Browse Public Speaking

Some coaches advocate memorization; others do not. While I want your opening statements memorized so that you are able to get through the beginning of your presentation or speech without flaw, I am not an aficionado of memorizing the remainder of your script or material. And, my reasoning is two-fold: - You stand a chance of forgetting where you are.

The ABZzz's of Sleeping Insomnia Free, a free ebook, offers tips, tools, techniques and suggestions for helping you to improve your sleep. As you follow the alphabet and arrive at the letter 'G', it brings to mind GABA - gamma-aminobutryric acid - that helps to stabilize nerve cells by ...

There are so many people with so many great messages but the moment they open their mouth to speak, the sound that emanates from their lips is anything but captivating. All too often, we are so preoccupied with the message and subsequent delivery, that we never take into account the vehicle which transports our words.

One high-stakes presentation that entrepreneurs have to give is in front of potential investors. While it can be intimidating to present in front of people who can fund your business, service or idea, following these 6 tips will improve your presentation and make it more likely that the investors will understand your proposal and address it on its merits, rather than being distracted by your poor presentation skills: 1. Think about it from the investors' point of viewr

I hear from many people about their chronic hoarseness, a persistent sore throat, and even loss of voice by the end of the day. This is called vocal abuse and until you change how you produce voiced sound, you will not stop this abuse.

Over the years, the world of sports is changing continually. Furthermore, the use of technology is just one of the areas which has created an impact on a lot of sports in the modern day. Just as TV changed the way families during the 50’s interacted with sports, the internet has given sports fans yet another way of experiencing sport. It gives sport fans virtual access in real time and on demand . Moreover, it enables them to make specific, personal interaction methods. The

As a people, we are conce ed about the image we project. Certainly in business we want to project a professional image. Does your speaking voice complete that image or does it detract? By the way, I’m not talking about the voice you hear in your head. I’m referring to the sound you hear on your voicemail – the sound by which everyone else recognizes you.

When do you know if a sleep coach is the solution for your insomnia? Let’s begin by defining insomnia. Insomnia can be characterized by the inability to get to sleep, stay asleep, or both. Insomnia is poor quality and very unsatisfying sleep. It’s duration can be short lived or transient, ...

You have exactly three minutes of speech in order to grasp the attention of the audience and ensure they will purchase your products. Throughout the three minutes of your presentation, your audience decided whether they are interested in your words and if you are worth listening to. If you do not have the chance to snatch the attention of your audience during the first three minutes of your presentation, they decided you are not worth listening to. First three minutes repre

How do you handle the questions that come up during or after your presentation? Handled effectively, questions can be an important part of your presentation, allowing you to clarify a point, expand on your ideas or provide another example. They also can demonstrate that the audience members were paying attention to you and are interested in your opinion. Handled poorly, however, questions can expose your lack of preparation, disconnect you from your audience and derail your presentation. Here are six mistakes to AVOID when you are answering questions:

Recently I worked with a wonderful young man from Qatar by means of Skype. When I first started working with him, his voice was soft-spoken and he did not exude much confidence. After a few sessions, I showed him a video clip from Superman which really opened his eyes – not only for the difference in Christopher Reeve’s voice but also in the actor’s posture and comportment.

Often I find that unclear or poor diction is due to talking at 100 mph. It is certainly not uncommon to hear it in people in which English is not their 1st language; however, it can also occur for speakers in any language whether it is their mother tongue or a 2nd language.

One of the most fascinating things I find on television or in the movies is that everyone’s speech is clear and understandable. Whether the actors are playing hoodlums or heroes, whether the characters are from Harlem or Park Avenue, they all speak distinctly. This particular characteristic is a prerequisite for actors whether they are on stage or in front of the camera.

n nThis book review is part of a series that covers the topic of Public Speaking. Public Speaking is speaking to a group of people in a structured manner with the intention to inform, influence, or entertain the audience. A good orator should be able to invoke emotion in their listeners, not just inform them. Nancy Daniels is the Official Guide to Public Speaking . International Speaker and Voice Specialist, Nancy Daniels, also known as The Voice Lady, has been involved in vo

In the world of speaking, you can easily tell the difference between two types of presenters. rn rn1. The nervous rn2. The calm Even polished, professional, and prepared speakers can stand up in front of a room and stutter their way through the material. So what is the real key to being calm, cool, and collected during the moments of delivery? Many trainers will try to get you to be prepared, dressed sharp, or to avoid actual eye contact with audience members to help calm you

She looked at me and said, “I’ll do whatever it takes to make it right. What do you want me to do?” The right words but her hands were on her hips, her legs were spread apart and she was looking down her nose at me. Everything screamed, “Lady, you really are the problem. Just tell me what it takes to get rid of you.” And everything in my body tightened for battle. There is a distinct difference between being assertive and being aggressive. One can move you up the corporate ladder while the other can alienate you. Let’s start by defining the two words.

Human beings are designed to make mistakes, irrespective of age, qualifications and past achievements we are all prone to go wrong. However, it is so fascinating to learn how people respond after making mistakes. A mistake loses it’s hold as soon as feelings of failure, resentment, anger or embarrassment are released. Some people get offended when they are told ‘you have made a mistake’ they get defensive or argumentative; some cover up mistakes in order to avoid respon

Wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to make money and a difference all around the world, 24/7, regardless of time zone, while you were awake, asleep, working, playing or doing whatever you wanted to do? Of course it would! That’s why so many heart-centered entrepreneurs are adding information products to their income stream. The problem is that people often think they have to take time off work and spend a lot of money to create them.

Visualization is a great tool to help you boost your confidence in business speaking. And I'm using the term "visualize" very loosely. Some of us are more kinesthetic or auditory than we are visual. That doesn't matter. You can use this tool anyway. More on that in just a minute... First, I want to tell you why this visualizing is so important. Especially if you're uncomfortable speaking up, it's easy to focus on your fears. What you think will go wrong. What went wrong last time. All that stuff. However, focusing on imagining success can be much more useful.

One of the 1st things you do when you start a new business is to create a business card. While the purpose of the card is to identify you and your business, your goal with that card is to project a positive image of that business. In fact, you should probably hire a creative talent to design your card because you want an image that looks professional and successful.

People often ask me, “Lisa, how is it that you create this amazing three-day event, you give, give, give; you teach, teach, teach and so many of the people who attend want to stay on and work with you further? How do you do it?” One of our secrets is that we create an experience at our live events that attendees don’t want to end. We know what our ideal clients love and need and care about, and we use that knowledge to create an out-of-the-box experience they could not get anywhere else.

As a leader, do you have the voice that successfully conveys what you want and need to convey without being misunderstood and misinterpreted? Does your voice work for you in engaging, inspiring and influencing your teams? It's not only what you say, but also how you say it. As a leader, you cannot overlook this powerful tool, your voice. Is your voice helping you or failing you in establishing credibility, commanding respect, and conveying your authority? There are four elements in a leader's voice: clarity, confidence, command, and concern. 1. Clarity

If you would converse with me, said Francois Voltaire, first define your terms.nnmaster n. (1.) a revered leader, (2.) an artist or performer of consummate skill. (3.) One whose work serves as a model or ideal. Many people are professionals at what they do. Few are ...

Just the other day a sales person told me she would do whatever it took to make me happy and that really ticked me off! Why would that be? Shouldn’t I be thrilled that she was offering to do whatever it took to make me happy? No, because the words didn’t match her body language. As she was ...

Sometimes you have to introduce yourself in 60 seconds or less. This type of introduction is not your "elevator speech" – it's a brief introduction only long enough to outline the basics. For example, at some networking events, everyone sits around a large table and then each person stands and gives a 30-second introduction, including name and business.

It was 1990 and I was back in NYC from LA dealing with my terminally ill mother in Cedar Sinai Hospital. Three years earlier, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. As you might have experienced yourself, back in those days the dreaded chemo was really the only treatment available. She put up the good fight, but by this juncture it had spread to the liver and lymph nodes. Mom was losing the battle and she was in and out of a coma.

Three years to seven figures was my own path, and I've seen the same over and over with my Sassy Mastermind members, some now in their third year with me. So, yes, it really is possible to break a million in three years -- if you follow something like my leveraged progression plan below. I break this down into years, but you could also look at it as three different levels. Year 1: Build Your Structurer It's really important to have your structure in place before you become known. Have you heard about people who got on Oprah too soon and it literally imploded their business?

Some people can yell or talk non-stop all day and never experience hoarseness or sore throats; others cannot. Your voice is as individual to you as are your fingerprints: no two are alike. They may be similar but not exact. In that sense, your vocal apparatus is also unique. For 60 years, ...

It’s becoming a national nightmare for the working class in this country. According to a recent survey — ONLY 45 percent of today’s employees are satisfied with their work. Not surprising, this was the lowest level ever recorded by the Conference Board research group in more than 22 years of studying the issue. Economists and experts blame soaring health insurance costs…fewer employees consider their jobs meaningful or interesting... not to mention many feel their pay is not keeping up with inflation.

When you give a presentation, how does the audience know you're done? If you're half-heartedly saying, "any questions?" as a means to signal that you're done speaking, then you're missing the opportunity to finish strong. Here are techniques for ending your presentation strongly so the audience knows you're done: USE CLEAR ORGANIZATIONr

If you're an expert who is wanting to get out there and coach with your work and help people, it's a smart strategy to put what you know into a book. However, since my blessing is to give everything a look through a sales conversion perspective, I'm going to give you some advice that you won't hear from a traditional publishing professional, who sees your book as the end product.

Paul Boross' new book, The Pitching Bible has recently been released, and he has kindly given us a taster of his Seven Secrets of a Successful Business Pitch. Secret 1: It’s All About Them Apparently, a fear of public speaking is one of the most common problems in the world of business. According to one survey, people fear it more than death. There are many, many techniques that you can learn to overcome any fear of presenting, but don’t need any of them. You just need to master the first secret.r

Absolutely Not! I recently read a quip from a man on a public speaking social media website who is working with a voice coach. He said that “her normal talking voice in a one on one situation is massively different to her ‘performance’ speaking voice.”

When I first started my voice business, my husband remarked that he did not understand what my clients were saying in their ‘before’ recording. He was, however, able to understand everyone in their ‘after’ clips. Why were my clients speaking more clearly in their ‘after’ recording? While I will certainly help someone with his/or her enunciation if there is an obvious problem, accent reduction is not my specialty.

As Neil Diamond sang in his song Song Sung Blue “ Me and you are subject to the blues now and then...” Awe the blues!! Those feelings of joylessness, hopelessness, and blahness. They usually occur after a happy event, on the occurrence of something sad or simply for no other reason than it’s ...

I used to shudder at the instant I knew I have to speak in class. After knowing Public Speaking is feared more than death after a survey result has at least given me some consolation. However, some fears have to be confronted. Good public speaking skills is an essential skill to master since my career choice is to be in the education sector. Conquering the fear which is more feared than Death definitely is a worthwhile goal for everyone who enjoys living their lives aloud. Ov

One of the biggest frustrations when trying to communicate with those who mumble is the fact that we, the listeners, cannot understand their diction. What generally results is that we will ask that oft-repeated question, "What did you say?"

Recently I had the opportunity to hear an international speaker address a large group of women. The women’s ages ranged from their 20’s to their 60’s. While the speaker used the F-word once, the silence in the large ballroom was much more palpable when he then used a 4-letter word that begins with ‘d’ and ends with 'k.' Trust me, he was not referring to a duck!

If your voice is plagued with too much nose, then what is hiding inside could be a truly amazing instrument. And since the majority of the population is not aware of and thereby not using their ‘real’ voice, the majority of the population does not know just how great their speaking voice may be.

What does your handshake say about you? Confident, diffident, overbearing, wimpy? Does the sound of your speaking voice match the grip of your handshake? In teaching voice improvement, I have found through the years that those whose speaking voices are weak or wimpy very often follow through ...

Today there are numerous ways you can improve the sound of your speaking voice. There are books, CDs, DVDs, webinars, private sessions, group sessions and even Skype. I find that one of the most effective means of discovering your ‘real’ voice is the 2-day workshop. While voice training is very successful by means of video, I seriously doubt that you can improve the sound of your speaking voice with a book or a CD because you must both see and hear how to do it and how not to do it. A good video program will cover both of those prerequisites.

In reviewing my goals for last year, I’ve realized that I have only met about 50% of them. Looking at it by the numbers it sounds terrible! I don’t like to do anything half way. Back in school, 50% would have been an “F”, which I’ve never gotten before, and I ...

If you’ve decided to use slides in your presentation because you believe they will help your presentation, it’s crucial to think about what to include in your slides. Resist the temptation to write your script out in the slides. Not only is that boring for the audience to see slides full of complete sentences, but they can read faster to themselves than you can read out loud so they will finish reading the slide before you do.

Even trainers need to watch their speech. It’s so easy to pick up bad speech habits and unfortunately, we can develop them just like everyone else. There is a new bad speech habit that many professional speakers and trainers are now developing. It’s the use of what I believe is a new ...

This past April when Susan Boyle walked onto the stage and approached the microphone on Britian’s Got Talent, the Irish singer was judged entirely on her appearance. Her audience assumed that her performance would be a disaster and responded to her entrance most negatively and with laughter. Even after she opened her mouth in answer to Simon Cowell's questions, those in the crowd were expecting this woman to make a fool of herself. Little did they know. When you approach the lecte for your speech or presentation, do you walk with confidence, with purpose?

Change is often difficult particularly if your sleep routine and habits are long-standing. You may have extreme difficulty falling asleep or you may be plagued by wake-ups that can happen repeatedly during the night. If this pattern is not complicated by other physiological problems (like ...

New speakers (as well as audience members) occasionally approach me after one of my keynote presentations and ask me how I knew I wanted to be a speaker. Well, that is certainly a good question that has many answers. However, the one resounding theme that percolates inside my head as to why I love public speaking is the thrill of inspiring my audience where I can make a profound difference in their lives. I am not just talking about at the conference that I just spoke at. I am referring AFTER the event.

Without a doubt, age is a factor in establishing credibility with an audience. I am sure that many people think that if you are older and being paid to address an audience, you must have something valuable to say. But what about novice speakers? How do these individuals, who may still be in their 20’s, get the opportunity to speak when no one knows who are they are?

In watching TV or the movies, I am always impressed with the dictio I hear from the actors. It doesn't matter what characters they are playing. And, it doesn't matter which nationality they are, their articulation is clear and concise. It is part of their training. Can you say the same about your diction?

Gilda Bonanno LLC provides training and coaching in Public Speaking, Presentation Skills and Communication Skills for entrepreneurs, small business owners and corporate professionals. She helps them achieve Public Speaking Success and boost their confidence.