Fearless & Persuasive Speaking

Reduce the Data on Your PowerPoint Slides-Video PowerPoint Tip

Doug Staneart — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:25:48 +0000

Reduce the Data on Your PowerPoint Slides-Video PowerPoint Tip

Too Much Data on Your PowerPoint Slides: Your PowerPoint slide deck should be a visual aid to help you explain your point, so if you put too much data on a slide (too much text, too many numbers, or charts and graphs – gasp – Is he saying we can’t use charts and graphs?) you will overwhelm you audience and cause them to attempt to draw their own conclusions about the data.

Your PowerPoint slide should convey a simple concept at a glance.

A good rule is what we call 6X6, which means to limit your number of words per line to six and limit your number of lines to about six as well. That way, no matter how big or small your room is, your audience will be able to read your data, and it will be easy for the audience to instantly understand the concept you are communicating.

Memorable Fearless Presentations Workshop follows the Super Bowl in Indianapolis, Indiana

robjackson — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:17:27 +0000

The Super Bowl wasn’t the only important event in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Leaders Institute held another Public Speaking Workshop right after the historic game. The people attending the workshop realized that they had a lot in common with the football players. They learned that it takes practice to be great at anything involving skill. Just as football players practice non-stop to be great at their sport, so do great public speakers. The only way to have confidence in your skills as a great presenter is to practice those skills very regularly until you have the boldness and confidence that those players did as they stepped on the field for the most important game of their career. Many times people are assigned an important presentation that will make or break their career. In those situations, you need two important things, a good coach and a whole lot of practice. The Leaders Institute Instructors have conducted hundreds of workshops and had thousands of people successfully develop the skills and confidence to deliver a game winning touchdown of a presentation. With the help of a professional instructor, participants learn to overcome anxiety and design a highly impactful and engaging presentation.

So, get off the bench and get in the game and attend one of Fearless Presentation Workshops held all over the country. You can find a location near you by going to FearlessPresentations.com .

Public Speaking class in San Francisco allows participants to overcome the fear of public speaking

chrismcneany — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:12:21 +0000

Public Speaking class in San Francisco allows participants to overcome the fear of public speaking through. The Leader’s Institute® conducted its Fearless Presentations® public speaking class to a small but mighty group of people who started off shy and ended up bold and engaging public speakers.

The participants in this class wanted to overcome the fear of public speaking and all the problems that come with it: the shaky voice, butterflies in the stomach, and shallow breathing that happens as a result of nervousness. By repeatedly getting up in front of the class under the coaching of a certified instructor with The Leader’s Institute®, the participants were able to get rid of their nervous jitters and become confident speakers.

The Leader’s Institute® regularly comes to San Francisco, California for its public speaking class, in addition to cities across the U.S. year round.

People Make A Difference: Danny Brassell interview

Ian — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:07:22 +0000

I was interviewed earlier today on the “People Make a Difference” show hosted by Danny Brassell from California State University, Dominguez Hills that showcases the positive contributions of people in various communities . I met Danny in late 2011 at a National Speakers Northern California Chapter event and he invited me to be a guest [...]

Eliminate Death by PowerPoint (Public Speaking Tip Video)

Doug Staneart — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:23:10 +0000

New PowerPoint Tip Video

Eliminate Death by PowerPoint is a new public speaking tip video in our PowerPoint Tip series. This is video #2.

Too many PowerPoint slides cause the audience to be bored and lose interest, so remember that in public speaking visual aids, less is more. Reduce the number of slides in your slide deck and create more of a conversation with your audience. Give more examples and analogies, and better explain the content of your main bullet points for a better presentation.

Creating too many slides and using them as a crutch to make sure that we don’t forget anything in our presentation sounds like a good idea when we start designing, our presentation, but in reality, it is a really, really big mistake. Oddly enough, this mistake most often occurs because we make the first mistake. (See PowerPoint Mistake #1 Designing the Slideshow First) Slide… Click… Slide… Click… Slide… Click… is a very boring way to deliver a presentation and makes the presenter look unprepared and uninformed about his/her topic. Only add a slide if the slide helps you better clarify your point.

Participants in the Detroit Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Class Learn about the Importance of Making Good Eye Contact

robjackson — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:55:11 +0000

Participants in the Detroit Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Class Learn about the Importance of Making Good Eye Contact and Smiling at the Audience. Many times, people who have some nervousness in public speaking don’t make good eye contact with the people in the audience. This is one of the biggest mistakes that you can make as a public speaker. Good eye contact is vitally important in developing a positive rapport with the people who are listening to you presentation. The key to overcoming the fear of having good eye contact is to look for the smiling faces in the crowd who are giving you positive feedback with their smiles and nodding heads. When we focus on the people who are truly engaged in our presentations, it takes away the nervousness that we often feel inside when we speak in public or do a big presentation.

What happens if No-One is smiling…Smile at them!! Usually the reason no one smiles during a person’s speech is that the speech is low energy and to serious. The best thing that a speaker can do is smile at their audience and they will find that they will smile back. It’s a natural human response.

So the next time that you start to feel the fear of public speaking start to sneak up on you while you’re giving a presentation , remember to smile at your audience and keep good eye contact with them.

For more help with this challenge and overcoming the fear of Public Speaking go to www.fearlesspresentations.com

The Atlanta Fearless Presentations Class Learns How to Handle Adversarial Questions

robjackson — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:50:48 +0000

Atlanta, Georgia — Participants in the Atlanta Fearless Presentations public speaking class Learn How to Handle Adversarial Questions. Every once in a while, someone will try to purposely trip you up in a presentation by asking a question that’s main intent is to make you look bad or show that you don’t know what you’re talking about. This is one of the reasons that people develop a fear of speaking in public or give a presentation. Usually, they are just having a bad day and want to take it out on someone, but we have to understand that as an effective speaker, we need to stay in control. It is human to respond to these types of attacks with a negative reaction, but this will destroy the rapport that you have spent your entire presentation building. So the most important thing you need to do is stay calm and never attack back!! Always respond back in a positive manner so that it will keep control of the situation and keep the audience on your side. If the person continues to attack, almost always, someone from your audience will come to your aide and tell the person to just keep quiet and listen to the presentation. But, this will not happen if you attach back or say something condescending to the rabble rouser.

So, if this ever happens to you while giving a speech, always remember to kill them with kindness and remember to never fight back. Keep control of your presentation and keep it positive.

For more help with this chalenge and overcoming the fear of Public Speaking go to www.fearlesspresentations.com

Interview: Timothy Tosta – transformative listener

Ian — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:30:55 +0000

Timothy Tosta is a cancer survivor, a seasoned hospice volunteer and a widely acclaimed speaker and lecturer. He is the author of two books and a featured columnist of the Daily Journal, California’s leading daily legal newspaper. Tim is an executive coach to legal and business communities. He also is recognized as one of California’s [...]

Urban Life in Modern China: rush-rush to crush-crush

Ian — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:33:31 +0000

In 1985, controversial French sociologist Michel Maffesoli created the term “urban tribe” to describe groups of people who share common interests. The current issue of The Economist has a fascinating article about the subdivisions of urban China into various improbably named tribes (or zu in Mandarin). These include: Yi zu, or ant tribe—recent graduates from [...]

What is the Most Embarrassing Thing that has Ever Happened to You or Someone Else in a Presentation?

Doug Staneart — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:27:51 +0000

What is the Most Embarrassing Thing that has Ever Happened to You or Someone Else in a Presentation? We’ve ll had those hiccups in presentation delivery where we either just freeze, or a visual aid malfunctions, or we prepare an hour-long speech and are told just before we start that our available time has dropped to 25 minutes. These glitches can cause embarrassment, but they are also fantastic opportunities to shine. What was your most embarrassing presentation moment, and if you recovered… how did you do it?

The Fearless Presentations Workshop in Washington DC was Another Total Success

robjackson — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:01:23 +0000

The Fearless Presentations Workshop in Washington DC was another total success. The class was full of determined individuals wanting to improve their presentations and public speaking skills. The quality of the instruction was equaled to the efforts of the attendees. The overwhelming consensus of the people was that they felt like the class greatly reduced their anxiety for speaking in front of groups. Also the instruction of how to design a presentation with the audience in mind was very helpful in preparing very effect presentations. Washington DC is known for their incredible orators…you can add another 13 to the list. The improvement was very evident from the group from the beginning to the end.

Participants in the Fearless Presentations class in Phoenix, Arizona Eliminate Fear of Public Speaking

chrismcneany — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:24:45 +0000

Fearless Presentations® class in Phoenix, Arizona helps participants become more confident speakers. Many of the participants in the class experienced a fear of public speaking and nervousness that was holding them back in their careers.

In the Fearless Presentations® class, participants are able to overcome the fear of public speaking by immediately practicing the exercises that the instructor explains. By no means is this a passive, lecture-based class. Participants spend more time out of their seats than in their seats! When they leave the class, they feel more confident not only about speaking in front of a group, but also about the future of their careers.

Phoenix, Arizona is just one of the cities the Fearless Presentations® class comes to in the U.S. throughout the year. Participants are guaranteed to reduce their nervousness and improve their public speaking skills.

Relevant Resources: Books to Kick Off 2012

Ian — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:16:12 +0000

I help edit SPEAKER Magazine for the National Speakers Association (NSA). Each month I curate the Relevant Resources column – a list of time-saving tools and technologies. The January/February edition lists books recommended by NSA members as inspiration for the New Year. Go Ahead and Laugh: A Serious Guide to Speaking with Humor, by Rich [...]

Manufacturing Industry: China will win, hands down

Ian — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:11:12 +0000

I download podcasts and listen to them on my drive to work. Today, driving my 16-year-old car which has any number of replacement auto parts keeping it on the road, listening to a 3-year-old Apple iPod, I heard two stories which described how electronics and auto parts are manufactured in China and America. Apart a [...]

PowerPoint is a Visual Aid Not the Presentation

Doug Staneart — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:55:31 +0000

This video is a first in a series of PowerPoint Tips to help viewers more quickly and easily design and deliver PowerPoint Presentations. Tip #1 is that PowerPoint is a Visual Aid, Not the Actual Presentation. Most people start designing their speech by creating their slideshow, but that is backwards. If you design your presentation first, it is more easy now to design slides that help explain or prove the points in your presentation. If you design the slideshow first, you are likely to use Powerpoint as a crutch which increases nervousness and increases the chances that you will actually forget something or lose your audience along the way.

Pre-Holiday Public Speaking Workshop in Chicago Illinois Helps 9 People become Fearless

robjackson — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:49:39 +0000

While many people are thinking about buying presents and preparing for the holiday season, the 9 people who attended the Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Workshop prepared for a more successful future by improving their public speaking skills. They came from as far away as Paris, France to Chicago, Illinois, with a common goal — overcome their fear of speaking in public and learn a more effective way to deliver presentations. Mission accomplished. Everyone experienced major improvement in the increased confidence in their newly developed skills in public speaking. They each got up in front of the group and delivered five well thought out and delivered presentations. The Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Workshop is centered on the philosophy is that we have to have right attitude to develop a new skill, we must learn the proper techniques to be a great presenter, and to practice the new skills. But, participants found that the biggest difference between this workshop and others they have attended was the Real Time Coaching performed by one of the Leaders Institute’s qualified and experienced instructors.

Don’t miss out on your opportunity to improve your ability to communicate by signing up for one of the Fearless Presentations Workshops in your city, or one close by.

Guest Posting: Worst Brand Name Award of 2011, by Alexandra Watkins

Ian — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:36:28 +0000

Alexandra Watkins is the Founder & Chief Innovation Officer at Eat My Words, a San Francisco based creative naming agency known for creating unforgettable brand names. The following post originally appeared in her blog and is reposted here with her express permission. Announcing the most frightful brand name of 2011… the Head Scratcher of the [...]

Interview: Larry Dodd – Change Agent

Ian — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:44:02 +0000

Larry Dodd is a proven financial leader, consultant and trainer who applies an innovative, people-centered approach that helps the teams that he serves turn problems into business opportunities. His professional career includes CFO roles with Robert Half’s CFO Services (consulting); Signature Properties and Meritage Homes. His client experience ranges from startups to established companies with [...]

Revealed! The Productivity Secrets of Laura Stack

Ian — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:39:55 +0000

Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker. Her mission is to build high-performance productivity cultures in organizations by creating Maximum Results in Minimum Time®. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm, specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations as well as the current president [...]

RECOMMENDED: Death By PowerPoint, by Alexei Kapterev

Ian — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:36:53 +0000

I’ve just come across Alexei Kapterev’s 2007 slideshare presentation that has attracted over a million hits. Take a look: Death by PowerPoint View more presentations from Alexei Kapterev Kapterev will be presenting on February 23, 2012 at the UK Speechwriters’ Guild London Spring Conference.

VIDEO: Creative challenges for the Holidays

Ian — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:20:49 +0000

Here’s wishing everyone a Happy Holiday with the sincere wish that clients or managers at work don’t try your patience in the ways shown in these two hilarious videos. Do either of these creative challenges resonate with you? Viewpoint Creative – Holiday Card from Viewpoint Creative on Vimeo.

Three Ways to Spice Up Your Business PowerPoint Presentations

Doug Staneart — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:50:51 +0000

Business PowerPoint Presentations have changed a lot in the last ten years, but some of the best presentation secrets have been around for a while. Almost 25 years ago I was given a little book published in the 1950’s. It was entitled, “Public Speaking as the Audience Likes It”. I don’t remember much of the contents, but I do remember the point- when you are preparing to make a presentation, consider the audience and think about the best way to present your material so they will enjoy the experience and remember the valuable material. So here 3 things you need to know to help you relate to your audience when you design a business PowerPoint presentation.

Consider Your Audience

Before you start to design a business presentation, spend some time thinking about those who are going to receive your message. What do they have in common? What do you know about who they are? What do they feel? What experiences have they had? Where are they coming from? Consider, from the audience’s perspective- what is so important about what I have to say? Why should they listen? How will they benefit? And how can I help them enjoy the experience?

Too often we begin our preparation thinking about what we want and need to say. We think about major point and what information we need them to assimilate or remember. We think about our responsibility, and if we have any fear or trepidation about being in front of people, we just wish it were over and prepare the message without much thought given to the audience.

That last line is too much too true. We prepare the message without much thought given to the audience. We think about the message, what we want to say and how we are best going to say it; we prepare our PowerPoint slides hoping that will “wow” the audience into valuing the material. We remember the KISS method of presentations and we keep is simple, stupid. Maybe we remember the old adage, stand up, speak up, shut up, sit down. Fun little sayings, but not much help.

First in your PowerPoint preparation is to consider the audience and the best way to communicate with them. Think about the specific people, the demographics, commonalities, idiosyncrasies; examine them from every angle you can. Also consider your venue- where you will be making your presentation. Will you be on a stage with people seated in front of you; will you be on the same level as your audience; will they be at tables, round or square; will you use a microphone- hand held, lapel, or stationary; what kind of interaction can I facilitate, and the list goes on based on your own experience and creativity. But always consider your audience; it will influence the rest of your presentation.

Second- Involve the Audience

The days of getting up and speaking and then sitting down have past. We live in an age of reality TV in which we get to vote on the results, interactive games on the computer and via game modems, we have unlimited accessibility through cell phones, email and texting. People are not used to sitting back and just listening, the presenter must get them involved. So you have considered your audience, and you know your message, now how do you get the audience involved?

It is more than asking questions and showing slides, it is putting something in their hands, it is incorporating movement, it is using as many of their senses as possible to get them and keep them involved.

Nearly every book on public speaking skills written within the last 15 years has a section on telling stories, but don’t just tell a story, show it. If you were riding a bike, then show it; if you were going over something, show it; if you were involved in a heated conversation, show it; if you were throwing a ball, show- never just tell a story, but show it, use gestures and plenty of them.

Are you talking about something, an object, show it, better yet, if possible give everyone a sample. If you are talking about something with an aroma, then work the smell into your presentation, use a candle, home baked cookies, incense, whatever it takes. Perhaps it is a sound, a firecracker, jet engine, ocean waves- find a way to duplicate it for your audience’s aural stimulation. Perhaps it is a taste, give them something to remind them of the taste, a candy bar; a drink; ice cream- be creative. Maybe it is a texture- then give them something to feel, sandpaper, a piece of cloth, a rock, use your imagination, but incorporate some type of extra sensory experience for your audience to participate with you in the presentation. Be creative and push the envelope. (Some things I have done- handed out ice cream, given latex gloves and pens so the audience could take notes on their hands (five points-five fingers), lit incense prior so the room would smell like pine trees, given out hotel size soaps; spoken in a Santa Claus suit and a guerrilla outfit; given the participants small craft packages to built a boat made out of wooden ice cream spoons a toothpick and a piece of cloth, given out colored pipe cleaners for participants to fashion antennas… the ideas are as limitless as your imagination. Do it- get your audience involved.

Third- Be Concise in Your Closing

Once you had delivered the main thrust of your PowerPoint presentation and have involved the audience, leave them wanting more. Be concise in your closing remarks. Highlight the high points and then be on your way. Too many speakers close with their main points but continue to drag on thinking that re and re-emphasizing will make the message stick. When it is time to end, then end. Don’t keep re-covering the topics and never introduce new material. If you have considered the audience, gotten them involved, then you can make a quick recap and let their involvement continue to speak after you have stopped.

Besides giving thoughtful consideration to your messages, these are three ideas to help your presentation be powerful and memorable- first, consider the audience; second, involve the audience; and third- make your closing concise.

Participates in New York Public Speaking Workshop See How Personalities Help or Hurt Presentations

robjackson — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:28:46 +0000

Participates of the Fearless Presentations public speaking workshop got to enjoy the fun of shopping in Manhattan, New York during the holiday season as well as strengthen their confidence in their ability to speak with confidence. One of the Gifts that they received in the workshop was an understanding of how their personalities are their greatest strength as well as their weakness when delivering a speech. Regardless of someone’s personality, the key is to overcome the fear of speaking in public first. Once the anxiety is overcome, people with outgoing personalities have the strength of sharing their presentations with passion and enthusiasm, while the introverted people will usually use facts and data to get their points across. An extrovert could benefit from including more evidence with their presentations, while the introvert will benefit by delivering their presentations with a little more enthusiasm and excitement.

Make sure to sign up for the Fearless Public Speaking Workshop next time it’s in New York in Early 2012 by going to www.FearlessPresentations.com .

Participants of Presentations Skills Class in Dallas Texas Deliver Concise and Compelling Presentations

chrismcneany — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:22:59 +0000

Presentation skills class in Dallas, Texas November 17-18 provided a great opportunity for participants to deliver concise, compelling presentations.

The Leader’s Institute® held its two-day presentation skills class in Dallas, Texas with a very energetic and enthusiastic group. Participants were able to get rid of the fear of public speaking and deliver dynamic, engaging presentations. By the end of the second day, each participant delivered their presentations with ease by learning how to use a clear, easy-to-follow structure. They were able to design these presentations in 15 minutes or less! Then they added more flavor to them, by incorporating stories, analogies, demonstrations, and audience participation questions.

The Leader’s Institute® offers more than just a presentation skills class. It’s truly a life-changing experience! Classes are offered approximately every 3 months in Dallas, Texas and across the U.S.

Book Review: The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics, by Dona M. Wong

Ian — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:16:51 +0000

Dona M. Wong’s slim volume is a beautifully printed guide to “The Do’s and Don’ts of Presenting Data, Facts, and Figures”. As a former graphics director at the WSJ she set standards that made sense of complex data for readers. As a student of well-known PowerPoint critic Edward Tufte she takes the theories of the [...]

Guest Posting: Write Like A Pro, by Carey C. Giudici

Ian — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:17:53 +0000

Carey C. Giudici is an award-winning journalist, poet and essayist who has decades of experience using extraordinary language to help individuals, businesses and communities tap into all of their resources and insights. This posting is an adapted version of one of six blog posts entitled “Write Like A Pro.” The series, along with a number [...]

Book Review: You Talkin’ To Me? by Sam Leith

Ian — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:23:14 +0000

They say to never judge a book by its cover. One can only hope that Sam Leith’s book on rhetoric, You Talkin’ to Me, rises above the graphic design disaster of its open-mouthed, red-lipped cover. It richly deserves to. Leith’s book is, in fact, a magnificently entertaining romp through the intricacies of classic rhetorical technique [...]

Relevant Resources: Holiday Gifts

Ian — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:26:16 +0000

I help edit SPEAKER Magazine for the National Speakers Association (NSA). Each month I curate the Relevant Resources column – a list of time-saving tools and technologies. The December edition listed a variety of gifts suitable for clients, speakers’ bureau contacts, colleagues, friends and loved ones. Whether the recipient is a foodie, science geek, chocolate [...]

VIDEO-Design Your Presentation Based on Your Audience

Doug Staneart — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:53:50 +0000

When you write a presentation or design a PowerPoint slideshow, make sure and think of your audience first. This public speaking video gives tips on how to write a speech better by considering the wants and needs of your audience first. When your audience changes, your presentation should also change. When your audience changes, your PowerPoint slideshow also needs to change. Consider your audience, and you are much more likely to have a success delivering your presentation.

This presentation skills video is one part of a three-part video series that helps presenters design presentations more quickly and easily. Subscribe to our feed or LIKE us on Facebook to receive additional tips in this series.

Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Workshop comes back to Sunny Miami Florida

robjackson — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:40:07 +0000

Another successful Fearless Presentation Public Speaking Workshop was completed in sunny Miami on November 15 and 16th 2011. The participants met at a beachside hotel to improve their presentation speaking skills. It was once again, as usual for Miami, a multi-national that had two goals in mind, to overcome their anxiety for speaking in public and to learn to design and deliver a more effective presentation. Countries like Croatia, St. Thomas Virgin Islands, and Canada, as several people from the United States participated in a two-day presentations course. The one thing that they all learned is that the fear of public speaking is universal, but something we can all do if we understand that public speaking is a skill that can be developed and mastered. The class saw significant improvement at the end of the second day felt much more confident with their ability to speak clearly and concisely. Fearless Presentations will be back in Miami in February of 2012, make sure to sign up today and take the next step to improving your public speaking skills.

The Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Workshop returns to Historic Boston Massachusetts.

robjackson — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:35:32 +0000

The Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Workshop returns to Historic Boston Massachusetts. Just as Paul Revere was able to ride up and down the streets of Boston yelling, “The British are coming, the British are coming,” with confidence and conviction, the participates in the Fearless Presentations class were able to speak with the same confidence after the went through the World Renowned Public Speaking Workshop put on by The Leaders Institute. The group learned 10 ways they could reduce the Anxiety that they, and most people feel before giving a presentation. It was another highly successful two days of building the skills necessary to have poise and confidence in public speaking. Don’t miss out on the next workshop in Boston in early 2012.

Interview: Manuela Pauer – Life Coach

Ian — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:14:38 +0000

Manuela Pauer, CPCC is a Certified Professional Coach and workshop leader. She is an authority in personal leadership and self empowerment. She works with clients who are stuck doing what they think they “should” be doing, rather than what they want to be doing. Her specialty is helping people fall in love with themselves so [...]

Infographic: All About Money

Ian — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:59:29 +0000

I’ve blogged about ways to represent large numbers that uses images of a trillion dollars stacked on pallets. Now, thanks to Kostas, my financial adviser, here’s a fascinating chart that’s all about money. To view, be sure to click on the ‘+’ symbol in the upper left of the screen a few times until you [...]

YMCA of the USA includes Adding Impact to Presentations breakout session at their annual conference in Chicago, IL

ellenpatnaude — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 04:55:37 +0000

I had a great time in Chicago recently with more than 60 staff from the YMCA of the USA offices from around the country as they held their annual conference, which included a breakout session workshop on Adding Impact to Presentations. The YMCA of the USA is the national organization that umbrellas the YMCA branches found in more than 10,000 communities across the US. This organization has been around for 160 years and serves millions of children and families every year. As one of our partner recipient organizations for our Build-A-Bike team building workshop, we were excited to have the opportunity to work with the Y in their staff’s development.

With only an hour together, it was a fast-paced workshop from the start! We talked about several powerful presentation skills tools for adding impact to any public speaking situation, and then did two exercises that gave everyone the opportunity to try them out. Storytelling is one of our most powerful tools, and the participants had a great time learning more about each other as they practiced our specific format.

“Everyone loved the presentation skills workshop! It was the first one to fill up when we offered it at registration, and it exceeded everyone’s expectations. Ellen was wonderful to work with before, during and after! We will definitely do this again in the future!” — Jackie Gordon, YMCA of the USA

Even hour-long breakout sessions can prove highly effective for enhancing your team’s presentation skills. The interactive style of workshop gives everyone the chance to try out what they are learning. If you want to give your next conference breakout sessions a boost, consider one of our many presentation skills or team building skills workshops!

Toastmaster Time TV Speech: A Tale of Two Cities

Ian — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 15:36:22 +0000

Earlier this month I spent an evening in the Palo Alto Community TV studios being filmed for the monthly Toastmaster Time TV production. This long-running show features speeches by members of different San Francisco Bay Area Toastmasters clubs. Archived speeches go back to 1997. Delivering a speech in a TV studio I’d given my speech, [...]

Video: Making Presentations Unforgettable – Kim A. Page

Ian — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:24:48 +0000

Last week I enjoyed an evening at the SVForum Tech Women’s meeting (men welcome!) hearing a presentation by Kim A. Page on ways to make a presentation unforgettable. Since the early 1990′s, Kim has worked as a consultant and trainer within the areas of communication and innovation for multinational and local organizations. She’s had several [...]

Interview: Paul Larsen – Business consultant

Ian — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:20:44 +0000

Paul Larsen is an engaging and inspiring business consultant with over 20 years of experience within the business world. He has a proven track record of success in advancing strategic thought, streamlining operations, driving profits, and maximizing organizational growth and development within Fortune 100, start-up, high-tech, and non-profit environments. Paul realizes that many organizations today [...]

Interview: Paul Larsen – Business consultant

Ian — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:20:44 +0000

Public Speaking Tip-Stories and Examples Reduce Public Speaking Fear

Doug Staneart — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:33:17 +0000

Stories and Examples Reduce Public Speaking Fear

The fastest and easiest way to eliminate public speaking fear is to insert more examples and stories into your formal presentations or PowerPoint Slideshows. When participants in public speaking classes are first introduced to this technique, many of them will often resist the advice thinking, “My presentations are technical (or numbers oriented or academic) so my audience isn’t really into stories.” When a presenter has this attitude, he/she is missing out on a fantastic opportunity to make their presentations easier to follow and understand, more memorable, and easier to deliver. Your audience not only wants examples, but they also expect examples to help them better understand your content.

Stories Make Presentations Easier to Follow and Easier to Understand

The more technical a presentation, the more vital it is to include stories and examples. A technical presentation without examples is purely theoretical, whereas a technical presentation with examples is extremely practical.

For example, let’s say that I’m delivering a presentation on last quarter’s financials for my company. If I just give the audience the numbers… Last quarter, we had a 15% increase in revenue, but profit was down 1.2%, I’ve given the audience the technical aspects of the presentation, but the audience is likely to be unclear of exactly WHY the numbers came out the way that they did. So in order to give the audience a clearer understanding, I’d need to include the story behind the numbers. What happened to cause the increase in revenue and why did profit suffer?

The presenter could relay the explanation in a story by telling the audience how in the middle of the last quarter, the company invested in some new advertising that finally hit in the last month of the quarter. As a result, for the last few weeks, the phones have been ringing quite a bit more frequently, but not all of the new leads generated from the advertising have closed yet, so profit should return shortly. For example, Chris, one of our telephone sales reps got a lead two weeks ago from Microsoft in which he is in the process of negotiating a big $80,000 contract. He expects that contract to close in the next 10 days. We have another seven pending contracts that should close in the next 30 days as well.

The example clarifies the data and makes it easier for the audience to understand—even if they are unfamiliar with the technical side of the business. You don’t have to be an accountant to understand how the revenue can be up and profit down temporarily if you’ve just listened to the story above.

Stories Make Presentations Easier to Remember

When we give our audience a list of facts, figures, and numbers, most often, the audience will remember only a small percentage of the data that is presented to them. However, when we give the data in a story format, the data becomes much more memorable. For example, year to date, Joe’s closing ratio is 12.3%, Colette’s ratio is 21.7%, and Bill is at 7.5%. The average ratio is 13.83% which 3.8% higher than our 10% goal that we set in January. Many presenters will give lots of data in a format such as this (a list… a chart… a graph), but if we just recite the data and numbers without the context, the figures are very challenging to remember.

So let’s test the theory. Without looking back at the numbers above, who had the highest closing ratio, and what was that ratio? If you were able to remember the number, then congratulations. You are in a vast minority of people. Most people forget numbers the moment that they hear them. Now let’s deliver the numbers in a story format and see if it’s easier to remember.

At the beginning of the year, we set a goal of have a 10% closing ratio for our sales team. One of the ways that we wanted to accomplish this goal was to focus more on repeat business. Colette, who is one of our best sales reps, took this goal to heart, and she has really focused on working with her current customers. For example, last fall, she worked with Jet Blue on a series of contracts that brought in about $50,000 in business in their New York hub. Since they are such a good customer, she started working with them to do similar programs in one more of their hubs in Salt Lake City. As a result, she was able to generate an additional $50,000 on the West Coast last quarter. She increased her personal closing ratio to 21.7% because she is getting multiple contracts off of the same lead.

After reading that story, who is our best sales rep? What was her closing ratio? How much total revenue was she able to generate from Jet Blue? If you were able to correctly answer these questions, you’re now seeing the power of stories.

Stories Reduce Public Speaking Fear

Just as a long list of numbers and statistics is hard for an audience member to remember, it’s equally hard for the presenter to remember. As a result, when we stand up to recite a list of facts, we put tremendous pressure on ourselves in increase nervousness dramatically. However, when we deliver the facts and figures in a story format, the delivery is much easier.

Basically, when we tell a story from our own first-person experience, all we really have to do is play the video tape in our head of what actually happened and just recite it as we remember it. This takes away a lot of the pressure. One of the most dramatic changes that class participants receive when they learn this secret is a dramatic reduction in public speaking fear. In fact, if you can use stories or example to prove or verify your bullet points, you’ll wow your audience and pretty much eliminate your fear of public speaking. It’s a win-win solution to public speaking nervousness.

This is an embarrassing example, but it really shows how this works. I was hired to deliver a keynote speech for an association in Chicago, so on the plane trip into ORD, I wrote out the speech that I’d be delivering a couple hours later. (Since I teach people how to write presentations pretty quickly, this is kind of a normal habit for me.) Well, about three or four minutes before I was introduced, the director of the organization introduced me to the president of the organization and let me know that the meeting would be called to order shortly. He said that he would start with a few points of order, but that I would be introduced shortly after the start of the meeting. As I sat down in my seat, I looked over at the seat next to me, and it had a meeting agenda sitting on it. As I looked down at the agenda, I noticed that it had my name listed as the keynote speaker, but the topic of my speech was total different than the one that I had designed on the plane. My heart dropped, and I started to feel a little dizzy. Panic was just about to hit me, and I paused, thought about the topic, came up with a few tips, and basically wrote the whole speech as I was walking up to the front of the room to deliver it. When the speech was over, I got a standing ovation. What made the speech work, though, was that I reinforced each of the tips with a simple real-life story of how to use it. Every time I completed another story, my nervousness dropped. It worked perfectly, and the audience loved it.
So give examples and stories, and you’ll feel more comfortable and your audience will love you.

VIDEO: Stories Make Your Presentations More Memorable

Doug Staneart — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:12:27 +0000

In this public speaking tips video, Rob Jackson, instructor for the Fearless Presentations® Public Speaking Class, shows how when you add stories to your presentations, you make your speeches much more memorable. Audience members will remember statistics and data much easier in your PowerPoint slideshows if you relay the stories behind the numbers. Give your audience the examples that explain the data, and they will remember a lot more of your presentation. Adding stories to your presentation is one of the most important public speaking tip that you’ll ever come across.

VIDEO: Stories Make Your Presentations More Understandable

Doug Staneart — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:55:46 +0000

This public speaking skills video helps presenters make their presentations more understandable and easier to follow by adding stories and examples into the structure of their PowerPoint presentation or slideshow. In addition to reducing public speaking fear, stories allow the audience to better picture in their minds exactly what the presenter is trying to communicate. So if you want to improve your public speaking, add stories and examples into your presentations.

Fearless Presentations® Class in Phoenix, Arizona Allows Participants to Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking at The Core Institute

chrismcneany — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:46:11 +0000

The Leader’s Institute® held its Fearless Presentations® public speaking class in Phoenix, Arizona, where a group of 15 enthusiastic participants from The Core Institute were able to overcome the fear of public speaking in a 2-day public speaking class.

By getting up in front of the group and practicing the techniques taught by the instructor, The Core Institute participants were able to get rid of the sweaty palms, shaky voice, and other symptoms of nervousness that often come with public speaking. One participant mentioned how much she was dreading the class beforehand, but by the end of the 2-day class, said how much she enjoyed the class! Delivering presentations can truly be fun after eliminating the fear of public speaking.

The Fearless Presentations® class is offered in Phoenix, Arizona and in cities across the United States. The class is also offered on-site to meet a specific company’s needs.

Public Speaking Class in Houston, Texas Helps Participants Become More Effective Public Speakers

chrismcneany — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:40:59 +0000

The Leader’s Institute® conducted its public speaking class in Houston, Texas to participants who started out nervous and came out as very effective public speakers!

Since it was a small group, each participant received in-depth one-on-one coaching. They were able to receive invaluable tools to overcome nervousness in public speaking, learn how to persuade an audience, and were given a simple way to design presentations in 15 minutes or less! The Leader’s Institute® conducts public speaking classes regularly in Houston, Texas and throughout cities in the United States. It’s the fastest way to become more effective public speakers, and have a lot of fun in the process!

What can Mickey Mouse Teach You about Public Speaking?

Andrew Dlugan — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 03:28:35 +0000

You probably don’t think there’s much of a comparison between you and Mickey Mouse.

Yet this cultural icon has many lessons for you to improve your effectiveness as a speaker.

In this article, we examine eight key speaking insights that speakers can learn from Disneyland and the entire Disney entertainment empire.

1. Commit to Quality

At Disneyland, there is a total commitment to quality which oozes out everywhere you look. There is obviously quality in the rides and attractions. The costumes are flawless. The light shows in the evening were sublime. The music and sounds throughout the park are superb.

The Speaking Lesson…

Commit to quality in every speaking aspect, whether it be your preparation, your timing, your delivery, your slides, your handouts, or your message. Producing quality isn’t easy — it’s lots of work! But consistent quality, more than anything else, will guarantee applause from your audience and requests for you to speak to them again.

2. Don’t overlook small details

Disneyland doesn’t just do the big things well; they deliver on the small details too.

In five days of walking the park, I saw just three pieces of trash on the ground.
The benches, the walls, the ceilings, and the ride queue areas are all decorated.
There was no cracking paint or rusty metal (except where it was part of the design style).
3-D glasses are custom-designed for each attraction which requires them.
There was not a single power cord to trip over (as in so many amusement parks).

The Speaking Lesson…

It isn’t enough to have a strong message and delivery. The little things are important too, such as:

Make sure you’ve prepared enough copies of your handouts for everyone in attendance.
Arrive early so that you can rearrange the room to improve sight lines.
Thoroughly spell check your slides.
Rehearse until you’ve got your timing down.
Check that you’ve got pens for the white board or flip chart.

“Consistent quality will guarantee applause from your audience and requests for you to speak to them again.”

3. You want a great new idea? Reinvent an old one.

Disney has done well in reinventing old ideas. Many of Disney’s fairy tales have their roots in European folk tales, for example.

Disneyland continues this pattern by continuing to reinvent its own stories. While some of the attractions are fairly literal interpretations of the stories or movies which inspired them, many are fresh reinventions. For example, one of the highlights of our trip was a wonderful stage performance of Alladin. The same basic story was present, but it was wrapped in a modern, musical production.

The Speaking Lesson…

One of the most common laments I hear from speakers is “What do I talk about? Every topic I think up has been done before.” While there are new ideas out there, there is also a rich minefield of old ideas waiting for you to add a fresh spin. You can take a timeless message such as “Never give up on your dreams,” and breathe new life into it by telling it from your unique perspective with your unique stories.

4. Take care of your audience

In several ways, Disneyland is not my kind of place. There are crowds everywhere, lengthy lines await you for every popular attraction, and the hot weather saps your energy.

But… Disneyland has a well-developed set of solutions to lessen the pain of these drawbacks. For example:

Most lineup areas are shaded, and many include things to watch and do while you wait;
After major shows, an army of staffers direct foot traffic away from congestion; and
Disney’s FastPass system offers you a way to avoid lengthy lines altogether.

The Speaking Lesson…

In several ways, listening to speakers is not an ideal environment either. Chairs are usually uncomfortable, rooms are often too hot or cold, lighting conditions are not ideal… the list goes on.

All of these factors drain the energy of your audience and draw their attention away from you and your message. You should do everything in your power to create the best environment possible for your audience, including:

Make sure your venue is an appropriate sized — too small is uncomfortable, too large derails your ability to connect
Do what you can to control distraction factors, like extreme noise, temperature, or bad lighting
Design your slides, sketches, props, or gestures so that everyone can easily get the meaning.

5. Everyone loves a story

There was no single demographic in the crowds of Disneyland. Sure, there’s a large number of families with kids between 5 and 10 years old, but every demographic was represented. Lots of (excited) teenagers. Lots of grandparents. Lots of all-female groups. Lots of all-male groups. Lots of couples with no children. Lots of people from all races. Lots of people speaking many languages.

Want to learn more?

Check out The Story Factor, by Annette Simmons for storytelling advice. (Six Minutes review)

Why? What is it about Disneyland that appeals to such a broad array of people? I think it’s the same thing which supports the success of the entire Disney empire: everyone loves a story.

The Speaking Lesson…

Successful speakers understand the engaging power of stories, and weave them throughout their presentations. Stories add emotion and realism to otherwise sterile facts and abstract concepts.

6. Stories need villains and heroes

Mickey Mouse, the princesses, and other heroes may draw the most attention at Disneyland and in Disney movies, but villains are featured right alongside them. Disney understands that stories needs villains as a source of conflict.

The Speaking Lesson…

In a similar way, your speech stories need villains too. Without villains, there is no conflict. Without conflict, stories lack suspense, intrigue, and interest.

Remember that story villains come in many forms, including:

Individual people (e.g. your nosy neighbour, the office backstabber)
Organizations or groups of people (e.g. a rival sports team, your industry competitor)
The villain within (e.g. apathy, fear, pride)
Our environment (e.g. a thunderstorm; aging; disease)

7. Signposts are everywhere

Disneyland is large, consisting of a complex maze of paths, attractions, sights, and sounds. Yet, despite this complexity, it’s very easy to get around. There are signs everywhere, directing you to major attractions and from land to land. Consistent designs (decorative elements, costumes, color schemes) also let you know which area you are in. Employees were everywhere, happy to provide you with copies of maps, or direct you on your way.

“Your speech stories need villains too. Without villains, there is no conflict. Without conflict, stories lack suspense, intrigue, and interest.”

The Speaking Lesson…

As a speaker, you must recognize that, to your audience, your speech can be a complex maze of facts, ideas, stories, and acronyms. Your job is to provide a simple, understandable structure, and guide them along.

There are many ways that you can create virtual signposts to help your audience navigate your speech, such as:

Be explicit and reveal your outline in your introduction.
Count off items which form a list (e.g. “First … “, “My second point is…”)
Use repetition to reinforce key statements.
Use transitions words (e.g. because, however, unfortunately)

8. Frame of mind

Employees at Disneyland are referred to as “cast members”. This is true not only for those dressed up as characters, but also those working in stores, restaurants, and attractions, as well as greeters, janitors, and all other staff members.

It may seem like a little thing (or, it may seem like a stunt), but I think it’s a wonderful way to instill more pride in employees and remind them they are part of the entire entertainment experience.

The Speaking Lesson…

When you speak, are you just “a person standing at the front of the room”, or perhaps simply “a speaker”?

Or, are you a leader? A life-changer? A role model? An inspiration? A problem-solver? A trusted resource?

Your frame of mind will influence your performance and your audience’s view of you. Put on a positive frame of mind!

Have a Question?

Contact me anytime,
or find me on Twitter: @6minutes

Andrew Dlugan is the editor and founder of Six Minutes. He teaches courses, leads seminars, coaches speakers, and strives to avoid Suicide by PowerPoint. He is an award-winning public speaker and speech evaluator. Andrew is a father and husband who resides in British Columbia, Canada.

Relevant Resources: for Writers

Ian — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:20:53 +0000

I help edit SPEAKER Magazine for the National Speakers Association (NSA). Each month I curate the Relevant Resources column – a list of time-saving tools and technologies. The October list focuses on resources for writers and writing. Montblanc Fountain Pen – Writing with a quality fountain pen is like making love to your words as [...]

VIDEO-Stories Reduce Public Speaking Fear

Doug Staneart — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:05:44 +0000

Public Speaking Tips Video: Stories Reduce Public Speaking Fear

One of the easiest ways to reduce the fear of public speaking is by inserting stories or examples to reinforce or back-up facts or statistics in your presentation. Stories are easy to deliver, and you don’t have to memorize them, so they reduce public speaking fear.

To Register for a Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Class, click here.

Public Speaking Class in San Diego Helps Participants Delivers Fearless Presentations

chrismcneany — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:00:05 +0000

Public Speaking Class in San Diego helps participants deliver Fearless Presentations. The Leader’s Institute® traveled to beautiful San Diego, California to conduct its Fearless Presentations public speaking class on September 20-21.

Participants attended the course to overcome the fear of public speaking and to improve their presentation skills. By working with a trained coach, each participant was able to receive personalized coaching and take their presentations to the next level. This group was able to incorporate stories into their presentations very effectively. Stories help to capture the audience’s attention, build rapport, and relax when they feel those nervous jitters coming on. They experienced firsthand how the use of stories in presentations is a win-win situation!

Whether your are in San Diego, California or any one of the other fifty cities where we conduct Fearless Presentations®, we have public speaking classes scheduled year round.

Interview: Madelyn Mackie – Career coach

Ian — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:02:01 +0000

Madelyn Mackie is a Professional Development and Career Advancement expert. Having successfully navigated careers in biochemistry research, Tony Award winning theaters and major nonprofit agencies, she brings experience, motivation and step-by-step action plans that will Activate Your Career Dreams! Ask any 5-year-old what they want to be when they grow up and they might answer, [...]

The Magic Roundabout

Ian — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:10:53 +0000

Round and round it goes Round and round it goes - Spandau Ballet I recently heard a startling NPR report on Roundabouts in the USA. The report highlights that, over the past decade, the number of roundabouts in the U.S. has increased dramatically, from the low hundreds up to the thousands. Traffic circles (as roundabouts [...]

Andy Bechtolsheim: on innovation for start-ups

Ian — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 06:05:02 +0000

Sun Microsystems co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim kicked off the 2011 Gateway to the US program jointly hosted by ANZA Technology Network and CCICE at the Computer History Museum in Mt. View. His keynote reviewed the challenges and opportunities start-ups face in contrast to established companies. He claims that the current uncertainties in the world economy favor [...]

Public Speaking Fear-The Quick and Easy Way to Fearless Presentations

Doug Staneart — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:15:55 +0000

The fear of public speaking is still one of the biggest and most debilitating fears. Public speaking fear causes competent professionals to miss out on fantastic opportunities to persuade and win people to their way of thinking. So where does this fear come from? Better yet… How does the average person get rid of it? The truth is that public speaking is a skill just like any other skill in that the first time that you do it, you will be nervous. However, if you are still feeling the fear time after time, it’s probably caused by some of the things that you are doing to try to eliminate that fear. That’s right… Often the things that you do to try to reduce public speaking fear actually end up CAUSING this presentation nervousness.

Where Public Speaking Fear Comes From?

Anytime a person tries something for the first time, he or she will feel nervousness or anxiety about it. Remember back when you got on a bicycle for the first time? Or the first time you tried to drive on the freeway? We tend to remember situations like riding a bike for the first time or driving a car for the first time because in those situations, we felt an imminent threat to our safety — the bigger that threat to our safety is, the more intense the fear or nervousness. For instance, if you have ever been sky-diving or bungee jumping, you probably felt a lot of fear.

Last week, I took a trip to London with my wife, and since we had been to London a few times, we decided to do some of the things that we always wanted to do, but just never got around to it. So we ended up going to St. Paul’s Cathedral, which is the big architectural centerpiece of London that the US Capitol building was modeled after. On the tour, we got to walk up over 500 stairs up to the very top of the dome. When we got to the top, an usher was sitting in a chair and looked at us and pointed to a small peek-hole built into the floor. My heart started racing as I leaned over and peeked through. Now I knew that there was a solid floor between me and the cathedral floor hundreds and hundreds of feet below, but that didn’t really help. I could feel the room start to spin a little as I got just a little queasy. Somehow my sub-conscious mind came to the conclusion that if I wasn’t careful, my 225 lb body was going to squeeze through this four inch hole and fall to my death on the hard stone surface below. It was a crazy thought. I quickly looked up and realized that I was still in the safety of the confined room, and I started to think more clearly. When I looked a second time, it was still scary, but not nearly as debilitating. Fear when you attempt something new is normal, and if it’s NOT there, you’re likely to have a much bigger problem than if it IS there.

To a lesser extent, though, we feel this fear constantly when we try something new even if the threat of bodily harm is not apparent. For instance, when I got my first Smart Phone, and I accessed the App Store, I was really nervous about downloading that very first “Free App” because I was scared to death that I’d end up with a recurring charge on my phone bill that I’d never be able to get rid of. I felt the same way years ago the first time I entered a credit card number on Amazon.com and bought a book. Nervousness is normal when we try something new. The more imminent the threat to our safety, the more nerve-racking the activity will be. For instance, my heart beat a lot faster when the first time I went bungee jumping than it did the first time than when I bought a book on Amazon.

I good analogy for this fear is when you are walking down a lonely street in a big city. If you see petite woman in a white lab coat walking toward you, you may not feel a lot of fear. However, if you see a teenage with tattoos and gang paraphernalia, you might start to experience a bit a anxiety. If you see four people dressed the same way, and two of them are carrying baseball bats, you will likely feel great fear. The more that you are threatened by an experience, the more fear you will fear during the experience.

Public speaking fear comes from an internal sense of a threat. The more that you see the speaking activity as a threat, the more fear you will feel. So, the key to lowering the threat is to lower the risk. For instance, in the analogy above where a gang of hoodlums is coming at you with baseball bats, if you happen to be accompanied by a couple of armed bodyguards, you will probably not feel nearly as much fear as you would if you were alone and unarmed.

Lower the Risk, Lower the Threat, Lower the Fear

When the risk of harm is lowered, the fear will diminish pretty dramatically. When I was high above St. Paul’s Cathedral, and I took that second look, I had consciously reassured myself that it would be impossible for me to fall. So the second look was not nearly as shocking as the first look. The first time I drove on the expressway, I was a nervous wreck (no pun intended), but after years of success driving at fairly fast speeds, now when I drive on the expressway, it’s almost second nature.

There are times that I’ve driven to the store or my office, and I put my car into park at my destination and think, “How did I get here?” The process was so second-nature to me, that I didn’t even have to think about it.

The skill of public speaking can happen in much the same way. Public speaking training with a good coach can ensure that you gain confidence in a step-by-step fashion so that as you get up in front of the next group, you have a pretty good shot at having a successful experience. Since the risk of failure is now lower, your fear will lower as well. The lower that your risk of failure becomes, the lower your fear will be as well. So after you train with a good coach, and you deliver your next presentation, because you are better prepared, you’re more likely to have a successful experience. The fear may still be there for this first run, but once you complete the presentation, and you have performed well during the speech, you’ll feel more confident about what you’ve accomplished. So the next time that you stand up to speak, it should be much easier. And the next time, easier still.

Are You Growing as a Speaker?

The point is that every time that you speak, you should have a success — You should set yourself up for success. And every time that you have an additional success, your confidence should grow. If that is not happening for you, then something is interrupting this cycle. For instance, some public speaking classes have a teacher or an instructor who uses constructive criticism as a coaching tool. Typically, the class member will deliver the speech, sit down, and receive a critique of his/her performance.

So instead of the teacher helping the class member deliver the initial speech better (helping the participant succeed), the teacher waits for the participant to fail and then gives a critique that reinforces that failure. As a result, when the class member stands up to deliver his/her next speech, instead of confidence, the person is experiencing a higher risk of failure. “I failed last time, so I’m likely to also fail this time… As soon as I sit down, I’m going to get another critique.”

A good public speaking coach will help a speaker deliver a better speech in the first place and then build on each of these successes. The difference in styles would be like letting a four-year-old get on a new bike and pedal and fall… pedal and fall… pedal and fall, and then once the kid is really frustrated coming over and critiquing her performance by telling her the three main things that she did wrong. Then waiting a week or two and repeat the process again. Although the fear would be high on the first attempt, the fear would be even higher the second time this new rider tried to get on the bike. A good coach will hold the seat for the child and then praise her performance once she has a small success. Once she has even a small success the risk of failure lowers, and although she’ll still be nervous, she’s now willing to attempt something more complicated. As the successes grow, the confidence will grow as well.

Get a good public speaking coach, and your confidence will grow. The Leader’s Institute® offers Fearless Presentations® Public Speaking Classes in cities all over the world. Click the link to access a class schedule or to request information.

VIDEO-Public Speaking Fear Grows with Constructive Criticism

Doug Staneart — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:55:58 +0000

A new video about how helpful coworkers, supervisors, even spouses who give us constructive criticism to help us reduce public speaking fear actually have an opposite effect. Constructive criticism causes public speaking fear!

The Leader’s Institute® Presentation Skills Class Delivers World Class Presentations in Chicago Illinois

chrismcneany — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 03:34:25 +0000

The Leader’s Institute® conducted a presentation skills class in Chicago, IL, where participants not only improved their public speaking skills, but also delivered outstanding presentations by the end of the second day!

The class is designed to reduce the nervousness that often comes with public speaking, and teach students how to design a world class presentation in 15 minutes or less. We had a very enthusiastic group of people who came from both the Chicago area and from across Illinois and the United States to take the class. They especially enjoyed learning tools to improve impromptu speaking, and had a lot of fun in the process. Good job everyone!

Tiffany Shlain’s stunning autobiographical film

Ian — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 23:10:03 +0000

On Sunday I invited my daughter to the Shattuck Cinema in Berkeley for the opening weekend of Tiffany Shlain’s latest film Connected. Since we both work at Cisco, and the movie trailer promised a discussion of internet and connectivity, I thought we’d both find it interesting and relevant to our day jobs. “It’ll be a [...]

Cross Cultural Communication: Wolters Kluwer

Ian — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 20:38:54 +0000

Wolters Kluwer is a 175-year-old Dutch company who provide professionals with necessary information in the fields of legal, business, tax, accounting, finance, audit, risk, compliance, and healthcare. They have customers around the world and recently exhibited at the Beijing International Book Fair. Understanding the value of subtitles To complement their booth Wolters Kluwer commissioned a [...]

VIDEO-Reduce Public Speaking Risk and Reduce Public Speaking Fear

Doug Staneart — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:09:14 +0000

Public Speaking Video: Reduce Public Speaking Risk and Reduce Public Speaking Fear. The fear of public speaking basically comes from an increased risk of failure. The bigger the risk, the bigger the fear. So if you lower the risk associated with public speaking — in essence insure that you have a success when you stand up to speak, the nervousness and fear diminishes significantly.

Nick R Thomas – A Public Speaker’s Blog: The Great Catch-Up Part 8

Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 06:25:59 +0000

Kidlington and District Probus President's Night, Oxford

There are some bookings I really look forward to, for example, when it's a favourite type of event in an area where I know from previous experience that the audiences are very responsive and when I find myself being booked by an organiser who knows exactly what their own expectations are - and what the speaker's requirements will be - for the event.

This was the case when I was booked for the Kidlington and District Probus President's Night in Oxford last October: a Probus event with a good-sized (80 - 90), mixed audience in Oxfordshire and arranged by Mr Derek Watson who had read this blog and decided that the talk My Life as a Freelance Comedy Writer would be the right fit for this function.

And because he booked me some 20 months in adavance I had a long time to look forward to it!

It was a Friday meeting and I travelled to Oxford by train and then took a taxi to the venue, the Oxford Centre. After the excellent dinner I was introduced and, once again, enjoyed a barnstormer in Oxford, one of those talks where I find myself wondering whether I will have to omit planned material because the laughter has gone on so long.

Speaking of which... I had spent much of the day preparing for this engagement with a rolling TV news channel on in the background and the unavoidable story, one which had been building all week but which came to its conclusion that day, was whether Wayne Rooney would stay with Manchester United. As I thought about my talk for Kidlington Probus that evening I considered introducing a line about how their President Derek would be staying with them despite so many other clubs showing considerable interest in signing him. I'm sure it would have got a laugh but I decided not to go with it. I had plenty of material to include already and I didn't want to overrun.

Public Speaking Tip #388: Sometimes there just isn't room for all of your planned content and a good response, for example, the duration of the laughter at humorous material, may be the reason. You are better off editing-as-you-go and sticking as close as possible to the time limit rather than going on too long and losing the audience and perhaps even causing problems with the scheduling of the remainder of the event.

Testimonial from Mr Watson:

"Thank you for a great evening's entertainment at my Probus President's Night at Oxford. I have received many congratulations from our members for having selected such an amusing and entertaining speaker who, without exception, left them all with a broad grin upon leaving! Well done! We all had a superb evening which, in no small part, you contributed to wonderfully. Many thanks indeed, your praises will be sung in this area for quite some time".

This was my second speaking engagement that week. Two days earlier I stepped in to cover a cancellation for Merley Evening Townswomen's Guild where I had previously spoken in June 2009. My topic was Patrick Campbell and once again they were a very good audience. My thanks once again to Mary for the transport back to Bournemouth.

Powers of 10: Time Scales in Public Speaking

Andrew Dlugan — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 03:36:51 +0000

Have you ever thought about the relationship between time and public speaking?

On the surface, you engage your audience second by second, stringing together words into sentences that, over the duration of your presentation, may last minutes or perhaps hours.

Yet, the impact of your speaking experiences may last days, weeks, months, or even years — for you and for those in your audiences.

In this article, we examine time scales ranging from a tenth of a second to hundreds of years, and consider how each of these scales is relevant to you as a speaker.

One Tenth of a Second

A typical speaking rate is 150 words per minute, or 2.5 words per second. This means the average time between words is just four tenths of a second. When you consider pauses, a syllable leaves your lips in about a tenth of a second. (Your brain, of course, has to operate on a much faster scale to keep up.)

In one tenth of a second, perceptions form in your audience’s mind – either positive or negative. It could be an inflection that makes them cringe, or a visual that evokes a warm memory. It could be a facial expression which betrays a lack of sincerity, or a crackling voice which signals genuine emotion.

One Second

Pauses in your speech range from a short “comma pause” (about one second) to longer pauses for rhetorical effect (lasting several seconds). The duration of pauses is critical; if it’s too long, you’ve got an uncomfortable pause.

Want to learn more?

Explore perspectives on filler words in: Are… um… Filler Words… ah… Okay?

The enemy of the pause is the filler word: utterances which include “um”, “uh”, and “ah”. Everyone has a few filler words, but they are more common among speakers who are inexperienced, unprepared, or especially nervous. Skilled speakers understand that, instead of filler words, you can simply pause while you collect your thoughts; you don’t need a filler word to mark the moment.

Although the audience perceives slide visuals on the sub-second level, slide recognition occurs on the order of a second. Well-designed slides are recognized easily, and their meaning is associated the words of a speaker quickly. Particularly confusing slides can cause several seconds (or more) of high cognitive processing.

Ten Seconds

Effective eye contact is achieved when your gaze finds an audience member, and then stays there for perhaps a sentence or two — generally in the ten second range. Eye contact which is significantly shorter — like a ping pong ball — will seem insincere. Eye contact which is significantly longer may be uncomfortable, and perhaps leave other audience members feeling “left out.”

“You should be able to clearly summarize your main message within ten seconds.”

Ten seconds is also the range in which complete sentences are spoken, including most memorable phrases and quotations. You should be able to clearly summarize your main message within ten seconds.

One Minute

One minute is about the length of good story which a speaker might tell. Stories significantly shorter probably do not develop adequate conflict, emotion, or a significant message. Stories significantly longer could likely benefit either from aggressive editing (removing superfluous details which detract from the story) or splitting in two (in case more than one point is being made).

Want to learn more?

You can find numerous tips in How to Introduce a Speaker: 16 Essential Tips for Success

One minute is about the maximum time needed to introduce a speaker in most contexts. Any longer than this, and the introducer risks boring the audience and stealing attention away from the speaker.

Ten Minutes

Ten minutes is the upper limit for what many people might call a “short” speech. In ten minutes, you’ve only got time to properly develop one central idea, while supporting it with several stories and supporting points. It requires precise focus and discipline from a speaker.

Many popular formats hover around this average.

Speaking formats such as Pecha Kucha (six minutes forty seconds) or Ignite (five minutes) restrict speakers down further and yet are wildly popular social events.
TED talks (which have been reviewed numerous times on Six Minutes) come in various lengths, but the longest top out at 18 minutes.

Ten minutes is long enough to read most articles on Six Minutes, or another speaking blog. These bite-sized lessons are intended to motivate, instruct, and challenge you to improve your skills.

In a longer speaking session (e.g. a training session), ten minutes is a rule of thumb for switching gears. It’s wise to vary your technique, switch formats, and otherwise add variety to your session to keep the energy of your session high.

One Hour

One hour is a common length of a keynote address or the corporate staple known as the noon-hour seminar. One hour provides time for a speaker to cover their topic in much more depth and breadth, as well as allowing for an extended question and answer (Q&A) period.

One hour is the most common length of a Toastmasters meeting. It’s short enough to allow members to fit it into their hectic day, but long enough to cover the core elements (prepared speeches, evaluations, and impromptu speaking).

One hour is also a convenient duration for speech coaching sessions. A good speaking coach can work with you to explore your strengths and weaknesses, and one hour provides lots of time for repetitive practice as well.

Ten Hours

Ten hours is the upper bound for a daily seminar, or the daily program at many conferences. Most people will get pretty fatigued with 10 hours of listening to speakers. Speaking in this environment requires special skill in balancing valuable information with lighter, less cognitively draining activities.

One Day

“Your speech should be designed with a clear and emphatic call-to-action to do something that can reasonably be done within a day.”

One day is a practical upper bound for someone in your audience to act on your call-to-action. Nick Morgan claims that “the only reason to give a speech is to change the world.” I agree, and that starts by changing the thoughts and actions of individual audience members. Your speech should be designed with a clear and emphatic call-to-action. It should be challenging enough that opting to do it truly does represent change, but simple enough that it can be started within a day of your speech.

For example, “losing 20 pounds” is not a call-to-action,
but “starting an exercise habit tomorrow” is.

One day is also the outer range where you can receive useful feedback on your presentation (assuming it was not recorded, of course). The best time to solicit feedback is during (e.g. a feedback form) or immediately after (e.g. mingling with your audience) your presentation. Asking for feedback days or weeks after a presentation is not likely to reap many rewards as the feedback you receive will tend to be generic.

One Week

One week is a healthy period to practice your presentation. You certainly don’t need to practice twenty-four hours a day for a full week; thirty minutes per day will usually suffice. Rather than cramming all of your practice into the night before your presentation — or worse, the morning of your speech — consider spreading it over a week to allow yourself the time to become more comfortable with the content.

One week is also a good interval during which you should try to devote some time to developing your speaking skills. Like any habit, it’s hard to built momentum if you don’t get regular exposure. This includes both speaking before an audience, as well as support activities like working on speeches, gathering speechwriting material, or reading speaking blogs and books. It is not a coincidence that Toastmasters clubs (and most other extra-curricular activities) are designed to establish weekly participation.

Ten Weeks

Ten weeks is about the length of time it takes to establish a new speaking habit. Most of us resist change, either consciously or subconsciously. If you want to develop a new habit (speaking or otherwise), doing it once or twice will not suffice.

“If you want to develop a new habit (speaking or otherwise), doing it once or twice will not suffice.”

Ten weeks is the also upper limit needed to fully prepare for most major presentations. Do you think that’s too long? Well, let me bound it a bit.

By “major presentations”, I’m talking about the ones which can make or break your career (like landing a new client) or help you achieve a personal goal (like making your case before city council for a new bylaw).
By “fully prepare”, I mean the time from your initial idea that you’d like to give a speech to the time you deliver it. You might spend the first four or five weeks just brainstorming or researching content. Then, you might spend the next few weeks writing, practicing in front of a test audience, and honing your delivery.

One Year

One year is long enough to set yourself on a new speaking path. The new path depends a great deal on where you are now, and what your goals for the future are:

Maybe “I’m terrified of speaking” gets replaced with “I’m scared, but I speak”.
Maybe “I’m scared, but I speak” gets replaced with “I feel nervous, but I harness that energy”.
Maybe “I speak when I am required to” gets replaced with “I enjoy speaking whenever I can”.

In one year, you could recognize an opportunity, develop a course, market yourself, and launch supplementary income or a whole new career.

Ten Years

Over a span of ten years, you can completely reshape yourself with a disciplined, committed approach to improving your communication skills, and translating that into becoming more effective at whatever path you choose to pursue.

For example, maybe devoting yourself to becoming a master communicator will launch you into management and steer your career to new heights.

One Hundred Years (and more)

You may not live this long, but your words can live one hundred years or longer.

Maybe you’re going to give a political speech that is quoted for centuries to come.

Or, more likely, you’re going to inspire your children, your grandchildren, and your audience members with a message that continues to become more and more powerful as the years pass.

Individual syllables, which last only tenths of a second on your lips, can last for hundreds of years if they are carefully chosen. Consider that the next time you are writing your speech.

Inspiration for This Article

You may be interested on know that the inspiration for this article is Powers of Ten, a classic documentary by Charles and Ray Eames which can be viewed below.

As a science geek, the documentary is fascinating, but there are lessons to be learned for speakers too. Some particularly effective techniques include:

The use of a common, everyday occurrence to set the initial context.
The frequent use of comparison to easily understandable distances (e.g. 100 meters: the distance a man can run in 10 seconds)
The simple, repetitive use of 10 and the consistent pace of the documentary.

Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Have a Question?

Contact me anytime,
or find me on Twitter: @6minutes

Author of this article: Andrew Dlugan
Category: Speaker Habits
Article tags: pause, speech timing
© Six Minutes, 2011. | Permalink | 64 comments so far

Guest Posting: How to become a Keynote Speaker, by Patrick Schwerdtfeger

Ian — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:20:27 +0000

Patrick Schwerdtfeger is the author of Marketing Shortcuts for the Self-Employed and Webify Your Business – Internet Marketing Secrets for the Self-Employed. He is a regular speaker for Bloomberg TV. He has spoken about Modern Entrepreneurship, Online Branding and the Social Media Revolution at conferences and business events around the world. This article was first [...]

You are Invited to the Outstanding Presentations Workshop

Andrew Dlugan — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 02:14:45 +0000

What if I told you that you could attend a series of workshops given by seven presentation experts?

What if I told you that you could do so without getting on a plane, a bus, or even a bicycle?

What if told it was free?

I’m pleased to invite you to attend a free online webinar series focussed on improving your skills as a presenter.

The speakers include several experts which have been featured before on Six Minutes:

Carmen Taran – author of Better Beginnings (read our book review)
Jan Schultink – author of the Idea Transplant blog, a favorite of mine
Ellen Finkelstein – organizer of the workshop series, and also a noted PowerPoint blogger

Other speakers include Cliff Atkinson, Bruce Gabrielle, Simon Morton, and… me!

Webinars are scheduled every Wednesday. They start on September 7th, and continue through October 26th. (I’m presenting on October 19th.) Sessions will be recorded and available for playback if you can’t make every one… but you must be registered to get access.

I attended several of the sessions in last year’s Outstanding Presentations Workshop, and I learned a great deal. I highly recommend investing just an hour each week in this informative series.

Read more about the Outstanding Presentations Workshop on the website and register today!

Have a Question?

Contact me anytime,
or find me on Twitter: @6minutes

Author of this article: Andrew Dlugan
Category: Resources for Speakers
Article tags: Carmen Taran, webinar
© Six Minutes, 2011. | Permalink | 13 comments so far

Six Minutes is Back

Andrew Dlugan — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 23:57:36 +0000

Six Minutes is back.

Well, almost. After an extended absence due to a busy spring and summer, career shifts, medical journeys, and many other things, Six Minutes will be returning to publish regular articles again soon. We’ve got a number of articles going through final review, and we’ll be publishing them in the days and weeks to come.

In the meantime, you may wish to explore our article archive with hundreds of public speaking articles written over the past four years.

On a Personal Note

Thank you to all of you who have contacted Six Minutes during the publishing hiatus. It was humbling to hear that Six Minutes continues to be a helpful resource to so many speakers around the world. I regret that I haven’t been able to respond to everyone, but I’ll hopefully be able to make amends in the weeks and months to come.

Reader Favorites

Have a Question?

Contact me anytime,
or find me on Twitter: @6minutes

Author of this article: Andrew Dlugan
Category: sixminutes
Article tags:
© Six Minutes, 2011. | Permalink | 10 comments so far

Stories and Examples Reduce Public Speaking Fear

Doug Staneart — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 20:18:15 +0000

The fastest and easiest way to eliminate public speaking fear is to insert more examples and stories into your formal presentations or PowerPoint Slideshows. When participants in public speaking classes are first introduced to this technique, many of them will often resist the advice thinking, “My presentations are technical (or numbers oriented or academic) so my audience isn’t really into stories.” When a presenter has this attitude, he/she is missing out on a fantastic opportunity to make their presentations easier to follow and understand, more memorable, and easier to deliver. Your audience not only wants examples, but they also expect examples to help them better understand your content.

Stories Make Presentations Easier to Follow and Easier to Understand

The more technical a presentation, the more vital it is to include stories and examples. A technical presentation without examples is purely theoretical, whereas a technical presentation with examples is extremely practical. For example, let’s say that I’m delivering a presentation on last quarter’s financials for my company. If I just give the audience the numbers… Last quarter, we had a 15% increase in revenue, but profit was down 1.2%, I’ve given the audience the technical aspects of the presentation, but the audience is likely to be unclear of exactly WHY the numbers came out the way that they did. So in order to give the audience a clearer understanding, I’d need to include the story behind the numbers. What happened to cause the increase in revenue and why did profit suffer?

Stories Make Presentations Easier to Remember

Stories Reduce Public Speaking Fear

So give examples and stories, and you’ll feel more comfortable and your audience will love you.

Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Class Beats the Heat in Dallas Texas

chrismcneany — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 16:42:49 +0000

Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Class in Dallas, Texas. A great group of folks didn’t let the heat wave in Dallas stop them from picking up some tips to reduce nervousness and create captivating presentations for our Fearless Presentations public speaking class in Dallas August 15-16. We had one participant who excelled at using analogies in his presentations to make his content clear to his audience. Through our one-on-one coaching, we helped him fine-tune his analogies to make them even better! Fearless Presentations is a 2-day presentation skills class which gives participants the tools to deliver powerful introductions, learn how to most effectively incorporate stories and examples into any topic, and by the end of day 2, deliver world-class, compelling presentations. Well done, everyone!

Nick R Thomas – A Public Speaker’s Blog: The Great Catch-Up Part 7

Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 09:08:57 +0000

Hamble Valley Stick Club, Hampshire

Sometimes I find myself speaking at a club with its own fascinating traditions. This was certainly the case when I was booked for the Hamble Valley Stick Club in Hampshire last October.

This is a 41 Club. These are for ex-Round Tablers who had to retire from the organisation when they were 45 (it used to be 41, hence the name). They continue to raise large sums for a number of good causes and hold meetings where they have a dinner and listen to a speaker.

The Hamble Valley Round Table presents walking sticks to members moving on under this age rule and there is a lot of stick-related humour at this 41 Club, for example, visitors are known as 'Teflons' (non-stick) and the Chairman is addressed as Boss-Stick!

And there was plenty of humour at their meeting, with witty banter throughout the excellent meal in one of the Meeting Rooms at the Fareham-Solent Holiday Inn at Titchfield and the reading of some hilarious minutes.

Then it was my turn to speak, my topic being My Life as a Freelance Comedy Writer.

There were less than 20 in the audience but I had observed during the meal that they were a lively bunch and the talk went well.

My vote of thanks afterwards was delivered by one of their members who is a retired judge. That sounds daunting but he was very complimentary, especially about the fact that when reading out one of my unintentionally funny press cuttings, I had used the correct pronunciation of the name of Romsey, the Hampshire town he grew up in (it's 'Rum-sey').

Public Speaking Tip #387: Attention to fine detail, such as the correct pronunciation of a place name, can be much appreciated by audience members from that area.

Testimonial from David Moss, their 'Boss-stick':

"Just a quick note to thank you for your very 
entertaining talk to Hamble Valley Stick Club last Friday and to say how much we 
enjoyed your presentation.

You made a major contribution to the success of the evening".

And from Vice-Chairman Manny Martins (I know it appears under the picture of me on my Home Page but it's so great that I just had to repeat it here!):

"Nick spoke at our monthly meeting last Friday (15 
October 2010) at a joint meeting with Kingston 41 Club.  It was a brilliant 
evening.  Nick is an engaging speaker, witty, topical and very 
interesting.  He spoke for three quarters of an hour without notes, a most 
knowledgeable man, 

I cannot recommend Nick enough and assure you that engaging him for an evening is a worthwhile endeavour. I wish you a great evening like ours".

A terrific evening. My thanks to Manny for the transport from Fareham station and back.

Nick R Thomas – A Public Speaker’s Blog: The Great Catch-Up Part 6

Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 09:32:45 +0000

Talks from June - September 2010

Boscombe and Southbourne Probus

In June last year I spoke for the fifth time to Boscombe and Southbourne Probus, my previous visit having been in November 2007. The club is still well-attended and I was pleased to see Mr Tony Harrington MBE again as I had another collection for the charity he founded, the Kabanana Care (Zambia) Trust.

Sadly, the Grange Hotel in Southbourne, where I had spoken to this club and various others on numerous occasions has been demolished but Boscombe and Southbourne Probus has found a good repacement meeting place, the Liston Hotel in Boscombe, another venue where I have spoken in the past.

My subject this time was Dorothy Parker and the Algonquin Wits and the talk went very well, with a decent question and answer session afterwards. As I chatted to members before lunch in the hotel's very good Gilbey's restaurant, there were a number of complimentary remarks about my public speaking, one of which was:

"You obviously enjoy it".

Public Speaking Tip #382: Speak with enthusiasm - your audience will notice! If you enjoy your speech then they are more likely to as well.

Staines and District Probus Club

In early July I set off for Staines to speak about My Life as a Freelance Comedy writer to the men's Probus Club who meet at the Boleyn Hotel.

Decent weather, an excellent lunch, a well-received talk in a very pleasant venue - and an immediate recommendation to another club which has since led to a number of further bookings in an area where I had never spoken before - very nice!

And my thanks for the lift from the station and back.

Gold Hill Probus Club, Shaftesbury, Dorset

Before July last year I had only ever spoken once before in Shaftesbury. This was to their men's Probus Club back in November 1997 so it was good to finally get another booking there, especially as my girlfriend Val and I love this town, having visited it as part of an August Bank Holiday weekend ritual over many years, usually after spending the afternoon at the Wimborne St Giles Open Day.

Gold Hill Probus is, like most Probus in North Dorset, a mixed club with a morning meeting. Their venue is Shaftesbury Town Hall in a room which overlooks the iconic Gold Hill, famous for its use in various movies plus, of course, the long-running Hovis commercials.

There were around 50 members at the talk and a very good audience they were too.

Afterwards I was their guest for a super lunch at the Salt Cellar restaurant, which also overlooks Gold Hill, and they were kind enough to run me back to Gillingham station again.

Bournemouth and District Tinnitus Group

Towards the end of July I spoke to the Bournemouth and District Tinnitus Group who meet at the East Cliff Church.

This was a small but very enthusiastic audience. Over the years I have spoken to a number of groups for people with various disabilities: MS, arthritis, stroke, visual impairment ranging from macular degeneration to blindness, diabetes and many more. These audiences are no different from any others. Obviously a speaker should check to make sure there are no insensitive references in their material which might cause offence - but then that's a good idea with any audience. And for audiences with visual impairment you need to concentrate especially hard on your vocal delivery and dispense with props, visual aids, etc (I blogged in 2008 about how these talks are very much like a radio broadcast).

With the tinnitus group I had wondered about my voice projection but, not surprisingly, they had an excellent PA system. It was a very enjoyable speaking engagement.

Public Speaking Tip #383: People with disabilities are the same as any other audience for a speaker: they appreciate the escapism of an entertaining presentation.

Romsey Women's Institute, Hampshire

The church where I spoke to the Tinnitus Group is just across the road from Bournemouth station which was useful as I had to catch a train to my second talk that day.

Romsey Women's Institute had also booked the talk about My Life as a Freelance Comedy Writer. Now some people might find the idea of delivering the same presentation twice within a few hours monotonous but to me it's a great blessing. Although I have been speaking about this topic since January 1996, the talk never stops evolving, in fact I have well over two hours' worth of tried and tested material to choose from for a typical 45-minute presentation - and counting! This is without including the topical jokes and observations that I include or the hours of recordings of my material that I could also draw upon if necessary. My writing career is ongoing and the next new anecdote is often just a phone call away.

The great thing about doing the same talk twice in one day is that it gives me the chance to hone any new additions very quickly, rather than wait for the next booking. 2010 was, overall, a very quiet year for me so I was pleased to have this opportunity. In fact, my five talks for July and August were all on the same topic so I was able to give it a great deal of attention.

Public Speaking Tip #384: Don't view the prospect of delivering the same presentation twice in quick succession - or even more often - as tedious; it offers you the chance to hone the material and try out and break in any new additions in a very short space of time.

I enjoyed my evening at the Crosfield Hall. I had never spoken to this particular WI before but I knew from numerous previous bookings for other groups in the area that Romsey audiences are always very responsive - and they were no exception.

Staines Ladies Probus Club

I hadn't even arrived home from speaking to the men's Probus in Staines in July before I received a call asking if I was available to speak at the ladies' club in August (many thanks to the member who recommended my talk to his wife - especially as I had no other bookings for the following month!)

The ladies' club also meets at the Boleyn Hotel in Staines. Unlike my previous visit, the weather was poor and during the talk there was heavy, distracting rain outside while I was speaking. Nevertheless, a good talk, especially as I was able to mention a chat I had with one of the ladies beforehand about her interest in astrology and this led perfectly into an unintentionally funny press cutting I often use featuring an old horoscope of mine. I always think it adds a great sense of tailoring and immediacy if you can link a conversation you have just had with a member of the organisation to some part of your prepared material.

Public Speaking Tip #385: If something that crops up in a conversation before your presentation can be linked to its content then by all means do so - it really helps to personalise your content, especially if you are able to mention the person's name.

Needless to say, with weather like that I was immensely grateful for the lift from the station and back again!

Christchurch Central Women's Institute, Dorset

My first booking for September was a short-notice talk for the Christchurch Central WI who have a morning meeting at Christchurch Baptist Church Hall. I had previously spoken to them once before in June 2007 and my subject this time was Patrick Campbell. As with my last visit, they were a very good audience. Afterwards, I chatted to popular fellow Bournemouth speaker Mrs Pauline Giles, whose humorous talk titles include 'Not Dead Again!'. Club speakers don't often get the chance to network with our peers and compare notes so it's always good to catch up.

Poole RAF Association

My second September engagement was a return visit to Poole RAFA who meet at the town's Ex-Servicemen's Club. I had previously spoken to them in September 2006 and this time they had asked for my talk about Groucho Marx. This is a very friendly club and I was delighted when they immediately rebooked me for another talk in 2011.

Jubilee Ladies Luncheon Club, Emsworth, Hampshire

September ended with another repeat booking, this time for the Jubilee Ladies' Luncheon Club in Emsworth (I blogged about my first visit to them in October 2008). Once again the venue was the Brookfield Hotel.

This was the engagement where I delivered the very successful first monologue of topical one-liners that I wrote about in this post.

But the event was not without its problems for me...

I arrived in very good time, chatted to the ladies outside in the hotel garden (it was a boiling hot day), enjoyed an excellent lunch and then went into the cloakrooms before my talk. And then I looked in the mirror...

The bottom of my right ear was caked in blood! Presumably this was the result of a rather careless shave that morning (they don't call me 'Nick' for nothing...) I hadn't noticed anyone staring at me in the street, on the bus, at the station, on the train, in the hotel garden or even during the lunch (or if any of the ladies had noticed it, they were obviously too kind to say anything!) Fortunately my shirt was OK.

I cleaned it off - which started the bleeding again, not heavily, but certainly enough to be noticeable, and it wouldn't stop. I went back into the dining room, was introduced, and had to improvise a new introduction explaining that my ear was bleeding and adding some one-liners about my talk being about writing comedy not horror movies and how it's usually loud rock concerts not talks that cause people's ears to bleed. If I hadn't said anything then obviously the audience would have been wondering why I kept dabbing my ear with tissues every couple of minutes.

Public Speaking Tip #386: If you find yourself having no option but to give an excuse for a very noticeable problem which would otherwise be a puzzling distraction for an audience, then do so briefly, using humour where possible, and then proceed with your planned material to the best of your ability.

Apart from that little matter, the talk went very well! My thanks to Moya for once again giving me a lift back to Havant, where I was amused to note that a local speaker's list was advertising one of my talks as being about 'Dorothy Parker and the Width (sic) of the Algonquin Round Table'. Well, it was Alexander Woollcott who remarked that 'All the things I really like to do are either immoral, illegal or fattening'...

Nick R Thomas – A Public Speaker’s Blog: The Great Catch-Up Part 5

Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 21:48:01 +0000

Coaching for a Mayor-Making

In April 2010 I found myself coaching speakers in quite a variety of settings: a family dining room where I worked with a father and son who were speaking at a wedding, then a university lecture theatre where I coached a lecturer delivering an academic paper to colleagues and finally the impressive council chamber at a town hall where I trained a Mayor-elect in preparation for their speech at the ceremony where they would be installed.

When I accepted this booking I was told that the Mayor-elect wanted to work on their voice projection. This meant that they had a very clear idea of where they felt they needed to improve - which was excellent. Too often people will say 'I'm scared of making speeches' or 'I'm terrible at presentations', as if the whole area is problematic, when what they actually mean is that there are certain aspects of public speaking which are problematic for them, such as writing the material, controlling nerves, projecting their voice or using visual aids. But the speaker who isn't loud enough might not actually have any difficulty, for example, in writing a speech - as was the case here. Too many people think the whole business of public speaking is impossible for them and dismiss it when in fact they really need to isolate the most troublesome part of it and concentrate on that. And when they improve in that area then everything else will seem easier as well.

Public Speaking Tip #381: Very few people find the whole business of public speaking impossible - there are simply difficulties with particular elements of it which put them off. Break it down and work out what you feel is the most challenging aspect of public speaking and get some help with that. Then you will find public speaking to be generally a lot less daunting.

I spent one long session with the Mayor-elect and, weeks later, attended the ceremony where I listened to a well-written, well-rehearsed and well-paced speech delivered perfectly audibly to a three-figure audience. The Mayor had identified what they saw as a difficulty with one aspect of speechmaking, sought help, worked hard and delivered a very good speech as a result. In fact, in an email to me afterwards, they wrote:

"It was great fun and I was totally calm throughout the whole event".

Testimonial from the council that commissioned me:

"The Mayor enjoyed the session and got a lot out of it".

Video: Where Does Public Speaking Fear Come From?

Doug Staneart — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 02:49:51 +0000

Public Speaking Fear: New video Where does public speaking fear comes from? This video is a preview of a series of 30 public speaking tips videos that we are creating that will accompany 10 chapters of our new public speaking book that will be published in the next few months. This first video explains where public speaking fear comes from so that you can then eliminate the fear. Please let us know what you think.

Los Angeles Fearless Presentations Class in August Eliminates Fear for Young and Young at Heart

Doug Staneart — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 02:47:13 +0000

We had a nice surprise in our recent Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Class in Los Angeles. We had our usual group of high level executives, but we also had a couple of teenagers preparing for the future. One of the participants was a young lady who was just about to start college, and her brother who is a sophomore in high school joined her. They added a lot of fun and energy to the class, and the the rest of the participants really welcomed them into the group. One of the things that we hear most often in the class is comments like, “I wish that I had taken this public speaking class 10 years ago (20 years ago… 30 years ago),” because once you eliminate that public speaking fear, doors that were closed tend to open up and opportunities tend to present themselves. These young people have a dramatic advantage as they enter into the workforce.

Don’t be the person who says, “I wish I had”. Los Angeles public speaking classes are scheduled about once every three months, and we offer Fearless Presentations in over 50 cities around the world. Visit the Fearless Presentations website for details.

Nick R Thomas – A Public Speaker’s Blog: The Great Catch-Up Part 4

Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:59:00 +0000

My speaking tips in the national press

Last year, my speaking tips appeared in one national newspaper in the UK and on the website of another. In the first case, I was one of a number of people responding to a reader's request for help and in the second I was asked to join an illustrious panel for an online discussion!

Daily Mail 'Answers to Correspondents'

The Daily Mail has a long-established feature where readers can write in asking others for answers to various queries. In April last year a letter appeared in which the writer said that he had been asked to speak at a dinner for accountants so could readers suggest any good accountancy jokes?

Over the following weeks a steady flow of gags came in, many of them very good. I replied as well - but, instead of sending jokes, I recommended that he should take a different approach.

Imagine if you were a non-golfer who was asked to speak at a golf club so you rushed out and bought a book of golfing jokes. What do you think the result would be? That's right: an audience who had heard them all before, some exchanging knowing looks, others raising their eyes to the heavens, perhaps even one or two of the more inebriated ones shouting out the punchline or 'Heard it!' And this would have been the case years ago, long before gags were exchanged so rapidly by text, email or on social networking sites.

And a speech cannot consist of nothing but gags - that's a stand-up routine.

I suggested that he should concentrate instead on any (short) humorous anecdotes and observations from his own field which might still be of interest to accountants (for example, relating to business, banks, insurance, marketing, etc) and amusing material with a general appeal, including one or two well-chosen quotations.

My answer was published on 11 May. Thinking about it some more since then, I could also have suggested that he could make humorous observations about any similarities or differences between his profession and theirs.

Public Speaking Tip #380: If you are an outsider delivering a humorous speech to a specialist audience, try to avoid using non-original material about their particular profession or interest. It is very likely that they will have heard it before and your delivery may not sound convincing anyway. Instead, try to find common ground by drawing upon your own relevant humorous experiences and observations.

Guardian Careers Website

On my way back from the talk at Burwell I received an email asking if I would be intersted in being a member of the panel for a Live Q&A on improving your presentation skills for the Careers Blog of the Guardian newspaper and I readily agreed.

The session took place on 25 May and the three hours seemed to fly by. Many aspects of public speaking were covered for readers, some of whom were posting questions the day before it was due to start!. I concentrated on the benefits of joining a public speaking class, controlling nerves, writing introductions, inclusion of humour, using notes, speakers' bad habits and favourite, inspiring speakers.

There really was a great wealth of decent advice on so many aspects of public speaking. You can read the whole Q&A here, a fantastic resource, especially for workplace presentations.

And here is a brief summary of some of the points from the panel.

This was my first live online event and, in some ways, it was like public speaking in that I was delivering my thoughts for a large group of people. A little easier though - I didn't have to choose suitable attire, travel to a distant town for the gig, focus on my voice or worry about the quality of the microphone. Plus, of course, I had the opportunity to edit!

Interview: Janet Chahrour – The Yoga of Relationship

Ian — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:34:58 +0000

Janet Chahrour (Sha-roor) is a life-change artist with a passion for matters of relationship. Her most popular presentations are The 7 Questions to Ask Yourself about Your Romantic Relationship and The Yoga of Relationship. Her website thrivingtogether.net offers a menu of her best articles and favorite books as well as a free report called The [...]

Bookends to the PC Era: Adam Osborne and Léo Apotheker

Ian — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:32:52 +0000

The recent news about Hewlett-Packard’s shift in strategic direction caught analysts by surprise and wiped $16B off the company share price on Friday. Commentators noted that CEO Léo Apotheker’s move confused many: Apotheker, who gained a reputation for sharp business acumen when he headed up SAP, thoroughly flummoxed HP shareholders last week with what some [...]

Lokpal Bill burning Incident

Latest Public Speaking Articles — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 12:41:40 +0000

Burning papers of a bill in front of the full media and public glare does not in any way come under the ambit of civil and civilized society. Burning copies of the government's version of the Lokpal Bill might not just be a symbolic action rather it speaks much more than that, such an act does not have any coherence on part of Team Anna who said that the protest would continue till August 16 when Mr. Hazare will again go on fast till the recommendations made by the "Civil" society are not included in the bill.

Now the much hyped movement which was started to weed out the corruption from our country has veered towards a different direction and is at the risk of going completely awry. Seems like Team Anna has completely shifted their focus from working for the masses to taking a hit at the people high up in the political and judicial order. This can be understood from the very fact that sections of the Lokpal bill which has the provisions of preventing the whistle blowers and common people from day to day corrupt activities has received zilch publicity and all the arguments have been jettisoned just shifting the talk towards prime ministers and judges which prima facie is baseless and does not serve any purpose in big scheme of things.

The initial hue and cry about removing all the corrupt ministers and bureaucrats which was just the tip of the iceberg of the whole corruption problem , has now taken the center stage and every member of the Civil Society and Team Anna is now hell bent on just taking a dig at this tip and simply ignoring the mammoth problem which lies underneath. This looks like a no gainer for civil society and is more of a move to satisfy the mega ego's of the people involved.

All arguments now with standing, there lies no sense in burning copies of bill, which is just a mindless and a brutal act, not just against sanity but against the environment too. Many environmentalists have condemned this act of burning papers as criminal and have said that people should have sense in not to aggravate environmental problems while solving(if at all) the corruption problem. There have been problems in the past too, but this senseless burning of copies of the bill, I must say takes away all the privileges of Team Anna and Co. calling themselves a member of the Civil Society. So, we would say that this "hungover" action from the members of the civil society should stop and some sense should prevail. As a nation we need long term solution for corruption , not some symbolic act of burning papers , which at best serves the purpose of and ego-satisfying media gimmick.

Book Review: Tasting the Moon, by Meg Fortune McDonnell

Ian — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 22:37:17 +0000

Full disclosure: I first met Meg Fortune McDonnell in 1980 when I arrived in California to join the community that grew up around the spiritual teacher she describes in her memoir. Unlike Meg, who embraced a relationship to her teacher that lasted a lifetime, I was more of a dilettante, dropping out of the community [...]

NSA Influence ‘11 Convention – 50 Key Take Aways

Ian — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:17:45 +0000

20 members of the Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association met on Saturday to debrief on the #nsa11 National Convention held July 30 – August 2 in Anaheim and share their key take-aways. We have held these meetings for a number of years, with the understanding that since only 12% of people [...]

The rise of the speechwriter

Ian — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:05:24 +0000

Speechwriters are the coming thing. In fact, this is a profession that is more talked about, and more written about, than ever. Want proof? According to the Google Ngrams database of millions of terms from their vast collection of digitized books in American English, “speechwriter” is an increasingly common word. Here’s the results for the the [...]

Alan Stevens – The Media Coach

Ian — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 03:13:55 +0000

I caught up with Alan Stevens at the National Speakers Association Influence ‘11 Convention in Anaheim and asked him to demonstrate the hardware and software he carries with him on the road. He demonstrated the portable studio set-up he uses to create his web radio show. Watch this brief video where Alan demonstrates the set-up [...]

How to write a keynote speech – secrets of masterful presenters

Ian — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 01:50:31 +0000

I’ve just spent four intense days attending my 7th National Speakers Association (NSA) convention, held July 30 – August 2nd in Anaheim, California. Over 1,500 attendees heard from some of the world’s top world’s professional speakers in an event themed Influence ‘11. Fellow NSA Northern California member Susan RoAne wrote on Facebook: “In my [...]

August and September Fearless Presentation Classes

Doug Staneart — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:41:31 +0000

The Fearless Presentations® Public Speaking Class is the fastest, easiest way to reduce stage fright and the fear of public speaking. This 2-day presentation training seminar helps participants gain poise and confidence in front of a group — fast! Stage Fright is still the #1 fear in America. And, right or wrong, people form a perception of who we are and what we represent by the confidence that we show when we deliver business presentations. A person who can stand in front of a group, with poise and confidence, can immediately create the perception of competency. However, a person who is shy and timid in front of a group will have a tough time convincing the audience that he is capable.

August and September Fearless Presentations^® Public Speaking Classes

2011 Aug 11-12 Indianapolis IN

2011 Aug 15-16 Dallas TX

2011 Aug 18-19 Miami FL

2011 Aug 23-24 Boston MA

2011 Aug 25-26 Baltimore MD

2011 Aug 25-26 Philadelphia PA

2011 Aug 30-31 Seattle WA

2011 Sept 8-9 Columbus OH

2011 Sept 13-14 Chicago IL

2011 Sept 15-16 New York NY

2011 Sept 20-21 San Diego CA

2011 Sept 22-23 San Francisco CA

2011 Sept 27-28 Austin TX

2011 Sept 29-30 Orlando FL

Click and of the links above for details about or to register for any of these public speaking seminars.

Allison Massari wins major National Speakers Association contest

Ian — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:59:00 +0000

A panel of distinguished judges at the National Speakers Association Annual Convention selected Allison Massari as the winner of the ‘So You Think You Can Speak’ competition late Sunday. Allison, a 2010 NSA Northern California Pro-Track graduate, had made it to the final group of six contestants after being selected by the Northern California [...]

Nick R Thomas – A Public Speaker’s Blog: The Great Catch-Up Part 3

Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:44:22 +0000

Talks April - May 2010

New Forest/Waterside U3A

In April 2010 I spoke for third time at the New Forest/Waterside U3A in the St Andrew's Centre in Dibden Purlieu, Hampshire. There were around 60 there for my talk about Groucho Marx.

I struggled with this one a bit due to a lingering cough and during the questions afterwards I was asked one that I just didn't know the answer to. Obviously when I got home I made a point of looking it up!

Public Speaking Tip #375: If you are asked a question and you do not know the answer then look it up at the first opportunity. It's not just that you might be asked again, it may turn out to be some vital piece of information that needs to be included in the main body of your presentation, not left for possible inclusion in the Q&A afterwards.

Shirley Women's Institute, Southampton

The following morning I was back in the Southampton area again, this time for a talk about The Power of Humour in Everday Life for Shirley WI. This was originally supposed to be my first talk of the year back in January but severe weather conditions had caused massive disruption on the railways. I did actually travel as far as Bournemouth station but a quick look at the electronic displays revealed just how hopeless the situation appeared to be. I telephoned the Speaker Secretary who agreed and thought that very few would be turning up to the meeting that day anyway. I was very pleased to get a replacement booking for their April meeting.

Public Speaking Tip #376: If some event makes it seem unlikely that a speaking engagement will go ahead, you should assume that there is an outside chance that it may still happen until you hear otherwise. It shows willing!

As I was preparing to set off for the April booking I listened to the news on the radio and it was just as well that I did. The previous night there had been a terrible fire at a block of flats called Shirley Towers, little more than half a mile from the Pirrie Park Bowling Club where I was due to speak. Two heroic firefighters, James Shears and Alan Bannon, lost their lives tackling the blaze.

I was very aware that I had been booked to deliver a talk - and a humorous one at that - in an area where this tragic event had just occurred. I thought about the material I had prepared. Among my collection of unintentionally funny press clippings there is one about a fire at a Bournemouth shop back in the 1980s. No-one was hurt in it but, nevertheless, I knew that here was one part of my talk that definitely needed to be scrapped for this booking. To have made any reference to a fire would have seemed crass and insensitive. I had plenty of other material to replace it.

Public Speaking Tip #377: It is most useful to find out if there is any news item relating to an area or organization where you will be speaking which might affect your choice of material. You are there to win an audience over, not cause offence. If in doubt - edit!

The meeting was very well-attended - about 70 - and my talk went really well. My thanks for the lift back to the centre of Southampton.

National Trust Portsmouth & District Centre

It's always a pleasure to speak to the Portsmouth National Trust and I went back there for a third visit (I blogged about the previous one here). It had been a very busy period - three talks plus a coaching session in three days, as well as daily topical gag-writing for radio - but it was no hardship to speak once again to this decent-sized, friendly and receptive audience in the Discovery Centre at Portsmouth Cathedral, this time on the subject of Groucho Marx.

Sainsbury's Retirement Association, Bournemouth

Later in April I paid a second visit to Bournemouth's Sainsbury's Retirement Association at St Saviour's Church Hall in Iford. My subject was The Power of Humour in Everyday Life and I made sure I worked in references to Bournemouth, supermarkets and loyalty cards!

Another good audience; thanks for the cheesecake!

Hayling Island Horticultural Society, Hampshire

My last talk that month was for the Hayling Island Horticultural Society in the United Reform Church Centre where I had such an enjoyable time speaking to Mengham WI in July 2009. Same talk (My Life As A Freelance Comedy Writer), same great response. This very long-established Society (1886 so a happy 125th anniversary to them!) is a great example of a specialist group that can appreciate a good talk on a non-gardening topic.

My thanks for the transport from the station and back.

Hartley Wintney U3A, Hampshire

My first talk after the Spring Bank Holiday was for Hartley Wintney U3A at the V and A Centre.
The meeting was very well-attended and I had a feeling that the talk on My Life as a Freelance Comedy Writer would go well enough anyway but I was lucky enough to have a number of interruptions!

Yes, you read that correctly.

Interruptions can often be a pain for a speaker but in this case the car that had to be moved because it was causing an obstruction, the driver having to come back into the hall because she'd forgotten her keys, the mobile phone that went off, all of these events occurred at highly appropriate points of my talk where I was easily able to work in ad-libs around them - and that made the talk even funnier. A great morning.

Public Speaking Tip #378: Interruptions can occasionally be the humorous speaker's friend if you can work ad-libs or your existing material around them - preferably without embarrassing the unfortunate audience member responsible. Heckling is another matter...

Thank you to Rosie for running me back to the station.

Wallingford U3A, Oxfordshire

The following day, 5 May, I was speaking to another U3A, this time in Wallingford. It was the day before the General Election so before launching into My Life as a Freelance Comedy Writer I mentioned that it would make a change for them to listen to a public speaker who wan't trying to solicit their vote. It got me off to a good start with this audience of around 90 members. Oxfordshire audiences are always good, I find.

My thanks for the lifts all the way through the lovely Oxfordshire countryside from Goring & Streatley station and back.

Ulwell Women's Institute, Swanage, Dorset

On 11 May, while the UK was still without a government some five days after the election, I set off for an afternoon talk for Ulwell WI in Swanage. A small but extremely receptive audience for My Life as a Freelance Comedy Writer. Afterwards, following my usual walk up to Peveril Point, I called into the New, Secondhand & Antiquarian Bookshop in Station Road just before closing time and was delighted to find an old, inexpensive anthology of American humour which has provided some very useful insights for my talk about Dorothy Parker & the Wits of the Algonquin Round Table.

When I arrived home that evening I watched the TV coverage of outgoing Prime Minister Gordon Brown's moving farewell speech.

Bottisham Women's Institute Group, Burwell, Cambridgeshire

The furthest I travelled for a talk last year was to the annual Bottisham WI Group meeting at the Gardiner Memorial Hall in Burwell, thus adding Cambridge to the list of Women's Institute Federations that I have spoken to (19 so far!)

This one involved an overnight stay. I was able to find accommodation in nearby Newmarket (luckily there were no horseraces or sales that day otherwise it might have been tricky). I stayed in a nice hotel, the Ashley House, which was very reasonably-priced. I was delighted to discover on arrival that I had been upgraded to a suite at no extra charge.

One of the members' husbands drove me to the very charming hall in Burwell. I had bought local papers to see if I could link any part of My Life as a Freelance Comedy Writer to anything in the news or come up with a topical gag but there was nothing inspiring. What I did notice, however, was that one of my former fellow BBC radio comedy writers, now a very well-known TV comedian, was appearing at a local theatre so when I came to the part of the talk where I list some of the soon-to-be-famous comedy people I encountered in the Writers' Room at 16 Langham Street (part of Broadcasting House), I was able to menttion that he was performing in their locality.

Which brings me on to the business of name-dropping in talks. Audiences seem to like famous people cropping up among the content but this has to be done naturally; there needs to be some justification for the mention of some well-known figure who you may have encountered. I never exaggerate how well I have known the comedians,writers, producers, rock stars and other famous people I have come across. In some cases I have worked closely with them but there are others who I only had a nodding acquaintanceship with and some I just observed from a distance.

Public Speaking Tip #379: It can certainly add colour to a presentation if you can mention a personal connection with someone famous but don't overdo it and always be honest about the extent of your involvement with them - audiences deserve the truth.

A guest speaker's involvement at a WI meeting seldom ends with the talk! I was asked to judge the competition. Members had knitted more than 30 woollen hats for the local homeless shelter and the winning entry I chose had luminous bands which I thought would be the most visible on anyone out on a dark street at night.

I also had the very pleasant task of judging the entries for the Inter-Institute Competition: three comedy performances. One was a monologue, the others were two-handed sketches. As a comedy writer, I have to say that these were very impressive, both in terms of writing and performance, and the audience certainly enjoyed them. They were hitting the target of 5 - 6 laughs per minute that a comedian aims for in a stand-up routine or sketch (it tends to be less for a speaker) and it was difficult to make a choice but in the end I went with the monologue, especially as the performer had stood in at short notice in place of a member who couldn't attend. So she got the engraved silver dish!

It was a terrific evening, well worth making the journey for. My thanks to Sandra for the lift back to Newmarket.

Staunton Women's Institute Group, Hampshire

I spoke, once again, on My Life as a Freelance Comedy Writer at another WI Group meeting in May 2010, this time for the Staunton Group at the St John's Parish Centre, Rowlands Castle. The talk went fine but afterwards I was little dismayed to hear that the rather scathing blog entry I wrote about the objectionable 'vote of thanks' I had received at a certain men's dinner months before seemed to be putting pressure on the lady who was thanking me at this meeting! I must stress that I posted it in response to one unusually unpleasant short speech. The vast majority of votes of thanks I am given are thoughtful, amusing and appreciative; hers certainly was!

And I must thank the lady who waited patiently for me at the station and returned me there after the talk.

Trinity United Reform Church, Bournemouth

The following evening I was speaking back in my home town of Bournemouth, delivering a second talk - on Patrick Campbell this time - at the Trinity United Reformed Church in Charminster to a small but appreciative audience which turned out to include a lady who was a neighbour of mine for 14 years. As I have written before, sometimes public speaking can be like Friends Reunited!

Interview: Carrie Vawter-Yousfi – Mommy Coach

Ian — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:32:32 +0000

Carrie Vawter-Yousfi, founder of Mommy’s Coach has unlocked the secret to successfully running a busy household, while ensuring plenty of quality time. She created her own business 5 years ago out of her struggle with motherhood and a Silicon Valley career. As a working mom, she developed a system to help new mothers better manage [...]

NSA 2011 Convention: Advance Planning

Ian — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:30:04 +0000

At the end of the month, I’m off to Anaheim, for my 7th NSA Convention. The theme this year is Influence and the conference chair is NSA bad-boy Randy Gage. He rocked the house a couple of years back with a religion-bashing keynote that, for the first time ever, did not get a knee-jerk [...]

Self-Growth Website

Doug Staneart — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:29:45 +0000

Just wanted to let you know about one of my absolute favorite websites called www.selfgrowth.com. It has one of the most comprehensive libraries of motivational and self-help articles, videos, websites, and more, and it is a great place to spend a few minutes early in the morning before the work day. If you are a fan of the site, let me know by hitting the LIKE button above.

July 7-8 Detroit MI Fearless Presentation Public Speaking Class

Doug Staneart — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:49:10 +0000

We had a really nice group of women attend the Fearless Presentations Public Speaking class in Detroit, Michigan last week. This was a smaller class, so each participant got a great deal of one-on-one coaching from the instructor, and the presentations that they designed were very well done. Fearless Presentations helps participants eliminate the fear of public speaking by coaching them during a series of step-by-step presentations leading to a fairly complicated final presentation. However, by the time that the participants get to this final presentation, it’s really almost second nature. This group was even able to cover some additional material because we had a little extra time due to the class size. We had a lot of fun!

Nick R Thomas – A Public Speaker’s Blog: The Great Catch-Up Part 2

Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 01:36:36 +0000

Tilsworth & Stanbridge Women's Institute Group, Bedfordshire, March 2010

One of last year's most far-flung - and enjoyable - speaking engagements was for a WI Group meeting held at the Village Hall in Billington near Leighton Buzzard.

I was met at Leighton Buzzard station by John and Sandie Rowland (who organises the Group Meetings) and treated to a wonderful dinner at their home, a meal that was on a par with any I have had as a luncheon or after dinner speaker and I really did appreciate their hospitality.

Then it was on to the hall for the meeting. As always at WI Groups, there were a number of reports from speakers representing the various Institutes that make up the Group and also from the County Headquarters and the Group's Committee. Whenever I speak at a function where there are various speakers at the business meeting I never tire of observing their different approaches to and styles of presenting. The audience response to these earlier speakers is also a useful guide for me, for example, in noting their response to humour.

Public Speaking Tip #373: The response to the speakers who are on before you can be most helpful for guaging the general mood of an audience.

I certainly had nothing to worry about where the 50-or-so ladies at this meeting were concerned - My Life As A Freelance Comedy Writer was extremely well received.

I had a copy of a local paper and even though there were no stories that inspired jokes in their own right, there was one concerning a 99p store which I was able to use a 'bridge' to lead me into some other observations so this ended up as a bit of 'local news tailoring' of my material after all.

Public Speaking Tip #374: The latest issue of a local paper - even a weekly freesheet advertiser - can have many uses in terms of tailoring your content for an audience from that area. A front-page story will obviously be most familiar to them.

My thanks to the lady who ran me back to the station after a very enjoyable talk, my first in Bedfordshire (but I have two more booked for later this year).

Testimonial from Mrs Rowland:

"We all enjoyed your visit very much – the feedback was excellent".

And this from the County Chairman of the Bedfordshire Federation of Women's Institutes:

"The speaker was great and is to be recommended".

People Judge Your Competence by Confidence that You Show

Doug Staneart — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:37:54 +0000

The Importance of Self-Confidence People will judge our COMPETENCE by the CONFIDENCE that we show. For example, let’s say that you are going in for surgery, and just before you go under, the surgeon walks into your room. His posture is slouching, as he speaks, he stumbles over his words somewhat, and when you look at his hands, they are trembling a little. Now, it doesn’t matter how good of a surgeon he is, you’ll probably want a second opinion (maybe even a third opinion) — Fast! Well, it’s the same in just about any industry. People judge how good we are at what we do by how confident we are when we communicate with them. If we speak with poise and confidence, they will automatically make the assumption that we are competent at what we do until we prove ourselves otherwise. The opposite is true as well. When we speak with nervousness or fear, the audience will automatically assume that we don’t know what we are doing until we prove ourselves otherwise.

Trainee Perception

A couple of days ago, I took my kids to a fast-food place. It was pretty busy, so I jumped in the shortest line. When I got to the front of the line, I gave the young person my order, and I could tell by the look in her eyes that something I had said had confused her. She looked down at her screen and started searching for the item that I had mentioned. My first impression of her kicked in, and it was “Wait a minute… something is wrong her.” I watched her finger searching the electronic menu, I could see it tremble a little. I changed my impression to “Ahhh… must be a trainee.” Immediately after drawing that conclusion, I glanced at her name tag, and there it was… Trainee in small letters under her name. (By the way, she gave us great service and did a great job, but that is not the point.) The point is that her self-consciousness caused her to question herself. When she questioned herself, she showed nervousness. The nervousness came across to me as her not being that good at working the cash register, yet. Do you want to give the perception to people that you are a Trainee or that you are the Professional?

You are the Expert! Communicate that Way

To be the professional, you want to exude self-confidence when you present to groups, speak to individuals in a one-on-one fashion, and when you lead people. That way, the outside appearance matches the inside competence.

The Fearless Presentations^® Public Speaking Class Eliminates Public Speaking Fear

To overcome public speaking fear, break the skill into component parts and master each part. Fearless Presentations^® helps each presenter have a series of public speaking successes by changing the way that we PREPARE for a presentation. Our step-by-step process makes writing and delivering presentations much easier. Once you have a series of success after success after success with zero failures in between, the fear of public speaking fades away… just like the fear of driving on the freeway faded after a few successes.

July and August Fearless Presentations Classes

Doug Staneart — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:25:44 +0000

July and August Fearless Presentations^® Public Speaking Classes

2011 July 7-8 Detroit MI

2011 July 12-13 Phoenix AZ

2011 July 14-15 Los Angeles CA

2011 July 19-20 Kansas City MO

2011 July 21-22 Washington DC

2011 July 26-27 Atlanta GA

2011 July 28-29 Houston TX

2011 Aug 11-12 Indianapolis IN

2011 Aug 15-16 Dallas TX

2011 Aug 18-19 Miami FL

2011 Aug 23-24 Boston MA

2011 Aug 25-26 Baltimore MD

2011 Aug 25-26 Philadelphia PA

2011 Aug 30-31 Seattle WA

Click and of the links above for details about or to register for any of these public speaking seminars.

Interview: Clare Mullin – from Trauma to Triumph

Ian — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 17:28:54 +0000

At twelve, Clare was diagnosed with Epilepsy. Years later after an accident at a gym, the diagnosis became traumatic brain injury which affected her ability to speak. She had to learn to speak again as well as learn the many new ways to live a successful life. She taught herself how [...]

Business video: get ready for the surge

Ian — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:59:29 +0000

By Ian Griffin and Laurie Brown Laurie Brown has over two decades of experience as a trainer and speaker, helping her audience improve their customer service, sales and presentation skills. She started her career as a professional actor, performing in hundreds of training films, commercials and movies. This experience has provided her with the ability [...]

Good drama is surprising and inevitable

Ian — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:26:29 +0000

An interview with playwright David Mamet in the Weekend FT has a useful discussion on the challenges of compelling writing: I take the opportunity of having this master craftsman in front of me to ask about writing. He commences by defining where others go wrong. “Anyone can write five people trapped in a snowstorm. The [...]

Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Course Helps Advance Careers In New York City

Richard Highsmith — Sat, 28 May 2011 15:35:35 +0000

Class participants showed great interest in advancing their careers at the Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Course class recently in New York City. New York has long been considered the “melting pot” of America. But despite having participants from several states in the U.S., India and Brazil, all were interested in how improving public speaking skills could advance their careers. One participant owns a global business consulting company and needed to improve her ability to speak publicly about her company. Another has a new position in sales and needed help becoming more clear and concise in sales presentations. Still another will actually be making a presentation to the senior leadership in his company regarding his promotion.

How does one class address all these needs? Fearless Presentations is about so much more than anxiety in public speaking. The class deals with using personal examples, how to be persuasive, impromptu speaking, and to write a speech, power point tips, enthusiasm and energy and how to be impactful with your audience. Josh who completed the class in New York said, “The class took a novice speaker and developed a semi-advanced speaker in just 2 days!” Janet commented, “Thank you so very very much. I have taken plenty of classes through American Management Association as well as the Horizon Institute and this was by far one of the best classes I have taken.”

Rick Highsmith is a Senior Instructor with The Leader’s Institute. He is the author of the book, Squish Creativity Like a Bug.

Presentation Skills Class can Build Self-Confidence in Other Areas as Well

Doug Staneart — Thu, 26 May 2011 17:15:33 +0000

Public Speaking Confidence is Seen by Others as Competence

Public speaking skills or presentation skills will often lead to greater esteem from coworkers and peers, so when up-and-coming leaders and managers focus on building self-confidence in public speaking, that same confidence often spills over into other areas as well. When a person speaks with poise and confidence, the listeners often promote the speaker to a position of being an expert in whatever topic the speaker is presenting. As a result, once the speaker begins to realize how others see him/her, the speaker begins to see himself/herself differently as well. An audience will always judge a speakers competence by the confidence that he or she portrays.

I try to never use politicians as examples, but a few recent political examples come to mind. In 2002, Barack Obama was asked to speak at the Democrat’s convention, and the crowd went wild when he spoke. He was the young, up-and-coming leader of the party. At the time, he had practiced law a few years, been an attorney for ACORN for a few years, and was recently elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, but because of the way that he spoke, the audience saw him has being a competent leader. (I’ll let you be the judge as to whether they made the correct choice.) In recent weeks, Donald Trump and Herman Cain have jumped into the fray and developed loyal followers from their speeches. Cain was the CEO of Godfathers Pizza, and he’s been a radio talk show host for a while. At a recent speech, political commentators were amazed when Cain “Ad Libbed” an entire speech, meaning that he delivered his presentation without any notes. His confidence is winning followers over.

Public Speaking Fear Causes Missed Opportunities

Self consciousness or public speaking fear causes a speaker to hesitate when opportunities present themselves. That risk of failure causes people to pause and say, “I wonder if I should say something here…?” That moment of hesitation is typically all that a more confident person needs to get noticed in a positive way. Later, the person who hesitates will likely kick himself saying, “That was my idea! I should have said something.”

I remember when I was first starting out in the business world, I worked for a big oil company, and the a big problem with government paperwork was being discussed at a staff meeting. Because I was new to the group, I didn’t have the preconceived notions that the others at the table had. The solution seemed simple and easy, but because I was so new, I paused. The discussion continued, and the more that each person contributed, the more that my idea looked pretty good. But I still kept silent. One of the directors who was in the room, Mary Lou, thought for a second and told the group a simple solution that was really, really close to the idea that I had. That idea was implemented, and Mary Lou was a hero. A couple of years later, when the price of oil dropped and over 300 people were laid off, Mary Lou was one of the few who were kept. Executives look for people who contribute good ideas that create value for the company.

Public Speaking Training Classes Can Help

When participants attend public speaking classes or presentation skills courses (good ones anyway), the complete a series of successful presentations over and over. Once they have these successes, future presentations become easier. The risk associated with presenting is lowered, so these speakers tend to hesitate less when opportunities present themselves. When confidence in speaking is paired with competence in your field, people around you begin to see you as the expert. You become more valuable to your company.

Attend a public speaking class, a good presentations skills class, and you will increase your success in many different areas.

Upcoming Presentation Skills Classes

Doug Staneart — Thu, 26 May 2011 16:11:09 +0000

Public speaking training is, by far, the most lucrative and rewarding type of training that a person can attend. Leaders who have great public speaking skills get promoted faster, have higher esteem from coworkers, and earn over 30% more income, on average, than people who feel public speaking fear.

Want to be a fearless public speaker? We have a number of upcoming 2-Day Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Classes coming up in cities all over the US, Canada, and Europe.

Upcoming Classes: 2-Day Public Speaking Seminar for beginner and intermediate speakers. Tuition is $997/person, $947 each for two, $897 for three or more.

2011 Jun 2-3 Cincinnati, OH — The Cincinnatian

2011 Jun 9-10 San Francisco, CA — Westin Airport

2011 Jun 13-14 Tampa, FL — Quorum Hotel

2011 Jun 16-17 New York, NY — Park Central Hotel

2011 Jun 23-24 Chicago, IL — Four Points Sheraton Rush St.

2011 July 7-8 Detroit, MI — Westin Airport

2011 July 12-13 Phoenix, AZ — Hilton Airport

2011 July 14-15 Los Angeles, CA — Westin Airport

2011 July 19-20 Kansas City, MO — Westin Crown Center

2011 July 21-22 Washington, DC — St. Gregory Hotel

2011 July 26-27 Atlanta, GA — Westin Peachtree Plaza

2011 July 28-29 Houston, TX — Sheraton IAH

2011 Aug 11-12 Indianapolis, IN — Sheraton Indianapolis

2011 Aug 15-16 Dallas, TX — Westin DFW

2011 Aug 18-19 Miami, FL — DoubleTree Surfcomber

2011 Aug 23-24 Boston, MA — Hilton Financial District

2011 Aug 25-26 Baltimore, MD — Sheraton BWI

2011 Aug 25-26 Philadelphia, PA — Hilton Airport

2011 Aug 30-31 Seattle, WA — Hilton Downtown

2011 Sept 8-9 Columbus, OH — Four Points Sheraton Airport

2011 Sept 13-14 Chicago, IL — Four Points Sheraton Rush St.

2011 Sept 15-16 New York, NY — Park Central Hotel

2011 Sept 20-21 San Diego, CA — DoubleTree Downtown

2011 Sept 22-23 San Francisco, CA — Westin Airport

2011 Sept 27-28 Austin, TX — DoubleTree I-35

… I’d Like More Information.

To register by phone or for more information, call us toll-free at 1-800-872-7830 or complete the form below.

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Free Presentation Assessment: Let us know which of the key areas below would be most important to you improving your performance as a speaker:

Reduce Public Speaking Nervousness
Be more Clear and Concise
I Want to Influence People, Persuade Better
Communicate Better in One-on-One Situations
Command an Audience Easier
Think and Speak on My Feet Better
Market My Ideas Better
Design a Good Presentation Better
Give Speeches without Notes
Be Able to Practice Less
Add Impact to Presentations
Add Energy to Presentations
Design PowerPoint Better
Deliver PowerPoint Better

I’d Like to Register for Fearless Presentations^®.

Fearless Presentations^® Public Speaking Seminar

Priority No-Risk Registration Form

YES! Count me in.

“This was a great public speaking class. I was very anxious about being here before the class started, but the brochure was true to its word. The environment was friendly and non-threatening which greatly helped my learning experience.” – Ruth Ann Nelson, Denver, CO

“This is an excellent program to help tap the hidden potential within any speaker. I actually discovered that I liked the things I feared the most – for example, the question and answer period and impromptu speaking.” – Susan Shiflett, Denver, CO

“This was absolutely an excellent class! It was much more fun, informative, and productive than I could have ever expected.” – Nichole Kendall, Los Angeles, CA

“This program was presented very well! It really simplified the public speaking process, and the enthusiasm of the instructors made learning easy. ” – Lucas Wenneker, Chicago, IL

“This program helped me realize that presenting can be fun and not scary. I look forward to opportunities to speak now.” – Tiffany May, Chicago, IL

(Read More Quotes from Past Class Members)

Interview: Terry Barton – Savvy Leader

Ian — Thu, 26 May 2011 14:26:25 +0000

Using the “single most powerful question anyone could ever ask”, Terry Barton helps individuals and businesses connect to what is preventing them from moving in the direction they want to go. Whether it is an operational issue, a performance issue or a problem with a team, Terry helps people and organizations get [...]

Underlying Causes of Public Speaking Fear?

Doug Staneart — Sat, 07 May 2011 14:09:00 +0000

Questioner:	Sabrina
Category:	Public Speaking
Private:	No
Subject:	Underlying Causes
Question:	QUESTION: Doug, I was wondering what you thought were some causes of the fear of public speaking, such as previous traumatic experiences or possibly other fears such as the fear of judgement that cause the fear of public speaking. Also, what do you know about people’s acceptance of this fear, and if many people cannot admit their fear to others? ANSWER: Sabrina, the cause of public speaking fear (any fear for that matter) is pretty simple… Anytime we try something new (any new skill whether it’s learning to ride a bike when we’re 4 or 5 years old, learning to drive a car when you are 15, or learning how to use a computer or new smartphone, etc.) we will have quite a bit of nervousness. If during the practice, we have what we consider to be a success, our confidence grows. If we have what we consider to be a failure, our nervousness increases. The more times that we attempt something and have one of the challenges, the more difficult it becomes to attempt the same skill in the future. So if someone doesn’t attempt to speak in front of a group very often, and the person has a challenge in front of a group, he/she will have a tougher time speaking in the future. The only way to overcome this fear is to replace the “perceived failures” with successes. For instance, when we teach our Fearless Presentations class, we start each presenter with a fairly simplistic presentation to deliver in the beginning, and then we add more to it in future presentations. So every time the speaker is presenting, he/she is building on past successes to build confidence. It works every time. People sometime do have a tough time admitting fear to others, because they think it makes them look weak. As a result, they tend to avoid opportunities that could cause this fear to manifest itself. As a result, they will often pass up opportunities succeed. Doug Staneart ———- FOLLOW-UP ———- QUESTION: Thanks so much for your reply! I was also wondering if you that these “failures” are not only leading to that specific fear, but also to a judgement of ourselves that we are therefore failures, which then can possibly lead to us fearing others judgement of ourselves because of our lowered self-esteem. I am also wondering if possibly other failures other speaking in front of people could possibly cause this fear. Such as a “failure” in another activity which then leads to a fear of people judging you, which will ultimately lead to a fear of public speaking. I also wonder if in these classes where you teach people how to get over their fears, whether you consider and use this as an effective way to help them understand and overcome their fear.
Answer:	Sabrina, sorry for the delay in responding. I just realized that you asked a follow up question (I thought it was a duplicate of the original question.) Yes, fear not only comes from true “failures” but also “perceived failures.” Once they occur, they will make self-confidence and self-esteem fall (at least a little). A perceived failure in one area can cause overall self-esteem to fall as well. For instance, when something traumatic like a physical attack or accident occurs to some people, they retreat and stop participating in other activities. However, success or perceived success has an opposite reaction. I find that when people get a good public speaking coach and gain confidence in presentation skills that the self-confidence spills over into other areas of their life as well and self-confidence and self-esteem grows dramatically. Many people who complete formal presentation training with a good coach tend to accomplish a lot of fantastic things in a short period of time. Many get promoted (sometimes two and three levels in a year or so), gain a lot of prestige and esteem from others, and more. Doug Staneart America’s Fearless Presentations Coach

Public Speaking Class Participants In St. Louis Workshop Move Toward Becoming Fearless Presenters

Craig Wagganer — Sat, 07 May 2011 14:04:45 +0000

The Fearless Presentations public speaking workshop was held in St. Louis, Missouri where participants increased their presentation skills. The two day public speaking class focuses on diminishing the fear of public speaking while working to give an easy way to prepare a presentation that will relieve stress and at the same time streamline the preparation process. Many people have trouble preparing because the fear of making the presentation handicaps the efforts. This unique class begins by addressing the fear directly and then builds on that foundation to give each person the tools needed to prepare a concise, reliable and memorable presentation. During the class each participant gives 6 presentations that last from 45 seconds to 6 minutes. During the presentations they get to put into practice the material covered and receive positive coaching from the instructor.

Many people think that public speaking is an art reserved for a few gifted people. But the truth is that anyone can improve their ability to do public presentations. Not everyone will become professionals, but everyone can learn what is necessary to help them become more competent in their ability and more confident in their delivery. The more introverted person can use their reliability and desire to get along with others to make great presentations and overcome they lack of boldness by understanding that people don’t perceive their nervousness and by effective preparation and practice. The shy, logic-oriented person can use their organization skills and attention to detail to prepare solid messages while overcoming their inclination to give to much information by beginning with the audience in mind and not writing their presentation out word of word.

The outgoing, people-person learns that they can keep the fun and energy while at the same time adding more organization to their presentations by using a structured preparation plan and making sure do the necessary research to be an expert on the subject while refusing to just “wing it.” The more dominant outgoing person can prepare well and use their innate confidence while making sure they don’t risk alienating the audience by focusing on the desired results they are looking for and preparing with the audience in mind.

Great public speaking is not the result of personality or inborn qualities, but is a skill anyone can learn and be effective at. The 9 people at the Fearless Presentations workshop in St. Louis learned that by applying some simple principle they can improve their presentation abilities and continue to grow in their effectiveness in this arena.

Cisco Social Media Conference: Teaching elephants to dance

Ian — Sat, 07 May 2011 00:50:27 +0000

The Ragan Communications Social Media Best Practices for Communicators Conference, hosted by Cisco Systems, wrapped up on Friday. The 3-day event promised to share ways to “engage employees, build strong customer relationships and create brand buzz online” using social media. Workshop and presentation topics included: How video is reshaping employee communications Social media tools for PR Social [...]

Interview: Susan Gluss, UC Berkeley School of Law

Ian — Fri, 06 May 2011 04:00:00 +0000

At the end of the second day of the Ragan Social Media Conference I met Susan Gluss who is the Media Relations Director and spokeswoman for the UC Berkeley School of Law. She is investigating the use of social media, specifically blogging, as as way of promoting both the activities of the Law School and her [...]

Meeting Report: Cisco Social Media Conference

Ian — Wed, 04 May 2011 01:04:46 +0000

For the rest of this week I’ll be attending the Ragan Communications Conference Social Media Best Practices for Communicators hosted by Cisco Systems. The event kicks off on Wednesday when I plan to attend the Pre-Conference Workshop on Corporate Video given by Deanna Govoni and Alex Romano. This workshop will discuss how to think differently [...]

The King James Bible at 400

Ian — Mon, 02 May 2011 14:55:05 +0000

The Financial Times marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible, in May 1611, with a review of a wide range of books on the topic. This King James Bible is clearly, to date, the most read book in the English language. It was translated from prior Latin, Greek [...]

First Name *		Last Name *
Email *		Phone *
Company
Address
City, ST Zip
Location
Free Presentation Assessment: Let us know which of the key areas below would be most important to you improving your performance as a speaker:
	Reduce Public Speaking Nervousness Be more Clear and Concise I Want to Influence People, Persuade Better Communicate Better in One-on-One Situations Command an Audience Easier Think and Speak on My Feet Better Market My Ideas Better Design a Good Presentation Better Give Speeches without Notes Be Able to Practice Less Add Impact to Presentations Add Energy to Presentations Design PowerPoint Better Deliver PowerPoint Better

Fearless & Persuasive Speaking

Reduce the Data on Your PowerPoint Slides-Video PowerPoint Tip

Reduce the Data on Your PowerPoint Slides-Video PowerPoint Tip

Your PowerPoint slide should convey a simple concept at a glance.

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New PowerPoint Tip Video

Participants in the Detroit Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Class Learn about the Importance of Making Good Eye Contact

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Interview: Timothy Tosta – transformative listener

Urban Life in Modern China: rush-rush to crush-crush

What is the Most Embarrassing Thing that has Ever Happened to You or Someone Else in a Presentation?

The Fearless Presentations Workshop in Washington DC was Another Total Success

Participants in the Fearless Presentations class in Phoenix, Arizona Eliminate Fear of Public Speaking

Relevant Resources: Books to Kick Off 2012

Manufacturing Industry: China will win, hands down

PowerPoint is a Visual Aid Not the Presentation

Pre-Holiday Public Speaking Workshop in Chicago Illinois Helps 9 People become Fearless

Guest Posting: Worst Brand Name Award of 2011, by Alexandra Watkins

Interview: Larry Dodd – Change Agent

Revealed! The Productivity Secrets of Laura Stack

RECOMMENDED: Death By PowerPoint, by Alexei Kapterev

VIDEO: Creative challenges for the Holidays

Three Ways to Spice Up Your Business PowerPoint Presentations

Consider Your Audience

Second- Involve the Audience

Third- Be Concise in Your Closing

Participates in New York Public Speaking Workshop See How Personalities Help or Hurt Presentations

Participants of Presentations Skills Class in Dallas Texas Deliver Concise and Compelling Presentations

Book Review: The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics, by Dona M. Wong

Guest Posting: Write Like A Pro, by Carey C. Giudici

Book Review: You Talkin’ To Me? by Sam Leith

Relevant Resources: Holiday Gifts

VIDEO-Design Your Presentation Based on Your Audience

Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Workshop comes back to Sunny Miami Florida

The Fearless Presentations Public Speaking Workshop returns to Historic Boston Massachusetts.

Interview: Manuela Pauer – Life Coach

Infographic: All About Money

YMCA of the USA includes Adding Impact to Presentations breakout session at their annual conference in Chicago, IL

Toastmaster Time TV Speech: A Tale of Two Cities

Video: Making Presentations Unforgettable – Kim A. Page

Interview: Paul Larsen – Business consultant

Interview: Paul Larsen – Business consultant

Public Speaking Tip-Stories and Examples Reduce Public Speaking Fear

Stories Make Presentations Easier to Follow and Easier to Understand

Stories Make Presentations Easier to Remember

Stories Reduce Public Speaking Fear

VIDEO: Stories Make Your Presentations More Memorable

VIDEO: Stories Make Your Presentations More Understandable

Fearless Presentations® Class in Phoenix, Arizona Allows Participants to Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking at The Core Institute

Public Speaking Class in Houston, Texas Helps Participants Become More Effective Public Speakers

What can Mickey Mouse Teach You about Public Speaking?

1. Commit to Quality

2. Don’t overlook small details

3. You want a great new idea? Reinvent an old one.

4. Take care of your audience

5. Everyone loves a story

6. Stories need villains and heroes

7. Signposts are everywhere

8. Frame of mind

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