Learning how to use the power of the pause in public speaking can be one of the most effective skills an orator can acquire.

Pausing when giving a speaking presentation? Yes.

Pauses can be so powerful that some even give this advice–when you’ve no idea what to do, just pause and smile. Even if you’ve fully prepared and rehearsed, there are times when your mind will go blank up there. It happens to even the most seasoned of speakers. If and when it happens, just pause. Pausing will give a person authority, whereas stammering or apologizing will do quite the opposite.

It’s said that the North Vietnamese used the power of the pause as a tactic in the Paris peace negotiations. During the talks, they just kept nodding and smiling. They did this until the Americans gave in.

Can pausing really be that powerful?

Our instincts are all wrong. When we get nervous, the first thing we tend to do is speed up. The faster I talk, many assume, the more I’ll appear to have it together. But the opposite is true. Rushing through your presentation is a dead giveaway that you’re edgy, and often gives the impression that you’d rather not be there speaking in the first place. It’s a universal sign of nervousness and lack of confidence to talk in an exaggeratedly hurried manner. It’s the same with those “ah” and “uhm” filler words that many start throwing in. This makes an audience uncomfortable, and can make them feel like they are the cause of your suffering up there behind the microphone. This is a presentation that will not be remembered except for the negative feelings it created.

But this is where the pause can be useful. Instead of rushing to the next point or using that filler word, just pause. The audience will wonder what you’re going to do next. The trick, though, is to stay with your listeners.

But, you may ask, doesn’t pausing make the speaker look like he or she has forgotten what to say or has lost his or her train of thought? The answer: depends on how one goes about it. If you stare at the ceiling or at the floor, then yes, you’ll appear to be trying to gather your thoughts. But if you stay engaged, and that means looking at your audience and staying focused on the message, then pausing will add a dynamic and commanding element to your presentation.

Pausing creates moments of tension, anticipation, or excitement, depending on how they’re utilized. Pausing while presenting gives the impression that the speaker is confident, even if the speaker doesn’t feel that way. If you’re a person who starts talking faster when nervous, pausing can help you relax and catch your breath. Try it–just pause and breathe deeper.

I’ve personally used the Power of the Pause many times and each time I do I’m always a little amazed at how well it works. I like to use pauses right after a question. For example, I’ll ask the crowd, “Do you remember the numbers from last year?” Then I’ll pause and slowly look around. The audience stays with me, waiting for the answer. At those moments, I sometimes have more authority as a speaker then when I’m actually speaking! Most nervous speakers, especially those with less experience, will immediately answer their own question and ruin a nice moment like that. Once I personally discovered how powerful pausing can be, I’ve never gone away from it.

Remember that if anything, pausing allows a speaker to stop and think about what he or she is going to say next. No matter how much you practice and rehearse, there are times when the combination of adrenaline and nervousness makes you forget where you are. Nobody likes it when this happens, but again, it happens to everyone. If and when it does, pausing not only gives you a chance to think about your next thought (and glance at your notes if needed), but it also makes you appear to be in far more control than you may feel at the moment.

Pausing really works — practice it and utilize it.

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Kelly Libatique is a professional speaker, technical trainer, and author. He has a Master’s in Education and a Bachelor’s in Psychology. He resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and Anne and two sons.

Visit http://www.Libatique.com or Contact Kelly at: Kelly.Libatique@gmail.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_Libatique

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One of the difficulties many people have is to the ability to increase their volume without hurting their throat, their vocal folds, or their listeners’ ears. The right way — and in truth the only way – to do this is known as projection.

Those who attend sporting events are often afflicted with hoarseness, a sore throat, or even loss of voice by the end of the game because of the abuse they are inflicting on their vocal folds (cords) and throat. That is the wrong way to root for your favorite team; and, over time it can lead to serious damage.

Not just sports enthusiasts are at risk, however. Politicians, singers, public speakers, coaches, teachers, trainers, ministers, and even factory workers often experience vocal abuse because they are stressing the throat and vocal folds for great lengths of time in order to be heard in large or loud environments. In fact, if you have ever tried to talk in a noisy bar, a club or even at a wedding, you might have experienced some discomfort in your throat by the end of the night.

You can gain the ability to increase your volume without shouting by changing your voice placement. In doing so, you will need to find your true or ‘real’ voice which is more resonant and a warmer sound than the one you are presently using, also known as your habitual voice. Because you have been relying on your throat and voice box as your primary sources of power for your voiced sound, that which results is usually something less than pleasing.

If you are serious about wanting to project your voice correctly, it will require that you break your old vocal habits and instill new ones, healthier ones. You will need to learn how to use your chest cavity as your primary source of power. When you accomplish that, you will discover a voice that you can use and project for greater lengths of time without hurting your throat or vocal folds. In addition:

1. your increased volume will not hurt your listeners’ ears because the sound will be larger not ‘louder;’ and,
2. you will have more energy by the end of the day because projecting your voice takes much less work than yelling.

There is a right way and a wrong way to increase your volume. Learn how to project your voice and you will love the results. So, too, will your listeners!

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The Voice Lady, Nancy Daniels, offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. Visit Voice Dynamic and discover The Power of Your Voice or watch Nancy as she describes in more detail The Truth About Vocal Abuse.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nancy_Daniels

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Ever get the feeling that your audience just isn’t listening to what you are telling them? I mean sure, they seem to be with you at the start of your speech and then they seem to show up once again at the end, but how’s that middle part going for you? Researchers have studied what’s going on with your audience during the middle of your speech and let’s just say that it’s not good — they are checking out. Looks like we’re going to have to have a talk here — let’s find a way to keep them on board…

Why Your Audience is Leaving You

If you need to understand why your audience is checking out half-way through your speech, then the first thing that you need to realize is that you talk too slow. Well, not really.

A better way to say what’s going on is that your audience is thinking too fast. Research has shown that the human mind has the ability to comprehend words that come at us at up to 600 words per minute. The problem here is that you and I talk at a rate of 120-200 words per minute.

Now there’s nothing wrong with the way that we’re speaking, it’s just that we’re giving our audience a lot of spare mental time to start to think about other things while they wait for us to say more. If we’re not actively working to hold on to their attention, then they are very quickly going to be thinking about other things.

Just to make things a bit worse, the folks up at the Northwestern School of Speech have done some studies and they’ve discovered that the attention span of an audience is roughly 9 seconds. Ouch!

What You Can Do to Get Your Audience to Stay Focused

Now that you know that you’ve got a problem on your hands, you’re going to have to figure out what to do about it. If there is any good news in this it is that you do have the audience’s attention at the beginning and at the end of your speech — they perk up and listen to what you have to say during both of these times.

Thankfully, the researchers have looked into our problem and they have a suggestion for us. What they tell us is that our audience needs to have their attention grabbed every 6-8 minutes during the body of our speech.

There are a lot of different ways to go about doing this attention grabbing. Books have been written on how to use everything from eye contact to body language to keep your audience engaged in what you are saying. However, there is another way…

The really good speakers, politicians, know how to wake their audience up after they’ve started to grow restless with the droning on of a typical political speech. They tell their audience that they are getting ready to wrap things up (‘… in conclusion…”). This causes the audience to start to pay attention again.

However, all too often the politician doesn’t wrap things up – they just keep on talking. After a while, they will once again communicate that they are going to be wrapping things up and the audience will again perk up.

This may not be a technique that you want to use all the time. However, at least now you’ll have it in your back pocket to use if you need it.

What This Means for You

Listening to a speaker for 30, 60, or even 90 minutes is a hard job for an audience to do. In fact, it’s so hard that often they don’t do it – they’ll drift off and start to think about other things during the middle of that speech that you worked so hard on.

In order to prevent this from happening and to boost the probability that at least some of what you are saying will get into your audience’s heads, you need to change the way that you deliver your speech. You need to “wake up” your audience every 6-8 minutes with a startling statement or the appearance that you are starting to close your speech.

By realizing that your audience will start to drift off during your speech and taking steps to keep them onboard, you can become a much more effective speaker. This means that you will need to map out your speech and make sure that you include the spicy parts that will wake up your audience and make them hungry for more of what you are serving.

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Dr. Jim Anderson
http://www.blueelephantconsulting.com/
Your Source For Real World Public Speaking Skills™

Do you give speeches today, but want to learn how be more effective? Dr. Jim Anderson believes that great business skills are no substitute for poor presentation skills. Dr. Anderson will share with you the knowledge that he has gained while working to improve the speaking ability of both individuals and teams of speakers for over 20 years. Learn the secrets of effective speakers and really connect with your audience during your next speech. Follow Dr. Anderson on Twitter.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Jim_Anderson

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Body language. The nonverbal communication of your body that can tell your audience you are speaking with confidence or cowardness, delight or disingenuity. Do you know which language your body is speaking?

Something as simple as an arm gesture could be telling your audience one thing while your voice is saying something totally different. And, of course, no body language usually means no vocal variety which is always boring.

Part of the difficulty with body language is that it often shows fear. When I first started my business some years ago, I was at a new member’s orientation for the local chamber of commerce. With about 150 people in the room, we had to stand and introduce ourselves. I had a bit of time before it was my turn. As I sat there thinking about what I was going to say, it suddenly dawned on me that my personal introduction was my business. It didn’t matter how anyone else sounded; however, as a voice coach, I realized that how I sounded could make or break my business.

It was at that point that I became nervous — more so than I have ever been. But when I stood to speak, I sounded and looked confident. My body language did not scream fear even though I was dying a thousand deaths!

What was I doing to allow myself to remain in control? I spoke to the audience just as if we were in my living room having a conversation which allowed me to use my body language in the exact same manner. I acknowledged those in attendance by smiling, using my hands as I talked, and shifting my weight from one leg to the other. By no means did I stand there rigid with my arms crossed over my chest or dangling limp at my sides. The image my body projected was comfort. Again, the audience was unaware of my nervousness.

Your body language should say ease and confidence, not dread or disinterest. The only way this is going to happen is when you can make eye contact with your audience, acknowledging all throughout the room. Speaking with emotion and believing in yourself help complete the picture.

The final step for gaining control is to breathe, something we never think to do when facing our fear. It is truly what allowed me to get through those 30 seconds well – so well, in fact, that a gentleman in the back of the room called me The Voice Lady and the label stuck.

Don’t let your body speak the wrong language. Use it to enhance your presentations, not detract from it.

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The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels provides private, group and corporate training throughout the United States and Canada as well as Voicing It, the only video training program on voice improvement and presentation skills. Visit Voice Dynamic and voice your opinion in her new blog.

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One of the worst nightmares of every public speaker — especially for comedians — is telling a joke and getting no laughs from the audience, or what we call bombing. The bad news is, everybody bombs. It’s just part of the job, but it’s how you recover from bombing that is more important. The good news is, as you become more experienced and confident, it happens less and less. And even when it does happen, it won’t be as bad anymore.

First thing to do is gauge the reaction of your audience. What I mean is, see if they really noticed that the joke didn’t work. Sometimes, the audience won’t notice at all. If you can move on to the next joke without calling attention to your misfired joke, you can actually get away with it. But your next joke has to work. Two jokes in a row that fall flat will definitely get their attention, or worse, lose their attention. That is why experienced comedians will sandwich a new joke in between old and tested jokes.

If it’s really obvious your joke didn’t get any laughs, then it’s time to stop and admit that you failed. Strangely, this will illicit laughter from them. I think it’s kinda like saying to them that it’s okay that I bombed, I’m not taking myself seriously and neither should you. You can say standard things like:

“I don’t know what I was smoking when I thought of that.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have bought that joke from Carrot Top.”

“My wife wrote that one.”

“I am going to fire my comedy coach after this show.”

One mistake performers make is to get back at the audience for not getting the punch line, which can lead to them turning on you, then the show becomes real ugly quick. It might be better to just do blame it on yourself and self-deprecate at least for the sake of the show. Then you can blame the audience after the show. Now, if the audience didn’t pay to watch, then screw them. Do whatever you want.

Honesty is the best policy when it comes to bombing. Admit that the joke didn’t work. Make fun of yourself for thinking it was funny at all. Then move on. Now, if you really want to be good at making come backs from flat punch lines, go to an open mic and purposely do bad jokes. Your brain will be forced to think of “savers” or one-liners to get you back on track.

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Tim Tayag is a pioneer of point of view stand up comedy in the Philippines and Asia. He started his comedy career in San Francisco back in 1997 and has toured and performed all over the world. You can learn more about him by visiting his website or purchase his comedy CD.

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You have spent many hours, if not days, preparing to give a big presentation at a conference or event. You have researched your topic, you are confident that your material will be riveting to your audience. And you have put the hard yards in, having practiced with great diligence. Are you feeling ready? Are you good to go? Have you forgotten anything? Maybe.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to introduce…” What happens next? Is there any chance you don’t know exactly how you will be introduced?

In my experience, far too many speakers at conferences and seminars fail to pay attention to this important part of their presentation. Does it matter? Does it affect the way an audience may perceive you and what you have to say? You bet it does, as Lucky Luc would say “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.” So why leave the first impressions people have of you to chance?

You shouldn’t! Think of your introduction as a part of your presentation, part of the messages your audience will receive from you. More importantly, think of your introduction as an opportunity:

• To set expectations (setting the stage)
• To bolster your credibility as a speaker
• To pique your audience’s interest in the theme you will address
• To keep control of your message

Don’t get me wrong, there are many experienced conference comperes or MCs who will do a good job of pulling out a few nuggets from your bio and tying these into the topic you will speak on. But many don’t. And, in any case, you shouldn’t expect anyone who introduces you to know as much about you and your presentation as you do. And you certainly don’t want your introduction to be anything less than engaging — or worse still, boring. So what should you do?

Simple, always write your own introductions. Decide what you want to have said about you and your topic before you say a single word. Use your introduction to grab your audience’s attention and establish why they will want to listen to you. Be sure to keep your introduction short and focused on what your audience will really care about — i.e. how what you will say may help or benefit your audience. In other words, WIIFM (what’s in it for me).

The bottom line is – when it comes to your introduction, don’t gamble. All introductions are not equal. By writing your own introduction you will be doing the introducer and your audience a favour. Most people who have to introduce others will be delighted that you have made his/her job easier. Most comperes will be thrilled to have a script that reads well and makes them look good. And guess what? You’re off to a great start – first time, every time. Plan on it!

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About the Author

Public Speaking Master, Eamonn O’Brien is the founder of The Reluctant Speakers Club and an internationally recognised speaker on communication skills. Based in Dublin, The Reluctant Speakers Club can help you to make the podium your friend in just a short time. To learn more, visit: http://www.thereluctantspeakersclub.com.

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One of the most thrilling, challenging (and for many people) frightening opportunities is that of public speaking. Whether your job requires it, or you find yourself in a position where you have to give a public presentation, you may be overcome with nerves at the thought of standing in front of a group.

It’s normal to be scared. After all, most people in your audience would be just as nervous in front of a crowd. The great Jerry Seinfeld noted that public speaking is the #1 fear among people, higher than the fear of death. As he creatively put it, “that means more people would rather be in the casket than actually giving the eulogy.” If this describes you, don’t worry. There’s hope. You don’t have to be a professional speaker to give a good public speech. You can not only survive in giving your talk, but you can thrive in it. Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to not only keeping your audience awake, but you will be able to ignite and move them to action. Here are some public speaking tips for conquering your fear and becoming an exceptional speaker:

1. Remember that anything worth doing is worth doing well. If it’s worth your time, and especially if you’re getting paid to make the speech, then it is worth doing it well. This is a great life lesson: Do your best, or don’t do it at all. Try your hardest. Don’t just phone it in. Your audience deserves better. So what’s the best way to do your best? Practice! There’s an old saying that goes like this: “Practice makes perfect.” Wrong! Practice only makes perfect if you know how to practice. So you have to learn how to practice the right way. Read some books on speaking. Take a course (like the one we offer at Inspire Coaching), hire a speaker’s coach. Learn how to practice right, and then do it. Know your talk inside and out.

2. Make sure you know your topic. Even if you don’t know everything about your topic, you should know enough about it to make it through your speech. But not only that, do your best to learn everything you can about that topic. If you have a Q & A time, or if people approach you afterward to ask questions, you will want to know more than what was in your talk. If not, you will regret it, and you will look like a phony. So do your homework, and know your topic.

3. Speak with enthusiasm. Passion is a powerful thing, and when we let it show (notably as enthusiasm), great things can happen. An enthusiastic speaker is compelling. You can have nothing to say, but if you say it with great enthusiasm, you can keep your audience’s attention. No one wants to listen to a “ho-hum,” apathetic, monotone speaker. But we will listen to an enthusiastic speaker.

Not convinced? Consider our newly elected President. Whether or not you like or support President Obama, his passionate and enthusiastic style of speaking captivated people and consequently…led to his election. (If you go back and track Obama’s rise in the democratic race, the moments that his popularity grew were times immediately following major speeches he made! That’s not a coincidence.)

4. Maintain eye contact. Glance around the room and use the 3-second rule while looking directly into someone’s eyes. Doing so will make your audience feel more involved.

5. Use humor in your speech. Even if you’re speaking about a dry topic, draw something funny into your speech. Not all of us are born comedians, so don’t go overboard on this if it isn’t natural. Why is this important? Laughter does a few things for us:

• It relaxes us (speaker and audience)
• It brings people back to a point of attention. Zig Ziglar, who gets paid thousands of dollars per speech, intentionally plans humor into his speech in certain spots because he knows the power humor has on a presentation. If you can make your audience laugh, you can make them listen!
• It can be used to make points memorable. Again, what makes us laugh makes us listen.

6. Use personal stories to illustrate your point. Personal stories can be used to drive home your point. Stories compel people to listen, and are very effective at moving people to action. Using personal stories is one of the most powerful ways to ignite your audience. They may never remember your point, but they will remember the story. Anything that moves you emotionally (makes you cry, makes you angry, makes you think, makes you laugh, etc.) can be used. Search your life and stay on the lookout for these illustrations because they are like gold.

7. Don’t be afraid of silence. Pause periodically.This gives your audience time to reflect and think about what you have said. A speak who is not afraid of short moments of silence will recognize the power of silence. When used properly, planned pauses can create dramatic moments.

8. Memorize your speech. Delivering your talk without notes makes you look more professional and shows your audience that you have prepared. It also gives you more freedom to look into the eyes of your audience. But the most important thing is that it actually can help you speak with more conviction. Why? Because you have already prepared what to say, you can now have the freedom to say it without looking down at your notes. It actually makes you better because when you know you’ll be speaking without notes, you’ll be more likely to prepare yourself well. Plus, it makes it easier to keep your audience’s attention if you’re speaking without notes.

9. Own the stage. Everyone makes mistakes from time to time, so don’t worry about being perfect. Focus on speaking with great enthusiasm and getting your point across. When you’re the speaker, you have to own the stage. Realize that this is where you belong and you are the right person for this moment.

When I first began speaking around the country, I was asked to go speak at a couple of public high school assemblies. I was nervous, having not done this before. I spoke to one of my mentors, a speaker named, Lori Salierno. I told her I was nervous about this, and she had great advice for me: “Have fun. They’re just kids that need the message you’re bringing. You’re the right one for this job.” So, that is what I did. I had a blast, gave it my best, and spoke with a lot of energy.

10. Use handouts when appropriate. This serves two main purposes: First, it helps your audience follow along and pay attention better. Second, it gives them something to take home with them for later use or reference. (Here’s a tip: Put your name and contact information on the handout in case they want to use you again, or in case they want to tell someone else about you.)

11. Keep your speech within the time you have been given. Event planners will love you for this, especially if they are running behind schedule. Know how much time you have to speak, and stop when your time is up. When you practice ahead of time, you’ll get good at keeping within the time limits.

12. Start strong. You only have a few moments to grab your audience and convince them that they need to listen to you. Before you’ve made your first point, your audience is already determining whether or not they’re going to give you their attention. With this knowledge at your disposal, use it to captivate them from the first word. Don’t start off with some joke your uncle told you, find a creative, dramatic or energetic way to capture their attention from the start.

13. Take a class or find a coach. Always be learning and growing. Stretch yourself. Take a class on speaking, or find a speaker’s coach who can help you grow into the communicator you need to be.

Every speech-giver can become an exceptional speaker by following the steps above. These steps, along with your passion, your knowledge and some hard work can transform your life and ignite your audience.

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Marc Adams is the founder of INSPiRE Coaching, and has spoken to hundreds of groups all over the country. He is best known for using an enthusiastic blend of funny and inspiring stories that will captivate and motivate people from all walks of life. To book Marc to speak at your next event, or for more information on INSPiRE Coaching, contact us at 918-781-9834, or visit our website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Adams

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