We are currently looking for an Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to "Public Speaking". If you have expertise in Public Speaking and your own website and/or product for this topic, please review this form for complete details. The Official Guide Position is part of our Premium Placement Package
Do you know what the purpose of public speaking is? Think about that for a moment. Too often, we are so consumed by our fear, our topic, or our delivery, that we often miss our reason for public speaking. You could be standing on a stage or in the front of a classroom or at the head of the ... Views: 2539
Have you ever considered opening your speech or presentation with a story? If done well, a true story is an attention-grabber. It can be humorous, suspenseful, thrilling, provocative, or dramatic, any of which immediately lends credibility to you as the speaker. Don't stop there, however: good ... Views: 2513
When you speak at the lectern, on a stage or even at the head of the boardroom table, have you ever considered the imagery you use, thereby depicting your thoughts more effectively? Too often I hear those who speak so quickly and are so anxious to get it over with, that their words are said in ... Views: 3902
Have you ever listened to Zig Ziglar tell a story? One of today’s most highly sought after speakers, this man captivates you with his true stories and anecdotes. His passion and enthusiasm are contagious as well which means he motivates his audience to action.
Audiences expect stories so if ... Views: 2299
If you are like most people, you probably don't like hearing yourself on your voicemail or answering machine. Did you know, however, that what you hear on any type of recording equipment is exactly how everyone else recognizes you?
Your inner ear, the means by which you hear your own voice ... Views: 2687
If you are interested in discovering your real speaking voice but do not want to learn the proper breathing techniques in order to do so, then do not read any further. Some people provide various exercises to improve the voice you presently have; and, there are a few others who will show you ... Views: 2547
I love all the articles and advice on the internet today which deal with quelling nervousness, combating nervousness, eliminating nervousness and ending those nervous jitters. Unfortunately, most of them do not discuss the benefits of nervousness in public speaking or in the job interview and ... Views: 3273
Let’s say that you are interested in pursuing a career in public speaking. Or maybe you have a presentation due in your public speaking class. Possibly you are a member of Toastmasters and you are scheduled to speak at your next meeting. Why should people listen to you? Why should others ... Views: 4283
For many people, just the thought of public speaking is enough to cause extreme panic. When you consider that it is man’s greatest fear, this is not surprising. While you may regard the act of standing in front of an audience and delivering a speech or presentation as a war that you will lose, ... Views: 2904
I recently listened to a webinar in which the speaker’s voice was so nasal, it gave me a headache. And I use Bose speakers on my computer! Is this man’s voice an asset? No. In his case, it is most definitely a liability.
The problem with his overly nasal voice is that he does not sound ... Views: 3525
One of the most frustrating things for a listener is not hearing what the other person is saying. They are listening but they’re not hearing. After repeated attempts asking the speaker to increase his/her volume, they stop listening.
If you want others to hear your message, then you must ... Views: 4413
While presenting at the National Speakers Association (NSA) Convention in Orlando, I was able to hear dozens of presentations and speeches. The experience led me to think about what makes a presentation or speech effective, which I define as the ability to communicate your message clearly in a ... Views: 15168
If you have never spoken in public before you more than likely dread the thought of it, or if you have had a bad experience you may now have a crisis of confidence. Let me assure you these fears and more can be overcome. Here are the most common:-
•Fear of drying up
•Fear of ... Views: 1472
Associations have to hold meetings. They need to attract new young members while at the same time retaining seasoned members interests.
How do you do that? How do you avoid snooze fests at meetings? Hand out Red Bull?
The Institute of Real Estate Management in Houston is a group that ... Views: 1514
In a presentation skills program a few weeks ago, someone asked me, "Gilda, how do I introduce myself at the start of my presentation to warm up the audience and establish credibility?" Contrary to what you might think, the answers do not include a lengthy recital of all your achievements or a ... Views: 1570
7 WAYS TO SPEAKING LIKE A PRO!
The difference between the ranked beginner and the polished public speaker is what they know, and how they apply what they know. To ensure that you remain ‘in the know’, here are 7 things that you could start doing to boost your public speaking performance.
1. ... Views: 1517
15 minutes a day will improve your confidence and increase your sales conversion rate.
What do you think of when you think of acting? I used to think that acting was pretending, but after studying it I discovered that it’s more about making the most of your every single move. It’s about being ... Views: 1360
Statistically speaking more people are afraid of public speaking than are afraid of death! I used to be one of these people. I can honestly say that there was a time in my life where I would rather have died than given a speech! My palms and other more visible and embarrassing areas would start ... Views: 1528
One of the most common mistakes speakers make is to plaster a smile on their face and keep it there, regardless of what they’re saying. This is as true for my public speaking students as it is for my corporate storytelling students. I encountered this situation twice in the last month.
One ... Views: 1668
Every small business owner should be eager to build their own platform to promote their services or products. Platform is your sphere of influence. Building platform for your business is just like building the business itself. It takes time to grow; therefore, it requires patience and a large ... Views: 1288
How to keep your audience engaged while giving a presentation. Become the speaker that people know, like and trust. Watch your sales and referrals soar!
Your audience is more discerning than they were a year ago. So many things are calling for their attention they have to make judgment calls ... Views: 1034
I once had a cat named Hermione. She got sick. So I went to the vet and he gave me some pills and told me to give them to her. That sounded pretty simple until I tried to do it.
Hermione did not want to take her pills. She gagged and wiggled and scratched my hand, but she would not take her ... Views: 2056
Two of my current presentation skills coaching clients struggle with self-confidence. They are both talented, smart, successful professional women. One has a Ph.D. in Engineering and over 20 years of experience in the electronics industry and the other is a CEO of a highly successful company. ... Views: 1283
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 ... Views: 1635
I find that brief, humorous one-liners tend to fit better into the flow of a speech than longer forms of humor and are much easier to use, especially for beginners. Here are a few examples of one line humor and how I connect them to various speech topics. The first thing I do is take a look at ... Views: 9206
A juicy connection with your audience will bring you more business. Go beyond the basic speaking skills and learn irresistible intimacy. Nothing of real significance happens without it.
Sure, there’s a time for a basic speech class. It’s where a lot of people go to get experience in a ... Views: 1008
The fear of speaking ranks higher than the fear of dying.
A great many people shudder at the thought of addressing an audience. The primary reason for this reaction is that people are generally afraid of looking foolish under the spotlight.
It is this concern about doing or saying ... Views: 1439
Can there be any greater fear than fear of public speaking?
And the crazy thing about this fear is that very few of us ever get to do any speaking in public. Just the thought of our deepest fear is enough, it seems, to mean that we will do almost anything to avoid facing our public speaking ... Views: 1697
“A playful performer is less likely to let fear take over when basking in the moment without a scorecard, time limit, or expectation. We are more likely to be present, calm and available to the flow of creative intelligence. Playfulness allows us to enlist and embrace our audience in our ... Views: 1161
Recently I was speaking to a group of 50 women and men.
I opened my presentation in silence and by just holding up a $20 and saying, “Who wants this $20 bill?” With a space afterwards and more quietly I added, “No strings attached.”
Now who in their right mind wouldn't want an extra ... Views: 1698
PowerPoint and similar programs have become increasingly popular with in-house trainers. The ability to prepare material directly on a computer to project onto a suitable screen has freed us from the acetate nightmare of poor quality overhead projectors, upside down slides, and scruffy ... Views: 1256
It’s that time again…the monthly meeting. You break out in a cold sweat just thinking about it. Whether you present to your managers or your employees you are saying to yourself:
What if I mess up?
What if I repeat myself?
What if the audience doesn’t like what I say?
What if I ... Views: 1115
Your voice has the ability to convey an incredible range of meaning and emotion when you present. It's an important part of your non-verbal communications, or body language, and can help you can communicate your message clearly and effectively to your audience.
Avoid these five common ... Views: 2940
One of the most common mistakes that speakers make is to go over their time limit. However, sometimes a speaker makes the opposite mistake, by not speaking long enough. A colleague recently sent me the following email describing her experience with a speaker who spoke too little.
"Hi, ... Views: 1452
When I was in high school, I played clarinet in the school band. Every afternoon, I climbed up the hill from the bus stop carrying my clarinet case and every morning, I trudged back down the hill carrying my clarinet case, still unopened and untouched.
My performance on the clarinet failed ... Views: 952
Often once you're finished delivering a presentation, the audience will ask questions. This question-and-answer time is still part of your presentation and you can prepare for it in the same way that you prepared for the rest of the presentation. Handled appropriately, questions give you a ... Views: 1388
Have you ever seen a speaker go over the allotted time limit? Or rush through the material when they realized they were running out of time?
What was your reaction to that speaker? Were you impressed?
I've seen speakers go over the time limit by five, ten or fifteen minutes and then look ... Views: 1949
If your stomach churns just at the thought of speaking in front of a group of people, you're not alone. In fact, Americans rate public speaking as their number one fear - even ahead of death (hence the old joke that you would rather be in the coffin than giving the eulogy)!
Think about what's ... Views: 1149
In life there is so many things we can be fearful and remain fearful of... and the fears of public speaking is definitely one of them.
Now apart from having to overcome the fear of our public speaking audience, you've now have one more thing to be fearful of - your own material or ... Views: 1109
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 ... Views: 1856
You may be surprised to learn that, with rare exceptions, your audience is rooting for you. Every time you step up to speak, they want you to succeed.
If you’re ever witnessed a comedian bomb or a singer hit a “pitchy” note, you’ll know exactly what I mean. The audience shudders with ... Views: 2656
Bringing more of YOU into view is critical for the success of your business. Here's how.
A common problem for speakers is doing too much of the same thing. Predictability is the enemy of the presenter. Eyes glaze over; people stop listening.
Just as artists work with a full palette of colors, ... Views: 1037
When your boss says to you, “You’ve got to give a speech next week,” does your heart sink to the floor? When your department manager says, “I’m counting on your talk next Tuesday to get our new project off with a bang,” do you want to run for the hills or sink into a rather large hole and not ... Views: 1175
Are you so worried about stage fright that you refrain from speaking in public? Is your desire to do public speaking shackled by the idea that you have to overcome your fears first?
Consider this. Sir Laurence Olivier, one of the great thespians of his time had terrible stage fright before ... Views: 1669
Ever feel like you're presenting on "auto-pilot"? Or like you've gotten to the point where you present okay, but still feel like you could do better?
Here are four suggestions for taking your presentations from okay to outstanding, so you can really connect with the audience and convey ... Views: 1163
Usually, you have one opportunity to present your organization’s ideas, products, and/or services to the audience. You work on the account for months and the presentation is your big moment. You speak to an under enthusiastic, yet polite audience; they thank you for your presentation and say ... Views: 1302
Don’t let these common fears hold you back.
A line from Caroline Casey’s speech at the Green Festival intrigued me. She said, “Our security used to be in laying low. Now, our security lies in showing up.” As independent professionals, it’s more important than ever to take on the challenge and ... Views: 1179
Often, people tell me, "I'm not a speaker so I don't have to think about presentation skills." I disagree. I think we are all speakers – yes, even you.
Whether you talk to a small or large audience or in a corporate, academic or community setting, you are a speaker. If you give an update ... Views: 804
Thought and thinking
1) thinking about thinking is thought provoking
2) A Buddhist monk- a thoughtless person
3) You have nothing to deal with except your own thoughts
4) The journey of a thousand miles begins when you have a thought to take the journey—
5) One ... Views: 2489
Have you ever attended a presentation and felt as though the presenter was talking at you rather than to you? Great presenters involve the audience in their presentations by engaging them with questions, encouraging two-way communication, and making sure the information they’re delivering ... Views: 817