Browse Public Speaking

What constitutes perfection in public speaking? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You can type a paper perfectly. You can have a perfect score on a test. You can sew or cut a perfectly straight line. But who is to say that a presentation or a speech is delivered perfectly? Perfection in such a situation is subjective.

Do you ever feel as though you have to put on your armor when you're negotiating with a prospect or client? Have you ever wished you could find a way to negotiate that was strong and firm -- yet creative and consultative at the same time? Would you like to be able to state what you want … and still be seen as a partner? If so, read on.

I sometimes voice my opinion on a forum that deals with public speaking issues and it never fails to amaze me how few understand that the untrained speaking voice can be an absolute liability. When you are trying to deliver a presentation and are unable to control your speed, your breathing, your quiver, and/or the rise in the pitch of your voice, then your nervousness is in control and not you.

Excessive nasality or too much nose in speaking definitely has a negative impact on your listeners. A whiny voice can be shrill and is much akin to nails on a blackboard. The good news is that you can eliminate the excess nasal sounds in your voice if you practice and retrain your ‘inner ear’ to hear the difference.

If a persistent sore throat or chronic hoarseness is something you are experiencing, your 1st step is to find out the cause. If left unattended, it will likely get worse and possibly result in permanent damage to your speaking voice. What I am talking about is known as vocal abuse and it is becoming more and more common in today’s hectic and ‘loud’ world.

Have you become the Invisible Woman? Women are bombarded everyday with messages of selflessness and sacrifice. We learn pretty early that being a good wife and mother means that we always put our family first, which inevitably puts us right square in the back of the line. We hear women commended everyday for being selfless and putting the needs of others before her own, as it there is nothing better that she could do.

One of the most remarkable aspects of color – the life, the animation, the emotion you express in speaking – is that there is no right or wrong. Certainly your attitude can affect your color, which I discussed in my last article, but the true beauty of speaking with expression is that it is as individual to you as are your fingerprints. No two people will give the same presentation exactly the same way; no two people will deliver a speech exactly the same way.

I recently attended my uncle’s memorial service and it was wonderful to watch 4 of his 6 children talk about him. There is no doubt that all were experiencing butterflies as they stood at the lecte but they did an excellent job controlling their nervousness. The expression of their emotions, however, varied greatly.

There is only one problem with being soft-spoken. It is that you are constantly being asked to repeat yourself. And, if it happens often enough, your listeners will stop listening or interrupt you and take over the conversation. Yes, your partner may not seem to be listening but have you ever considered that he or she cannot hear you? Or perhaps you never have a chance at work to finish your sentence because someone else takes over the conversation?

Some people enjoy drawing attention to themselves by trying to trip you up on a fact or statistic during your presentation. A few will find something you say threatening to their secure view of the universe and want you to know that “ You are dead wrong!!” When this happens it is important to ...

I always knew in my heart that I had an awesome gift - just as you do. Just as we all do. For years I secretly hoped that someone would recognize it and discover me. Maybe they would offer me a chance to speak on a big stage or, better yet, a TV show; something that would allow me to get my gifts out into the world and be known in a bigger way.

"Companies are increasingly falling into two categories - those that are innovative and those who go out of business" Dan Brandan CEO HP Canada A company should never be satisfied with its products and services. You must always be innovating. Hewlett Packard began with $500 in cash and ...

We talk a lot about organizing our content, main points, opening and closing, but we rarely talk about how to get from one segment to the next. How do you handle the spaces in between your points, stories, examples, and exercises? These are your transitions. It's as important to plan your transitions as it is to plan the rest of your presentation. Clear transitions help the audience stay focused (and awake) and process your material. They're like links in a chain that keep your presentation cohesive and organized. Here are ten ways to transition from one idea to the next. 1.

Without a doubt, your audience is your most important commodity, your most valuable asset, in public speaking. Without an audience, you have no presentation or speech; therefore, it is crucial that you, as the speaker, value your audience in both the creation and presentation of your material.

To be a speaker that generates money from the stage (platform speaking) you will need a commanding voice that varies up and down, deep and soft, fast and slow … If you fail to vary your voice you will lose your audience quick-smart. This is not theory this is a fact. Monotone speakers can’t sustain audiences and no matter the benefit of their product or service to the consumer the audience will not be engaged and sales will suffer. The speaker suffers.rnHow do I use prope

In “Stress and America,” the American Psychological Association reported that 80% of Americans feel stressed about nthe economic crisis; 60% feel angry about it; and 52% are having ntrouble sleeping. It is easy to blame the news for the rise in stress levels. But let’s face it: even when ...

I have a special treat, as I’m pulling today’s article directly out of my 12-point Speak-to-Sell Signature Talk Formula. This is #10, which is addressing the top three objections your ideal clients are likely to have to investing in your product, program or service. You can also call these barriers to buying.

n n Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership skills. Through its member clubs, Toastmasters International helps men and women learn the arts of speaking, listening, and thinking.nn Membership nnIn 2006, there were more than 215,000 members and over 11,000 clubs located across the United States and in approximately 90 other coun

Many people don't realize how important transitions are when speaking. They are what makes good conversation flow and what make many speakers seem eloquent.nnPlan your transitions and vary them so you don't put an audience to sleep or in to a pattern by always using the same transitions. nnHere are some verbal transitions:nn1) Key words or phrases -- always, next, continuing, this leads us to, this brings us to, in addition, furthermore.nn2) Intriguing questions -- So why sho

There is much debate as to the idea of thanking your audience. Some suggest never doing it while others recommend it be done as your parting words. There are even those who prefer that you thank your audience twice, both in your introduction and in your closing.

When I first started my business some years ago, I was told that, “insurance people think they’re perfect but realtors know it.” While this was an interesting tidbit I stored away for future reference, I have found that audiences vary far beyond those in the insurance or real estate business. The one commonality I have seen is that, in general, women make a better audience than men. There are a few answers for this that all have to do with the fact that the female sex is still not the same as the male sex even if college courses today try to tell us differently.

We’ve all heard that less is more, but not when applied to the frenetic, fact-filled culture of today. Today we are constantly bombarded with information, junk, information, junk information. There’s little "free space" left – with advertising embedded on the shopping cart, ...

There are basic principles of humor that can enliven your talk. Perhaps the most important one is to avoid telling generic "funny stories," Instead, find and build more humor within the context of personal stories. To make your mark as a speaker… to get into the hearts and minds of your listeners… you must learn to develop engaging stories (that use humor effectively at the right time!)

There's no getting around it: The moment you bound onto the platform or stage your credibility is at stake. And one way to cement your credibility is to master the art of Q & A (short for Questions and Answers) Look at how Q & A's are done on the political battlefields. Remember the Hillary and Obama debates? These seasoned political pros knew at any time “one slip up” can hurt them in the eyes of their audience (in the studio and at home watching.) It a nutshell: How you respond to an audience member's Q & A can undoubtedly haunt or help your career for a long time.

Non-verbal communication, or body language, is an important part of presentation skills and how you gesture is an essential component of that body language. At the very least, your gestures should match your words and not distract the audience. And with a little practice, they can help you convey confidence and make it easier for the audience to understand your message. Here are ten mistakes to avoid when using gestures:

When I was in graduate school studying music composition, my singing professor told me that I was not using my ‘real’ voice when I spoke. I had no idea what she was talking about. I thought the voice you had was the voice you would always have. She then explained that the pitch of my habitual speaking voice was too high and that my ‘real’ or true voice was lower by several steps.

When I first heard the phrase, ‘imagine your audience is sitting in their underwear,' I thought the speech coaches who suggested this were kidding. But they’re not. They are serious. They believe that by focusing on this visualization, you will eliminate your nervousness. The last thing which is going to make me feel confident is addressing a group of people who are sitting in their undies! I don't want to focus on my audience in this stage of undress – I want to focus on the message I am presenting.

Have you ever wondered why some people are incredibly successful while others are just squeaking by? Why for some, everything they touch seems to turn to gold while for others it falls apart? The bottom line is that we all have the same opportunities at success. What gets in the way is our ...

If you want to clearly get your message across in front of an audience, guess what? You can communicate in a very effective fashion with not only your words, but with other methods of communication that do not involve speech at all. Alright, now you're wondering how a speaker can speak to an audience without saying a word. The Sign of a Great Speaker To understand that I want you to think of the most successful speakers you may have encountered in your life. What was it about these speakers that left you remembering them, their words, the ideas they left you pondering?

Before the turn of the century breaking into the world of consulting and freelance work was a buyer's market, but that has changed. What changed this market were the corporate structures themselves. Corporations and even smaller companies decided that they could no longer maintain a large base of employees, and put freezes on head counts, while relying on layoffs to increase bottom lines. While this may have worked, the needs for skilled individuals did not diminish, and in fact, increased. • 10 percent of current workers and their spouses have had their traditionalr

It is easy to blame the news for the rise in stress levels. But let’s face it: even when the economy is booming, the news generally tends to be negative in tone. Let’s look at it from another angle: If you keep banging your head against a wall until it bleeds, do you blame the wall? Ruminating obsessively about the economy or letting your fears keep you awake at night is like blaming the wall for being made of brick when you are the one who keeps slamming your head against it.

Imagine a classroom, then imagine thirty children sitting still and quiet. Imagine these children imagining loving kindness on the playground. The peaceful ring of a Tibetan singing bowl – no shouting, no laughing, no airbo e paper objects. In a New York Times article by Patricia Leigh ...

One of the most common complaints I hear from my clients is that they run out of air in public speaking. And, not surprisingly, breathlessness at the lecte often goes hand in hand with nervousness. Let’s look at the picture in its entirety. Nervousness does not cause breathlessness. It ...

I recently worked with a woman who spoke at 100 mph and seldom paused to take a breath – even in normal conversation. Most people, yes, the majority of the population, pause while talking to friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances and even the clerk in the grocery store. Unfortunately, the one time the pause is often missing is when addressing an audience. The pause is invaluable for several reasons: 1. It allows you to take a breath, thereby supplementing your air supply, instead of waiting until you are totally spent of oxygen. Remember, without air, there is no voice.r

Would you like a ‘secret’ friend to help you overcome your insomnia? Let me tell you about Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). It is one of the most highly effective, energy-healing processes available to us today. It is a very easy method to open up blocked energy channels in our bodies. It ...

No matter what your phobia in addressing an audience, there is a reason that man’s greatest fear is public speaking: we don’t want to make a fool of ourselves. And, no matter how many courses or programs you take, no matter which techniques you use to control, eliminate, or ignore your ...

If you are looking for the best means of delivering a speech or presentation, the first thing you need to understand is that public speaking is a form of oral communication with an audience. Too often, speakers do not recognize that this form of delivery is a 2-way street. They assume that the role of the audience is to sit and listen.

Through my many years teaching voice and presentation skills, I have found that those who experience truly debilitating, gut-wrenching fear of public speaking have had a bad experience sometime during their elementary or even middle school years when they’ve been required to stand and speak. ...

Your clients are in different places geographically, financially, and in their mindset. So when you’re looking for ways to meet them where they’re at, you have to be thinking about all three.

First, the square wooden object placed at the center of the room is properly called a lectern, not a podium. The word podium comes from the word podiatry which means: the care of the human foot, the diagnosis and treatment of foot disorders. Therefore, a podium is a stage you stand on not what you stand behind. Webster’s dictionary definition of a podium is a small platform for the conductor of an orchestra, or for a public speaker. Now you are among only 9% of the speakers

While I am always on the lookout for ways to market myself as a speaker it is often a time consuming task and one I am not overly fond of. Once in awhile something you do inadvertently turns out to be an effective marketingnstrategy. Let me explain. Last summer I was driving alone through ...

Preparation for your presentation is just as important as delivering the presentation itself. One thing you can do to prepare yourself is to learn about your audience and venue in advance. Here are a couple of pointers: Pointer #1: Know how many people will be there and view the layout of the ...

There is no doubt about it. You have a deeper, sexier speaking voice. Even if your voice is nasally, there is a remedy. All it takes is the knowledge of how to discover your true voice and some practice in making it a habit.

You know others ask you to repeat yourself (a lot) and you know that you lose control of the conversation when people talk over you. You know you have great ideas but those ideas are not being heard because you are often interrupted. You know you are frustrated when you hear, “What did you say?” Being soft-spoken is not a quality that is highly regarded in the business world today. Business is moving faster than ever and if you expect to be taken seriously, you must be heard the 1st time you say it or business will pass you by.

For 5 months of the year, my garden is brown, lifeless, and dull. Were it to remain colorless through the rest of the year, I would have no passion or interest in gardening. That which makes the voice interesting to listen to – by means of your vocal variety, facial expression, and body language – is known as color. It is what all listeners want to see and hear. If those we watched on TV and in the movies had no expression, Hollywood would not exist.

Enthusiasm is an exceptional excitement, interest, or devotion. In public speaking, excitement about your subject will make a speech come alive. It will enable you to capture the attention of your audience. That not only makes you more persuasive or motivational, it makes you a more interesting speaker. So your audience wins, they get a wonderful experience and at the same time learn or receive needed information. They get something that will benefit them. You win by accompl

At one point or another, most of us have experienced that feeling of wanting to be “discovered” for our area of expertise. We secretly hope that someday, someone is going to recognize our brilliance and tell the world about it. I have felt that way too. For decades, I secretly waited for that chance meeting like the ones you read about where the waitress became the next super model or movie star! Of course, my unexpected knock on the door held an offer of a TV show like Rachel Ray's or something that would allow me to get my gifts out into the world in a big way.

Are you monotone? There's nothing wrong with monotone except that it's boring. Studies show monotone is the No. 1 thing that your audience can't stand. Whether you are giving me a presentation, or leading a team, you have to overcome it. A monotone voice shows no enthusiasm and interest in what you are talking about, even though it might not be the case. If your audience, be it one or a group, can not hear your interest in your topic, they are not going to be interested either. How are you going to engage, persuade and motivate them?

I recently heard a 'public speaker' who was marketing himself as one who had made a lot of money from a book he had written. I caught this on video on the internet and counted my blessings that I hadn't been in the audience, especially in the front row!

IQ is your intelligence-your ability to capture information and store it in your brain and then extract it when needed. But all of us have run in to people that are highly intelligent but that lack common sense. So if you are looking for a great leader what are the essential ingredients that make a great leader? What makes one stand out? Why do some people do great at one level of a job but when you promote them they struggle? In order to grow great leaders you need to understand the difference knowledge and critical thinking play in HOW a leader makes decisions.