Beyond Better Speaking

Mastering The Art Of Public Speaking

2007-02-21T18:20:00.000-08:00

For some people, mastering the art of public speaking is a lifetime of learning. It is something that they can never get enough nerve for even though they can write eloquent speeches and have important ideas to pass on at public meetings. It requires a certain finesse to be able to speak in public and the only way to do it is to jump right in with both feet. Even though your insides are shaking standing in front of a group of strangers, once the speech is over, you can sit down feeling immensely satisfied.

Being able to give an effective speech is not just a matter of reading words off a page. There are certain techniques that each speaker must master and each speech requires different strategies. Of course the speech itself has to be good, but you cannot expect to receive accolades if you keep your head down and do not look at the audience. This is where practice comes into play. You do have to memorize a speech and use only cue cards to help you find your place if you should get rattled and forget what comes next. This allows you to maintain eye contact with the audience and gives each listener the feeling that you are talking to him or her.

Gestures are an important part of public speaking. Your hands are just as effective as relaying your message as your mouth, so why not use them. Using your hands to point or accentuate aspects of your speech keeps the audience attentive to what you are saying. Your voice should be clear and all the words spoken slowly - not too slowly as to drag out the speech to make it boring, but so that everyone can hear and understand you. Having a good lead is the best way to grab the audience's attention and once you get that, your job is to keep it by what you say and how you say it.

If you need self-help information or have articles on self-help issues, visit our Self Improvement issues section for more in-depth resources. Free Article Distribution

Article Source: www.articlesbeyondbetter.com

Do You Have Passion?

2007-01-19T23:31:00.000-08:00

"Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe." -- Winston Churchill

Six Steps to Becoming a Persuasive Speaker

2006-08-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

Most books on public speaking or presentation skills suggest there are four types of presentation, aimed at either

• Informing
• Entertaining
• Motivating and inspiring
• Persuading

I disagree.

I believe the purpose of all presentations, especially in the business world, is persuading. Even if you are not looking to make a sale, gain a contract or change audience members' minds, you are still attempting to persuade them to listen to you, and to accept your information.

These are the six steps to persuasion that I discuss in my training workshops:

1. Develop a concrete objective
2. Gain Audience Intelligence
3. Demonstrate passion about your subject
4. Structure backwards
5. Conduct a Murder Board
6. Conduct a Post-Presentation Analysis

Let’s look at each of these steps:

1. Develop a concrete objective

Your objective is not merely to deliver a good presentation. An oral presentation is the means to a specific end, and that end is what you want the audience to do with your information. If you are vague in your own mind about what action you want the audience to take, you will
not have the focus and thematic unity required in an oral presentation.

A written document such as a memo can be poorly written and appear incoherent on first reading, but its obtuseness can finally be pierced on a second or third reading. The oral
presentation must be understood immediately. There are no instant replays.

The goal of your presentation is to persuade audience members to buy your product, service, or project, or the information you are providing, because they see it as solving their problem.

Once you have decided on your objective, type it, print it, and paste it on your monitor. Refer to this objective as you progress in your draft. It becomes a compass heading to keep you on course. When you find you are going off on a tangent, redirect towards this objective.

Because you must solve the problems of your audience, you must know precisely what these problems are. That leads to the second step which is vital because it gets to the heart of persuasion - knowing your audience's position on the subject, knowing what problems confront audience members, and their attitudes on the issue.

2. Gain Audience Intelligence

Members of your audience probably have a great deal on their mind, and you are competing with these preoccupations for attention. They have only limited time to listen to
you. You must know what are the hot buttons to push, and which hot buttons to avoid touching, lest you distract your audience from the focus of your presentation.

Conduct research on the internet, talk to people who have spoken to this group before, know the idiosyncrasies of key members of the audience.

The more information you have about the concerns, problems and needs of audience members, the better prepared you will be. Keep in mind that persuasive communication takes place at the intersection of your objective and the needs of the
audience. If you fail to reach this intersection, concentrating only on what you want, you will not persuade.

Finish reading this article

About the Author:

This article is excerpted from Larry Tracy’s book, The Shortcut to Persuasive Presentations, available for purchase at his website. A retired Army colonel, he was called “an extraordinarily effective speaker” by President Ronald Reagan. He has been cited in various publications as one of the top presentations trainers in the US. His website is #1 on Google for “persuasive presentations, and
he was on the cover of the July 2005 American Speaker magazine. http://www.tracy-presentation.com/

Motivational Speaking Tips - Taking Cues

2006-03-16T22:54:00.000-08:00

by Linda Emerson -
Public speakers are always regarded as experts who are here to save us from our troubles and actually motivate us to become productive and positive thinking. There are actually all sorts of public speakers who try their hand (and luck) at becoming the next Dr. Phil. Of course, not all motivational and keynote speakers have Oprah to launch them to celebrity status. One must really work hard in order to achieve not only the popularity that public speakers like Dr. Phil are now enjoying but the authoritative claim on the topic that he or she wants to specialize in.

1. Being A Motivational Speaker

This means that you really have to take your job seriously as a lot of people are paying you to teach them a thing or two about the issues that concerns them. This is why aspiring keynote speakers should keep track of these helpful points to consider whenever delivering a public speech to be able to catch the attention of possible clients as well that may book them for seminars or get their professional help for their personal problems.

2. Duties And Responsibilities

- Supply your audience with the correct information- Take reference of whenever employees need- Make use of your gift with words- Have a quality, canned presentation

3. Skip The Basics

Nobody wants to listen to a speaker who gives a blow-by-blow account of the stuff that he just read from a book. You will actually lose your audience’s interest if you commit this error and you’ll forever be stuck with being labeled by people as boring. Surely, this is the worst thing that could ever happen to a speaker because they are actually there as an authority figure, someone that the audience will likely listen to and not just be reminded of their old college professors whose fly is always open.

When it comes to your marketing strategies, however, you should always make sure that they send the right message. Don’t put too much focus on the packaging because whether this may refer to you or to the promotional material that you are actually going to hand out, it is best that you keep your focus on what’s inside, what the people would actually want to read or hear about. Appearance is nothing when you have nothing but fluff to back-up those glitter laced packages.

4. Accompany Your Presentation With Useful Resources

When making a promotional material for your keynote speaker appearances always make sure that your promotional material absolutely screams of your would be topic and make sure that it is a highly interesting one at that! Your audience will also appreciate viewing various testimonials from fellow believers, lacing your promotional materials with legitimate and accurate testimonials from actual persons who been to your talks affirms your claims as being an incredibly good keynote speaker who’s really able to reach out to people and who’s ideas and advices are really worth following.

Also, don’t ever forget to list down you credentials, that is, if you have any but try to stick to the ones that are relevant to your career as a keynote speaker and also leave some space wherein you will be able to talk about your field of expertise. But you also keep in mind to keep all these facts concise and novel like as people’s attention may tend to drift from one thing to another and you wouldn’t want to saturate their minds and their interest in you with a novel long promotional material.

5. Appearance and Presentation

Before going to your speaking engagement, pick the clothes you are going to wear. Choose something that will help you to feel confidence and will make you look credible. A neatly and well dressed speaker is more believable than a speaker who is poorly dressed and looks like something the cat dragged in.

For more great public speaking related articles and resources check out http://www.1st-class-speakers.com
Article Source: http://articlesbeyondbetter.com

How to Develop a Dynamic Story

2005-12-19T10:55:00.000-08:00

By: Barbara White,

Story telling is a very effective way to get your point across. Here are some tips to help you develop a dynamic powerful story.

• Decide on the purpose for the story. What is the main point you want to make? Slant the telling of the story so that that point is clear.

• Create the backdrop. Describe the scene so that the audience can picture it in their minds. What is the time, location, weather? What is going on emotionally, physically, or spiritually?

• Introduce the main characters. Help your audience to picture the important characters through detailed descriptions. Become them; describe their relationships, quirks and personality. Add character voices or mannerisms to make them different from your own.

• Begin the Journey. What is the task, the goal, and the journey to take? What are the challenges that need to be faced?

Finish reading this article
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Barbara White helps speakers develop dynamic speaking skills through workshops, training and coaching. For more articles on speaking skills visit http://www.livingbeyondbetter.com/ and http://www.articlesbeyondbetter.com/

Speak and Touch the Heart

2005-12-14T10:54:00.000-08:00

By: Barbara White

Presentations and seminars become all too familiar in the business world. Jim Speaker is there with the overhead projector and PowerPoint slides-each with four of five points.
Hours later the seminar is over. Seminars are informative but can be deadly.
Just give me the handout and I’ll read it at home!

It takes a dynamic presenter to step out from behind the lectern and shake up and motivate their audience.

Facts touch or mind, but it is the power that comes from stories that touch hearts.

Everybody loves a story. Stories give us insight life and human nature. They can make us laugh and they can make us cry. Story telling will go beyond the bullet points and will make a memorable impression on the heart that can change a life.

As a speaker, how can you use stories to give your presentation the impact that you desire:
• Tell inspirational stories to persuade, motivate or entertain. Use stories to illustrate the point you want to make. Try to find stories that are relevant to the audience. For example, for software engineers, tell a story about the young engineer who started a company in his garage and how Microsoft changed the world.

• Tell a story from your own experience. Make a habit of keeping a story journal and record your day’s experiences. You will have a rich supply of unique experiences to draw from to illustrate your point.

Read the rest of this article

Profit From Effective Public Speaking

2005-11-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

By: Stephen Pope

Developing and utilizing presentation skills can result in increased income for you. Here are a few ways that you can turn your public speaking experience into business profits.

1. Free Speeches to Promote Your Business

A lawyer might make a speech to a group of business persons, free of charge, about the advantages of incorporating their businesses. This could result in obtaining new clients. It could also cause existing clients to purchase additional services, such as incorporations, minute book work, income tax election filings, and so on.

2. Paid Seminars, Workshops and Teleclasses

You could charge admission fees to attend a seminar entitled "How To Incorporate Yourself Without a Lawyer". This seminar could detail the considerations and mechanics of incorporating your own private corporation.

3. Sell Information Products

The information presented during a speech or seminar could form the basis for information products such as books, courses, special reports or folios, audios, videos, DVDs, electronic books, and so forth. For example, you could write a book entitled "How To Incorporate Yourself Without a Lawyer".

Including such products as handouts at your seminar would increase the value for the attendees (which you could charge for). Even if you gave a free speech to a group, you could still receive back-end income from the sale of such information products.

Obviously, your public speaking skills will be especially important when producing an audio or video cassette. Your listeners and viewers will make certain judgments based on your personal appearance, poise, audience contact, use of gestures, enthusiasm, how informative the material is, and many other factors.

Your information products establish your credibility as an expert, resulting in even more business. As well, you can market those same information products through mail order, direct mail, Internet marketing, and other methods.

4. Consulting and Other Opportunities

As your reputation as an expert in your specialized field grows, you will become more in demand. Clients may seek you out for lucrative speaking engagements. You may be invited to write magazine articles, consult for large corporations, act as an expert trial witness, become a syndicated columnist, et cetera.

Therefore, whether you are a novice or an experienced public speaker, it pays to increase and utilize your public speaking skills.

Article Source: Articles Beyond Better

J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years. To learn more about effective public speaking and other profitable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit www.yenommarketinginc.com/public-speaking.html

Six Steps To Becoming A Powerful Public Speaker

2005-11-25T01:38:00.000-08:00

Public speaking ranks right up there in terms of the things we are afraid to do. Whether it’s the fear of being watched closely by others, or the insecurity and self-conscious feeling of slipping up during the presentation, these six tips will help you give a polished, professional speech that you (and your audience) can be proud of!

1. Know your audience.

This is the single best piece of advice for delivering a presentation. What are there interests? Their backgrounds? Why are they coming to hear you speak? What ideas do you have to share with them? Approaching your speech as more of a “me-to-you” discussion rather than a full-blown broadcast makes it less stressful.

2. What do you want your audience to do as a result of your speech?

What’s really at the heart of your presentation? By concentrating on the “end result” rather than slogging through the beginning, you create a powerful punch that drives home your message instead of rambling on.

3. Share a story.

In public speaking circles, this is called a “hook” – something that gets your audience’s attention and makes them sit up and listen. Start off by asking questions or sharing an experience you had. People like to be active, rather than passive listeners. By giving them something that they can identify with, you’ll find that these people are just like you; that makes giving a presentation a whole lot easier. Be sure your story has a beginning, a point, and an ending. There’s nothing quite as bad as telling a story to an engaged audience and then forgetting why you told it!

4. If you’re selling a product, focus on the benefits instead of the features.

People would much rather hear WHAT a product can do for them than HOW it does it. Narrow down your product’s features until you get to the core of how it solves a problem. If you need help with figuring out the difference between a feature and a benefit, ask yourself “So What?” For example, if you’re selling a vacuum cleaner that has a hypoallergenic filter, put yourself in the customer’s shoes and ask yourself “so what?” The answer would be something like, “It picks up dust, mold and pet dander”. Again, “so what?” Answer, “You’ll feel relief from runny nose and sneezing plus itchy, water eyes.” Now THAT’s a benefit!

5 Powerpoint presentations are great but they can be overwhelming – or downright boring. Instead, give your audience something to DO by providing them with fill-in-the-blank flip charts or “team activities”. These help reinforce and emphasize your message in ways that a computer presentation simply cannot.

6. Make sure your speech ends in a way that reiterates the beginning.

Speakers can get carried away with the details and leave their audiences asking, “What was the point of all that?” People naturally digest information in “chunks”, so focus on the big picture rather than all the pieces. If the details are just as important, save it for an after-speech handout that the audience can take with them and read over at their leisure.

If you keep these six tips in mind, you’ll not only have an easier time overcoming your fear of public speaking, but you’ll have a very appreciative audience who will in turn be more receptive and eager to try your product or service. Go get ‘em!

Article Source: Articles Beyond Better

www.bornspeaker.com is Sintilia Miecevole's site with all kinds of speaker information from keynote, motivational, professional and dynamic speakers to car, stereo, motorcycle, outdoor speakers and much more. Be sure to visit www.bornspeaker.com for all of your speaker information.

Top 10 E's to Motivate and Influence an Audience

2005-11-18T00:04:00.000-08:00

Speak with E's.

Be a speaker of influence not control or guilt. With the privilege of the platform comes the awesome responsibility of motivating and influencing your audienceto feel/think/act differently.

1. Educate provide your audience with extensive information on your topic. This will empower attendees to feel competent and knowledgeable. Support your points with stories. Stories help us see through the eyes of other people. Adults delineate their thoughts visually.

2. Entertain give them the facts laced with a good dose ofhumor. Adults learn better when they are lightening up! Here's the place for some magic tricks, handwriting analysis or a song.

3. Experience get the audience involved. When they interact, they get it better and retain it longer. Group exercises, simple questions and answers, role-plays.

4. Enthusiasm vary your tone of voice, smile often, and show passion for your subject matter. Make your body language reflect your comments.

5. Example be the speaker/person who motivates the audience to admire and respect you. You have succeeded when people say, I want to be like him/her.

6. Encourage be supportive to your audience believe in them. Acknowledge them Say, I did it and so can you

7. Excellence hold yourself accountable for excellence. And then help your audience be accountable and live up toits potential. Speakers need to give audiences what they need, not what they want.

8. Expertise demonstrate that you know your stuff. Speakabout what you know from your business background, personal experiences and research. Be perceived as an expert on your topic.

9. Eloquence deliver your speech with high energy, sincerity, inspiration, and a sense of humor. Are you one of a kind? What makes you different from your competitors?

10. End result you want to energize your audience to take some risks, some action, go to the edge and execute. . .make their dreams come true, or get the job done. Your information should be useful and immediately applicable to their lives.

COPYRIGHT: C2005 by Sandra Schrift.

All rights reserved

Sandra Schrift 13 year speaker bureau owner and now career coach to emerging and veteran public speakers who want to "grow" a profitable speaking business. I also work with business professionals and organizations who want to master their presentations.J
oin my free bi-weekly Monday Morning Mindfulness ezinehttp://www.schrift.com/monday.htm

Talk About Confidence

2005-11-11T09:43:00.000-08:00

If you asked me to choose the single greatest benefit I could claim as the result of my Toastmasters experience, I would choose confidence. With so many skills and techniques to be learned, confidence can be the most elusive. Confidence is stealthy. It creeps up on you, slowly at first, then building in intensity until one day you realize it’s there.

Confidence is not the thing that propels you to the front of a room to give a talk. That’s courage.

Confidence is not what gives you the ability to speak fluently and elegantly on your topic. That’s expertise. Nor is confidence the way in which you move about the platform, your emphatic gestures or your booming voice. That’s presentation style. The actual substance of your contribution is more subtle, more sophisticated than mere flash.

Confidence is quieter. It comes from the knowledge that no matter the calamity or crisis, you can trust your ability to cope gracefully. Confidence is that esoteric something that can be difficult to describe, yet you know it when you see it.

Confidence is acquired, not given. It is an idiosyncrasy in our language that we say, “That really gave me a lot of confidence.” I tend to think of confidence “given” as that which is temporary, such as a compliment. It can be fleeting, when, for example, you are the recipient of an unflattering remark ten minutes later. Instead, think of confidence as the result of a simple mathematical equation: Time plus experience equals confidence.

The first portion of the equation, time, is a constant. Time elapses, whether you like it or not. The second part of the equation is the variable. Experience is simply trial and error, trial and success. You must have both, or there will be nothing that can be learned. In any competition, it is the person who comes in at second place that gains more from the experience. It is the second place winner who picks apart his performance, analyzes every angle, and strategizes the next step to success. No one likes to lose, but if you are at all competitive you will use the next attempt and the experience of coming up short to win. How many times have you said, “I won’t make that mistake again”? Knowledge is one of the ingredients that makes experience a variable. We choose to learn from our mistakes.

Confidence doesn’t come from being told that you are good, it lies in knowing that you’re good. From there, greatness is an exercise. It’s up to you to use time and experience to your fullest potential. This may require new choices, but by that time you will have earned the confidence you will need to go as far as you desire. You will also possess the skills and experience that will enable you to teach others. Talk about confidence!

Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.

Laura Gillson is a speaker, author and educator specializing in disability awareness, advocacy, accessibility and assistive technology. For corporate, community or caregiver training, visit Eloquent Insights at http://www.eloquentinsights.com. If you need help with in-home care, you’ll find it at In-Home Insights at http://www.inhomeinsights.com. Finally, you’ll discover a site for sore eyes at Accessible Insights at http://www.accessibleinsights.com. The author's email address is lgillson@eloquentinsights.com.

Take a Peek

2005-11-04T00:59:00.000-08:00

Public Speaking Tips: Take a Peek
by Tom Antion

I usually have notes hidden around the stage, but the audience never knows that I'm looking at them.I look at my notes that are lying flat on my table when
1. The audience is laughing
2. When I'm pushing buttons on my laptop
3. When I walk past the table looking down and holding my chin as if I'm thinking.
4. When I go to the table to pick up a prop or piece of paper.
5. When the audience is watching short videos on the screen.

Some people tape their notes to the floor when they are on a raised stage, but I don't like that because you have to look down too often for no apparent reason.Another good trick is to lightly pencil in notes to yourself on the edge of flip chart pages. The audience can't see them, but you can when you are near the flipchart.

Getting Motivated By A Motivational Speaker?

2005-10-31T00:06:00.000-08:00

By: Trevor Marshall,

In the past years, there has been a sudden rise of motivational speakers. They appear in television and in magazines as well as sold out seminars that are just brimming with people who are just craving to get some direction with their lives.

A motivational speaker, instead of focusing on the financial gains that he or she will most probably get from these seemingly “needy” people, should focus his or her attention to actually motivating people to actually be the best that they can be through their sheer motivation to change their lives for the better that is actually inspired by such a speaker.

A motivational speaker is, most often rather should be seen as, an expert, the one person who “normal people” can rely on when it comes to instilling positive thinking in them as well as providing them not just the answers that they want to hear but the answers that they would actually need and eventually help them with their lives. Speakers are actually regarded quite highly by the people who depend on them for the “answers.”

A good motivational speaker should exude confidence (not cockiness!) by being extremely knowledgeable as compared to most people, even one’s own colleagues about a specific topic. This is what makes speakers highly in-demand especially when organizers are trying to set-up an event or a seminar that aims to educate people about a certain topic. However, a motivational speaker shouldn’t just rely on book smarts to be able to help him or her throughout his or her motivational speaker career. Various experiences can actually help enrich a speaker’s expertise and knowledge about a certain topic. This is actually that will serve the speaker on a positive note considering that the audience during seminars actually want real affirmations of what the speaker is trying to teach them. People who are in doubt need the actual proof for them to be able to motivate themselves to believe.

For those who are aspiring to become a motivational speaker, here are a few reminders from public speaking experts that you should know before actually pursuing your dream as a motivational speaker as well as being able to get the attention of the people and companies who might want to get your services :

*First and foremost, for you to be able to motivate other people and get them out of the rut that they’re in, you must have a pleasant-sounding, clear and well-modulated voice. The type of voice that a speaker should have so as to be able to command attention. This is incredibly important because as a motivational speaker, or any kind of public speaker for that matter, you must be able to get a hold of your audience’s attention..........................

Finish this article

Article Source: Articles Beyond Better

For more great motivational speaker tips and ideas check out: http://www.event-speaker.com/ ©Copyright 2005 Trevor Marshall This article may be republished as long as this section is included and all links are left live.

Ten Tips to Send Your Audience to Sleep

2005-10-30T00:45:00.000-07:00

Have you ever fallen asleep when listening to a speech or presentation? Sometimes a little nap during a presentation can boost your energy for the rest of the day. Speakers- if you want to be the one to send your audience to sleep, so they will be fully alert for other people’s presentations follow these ten tips.

Make sure that your material is dry and boring. Make sure that your material is either highly technical or complex. If at all possible fill your speech with specialized academic content that is not easily understood without prior study and research.

Do not include any explanations or illustrations to make the content understandable to the average person in your audience.

Schedule your speech to be at the end of a long day or after a big meal. This will give added incentive for drowsiness and lethargy.

Speak softly and avoid any expression or vocal variety that might distract or interest your audience.

Stand still behind the lectern for the entire speech. Any movement or sudden gestures could wake up your audience.

Avoid any variation in style in your presentation. Do not change from talking to using a flip chart, PowerPoint or any other kind of visual aid or prop that will attract attention.

Do NOT include any humor or stories in your speech that might illustrate the important points you wish to communicate.

Do not keep to the topic of the speech. Spend a large amount of time rambling about subjects or personal experiences that are boring and totally off topic.

Speak about a topic that is very familiar to your audience. Keep your content to things that they already know.

Provide highly detailed handouts, so that your audience will not miss out on any important information during their snooze. Make sure that you do not say anything that is not included in the hand out. For best results, just read the handout word for word.

Hopefully, by following carefully the ten tips outlined here, you will have the satisfaction of seeing an entire audience snoring quietly and happily throughout your entire presentation. If you do not follow these tips you may be alarmed to discover that your audience is alert and interested in what you have to say.

Barbara White of Beyond Better Development is speaker and trainer. Barbara inspires and empowers people and organizations to become Beyond Better . For more informative and inspiring articles visit her websites http://www.livingbeyondbetter.com and http://www.articlesbeyondbetter.com

The Rule of Three

2005-10-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

A humor technique from the world of comedy.
There is a useful joke structure in humor writing called the rule-of-three. Here's an example of the rule-of-three which I've used as the greeting on my telephone answering machine: "Sorry I can't personally answer the phone. I'm either motivating thousands of people, appearing on the Oprah show...or taking a nap. Please leave a message and I'll return your call when I wake up."

Here's what makes the rule of three work:
A funny line is sometimes said to be like a train wreck. You know where the train (your train of thought) has been, you think you know where it's going, but then you're surprised when it goes off track.
The same sort of thing happens when you see the unexpected slip on the banana peel. The surprise or twist helps build the tension to create and magnify the humor. The rule-of-three structure sets a pattern like the train coming down the tracks. You'll see a similar principle in action in a two-person comedy act. The straight person sets up the pattern which the funny person's punchline will break. The rule-of-three structure uses this same structure. The first two items in the triplet set the pattern (the "straight" line) and the third item breaks the pattern (the curve/the twist/the derailment). Breaking the pattern heightens the tension and creates the surprise, usually resulting in laughter.

There are countless patterns you could use:
Same Category/Same Category/Different Category (T-shirt which lists world-class cities: Paris/Tokyo/Fargo).

Expected Trait/Expected Trait/Unexpected Trait (She was pretty, she was shapely, she was a man).

Something Everyone Loves/Something Everyone Loves/Something Everyone Hates (A Las Vegas wedding package contains everything you will need; music, flowers, a divorce document).

Ordinary/Ordinary/Ridiculous (I go to Las Vegas to see the shows, eat at the buffets and visit my money).

Extreme/Extreme/Ordinary (Speaking to thousands, appearing on Oprah, taking a nap)

Rhyme/Rhyme/Rhyme (rhyming sets a pattern and can disguise or add a special twist to the third-item punchline). Here's an example I created for a 50th birthday party using the "answer first then the question" vehicle which Johnny Carson made famous. "The answer is…Three things that describe Suzie Smith. And the question is…what are Nifty, Thrifty and Fifty." This example also uses the category Something Good/Something Good/Something Not So Good (people don't want to get older). I could have used the word Shifty as one of the first two words, but that would have been less effective setting the proper pattern.

Why three? It's just one of those tried and true rules of comedy. It's a rhythm that works. It's part of the music of the humor structure. Experiment and you'll find it's true...a series of three almost always works better than a series of two or four.

Use the rule-of-three technique and it will become a natural part of your humor tool kit. You'll find yourself to be funnier, you'll connect better with your audiences, and in only fifteen years you'll become an overnight success.

Copyright 2005 by John Kinde

This article may be copied or republished with the following credit:
"By John Kinde, Motivational Humorist from Las Vegas, NV.(702) 263-4363 http://www.humorpower.com/"

How To Be A Great Speaker Without Using Powerpoint

2005-10-12T14:58:00.000-07:00

By: TomAntion,

RESEARCH YOUR AUDIENCE

It amazes me how some speakers will show up for a speaking engagement and really not know anything about the audience they are speaking to. Many speakers just get lazy and feel that their message is so important that anyone would want to hear it. They couldn't be more wrong. Your core message may be about the same for everyone, but knowing your audience will allow you to slant the information so that the audience feels it was prepared just for them. They will relate much better to the information and think much more highly of you for creating something specifically for them. Of course, in many cases you were only slanting your information, but I won't tell if you won't.

PRACTICE

The only way to look polished while speaking is to practice. This is one skill you cannot delegate to anyone else. It is you that is on stage with the microphone and it is you who will look either great or terrible. You are sadly mistaken and egotistical if you think the PowerPoint slides that either you or someone else created will make you a dynamic speaker. There are specific techniques used to practice that don't take much time and make you look extremely polished. One of these techniques is called bits. You practice a short piece of material over and over again. You don't practice it word for word, but just talk your way through it. This way you won't blank out when a distraction happens while you are on stage.

TAKE CARE OF HECKLERS

The following is my famous asterisk technique; I use it to make sure hecklers don't interrupt my presentation. I get people in the group to identify potential troublemakers BEFORE I get to the event. I phone these people and interview them to give them the attention they are craving. I then mention their names during the speech. This virtually eliminates the chance they will give me a hard time because I am praising one of their opinions. This works really well but don't mention their names exclusively or the rest of the audience that knows these people are trouble may think that you are just as bad. Mention a wide variety of people in the audience. Just make sure the bad ones are included which normally keeps them at bay.

USE EMOTIONAL LANGUAGE

Boring old facts rarely move people to action. Learning to use words that evoke emotions in people will make a much greater impact when you speak. There are many emotions you can trigger in the audience just by your choice of words. Happiness, anger, sadness, nostalgia are just a few. Knowing your purpose for being in front of the group helps you to pick which emotions you want to tap. When your purpose is known, choosing words to get the desired emotional response is much easier. For instance, if you wanted to take someone back to a childhood experience you might say, "Do you remember when someone did something bad at school and the teacher smacked the yardstick on her desk?" The word Phrase "smacked the yardstick" would evoke an emotional response that many adults can relate to. A younger group may not relate to this phrase since corporal punishment has all but disappeared from schools. You must pick the words that would mean something to your audience.

REVEAL YOURSELF

Some people have trouble implementing this idea because..........

Read the rest of this article

Article Source: Articles Beyond Better

Ten Steps To Fearless Public Speaking

2005-09-16T14:42:00.000-07:00

by Graham Jones
There is plenty of dubious material which suggests you can combat public speaking fear. Much of it includes fancy techniques such as 'visualisation' or 'breathing techniques'. Well, they might work. But this ten step system is GUARANTEED TO WORK. That's because instead of fancy tricks and techniques, this system of dealing with public speaking fear uses your body's natural defences against fear.

STEP ONE
Prepare well. Naturally enough, the more prepared you are the more likely you are to feel in control, which will NATURALLY help your nervousness reduce.

STEP TWO
Practice, practice, practice. You can't do too much practice. Don't listen to those people who say you can over-practice. Tell that to circus artists who practice day in day out for decades, just to get their act right. You don't hear actors and musicians complaining they had 'too much' rehearsal time. The more your rehearse, the better.

STEP THREE
Say your speech OUT LOUD. Whether you are in the car, the bath, or going for a walk with the dog, say it out loud. Going through your talk 'in your head' means you don't benefit from something called 'psychomotor memory' - whereby the memory for what you need to say is partly embedded in the muscles of your mouth.

STEP FOUR
Get to the venue early. Get a feel for the room. Sit where the audience will sit so you can see it from their perspective. Walk around the auditorium. Practice your speech on the stage itself. The more comfortable you are with the room, the less your nerves will be.

STEP FIVE
Get some exercise. A walk, a swim, a session in the gym, it doesn't matter what you do, as long as you get some exercise in the couple of hours before your talk. That way you'll change the chemistry of your blood supply in your own favour. Exercise is essential in reducing nerves. Do not skimp on this.

STEP SIX
Chew some mints or sweets. While waiting to go on stage, chew something. This will produce saliva which also helps reduce nerves. If you drink water your saliva production will go down and your nervousness will rise. Avoid water when presenting.

STEP SEVEN
When you go up on stage, smile. No matter how false it feels to you, the audience won't notice. Just smile. It helps produce hormones that lead to a more relaxed feeling.

STEP EIGHT
Be active on the stage. Move around, use big gestures and get as much body movement as you can. The more you move the more relaxed you will feel.

STEP NINE
Look people in the eye. Make as much eye contact as you can. The more the better. Eye contact is essential in helping you feel good and reducing your nerves.

STEP TEN
Use feedback. Always gain feedback on your speeches. You'll soon discover you are a lot better than you think you are, which is bound to help boost your confidence.

Graham Jones is a psychologist and public speaker. He has helped over 17,000 people overcome their fear of public speaking. He runs The Presentation Business to help you speak in public. See: The Presentation Business

Or sign up for a series of tips via email: tips@presentationbiz.com

Go With the Flow and Be Funnier

2005-09-16T00:49:00.000-07:00

John Kinde

When you deliver a funny line (one that YOU thought was funny)
and the audience does not laugh, just realize that they are
gently correcting your faulty assumption. They are making you a
better presenter the next time you step on the platform. They are
doing you a favor. They are coaching you to eliminate the joke or
change it. When you are greeted by silence, simply pretend you
were serious. After all, a well delivered humor line should come
as a surprise. If they don't laugh, it's your secret. And maybe
use a stock line like, "the reason I told you that story was..."
And make a learning point. Hopefully everything you share with
your audiences makes a point! Pretend that you never did expect
them to laugh in the first place, and keep moving. They will
never know!

Remember one of the key secrets of the good humorist. Go with the
flow. Do not try so hard to be funny and your humor will usually
be blessed with a more relaxed, natural style and one with
greater impact.

(JohnKinde@Humorpower.com)

Stage Fright

2005-09-14T23:02:00.000-07:00

Stage fright Is Good and Makes You Better Looking Too! Before you learn how to speak in public, it is important to be ready to speak in public. Stage fright is a phenomenon that you must learn to control if you want to be good at public speaking. Actually, stage fright isn't the most accurate term for the nervousness that occurs when considering a speaking engagement. In fact, most of the fear occurs before you step on-stage. Once you're up there, it usually goes away. Try to think of stage fright in a positive way. Fear is your friend. It makes your reflexes sharper. It heightens your energy, adds a sparkle to your eye, and color to your cheeks. When you are nervous about speaking, you are more conscious of your posture and breathing. With all those good side effects you will actually look healthier and more physically attractive.

When making public performances, many of the top performers in the world get stage fright so you are in good company. Stage fright may come and go or diminish, but it usually does not vanish permanently. You must concentrate on getting the feeling out in the open, into perspective and under control.

Remember Nobody ever died from stage fright or speaking in public. But, according to surveys, many people would rather die than speak in public. If that applies to you, try out some of the strategies in this section to help get yourself under control. Realize that you may never overcome stage fright, but you can learn to control it, and use it to your advantage in your public speaking efforts.
Tom Antion

How Well Do You Speak?

2005-09-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

Public speaking is the number one way to advance your career or your business. When you are a good speaker, you can close a sale, sell your point of view, and increase your productivity as a business professional.

Here are 10 tips to get you started.

1. The key to being a good speaker is to appear credible and knowledgeable about your subject. Be perceived as an expert on your topic. If you don't do this the audience will not listen well and you will not be correctly interpreted.

2. Should you begin your speech with a joke or humorous story? No, to the joke. Yes, to the funny story. Begin with a humorous story that relates to your speech material.This is a great way to connect with your audience.

3. Control your nerves before you begin. Visualize your success. (the audience wants you to succeed.) Take some deep breaths to bring about calm. If you are speaking in a cold, snowy location, then arrive early and walk the halls for about 5 minutes.

4. Your job is to take care of these four items:. hold the audience attention. make a favorable impression. know what to do with your hands. answer questions from the audience at the end of your speech (if you don't know and answer, say, "I don't know, but I'll get the information to you later.")

5. Make eye contact. Look at one person long enough to deliver one complete thought, then move to another person and do the same. When you do this, everyone in the audience will feel that you are speaking to them also.

6. Why are visual aids important to enhance your message? Well, they jazz up your message and most importantly they increase the audience retention of your point(s). Most of us delineate our thoughts visually. So your audienceneeds to see as well as hear.

7. Don't make these mistakes. . forgetting to check the audio-visual equipment in advance of your speech. not demonstrating "enthusiasm" in your voice. projecting your voice too forcefully. forgetting to provide your program chair with your introduction

8. Rehearse! Rehearse! Rehearse! All good speakers prepare their presentation and then rehearse it for their friends, colleagues, spouse/partner, in front of your bathroom mirror and even videotape themselves for playback. I even line up stuffed animals (borrowed from my grandchildren)on chairs and create an imaginary "furry" audience.

9. Listen to good speakers, and then become one! All speakers do not sound alike. So hear a variety of styles. Do you want to be a Tony Robbins, Dennis Waitley, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, or Colin Powell? Get some ideas and then work on your OWN style. Include remarks that reach all the styles in your audience. Express yourself so that people can get auditory, visual and kinesthetic messages.

10. Why should you become an accomplished speaker? It will make you more self-confident. You will become more persuasive. You will be more dynamic in your delivery style. You don't need to do this alone. I coach speakers who want masterful presentations and am here to help you. too.

Email me at sandra@schrift.com and be sure to visit my website for more tips at www.schrift.com/tips.htm http://www.schrift.com/group_coaching.htm COPYRIGHT: C2005 by Sandra Schrift. All rights reserved