Tag Archive for: public speaking

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How To Respond To Inevitable Distractions in Public Speaking

Adam Hochschild once said, "Work is hard. Distractions are plentiful. And time is short."

This is the truth in public speaking.

One of the craziest situations I was in happened during a keynote talk I was giving in Chicago. There were five meeting rooms that had been partitioned out that held about 300 each. Each room had a wireless microphone system. About a minute into my presentation, the microphone from two rooms down somehow overlapped onto the frequency of mine, and we all started hearing the other speaker. He sounded as if he were right there with us.

Talk about a distraction that's impossible to ignore! I didn't even try. Rather than fight it or try to shout over it, I began having a "conversation" with the other speaker. He would ask his crowd in the other room, "Can everyone hear me okay?" and I would answer to mine, "Oh yes, we can hear you just fine." I did my best to turn it into something amusing and entertaining, and got a few laughs for it. This went on for several minutes until the technical support guy hurried in and fixed things.

This is just one example of totally unexpected things that can happen in a presentation. A kneejerk reaction to something like this is to get upset or just walk off the stage in helplessness. But having had much mileage on stage, I knew to roll with it in a positive way. Had my reaction been negative, that would have stuck in the minds of the audience more than anything else. It would have made them feel uncomfortable for me, and the last thing you want as a presenter is an uncomfortable crowd trying to watch you.

Know that both big and small distractions will always exist under all circumstances. For your own sake, try not to be in constant pursuit of perfect conditions. And don't make the even bigger mistake of trying to force the perfect set of circumstances. If you do, you'll experience more disappointment and frustration than satisfaction. Yes, in time, you'll run into those ideal situations where everything appears to go perfect, but they're few and far between. It's better to simply be prepared for what can and usually does happen, and to look at it as opportunities for growth and experience. This isn't negative thinking, which is when anticipating what could happen creates unhealthy levels of fear or tension. This becomes detrimental to your performance. It's also negative thinking to view potential mishaps as a burden, or some sort of affliction that comes with the territory. If you have to just "grin and bear it," then you're looking at it wrong.

Some people anticipate a negative reaction from themselves. A person will think, if this happens, I just know I'll get so annoyed I won't be able to continue. Or, if so and so interrupts me again, I'll get angry and snap at her. If you think and do the action in advance mentally, you're going down the road of self-fulfilled prophesy. If and when the time comes, you'll respond just as you imagined. As far as your brain is concerned, you've already done it anyway, so it's easier the "second" time (or third, or fourth, etc.). And in the end, if nothing happens, all you've accomplished is wasting mental bandwidth.

The more you learn to deal with distractions correctly, the more professional you'll be as a communicator. Unfortunately, though, we often react inappropriately. We stop and get flustered when a noise or disruption happens, especially deliberately caused disruptions. But if we blow these things out of proportion, the incident will overshadow the rest of the presentation. That's what people will remember long after the performance. People can forgive almost any blunder, whether caused by you or not, if you simply do your best and maintain a positive attitude.

Even if you don't have a lot of experience, there are techniques you can employ that will make it seem as though you've been doing it for a long time.

Remain positive and professional.
If things go wrong, don't go with them.
Prepare a good outline with keywords; they will help you keep focus.
Make sure you've done a little rehearsal, but not to where you've memorized. Distractions can mean the death of a memorized presentation because your brain, which was depending on things going in a certain order, will lock up.
Finally, remember the purpose of your message, the big picture. That's what matters, so focus on that. By keeping your mind on what's important, you can avoid "forgetting" what to do.
Kelly Libatique is a professional speaker, technical trainer, and author. He has a Master's in Education and a Bachelor's in Psychology. He resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and Anne and two sons.

Visit http://www.Libatique.com or contact Kelly at: KellyLibatique@gmail.com

How to Create Emmy-Worthy Presentations That Set You Apart from the Competition

Name the three best speakers you know.
Are *you* on your list? If not, are those other speakers better than you?
If you ask your clients to name the three best speakers they’ve had at their meetings, are you on *their* list?
Top speakers are continually looking for ways to be even better, to have more impact, and they have learned to look to show business performers for clues and techniques.
How do the skills of master performers translate to speakers? What do Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres, and Jerry Seinfeld do in their performances that you can apply to your presentations?
Bill Stainton has won numerous Emmy awards. He knows what comedy and TV stars do to stay on top, and he’s going to share that knowledge with us.
Virtually all of the speakers who are making serious money in the speaking business have one thing in common: they are amazing on the platform! Everything else springs from that: referrals, spin-offs, product sales — everything. If you want to make it — really make it — as a speaker, you have to be as good as, or better than, the best. Bill will share the secrets he’s learned from the people who have really made it in comedy and television, and translate those secrets directly to the world of speaking.
You will learn:
• How to structure your presentation for maximum engagement
• How to utilize predictable unpredictability to keep your audiences awake and interested
• A simple rule to help you plan your openings and closings
• How to use the secrets of comedy writers to make your speeches and stories come alive
• How to rehearse properly (most speakers don’t!) to set you apart from the competition
more information here ... http://bit.ly/fukJ2z

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Speaking for the learned not the liberated

Loud speech, profusion of words, and possessing skillfulness in expounding scriptures are merely for the enjoyment of the learned. They do not lead to liberation.

-- Adi Shankaracharya

loud_speech

Presentations: the single most powerful PowerPoint slide you can use

 PowerPoint problems run rampant in presentations, from busy, overdone slides that are impossible to read to poor usage where the speaker talks to the slide or blocks the screen. While there are lots of ways to improve slide quality and enhance PowerPoint usage, there is one little known, but powerful, strategy that can improve any PowerPoint presentation and put the focus more on the speaker, where it belongs. 
=> http://bit.ly/eRhWK3

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Engage your Audience when you speak

How do you make your presentation more interesting to your audience? Perhaps the most important technique is to include them when you speak. You can choose your words to engage your listeners — or leave them out. If you leave them out, boredom is the probable result. In this article, I'll give you some specific techniques for crafting your content in a way that grabs the attention of your audience.

=> http://bit.ly/faXAd4

Public speaking tip – Make sure image and message support each other

My last tip was about being deliberate about creating an image.

The most powerful choice you will make is how you get that image to support your message – how you
put the two together.

It may be totally supportive, in that the image is unobtrusive; seamlessly part of the message and the complete package – an incredibly effective combination.

Or you may choose to create an edge, a mystique.

Your body language, your facial expression and gestures, your clothes and your grooming all need to work towards the impact you choose to make. And they will contribute as powerfully to the impact you choose to make as a person as they do to the impact you choose for your presentation to make.

This package, this combination of impact, message and image are what people take away from your
presentation. They are the wow you create. But the pivotal word, there, was “choose” – the impact you choose to make, the impact you choose for your presentation to make.

Whatever you may be trying to achieve, don’t let the impact of your presentation be an accident. Right from
the beginning, it needs to be part of the planning. When you are visualizing your production, toying with ideas
and possibilities and first drafts, make the impact of you as a person and of your performance an integral part of that process. Visualise it and work it into all aspects of your production planning.

Then you have the foundation for creating the “wow” factor.

Create Clear, Concise and Creative Keynotes:

Make Every Word Count

with Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

Great speakers know how to make their presentations remembered and repeated. They craft their comments for the greatest impact. They edit to ensure they get their point across without being verbose and diluting the significance.

Many speakers use too many words and details, thereby reducing their influence. Do you say more than you need to? If so, how can you come across authentic, yet crisp? Notable, not forgettable. Memorable, not mediocre.
Patricia Fripp is the Queen of Succinct. Frippy equals pithy. Patricia believes a good speech is not a conversation. However, it needs to sound natural, not stiff, canned, or over-rehearsed. Listen in to what she means!

Hear Frippy’s best practices from 30 years of studying speaking skills.

You will learn to:
• Make your comments more specific and better edited
• Speak visually and with verbal punctuation
• Add impact with advice with high-price speech coaches
• Get your message remembered and repeated
• Fall in love with your content all over again.
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All the details here => http://bit.ly/msQ1De

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Remarks

There are remarks that sow and remarks that reap.

Ludwig Wittgenstein

Public Speaking tip – Creating the wow with your voice

 How you deliver your speech is even more important than the content of your speech. The way you use your voice during a presentation will either grab and keep your audience's attention or put them to sleep.
It is estimated that when a voice-trained person delivers a speech, the audience retains 83 per cent of the information. In contrast, when an untrained person delivers the same speech the audience will only retain 45 per cent of the information.
An interesting voice will have a varied pitch and variations in pace and volume. A speech which is delivered in a monotonous voice is very dull indeed for the audience.
There are various characteristics that alter a person's speech, such as clarity, volume, pitch, tone and speed of delivery. Let's look at those characteristics now. => http://bit.ly/gjseYw

Speaking Tools Beyond Your Equipment

When making a speech or presentation, a typical speaker usually has a number of tools to help convey their message. He or she may rely on laptops, projectors, PA systems, and so on, all in an effort to enhance the ability to communicate. The best speaking tools, however, can't be found in electronic shops or purchased online. The greatest speaking tools are actually within the person speaking. Let's take a look at three of these speaking tools, which you can also use yourself.

Knowledge Diversity

Knowing a little about things from various areas of discipline is a good speaking tool. A broad knowledge base allows speakers to connect their topics with concepts from other fields. In addition, using some ideas from varied fields can help establish the topic's place within the body of knowledge, allowing deeper understanding for the audience. You can develop this speaking tool by reading literature from different, genres, areas of study, or level or expertise outside of your field.

Interaction

Another indispensable speaking tool is the ability to conduct dynamic discussions. Here, the audience members become active participants, not just passive onlookers. Interaction also helps identify how much the audience has understood the topic. Ask your audience questions that make them think, not just simply recall. Ask them what portion of your speech that are left unclear to them. Most of the time, the best way to make your audience understand what you are talking about is to tell a story. Also, let your audience ask questions and be sure to correctly answer them as well.

Familiarity and Mastery

A speaker's mastery of his or her material is one of the most important speaking tools. Having good command of your topic improves credibility and audience impact. Without this, the whole speech or presentation ceases to exist, and what follows is just a recitation or reading of cue cards. You can develop this speaking tool through proper preparation. You do not need to have a Ph. D. in something just to talk about it; all you have to do is internalize the material well before schedule. It is important to understand-not memorize-the topic.

There you have it, three essential tools that every successful speaker needs. It really helps to have them available, sharpened, and polished when needed. Don't worry about having the best equipment money can buy. The greatest speaking tools can and should be within you.

Author: Tamar Peters has over 23 years experience in the events and promotions industry and her passion to help as many people as possible to find financial freedom through knowledge, education and inspiration. Her main focus as part of Top Speaker Events is to deliver the highest standard speakers who offer real life changing content, opportunities and knowledge from all over the world.