How Speaking Gains Respect

In one of my recent sessions with a client who is the CEO of a large corporation, he shared with me an interesting perspective on what he had learned so far. He said that even though he had always been able to be "quick on his feet" in various business situations, he found that running meetings and speaking to his employees required a slightly different skill set. He said that it has been extremely beneficial to have an expert like myself to consult with for such meetings. He has found it helpful to learn how to keep things on track, keep the focus on his listeners and not himself, and to have an outside perspective on how what he says could be interpreted. 

More importantly he said, "At first I didn't know how beneficial this would be. But after hearing your feedback on certain areas I can see how crafting what I say and working on how I say it can make a big difference. I've been able to carry this over into our company's website and brochures. I see now that it's important to work on speaking skills because it makes me a better leader."

You Don't Need a Prescription for Stage Fright

Not too long ago at my Toastmasters club a fellow member gave an interesting speech about her daughter. Apparently her daughter has horrible stage fright and hates to speak in front of any size group. The only problem is...she's a lawyer! She has to speak in front of judges, juries, clients, and her partners. Her mother has been trying for years to get her to go to a Toastmasters meeting to help overcome her fear, but the daughter replies, "Don't worry. I have a pill for that." Apparently she shared her fear with her doctor and he gave her a prescription for a moderate tranquilizer. On the bottle it reads, "take one pill one hour before public speaking".

When I heard this, I was shocked. The fact that this poor woman's stage fright is so bad that she will take a sedative be speaking is sad. (And my I say I'm ashamed of the doctor who gave her the prescription.) Stage fright is curable, and it doesn't take a pill to cure it. There are many methods to overcome the panic that people feel before speaking. Feel free to read my articles on breathing and relaxation before a speech. Every case might be slightly different. If you have any questions, please feel free to post them on the blog or e-mail me personally. I look forward to hearing your stories.

Think Like an NFL Legend

Earlier today I watched "NFL Legends" on ABC. The program highlighted the careers of top quarterbacks Payton Manning, Brett Favre, and Tom Brady. It was very interesting to learn how each of them developed their skills and work ethic to lead their teams to multiple Super Bowl Championships. At the very end, Tom Brady said, "People always ask me which ring is my favorite, and I always answer 'the next one'".

That statement, "the next one", is powerful. This is how professional speakers should view their business. Your favorite speech should be the next one. This mentality means that you're hungry to be successful. You can't wait to share your message with the next audience. This mentality propels you into a forward motion. There's no need to beat yourself up about a speech that went bad, and there's no reason to sit and reminisce about that perfect speech to the perfect audience because you're too busy thinking about your next speech to your next audience. 

This "next one" mentality will speak volumes about your work ethic. Once you've enjoyed giving a great speech, you're right back to work (training, so to speak) for the next great speech. You will never be standing still waiting for the speech to come to you. You will consistently be on the top of your game. 

So if you're a professional speaker, are you focused on "the next one"?

Will You Ever Be Happy with Your Speech?

A few weeks back I attended the speech of one of my clients. We had been working on a 15 minute speech, everything from the content development to the delivery. Once he finished his speech, he came to me and asked, "So, how was it?" I could tell he was nervous about my response. He obviously was thinking about when he stumbled over his words for a brief moment, and when he moved too far away from the mic, and many other little things that went wrong. I told him he did great. Sure there may have been a few problems here and there, but he got a great audience response and right after a speech is no time to dissect the problems.

When you give your speech, you should immediately treat yourself. Give yourself a pat on the back, go out and get some ice cream, anything! But do not think about all the things that went wrong. No speech is perfect and you will never be 100% happy with your speech. You may get close, but something always could have been just a little bit better. Give yourself the time to be happy with your accomplishment. You can review it and do a postmortem the next day. 

Speeches are meant to be a work in progress. Timing can be perfected. Physicality can be improved upon. But the point is you did it! You were successful! No matter how many mistakes happen, if you get a positive audience reaction, you did a great job. Take joy in it. Then improve it tomorrow.

Who Should Be Your Best Friend

As a speaker, professional or not, there is one person that you want to make you best friend at any event you speak at. The tech people. Now, some of the audio and video technicians don't like the term "tech people/person/etc." Please know that I mean no disrespect in using this term. There are just so many titles that can be applies to this group of people: engineers, managers, specialists, support staff, etc. I use the term "tech" with all respect. 

This group of people can be your lifesaver in your next presentations. Durning my years in the theatre I know that the technical positions and duties can be the most difficult, frustrating, and very often overlooked. Trust me speakers, they hold much power in their hands. You want to be sure to get them on your good side, because if you treat them with respect, are friendly, and acknowledge the hard work and long hours they have put into creating a successful event, then they will bend over backwards to give you their absolute best and help you in any way they can if anything goes wrong. And trust me, something almost always goes wrong. 

Without them, the audience can't hear you. Without them, the audience can't see you. The technicians are the eyes and ears of the events. They know the in's and out's of the location, the event planners, and probably many of the speakers. Make them your best friend at any event. They can easily give you tips on "dead" areas of the stage (areas that make it difficult for the audience to hear you or see you). They can give you a heads up on if any of the other presenters tend to go over their time so you can make some last minute edits. They can give you added support that the event planner may not be able to. Your tech people can make your life much easier at your next event. Make them your best friend.

Educating the Jury

One of the most difficult challenges that a trial lawyer faces is having to educate the jury on a complicated issue without talking down to them. Trial lawyers know that the average education level of a jury is about high school. So if there are some complicated forensic issues or legal technicalities that pertinent to winning in the courtroom, you need to find a way to explain the issues and educate the jury with out talking down to them and insulting them. Because once they are insulted and don't like you, they share that opinion of the client and it's harder to get the verdict you're looking for. So how can you overcome this challenge? You need to be able to develop their CASE.

In your opening and closing statements (and you can even weave this into your cross examinations), you need to have at least one of these four elements: Comparison, Analogy, Story, and/or Example.

1.) See if you can compare the scenario to something similar. That way instead of thinking that the information is too complicated they'll have an easy comparison to which to reference.

2) An analogy will help when you don't have anything similar to use for the comparison. You may have to think a bit outside the box for this one, but an effective analogy can do wonders. Take the elements of you difficult subject (the source) and apply them to a to elements of a, seemingly, unrelated subject (the target). The relation between the source and target will stay in the jury's minds clearly and they won't be confused. When developing your analogy, be sure that you pick a target that have a sufficient amount of similarities and that the target is something fairly well known and understood.

3) A story can take you a long way. Please feel free to read the numerous blog entries on this site and articles I've written on effective storytelling at PresentingMatters.com. The techniques and skills can easily be applied in the courtroom.

4) Examples can be a mixture of comparisons and analogies. The term "for example" makes people pay attention. You can even pull different examples to make your point as well as find examples to use to show the contrast between your side and the opposition.

Developing a CASE is so often overlooked in the courtroom. Trial attorneys are inclined to simply pass on the facts, but the facts aren't good enough. If a subject is complicated and confusing to a jury, they need something to anchor it to so they can understand. When trial attorneys become effective communicators, then they are more likely to win over the jury and win their case (small pun intended).

Take a Note from the BIG Companies

We all know that stories are a crucial part to a successful speech or presentation. But have you ever thought about how stories could build morale, a sense of team, and camaraderie within your organization? 

Take a note from some big companies and see what their doing. One of my favorite companies is Dove. They, in the last year or so, have started the Campaign for Real Beauty (http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com). It is a wonderful program that helps promote good self-esteem in young women. In this campaign they ask women around the world for stories about women who helped them and were good role models. Insurance companies do this all the time in their commercials. They'll share a story about how they helped a person or family in a tough situation. Drug stores are now jumping on the bandwagon. Their commercials are filled with stories about how their employees go the extra mile to help their customers.

Each of these examples are about companies taking stories from their customers and using them to draw in new customers. What if you used a similar technique for your organization internally?

Ask for stories from your employees! They can be sent anonymously or not. But the possibilities and potential could be endless. 

• To promote good customer service, ask for stories on the topic and share successful customer service examples in meetings or in newsletters and memos. 
  
• For just a good laugh, ask for funny stories (company related or not) that could be put in the newsletter. What a great way to send the message that is a fun place to work.
• If you are trying to reach certain goals, ask for stories about accomplishing goals that you could use in your staff meetings.
• And you could even ask about general stories of success about the company that you could use for employee recruitment!

Use you imagination. These stories will make your employees feel like a part of a team. It doesn't matter is their the person on the front lines or the executive in the corner office, everyone could share stories. People could learn about each other, learn about the company, and learn about the standards you expect them to meet.  What a wonderful way to build morale and teamwork within your organization!

Opening Remarks: "Thank you." "No, thank you"

I've run into this twice within one week. That's enough for me to know that it's a bigger problem than I thought. 

When giving a speech or presentation there a few formalities that generally have to be covered. In every meeting or conference someone needs to be thanked. Whether it's the person or company that provided the space, the presenters, the coordinator, or the people that provided the food, someone needs to be thanked. So whose job is it to thank all those people? Ideally the Master of Ceremonies (MC). In any meeting or conference there, hopefully, is one person who is directing the flow of the day. This person (again, hopefully) is introducing the speakers. And it is also this person who, during their opening and closing remarks, thanks all the people who made the meeting possible.

But here is what usually happens. The MC gives the opening remarks and thanks everybody. The first speaker gets up and thanks everybody. The coordinator gets up and thanks everybody. The next speaker get up and thanks everybody. The third speaker gets up and thanks everybody. Beginning to notice a trend? If it's boring for you to read it, imagine how boring it is for the audience to listen to it.

So as a speaker what should be your role in thanking everyone? If you are there to give a presentation to educate or entertain, it is not your job to thank the people who brought the food. You are there for a very specific reason: to give a message. And to give that message effectively, you have spent time on preparing, structuring, and practicing you speech. If you break the timing and flow of your presentation with formalities that have nothing to to with your message, then you are diminishing the effectiveness of the presentation. 

Think about it. When you are introduced, you come up to the podium and start off with formalities by thanking people, your audience starts to tune you out. They've tuned you out before you even got started! Who knows when in your presentation they'll tune back in! Your opening in one of the most crucial parts of your speech. Start with a bang! And don't break the flow of your closing by thanking everyone under the sun either. For you to leave them with a WOW feeling, you've got to give them a WOW moment. Giving formalities isn't going to cut it.

Now, some of you may be thinking, "I'll feel rude not to thank the people." Two thoughts: 1) wouldn't it be rude not to give your audience your very best 2) If you feel absolutely compelled to thank people be sure you work it in your speech and preparation and be sure that you are thanking someone specific for a specific reason. There's nothing worse than babbling through the thanks.

One way to get around thanking people in your speech is to have the thanks in your written prepared introduction. Just keep in mind that it is the MC's job to thank the people who coordinated the event and your job to deliver a great presentation with a powerful message.

Quick Thought

To have an effective delivery, you must know your presentation through and through.

From Technical to Wonderful

Yesterday I attended a very interesting meeting. It was a monthly luncheon held for entrepreneurial businesses that focus on technological advancements. The audience was full of fellow entrepreneurs and potential investors. I attended because one of my clients was a presenter.

This first speaker talked about a new medical technology being developed to detect a certain type of cancer. I was always an "A" student in all of my science classes in school, but this stuff just went right over my head. The presenter, who had a Ph.d. in engineering, talked about.... it was so technical I couldn't even try to describe the technology to you. And what a shame that is. 

Here is this brilliant man who is working diligently on developing a technology that can detect cancer easier and faster, but no one understood what he was talking about. He is in front of a room full of investors and isn't able to get his message across effectively. I thought it was a missed opportunity.

How could this man have made this terribly technical information more understandable so that he could take advantage of the opportunity to get funding? He need to develop his CASE.  A CASE is very important for any presentation, but it is critical when giving a presentation about a technical issue.

Every presentation needs some part of a CASE: Comparison, Analogy, Story and/or Example. When discussing any technical information, you need to have one of these 4 elements. For us to be able to process the technical information we need to be able to compare it to something we already do understand. For example, if we're talking about light waves and how a certain type of focused light will detect cancer better, then we might want to compare the process to knives. A sharp knife will cut faster, smother, and more accurately than a dull knife, which is similar to how light waves work in detecting cancer. With a more focused (or sharp) light we are able to hone in on the cancer more effectively; in a sense, we're cutting away the bad from the good with out new "sharp knife".

There might be better analogies, but the point is that you no longer have to go into any great depth about the exact process and science behind the project. We are now able to easily understand the basic fundamentals of the process because we can compare it to something. 

In the future, see how you might be able to develop your CASE for your presentations.

Promotion to Manager? What You May Not Know

It's a common problem. You've been working for a company for years. You started at the bottom and have earned your way up.  You've been doing so well that you finally get a managerial position. Congratulations! Now what?

Companies often make the mistake of promoting their top employees to managerial positions without giving them managerial training. One of the biggest complaints is about managerial communications. A new manager, in general, hasn't had the chance to develop the skill of communicating effectively to their team.

Recently I heard about a problem at a hotel near where I live. The assistant manager, recently promoted, was called in by the manager.  She had been working at the hotel for years, and the manager had only been there for a few months. He brought her in and gave her a pretty harsh critique on her communication skills with the other employees. He said that it is an area she will have to improve on if she wants to stay in that position. 

She walked away upset, but acknowledged that her manager was right. She didn't know how to delegate, advise, or critique her team in a clear effective way that wouldn't upset anyone. Then she realized that she had no training in that area. She got promoted to her position for doing a great job. But no one taught her the necessary skill set for being a manager.

80% of problems at work are related to a breakdown in communication. Is your company providing the tools necessary to avoid those problems? 

What They Need vs. What They Want

It's something all presenters need to figure out: what is it the audience needs to hear, and what is it they want to hear?

Most presenters miss the mark when they decide to focus on what the audience needs to hear. This is not the most effective way to make your presentation memorable and successful. Now, of course business presentations have to contain information that the "big boss" thinks the team needs to know. There's no getting around that. However, having the right ratio of "need" information versus "want" information is crucial. Always have a high ratio of "want" information.

To Joke, or Not to Joke....

It's an easy trap to fall into. We try so hard as presenters to be pleasing to the audience. So we throw in a few jokes here and there, just to keep the mood light. But then, something happens. They laugh....and we like it!

So the next time we run a meeting or give a presentation, we try to fit in a few more jokes. And, oh my gosh, they laugh again! It's like a sweet nectar, an energy races through our body, and we get jazzed! So the next presentation we think, "Where can a fit in a joke here? Where can this cute story I just heard fit in? Oh, they'll think this is funny. I'll get a few laughs from that." And next thing you know, your 20 minute meeting is pushing 50 minutes. And your audience is tired of the jokes.

Sometimes a joke is just a joke. Of course it can be useful to tell a story here and there that gets a few chuckles and smiles, but it is your job as the presenter and the person running the meeting to always ask yourself, "Does this serve the point of the meeting?" When you are giving a presentation, everything you say should support the theme of your presentation.

It can become a hard battle to fight. Get a few laughs here and there feels great! But thinking in a business perspective, will the few laughs produce the results you're wanting from your team, your employees, your audience?

There's nothing wrong with a little interaction

In many businesses there are many meetings. And in these many meetings, there are many people have attended these meetings many times. Since these many people have attended these many meetings many times, they begin to lose their attention span. They've seen it all before. They know the format, they know the rhetoric, they know they're just waiting for their next cup of coffee.

A presentation is pointless if it doesn't grab the attention of its audience. Effective presentations have become a time management issue in businesses. They want the most effective outcome in the shortest amount of time, which is not an unreasonable request. But if the meetings are being rushed through the assembly line with no thought put into it, then the audience (your employees) will just sit back and wait for the end and continue with their day.

One good way to break the mold of boring, ineffective presentations is to add a little bit of interaction. Think of spots in your presentation when you can call on a few people to the front to help demonstrate your topic. Or, an activity that I love, is get a Nerf ball and when you're looking for ideas, feedback, or questions, you throw the ball around the room and anyone who catches it has to respond. There are many areas in which a little bit of interaction will catch the attention of the listeners and set the tone for something new and interesting.

Campfire Stories for Your Business

One of my favorite books is The Bard by Morgan Llywelyn. It is a historical fiction book that is about the life of a Bard in ancient Ireland. Long ago this book opened my eyes to the power of storytelling. Bards, in many cultures, played an important role in preserving the history of a culture. These individuals practiced their craft of storytelling. They told the tales of their heroes, their victories, their rulers, and their people.

These Bards and other storytellers were the only resource for learning about a people's history. So many stories were not put to paper for centuries and these people had the honorable role to remembering, preserving, and sharing these stories. If it weren't for powerful storytelling, many myths and historical occurrences would have been lost to time.

Imagine if your company had its own bard and powerful stories that are shared throughout the company, influencing the culture. So often companies struggle because they forget where they began, they forget their history, and therefore forget their vision. Stories can be used to ensure that the employees and executives don't get lost.

Wal-Mart has a culture of storytellers. Many times they share the stories of Sam Walton, his vision, his struggle, his success. His stories have influenced that culture to become one of the most successful businesses.

So who could be a bard in your company? You. In your next presentation, see if there is a story about the company that you can share. Every company has its heroes, struggles, and victories. It would be shame if those were lost.

Speaking: Brand, Marketing, Advertising, PR, and More!

Yesterday I was speaking with a potential client who gets it! He gets how speaking helps him brand, market and advertise his company. He gets that the more he is out there talking about his company, their technology, and their growth, the more his company will grow. He has a strategy that every business person should consider.

He plans to speak as much as possible. He knows that he'll need practice to reach his ultimate goals. You see, he is planning the start small, develop his skills, and reach the top of the food chain. Starting small he is going to speak at Rotary groups, association chapters, luncheon meetings. From there the word will get out to his prospects so they will look into his company's services. The goal is to make his phone ring!

After he develops his presentation skills and becomes a power-presenter, he's ready to move up the ladder. He'll gather his "speaker packet" and send it to meeting planners of national conventions of his target market. Then he will speak in front of hundreds of his ideal prospects! It is a strategy that is easily attainable and yet highly overlooked.

But before you can reach that perfect target rich environment, you need to be a power-presenter. Developing your presentation skills is critical because meeting planners will ask for a demo video, and if you're not good, you don't get the gig.

Think about how this strategy can apply to you, your business, and your goals for branding, marketing, advertising, PR, and sales.

What to Do When You're Sick on the Day of a Presentation

This morning I woke up and was not feeling well (as a matter of fact, still not feeling well). As I was popping vitamin C, zinc, Airborne and any other pill that could help me feel better, I thought about the time when, on the day of a presentation, I was sick. As a professional speaker there was no way I was going to miss the speech. I'm sure anyone in business would try to feel better so they could make their important presentation. On this particular day, not only was I not feeling well, I had no voice! It was a good thing that I had previous vocal training and knew what to do in this situation. Here are a few Do's and Don't's for giving a presentation when you're sick.

1. Don't drink coffee! This is one of the worst things you could do on the day of a presentation. The caffeine in the coffee will dry out your throat. Our voices need a certain amount of lubrication for it to be healthy. Coffee, along with any other caffeine drinks, are a bad idea.
2. Do vocal exercises. If you have been trained in voice usage, it is a great idea to do your vocal exercises in the morning to warm up your voice. Remember, stay relaxed and don't push the voice past where it is able.
3. Don't eat or drink anything sweet. Having anything with sugar will be a problem. Sugar can cause extra mucus build up, which means it is harder for the voice to function at it's best.
4. Do drink hot tea (the best is green tea) with a little bit of honey in it. OR hot water with a little of lemon. The hot tea or water will soothe the throat. The honey, even though it has sugar content, has antibacterial traits and helps out the throat.
5. Don't apologize to your audience for being sick. If it's obvious your sick, they'll pick up on it. But if your just not feeling well and they can't tell, the show must go on! When have you seen a performance where the actors come out before the curtain rises and apologizes to the audience that this might not be their best performance because the two leads aren't feeling well? Never happens!
6. Do drink plenty of water. It is what your body needs.

Turning the IMPOSSIBLE to Achievable

I had a meeting over coffee this morning with a potential client. He and I had a good conversation about how presentations play a large role in his company. He said, "Right now everyone within the company is following the basic format for presentations...you know, boring. And I'm more interested in what we can do to inspire people and bring out their best. I need them to walk into a meeting thinking that we're going to talk about the impossible, and walk out of the meeting thinking it's achievable. Our presentations just aren't getting them to visualize the possible. If they can't visualize it, they're not going to accomplish it. "

How right he is. So, how do we get our audience to visualize the task at hand? We have to engage their imaginations. We do this through storytelling. If you are trying to get an audience to see the impossible as achievable, you need to help them see 2 things in their mind's eye: a previous example of accomplishment and a vision of future accomplishment.

Often people have a hard time deciding what types of stories to use. Now you know. Begin your presentation with a story about when your or someone you know accomplished a task that seemed impossible. Tell the story. Share the setting, the characters, and the moral. Then after explaining you plans for accomplishing a task, share the story of your vision. What will daily life look like? How will it benefit your audience? How will life be easier? And tie your vision to the accomplishment from your previous story.

Now you are able to inspire, motivate, and give a vision to your audience.

How the Body Speaks

Okay, we've heard it before: 7% of what we communicate is through our words and 93% is through our paralinguistic usage (i.e. body language, tone of voice, rhythm, etc.). When thinking about presentations, you see the importance of focusing on the way you say things rather than only what you're saying. It is important to focus on body language as a part of your preparations.

You body language should communicate confidence, likeability, and being grounded. Here are a few simple tips how to accomplish all of that.

Let's start with being grounded. People often ask me, "What should I do with my hands?" To which I reply, "You're thinking too high. You need to focus on your feet." All too often presenters are standing grounded. They shift back and forth. They roll on the balls of their feet. And they even will cross their feet and stand on one leg! This is a problem. We are unable to make gestures freely when our body is so off balance. Practice standing still, feet hip or shoulder width apart, when you're practicing. Make your gestures freely and don't let your feet move! Your body needs to get used to how that feels. Then, when you give your presentation, you will look grounded, and when you move, your body will know to come back to center.

Here's a few quick pointers on likeability. Keep your torso open. What do I mean by that? Don't cross your arms in front of you and make sure your shoulders are facing your audience and not turned to one side. You will seem open and welcoming. If appropriate, try to keep a small smile while you're talking ask well!

If you go through these small exercises, you will easily be able to communicate confidence. Being grounded and open is what confidence is all about!

So next time when you're working on your next presentation, remember it's not just what you say, it's how you say it.

Vocal Variety: Take a Tip from Actors and Models

One thing no presenter wants to be is monotone. We all know that if there is no vocal variety in your voice, then your audience will fall asleep. Here is one, easy to implement tip.

Actors and models know about this tip and now you can use it in your business presentations. When you're preparing for your business presentations, practice speaking with a smile in your cheeks. Yes, that's right, a smile in your cheeks. Not a full smile; you don't need to be shining your pearly whites through out the entire presentation. but something very interesting happens to your voice when you slightly lift up your cheeks when you speak.

You'll be surprised as to how your voice has more "flexibility". Having a small smile in your cheeks also helps with projection. Also, it sends a very strong message to your listeners. Remember, as much as 90% of what we communicate is through our body language and paralinguistic usage (tone of voice, rhythm, etc.). When you have a smile in your cheeks, your audience picks up on your confidence and a soothing tone in your voice. This is also very helpful for trial attorneys. When they have a smile in their cheeks, they become more likable to the jury. Actors, singers, and models all use this tip in a variety of formats. Now you can utilize it for your business presentations!

Your Communication Creates Your Company's Culture

Have you ever taken a moment to consider how your words create a culture within your company?

Presenting Matters is in the process of bringing on a new employee. While discussing expectations and processes, I told her that we'll have a staff meeting every Monday. We got to talking and we realized that we didn't want to have "staff meetings". As she keenly observed, "The term 'staff meeting' doesn't feel like Presenting Matters." And she's right. My company's culture is very fast paced, edgy, and always thinking big. So, we took the time to find the term that fit that culture.

When you run your meetings, how do your terms and phrases affect the culture? Is it a match or not? Do you have meetings that talk about creativity, but are run with military-like agendas?

How we give presentations in our company has a lasting effect through out the company's culture.

What Speaking can do for you....

I was having coffee with a colleague of mine not too long ago when she told me about some seminars that she puts together once a month. She brings in her clients and prospects for an educational seminar over lunch or dinner. Sometimes she is the presenter, but, more often than not, she brings in outside experts do present. I asked her who she brings in and why she chooses them, and her answer surprised me. I was surprised by, yet another example, of how the ability to speak well in front of others can bring in bigger and better business.

She told me that she generally brings in her suppliers to give the presentation. It makes sense and is good business. They come in to share their expertise and possibly pick up some business by presenting to her circle of clientele. "However," she said, "there are quite a few of my suppliers that I do not invite. Even though I use their products and would love to have them come and share their wisdom with my clients and prospects, they are bad speakers. I feel bad not bringing them in to present, but I have to bring in quality presenters to present to my clients."

Isn't it amazing how speaking can affect our businesses. These suppliers that she uses and would love to bring in to present are MISSING OPPORTUNITIES THEY DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THEY HAD. Since they haven't focused on becoming better speakers, she does not want to invite them to present at this wonderfully potential business growing seminar.

What opportunities might you be missing? This is why I truly believe, every time you speak it's an opportunity seized or lost.

Powerful PowerPoint!

I've been working with a client of mine for a series of speeches that he has to give. He has to use PowerPoint for the presentations and we've been working on making it a Powerful PowerPoint. He was pretty surprised by the process that I go through when developing a PowerPoint presentation.

To create a great PowerPoint you need to find the flow. That's right, I said it, the flow. Just as with any presentation, there needs to be a theme or a "through-line" in the PowerPoint slides. I'm not talking about the aesthetic look of the slides; I'm talking about the content.

Once we had decided what the theme of the entire presentation was (in ONE sentence of no more than 7 words), we then went through each slide and found the point of each slide (in one phrase of no more than 5 words). Then we double checked that each point of the slide coincided with the point of the entire presentation.

Why I'm a so specific about the number of words when finding "the point" to the slides and presentation? Because, as presenters, we need to practice being clear and succinct. If we have to babble on and on to make a point, we're not doing our job.

Also, going through this exercise helps with memorizing the entire presentation! How many times have we seen PowerPoints that have the speech written on the slides and all the presenter is doing is reading the slides?! People do this partially because they're afraid of forgetting portions of the presentation. When you go through and KNOW the POINT of each slide, the rest comes easily. Trust me. This small exercise will make a huge difference in your future PowerPoint presentations.

Learning the Difference Between the Spoken and Written Word

Speakers need to quickly realize the difference between the spoken and written word. There are different techniques for each to be effective. Just because something looks great in writing, doesn't mean it will make the same impact if read aloud.

Writing provides the reader with specific information and clues that the reader is able to interpret. They visually see the structure. Therefore they are processing the information visually. What looks great on the page needs to be revised for the stage.

Speeches are meant to be heard. The audience does not have the visual clues as they would reading. There is a reason why it is more difficult to read Shakespeare than it is to watch and listen to it. His works are meant to be read aloud.

Every Sunday I am reminded of how people have trouble realizing these differences. I go to church and listen to the priest give his homily. The priest stands at the pulpit reading the words off the page. It is easy to tell that this speech reads great on paper. He compares the three readings and provides a lesson from each. But his homily gets too complex in the comparisons and lessons. The listener has trouble following his train of thought.

When you're writing out your speech (which I recommend everyone do), you must read it aloud to make sure that it is easily understood. You'll hear the differences in rhythm and tone. Remember, what looks great for the page needs to be revised for the stage.

Re-framing....

Recently I watched "The Secret" again with a friend of mine. Through out the movie she and I were talking, sharing our thoughts. I told her how some people reacted negatively to the film saying "This is nothing new." It's true. Nothing in The Secret is revolutionary or brand new. It has been around for centuries (in fact they point that out in the movie). The message is simply re-framed, repackaged in a new way.

How might you be able to re-frame your speech. Are you coming at a story from a typical angle? Can you think about it from a different perspective? Think about how your speech, your story, your presentations might be able to be repackaged in a new way that stands out from the rest.

On the Spot Presentations

It happens to the best of us. You don't see it coming. You're going through your normal day, then POW!, you have to give an unexpected presentation! It happened to me today. In the middle of Pilates class, I got a phone call from The Journal Record.



The reporter was working on an article about workforce training and was looking for my expertise in training the workforce in presentations. He was on deadline and wanting to do the interview quickly. I wasn't even close to being prepared! I was in my gym clothes in Pilates class. But this interview was important to me and my business. What was I going to say? "No, I'm sorry, I can't do this interview at the moment, I'm not ready to inform you of what you're asking for." NO.



I had to collect myself, gather my thoughts, and give a killer interview. Thank goodness giving presentations is what I do for a living!



It dawned on me, once again, how often we are giving presentations. They are so crucial to or professional AND personal lives. We never know when an occasion will arrise when we need to immediately present ourselves to the best of our abilities. Presenting matters!

Memorable on a Daily Basis

Recently I was on the phone with a woman interested in my expertise. She mentioned to me that she has noticed that she is not standing out from her colleagues. In staff meetings, she may voice an idea, but it doesn't get recognized until someone else mentions the same idea.

This goes back to what I've been saying all along. We are always presenting. Any time you speak it's an opportunity seized or lost.

Since she is unable to convey confidence and be noticed, her ideas go ignore. When it's time for promotion, who do you think will be overlooked? The person who can speak out and be heard, or the person who blends in with the crowd?

Today, think about how you are presenting yourself. Do you get heard? Do people come to you to get your opinion on issues, or do they come to you to simply inform you of new changes and ideas?

Think about how you can become more noticeable. Can you strengthen your voice? Can you open up your body language so you seem more inviting? Can you clarify your thoughts into strong straightforward statements?

We are always presenting. Are you seizing or losing your opportunities?

Piecing the Speech Together - Literally

I believe that a professional speaker should never stop trying to enhance their speech. We are always looking for new stories, better ways to deliver, and powerful point. Recently I revisited my keynote. I decided to go through all of my notes from the years and get rid of the weak parts and piece together the strong points. I sort of fell into a process that I found to be very helpful, and it might be helpful for your future speeches!

Over the years I have typed my speeches, handwritten my speeches, jotted down notes and flashes of inspiration, collected research tidbits, and had all of these things filed away in different folders. Last weekend I pulled everything out and went through it all. I cut up my speeches and notes into stories, points, and ideas. If it was good, I found a place for it on the floor. If it was bad, it went to the trash. It helped me get rid of the "fat". I trimmed off stories that didn't connect with audiences, and it helped me clear up my notes. Sometimes I had the same story typed over and over again in each speech!

Once I sorted through it all, it was time to piece it together. I took the cut sections and started playing with the order. I implemented ideas I hadn't used before because they were hiding away in a file jotted down on a piece of scrap paper.

It was great! I think this process would be helpful for anyone who is more visual and/or tactile when it comes to organizing their thoughts.

Introducing My New Blog: Bravo! Encore!

Well folks, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Just one more way for you to learn tidbits and insights into the world of presentations. I'll be posting thoughts, questions, links, and deep philosophical remarks. You can't ask for much better than that! So get ready! Let the blogging begin......