Self Help And Education Blog

At a workshop I was holding in Toronto, one of the participants proceeded to deliver part of a rote, memorized persuasive presentation. This man, who I will call Bill, told us that he was a professional' speaker and that his presentations lasted 90 minutes. Luckily for us, he was only allowed to speak for 8-9 minutes; however, it took just 5 minutes of his memorized script for the attention of the group to begin to fade, as their eyes glazed over.

What was so interesting about Bill's delivery was that at one point, he forgot a word. He then looked up to the ceiling, trying to capture the word. It was at that moment, and at that moment only, that he sounded and looked natural.

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While I cannot take credit for the title of this article, those words have haunted me since I discovered them a few months ago in which the writer was discussing animating your PowerPoint presentations, certainly good advice. I was fascinated by those words because movement in public speaking is vital if you want to keep the attention of your audience on you. What is fascinating about public speaking is that if you don't move, then your listeners will.

The question is: do you want your audience moving, checking their iPods, their watches, or even their email, or do you want their attention on you?

The answer is obvious: you want their attention on you.

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If you experience anxiety when it comes to public speaking then believe me you're not alone. A lot of people have strong feelings of fear and anxiety whenever they know they're going to have to speak in front of large groups of people. These emotions can seem really overwhelming to the point you want to run somewhere and hide, but you have to learn how to get over them if you're to improve and advance in life. Being able to speak in public will have many benefits for you and whatever endeavor you decide to pursue. So how do you get over your anxiety when it comes to public speaking? Follow these helpful tips to kick that anxiety to the curb.

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One of the most colorful speakers on the public speaking circuit today is Zig Ziglar. The man uses his Southern drawl for great effect (and he knows it) and is the master of dragging out his words. He will 'lay' on the words; he will drawl them out; and he does it to perfection by means of duration.

Duration is the extension or continuance of sound in the articulation of a word.

The injured man dra-a-agged (dragged) his leg as he crawled out of the burning room.

By extending the word dragged, you place the attention on the leg and not the fact that he crawled or that the room was on fire. I could have just as easily extended the word crawled. However, beware that you don't use too much duration at a time or you will sound overly dramatic or like you are emoting. Again, don't overdo, be natural.

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Remember Pareto's Principle? Where 80% of the results comes from 20% of your effort. Or 80% of your revenue generated by 20% of your customers. This principle works here in public speaking as well. If you are tight for time, and you want to know what you can do minimally to cause maximum results, this is it. The 20% work that will make a huge positive difference in your upcoming speech or presentation.

1. One Powerful Message

No point flooding your audience with too many messages as they won't remember all of them anyway. Instead, you will have a better chance of impacting them if you focus on just one message. Find various ways (stories, demonstrations, quotes, analogies, visuals, jokes, examples) to illustrate your message.

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There is nothing more impressive that an eloquent public speaker. Confident, well-versed and in-control, he makes it look easy, doesn’t he? But we all know it’s not as easy as it looks.

It is a very natural reaction to become nervous before a presentation. This is basically because it is very unnatural to put yourself in the vulnerable position of standing before a large group of people who will judge you and what you say (which is really an extension of you, isn’t it?).

It’s okay to be nervous—as long as your audience never finds out! Follow these tips to overcome nervousness and build confidence:

Before your audience arrives

1. Be prepared

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This is the day of concise speech. The tedious, long-drawn-out oratory of former times is no longer tolerated by intelligent audiences. There is a silent but no less insistent demand that a speaker waste no time in words, but give expression to his ideas with reasonable brevity.

It is surprising how much can be said in the space of one minute by a speaker who has his subject well in hand. The most notable example in all history of short speech-making is Lincoln’s Gettysburg speech, which occupied in delivery less than three minutes. At the inauguration of the new president of Harvard University, the Hon. John D. Long, president of the Board of Overseers, carried out the impressive ceremony of the day, investing President Lowell with the ceremonial emblems of the office, in a speech of three sentences, as follows:

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In a recent Gallup poll shows that 40% of adults have stage fright and the fear of public speaking. Stage fright and fear of public speaking can cripple your career.

It’s almost impossible to be successful in any business without having to speak to a large group of people at some point in time. This can be an excruciating experience if you suffer from fear of public speaking.

Performance anxiety or stage fright is a crippling fear that is a public speakers’ equivalent to writers’ block. No matter how much preparation time or how well you know your material, the stress of recalling the next line of your speech and the jitters caused by being on stage can be a powerful combination. Add the fact that one single mistake can cause inestimable damage to your presentation and you have a recipe for debilitating stage fright.

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Have you ever wondered why so many business presentations end in failure? Well, it’s not surprising when you see just how little people prepare for their big day. To be fair, people often make a big effort with their content. That’s essential, they would not otherwise have been invited to speak.

Knowing your material inside out is vital for your confidence when the spotlight is shining down on you, but as so many subject matter experts do not realize, there are many other factors that come into the equation of successful speeches and presentations.

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“I’m sorry, what? I can’t understand you.” Have you ever heard this line? Then you probably know how embarrassing it can be to repeat something over and over again. Miscommunication can and will hold you back in today’s fast-paced, international business environment. Too many people are hiding their gifts, talents and knowledge from the world due to a fear of speaking up and being misunderstood. Are you one of them?

Follow these simple tricks to instantly improve the clarity of your speech.

1) Slow Down

It is common sense, really; the faster you speak, the harder it is for your listener to understand. The easiest way to instantly increase the clarity of your speech is to simply slow down.

2) Pause

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