“Good poetry seems too simple and natural a thing that when we meet it we wonder that all men are not always poets. Poetry is nothing but healthy speech.”
Henry David Thoreau
Tag Archive for: public speaking
I wasn’t born a good presenter or presentation designer, and both of those skills I work on to improve daily. However, there were influences in my life that have brought me to where I am currently, and I wanted to both share them with you and encourage you to share your influences, inspirations, and resources that have helped you become a better presenter and presentation designer. => http://bit.ly/iIeaiR
Hans Rosling's famous lectures combine enormous quantities of public data with a sport's commentator's style to reveal the story of the world's past, present and future development. Now he explores stats in a way he has never done before - using augmented reality animation. In this spectacular section of 'The Joy of Stats' he tells the story of the world in 200 countries over 200 years using 120,000 numbers - in just four minutes. Plotting life expectancy against income for every country since 1810, Hans shows how the world we live in is radically different from the world most of us imagine.
No man not inspired can make a good speech without preparation ~
Daniel Webster
"Let's Make a Powerpoint"
At University, students get the opportunity to practice their presentation skills. I've been a part of these groups. The Professor announces, "Next week, each group will present their proposals". And without fail, one of the team members will immediately turn to the rest of the group and say, "Great, let's make our Powerpoint!"
What's Wrong with this? => http://bit.ly/mxllVh
Researchers who study how babies acquire language have demonstrated that babies begin learning very early which sounds are relevant to the language that surrounds them. Babies learn so early to categorize sounds, in fact, that infants being raised as bilingual can even differentiate between the sounds of two languages they have never before heard.
One theory of how babies recognize a sound as belonging to one language or another is that they are using not only their ears but their eyes to understand language. They pay attention to visual cues, to the movement of the face, especially the lips, as a person speaks.
The idea that visual information affects speech perception is not new and is probably something you've noticed. Watching a dubbed film, for example, presents a problem to most viewers at first because they cannot reconcile the sounds they are hearing with the shapes of the mouths speaking the film's original language. Such incongruity makes words hard to understand. About 35 years ago, in fact, researchers Harry McGurk and John McDonald demonstrated that humans use both visual and auditory information in speech perception. For most of us, vision triumphs; what we see can alter what we hear.
It's called the McGurk effect.
SPEAKING UP
What does the McGurk effect mean to you as a presenter? => http://bit.ly/kTRboF
When I was in Japan, I was fortunate enough to take part in a tea ceremony. I don’t think I understood much of what I was doing then, beyond experiencing the simplicity and elegance of the occasion. Recently, I ran across The Tea Ceremony, by Seno and Sendo Tanaka, and this beautiful book both brought back the memory and filled me in with many of the nuances I’d missed. It occurred to me that 3 concepts from the tea ceremony in particular have application to public speaking and are good advice for Western minds trying to improve their own – and their audience’s – experience. => http://bit.ly/jE108C
The first question a presenter must answer involves the listening audience. The composition of a group influences what and how one prepares. Determining the makeup of an audience involves certain considerations that can be broken down into two categories: Demographics and Psychographics. "Demographics" help us define "age cells," while "Psychographics" inform us about "type cells."
Demographics. Initially, it is helpful to determine the demographic composite of the audience. We start by determining the average age of the crowd. Are there children? If so, what age? If they are teenagers, are they young teens (13-16) or older teens (17-19)? If we find they are young adults, are they 18-24, 25-34, etc.? Now let me explain why this demographic analysis is so important.
The age of an audience influences the type of language, examples, and illustrations presenters use. For example, if I were talking to a group of young adults 18-24 years old about recent changes in the music industry, it would be more effective to drop names such as "The All-American Rejects" and "Green Day" than "Chicago" and "The Beach Boys." Talking about the former would help me sound relevant and credible, while using the latter would date me and make me sound out of touch.
The key is to know the demographic makeup of your listening audience. Some audiences are demographically narrow in scope, but most are not. Generally, you will find that audiences are comprised of mixed age groups, and knowing this will help you tailor your examples and illustrations to impact the larger segments within the group.
Psychographics. Determining the psychographic profile of the audience is imperative as well. As previously stated, psychographics refers to "type cells," and all audiences are comprised of them. These cells inform us of the audience's inclinations and preferences, which is helpful information when addressing a group. Below is a short list of potential "types" you might find in a particular audience:
Males or females
Blue-collar workers or professionals
Senior-level or junior-level managers
Managers or employees
Post-grad students or undergrad students
Wine drinkers or beer drinkers
Conservatives or Liberals
Religious or non-religious individuals
Doctors or lawyers
Teachers or students
Early adapters or late adopters
Animal lovers or hunters
Suffice it to say that the age and type of people in any given audience will greatly impact the way you prepare to speak to them. But while the audience's profile will influence your method, it must never compromise or cause you to water-down your message. Instead, the core message simply needs to be packaged in terms relative to the audience at hand. Consequently, it is highly beneficial to know everything you can about the demographic and psychographic nature of the audience you will be addressing.
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Dr. Gary Rodriguez is President of LeaderMetrix http://www.leadermetrix.com and author of Purpose Centered Public Speaking http://www.amazon.com/Purpose-Centered-Public-Speaking-Purposeful-Presentations/dp/1450727085/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288971818&sr=8-1
Gary is committed to helping aspiring and active speakers improve their presentations skills. This is accomplished through Purpose Centered Public Speaking Workshop and personal one on one mentoring. He also offers a free public speaking phobia test and monthly newsletter to those who visit his website.
I'm in the market for a new car. I want a small SUV in the Honda CR-V / Toyota RAV-4 class. I'll use this car primarily for commuting and weekend errand running. Since I don't see gas prices declining, I want a four cylinder with good gas mileage. Because I drive a car until it has 100,000 miles on it, I want it fully loaded with nearly every option available. I want something with cargo capacity so I'm looking at the small SUVs.
Yesterday I test drove an SUV in that class made by one of the smaller automakers. I walked in and said I wanted to look at their SUV. The salesman, about my own age (mid-okay-late 50s) was experienced.
Where He Failed
His first question: Do you know anything about the (Brand) experience? When I replied,"No," he opened the hood and proceeded to discuss all the features and benefits of owning that vehicle and how it differs from the competition.
As I mentioned, this gentleman is an experienced salesman with years of experience. Yet, he made no attempt to identify my needs or why I was interested in that car.
Instead, he focused on the product, not my needs.
Read more ... => http://bit.ly/e2snMD
Everyone uses PowerPoint, but how effective is your presentation at meeting the goals you’ve outlined? A great presentation is more than just a slideshow–it’s about using PowerPoint to its maximum potential to get your message across to your audience. That’s the PowerPoint Predicament. Tom Bunzel reveals how to conceive, plan, develop, and deliver truly effective business, academic, and inspirational communications, not just PowerPoint slideshows.
Solving the PowerPoint Predicament: Using Digital Media for Effective Communication
by Tom Bunzel
