Tag Archive for: public speaking

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Public Speaking Success Tip – fillers

Too many people think "ums" are a sin, and let's include y'know like" as well!

Sure, in an ideal world, we would all speak fluently.

On the other hand, "ums" are part of conversational language, sprinkled liberally, even strategically. Your audience will not notice them, probably, forgive them if they do -

only if you are using WAAAY too many will they notice, and maybe wonder why, and be a little distracted, especially if our speech is not resonating in some way.

I usually advise that It's a risk worth considering in your rehearsal and practice times.

Start by listening to others - sports commentators, interviewees on television, anyone speaking publicly.

Listen for their fillers then you will learn to listen for your own.

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The best words

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TED’s secret to great public speaking

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Frequently Asked Questions – Motivational Speaking

Here are some frequently asked questions and answers on the subject of improving your motivational speaking techniques.

These come from someone with over 30 years' experience in commerce and industry and with extensive knowledge of motivational speaking and training.

Speaker

What is the most important aspect of successful motivational speaking?

The outcome.

If you have influenced your audience in your intended direction and persuaded them to change their behaviours or adopt new ones, you will have succeeded.

Feedback of the "very entertaining speech" variety is not, in itself, a measure of success unless it's accompanied by positive action as a result.

What's the most important personal characteristic required for success?

There isn't one but three:

  • Conviction - if you clearly don't 100% believe your message then why should you expect others to? This is closely linked to personal confidence of course.
  • Knowledge - conviction alone is useless if your audience perceives (rightly or wrongly) that you don't really know what you're talking about.
  • Pertinence - you must be speaking on a subject that is relevant to the audience. If it isn't, you won't change their behaviours even if they think it was a great and interesting speech.

You can't separate these three things.Isn't technique important?

Yes, very much so. You can learn lots about team building and motivational speaking techniques from experts in the field out there.

However, good technique alone can't compensate for a lack of the above three things.

Is motivational speaking always effective?

Yes when done properly but there has to be a degree of common sense applied.

One aspect of that is audience intelligence gathering. You need to know that your audience is at least potentially receptive to your message.

To give a crude example, you can address a forum of vegetarians all you like and using the best techniques but you're not going to motivate them, to any significant degree, to change to a meat-based diet.

To put it another way, don't expect motivational speaking techniques to overcome a "mission impossible" objective for your dialogue.

Is this technique only applicable at formal sessions?

No, motivational speaking can and should be applied in many casual and informal environments. It's most certainly not reserved for big speeches and presentations.

For example, it's an excellent technique for team managers and leaders to master. If you can't motivate your team constantly by your communications and demonstrated behaviours, then you're lacking a key skill required for leadership success.

Why have you mentioned personal behaviour examples?

Essentially, your audience (whether formal or workday colleagues) will usually spot immediately that you're saying one thing and doing another.

This has been known about since the beginning of time and is often summarised by the old saying "practice what you preach". We can all think of examples from politics where public figures have been arguing that we should all do "XYZ" when events have shown them to be doing something quite different.

So, the join between the positions you adopt with motivational speaking and your own behaviours must be totally seamless if you're to avoid being seen as a hypocrite.

The WA Institute of Martial Arts is one of the most professional and innovative martial arts centre in WA. One of our specialist areas involves helping people develop the techniques required for motivational speaking - notably including the self-confidence that requires.

Photo by Marcos Luiz Photograph on Unsplash

 

How to remember your speech – first tip of the Pivotal Tips Package

This tip, and those that follow, is available from the sign-up page at https://wp.me/p7YDMV-2ZT If you have already signed up, please go to the email you should have received, or will receive shortly, that has the details for setting up your password access. 
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Quote from Rosalynn Carter

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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:

Plan. Plan your opening words carefully. Don't stumble into your presentation with a hackneyed "Today, I'm going to talk about..." Say something meaningful (even bold!) that will grab the attention of your audience immediately. Don't lead up to it with trivialities. Think about your audience's single biggest concern within your topic, and speak directly to it. There are a lot of different ways to open a talk; just make sure you ichoose one that begins with substance and matters to your listeners.

Rehearse. Stand up and deliver your opening out loud several times prior to the talk. Make sure you can do it comfortably and reliably. For most people, the first words of a presentation are the hardest. Make certain you know yours well enough so you don't have to worry about them. By spending extra rehearsal time on your opening, you can turn the hardest part of your talk into the easiest.

Get ready. When the time comes to deliver your presentation, you will want to be focused, in control of your voice, your body language, and those pre-presentation jitters. So, before you stand up to speak, practice some "stage fright" prevention. Use our tips for breathing easily to warm up. If you have a chance to exercise or go for a walk before your presentation, do it. It's important that your mind and your body are ready to deliver a powerful presentation when you arrive in the room.

Connect. Make an immediate connection with your audience. Look 'em in the eye. Before you begin, find a "focus person" for your opening. The focus person should be someone who is sitting toward the back of the room and roughly in the center. Ideally, this should be a person who will listen attentively and will be a friendly face for your first sentence or two. Remember to establish your eye focus first, then take a fresh breath, and, only after you have a full tank of air, begin to speak.

Leap. As much as possible, jump right into your talk. Get right to the point. Try to avoid any long preambles or explanations. Deliver your opening just as you've practiced it, right to your focus person. Once you've landed your opening, the rest of your presentation is more likely to go smoothly. And, you will have gained the attention of the audience right from the start of your talk.

Stop ... and go. After you deliver your opening, pause. Let your words sink in for a second or two. Next, link that opening to the body of your presentation. Make sure your audience sees how your opening leads into your first point. There's nothing worse than gearing everyone up with a great opener, only to let everyone down by wandering off on other track.

And they're off... You delivered your opening and linked it to your first point. You've set the stage for your success. You've got momentum heading into the body of your presentation. You're out of the gate and rounding the bend. Just make sure to keep your head up, eyes focused on your audience, and charge ahead with an energetic and effective presentation.

 

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Public Speaking Quotation from A. Owen Penny

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