure presenter just hides behind a barrage of screen activity as a gratuitous gimmick rather than having good illustrations and attention-getting visual element to add in making their points. So how should this medium be best used?

Obviously, there are millions of reasons for a presentation, and therefore, millions of effective and creative ways to deliver it. Creativity can take several forms, from the spontaneous quip to the extravagant special effects of a Hollywood blockbuster. Keep in mind, though, that a crummy movie with very impressive special effects is still a crummy movie, and the same rule applies to presentations. Things that may work well in some presentations will not do so in others, but here are some general guidelines for successful use of electronic slides.

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Add to Your Speaking Revenue as a Professional Emcee

Add to Your Speaking Revenue
as a Professional Emcee
with Mark Standriff


Mark Standriff

Are you looking for additional sources of income in these difficult financial times? Have you ever considered being an emcee? Marketing yourself as a master of ceremonies not only provides value-added opportunities for potential clients, but also gives you access to high-profile events for which you might never be considered as a main speaker.

Emceeing is a different skill from delivering a speech. It requires different marketing, and certainly demands different preparation — there are a number of challenges you should avoid or you’ll be cleared out before the main course. But it can be a lot of fun and quite lucrative.

Mark Standriff has worked as a professional emcee for hundreds of events during his 25-year speaking career and will share his secrets on knowing how to shine without being the star attraction. If you’re open to looking at a different side of speaking, this session will open your eyes to professional opportunities you may never have known existed.

You will learn:

  • Key selling points that will make you a sought-after emcee
  • How to prepare so that your agenda complements the event’s agenda
  • Creative ways to command attention and keep the program flowing
  • How to handle hecklers and other audience problems
  • Common concerns and how to overcome them

Get all the information here ...

How to avoid distractions

Lisa Braithwaite at SpeakSchmeak has highlighted a vital problem in public speaking - how to avoid distractions, althought she has turned it around and called her post "Keep your focus" - a usful way of looking at it.

Distractions don't have to interfere with your presentation. Instead of perceiving them as problems, see them as part of the deal. Every presentation will have its distractions; they only become problems if you let them get to you.

she says, and provides some very useful tips on just how to avid those distractions and stay focussed.

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Make Your Voice Your Number One Asset

Turn Their First Impression into a Lasting Impression.

If you are a successful business leader and entrepreneur today, you know how vital it is to have executive level speaking and communication skills.

You must be able to motivate or impart crucial information. You must speak clearly and directly. You must be assertive without being aggressive to strike the balance between warmth and authority. Your audience must hear and understand you.

How you sound has a tremendous impact on how your message is received. To be most effective, the quality of your voice must genuinely match the meaning and content of your presentation. Is your voice all that you want it to be?

To illustrate how important your voice is, think about a time you had a phone conversation with someone and you knew exactly how they were feeling simply from the sound. Though the effect can be subtle or it can be very obvious, voices always reflect a person's inner state and you know if they are angry, depressed, happy, or nervous.

When someone has a nasal quality, hoarseness, or they sound monotone, it's harder to focus on what they're saying. The most brilliant and innovative ideas and information can be lost as a result of a voice that's hard to listen to for some reason. This inability to be heard or understood can have serious consequences in your business.

Ask yourself how others perceive you and the words you are saying. When your voice and your content of your message match, it gives you credibility. It makes you compelling to listen to. Your listeners will intuitively trust and respond to you.

One of the best ways is to start listening to people and consciously identifying who, in your opinion, has a compelling voice. To identify the memorable qualities, ask yourself these questions while you listen.

Do they sound polished?
Are they charismatic?
Does their voice seem professional?
Are they passionate but not pushy?
Do you sense their warmth and sincerity?
Would you trust what they say?
Is their voice resonant and connected?
Do they sound truly confident?

When you've identified the qualities you like, evaluate your own voice by recording yourself or getting feedback from a trusted friend or colleague. Your next step might be to find a reliable self-study vocal development program or a qualified coach.

Developing a resonant balanced voice is an ongoing process and it may take several weeks or months before you or others start to notice the differences. However, continuing with the process will positively affect your communication, your presentation, and ultimately your business and career.

The author of this article, Katherine Scott of Voice of Destiny™ , is a singer, songwriter, author and professional voice coach. For over fifteen years in her private voice practice, Katherine has inspired singers and speakers to discover or uncover the strong engaging voice they were always meant to have. In her unique approach, the voice is an intersection point for connecting the sound, how they express who they are, and their personal vision of their successful career and life.

You can find insights and solutions to vocal challenges at http://www.youruniqueexpression.com. Visit http://www.vocalmapping.comfor free audio voice tips and voice exercises to use on a daily basis so your voice will sound fully present in any situation.

Ballet and Public Speaking

At the Speaking Energy: Adventures in Public Speaking blog, Bjorn had compared public speaking to ballet.  He obviously enjoyed the performance, or at least appreciated the energy.  He looks at performance, everyday life and art, giving us, in the process, another way of looking at public speaking.   http://bit.ly/75oFP8

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Public Speaking – How to Close a speech

One of the worst mistakes you can make as a public speaker is talking too long. Not only will you send some folks to never, never land, you will make some of them downright mad. It doesn't matter if your entire speech was brilliant and the audience came away with information that will change their lives. If you talk too long, they will leave saying, "That speaker just wouldn't quit." Don't let this happen to you! Say what you have to say and sit down. Before you do, give them a well thought out closing.

... How to do it? Read on ...

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Anyone can improve the way they are perceived in the market place through networking and public speaking.

And death came third

by Andy Lopata , Peter Roper

It has often been said that the two key skills for any business in the 21st Century are an ability to communicate a message - and a hungry market to communicate that message to. Now, for those outside of the corporate world, the best way to achieve these two objectives is through networking and speaking to groups.
Andy Lopata and Peter Roper have written a really handy book on how to achieve this. But the book is more than just a guide to the shy and anxious. In a very simple way Andy and Peter have explained how anyone can improve the way they are perceived in the market place through networking and public speaking.

Read more ...

or check it out at Amazon

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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

How to listen so that you handle the Q&A session effectively

In this excellent article, John Zimmer looks at the question and answer period in terms of listening.  He comes up with 9 excellent ways to handle this sometimes difficult part of a presentation, and covers listening as well.

An important aspect of public speaking occurs, paradoxically, when it the speaker’s turn to stop talking and listen to questions or comments from the audience.  These moments are to be welcomed.  They show that the audience members are engaged and they afford the speaker an opportunity to interact more closely with them.  To make the most of these moments, a speaker must listen actively.

Listen

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Active listening means listening for the meaning and feeling of what the other person is saying.  It means paying attention to what is being said and thinking carefully about how to respond.  This might seem like common sense, but as Mark Twain once said, “Common sense isn’t so common.”  So how we listen actively? Here are some points: