The moment I start to write a speech, the following lines from one of my “theme” songs go off in my head:

“Every face tells a story/No need to hide and lie/Every face tells a story/Yours is saying goodbye.”

The difference is that while the tune remains the same, the words become:

“Every speech tells a story/Audience response don’t lie/Every speech tells a story/Will they be saying goodbye?”

No, I’m not crazy. Every speech does tell a story and audience response does not lie. We, the audience could not care less how great your content is if you do not connect with us. We might be too polite to walkout but we do say goodbye in our minds. You should’ve been able to tell from our body language but you didn’t connect with us, remember?

Connecting with the audience, and early in the speech, is the single greatest asset a speaker can have. Why? Don’t look now… but the speech is not about you, it’s about your audience. So, how to connect with your audience? Read on.

1. Know your audience.

It’s called audience analysis and even the greenest of Public Speakers has heard of it. So why don’t you do it? When I’m in charge of a programme and I invite people to speak, very few ask about the audience. Most ask what to wear and if I’m paying. When they are awarded an appreciation just above “walk out” by the audience they comment unfavourably about the intelligence level of the group.

Apart from all the questions I ask before I begin to write, I arrive early at the venue and try to get to know a few people by name. When I am delivering my speech, I use their names at various points. This connects me not only to the “name owners” but the rest of the audience who is usually so impressed!

2. Be yourself and share it with the audience.

I have a terrific sense of humour and an “in your face” personality. That’s me, that’s what I bring to my speaking and writing. Nothing creates more distance between you and your audience than if you’re insincere. Now is not the time to be the Stand Up Comic just because somewhere you read “begin a speech with a joke.”  You’re not comfortable telling jokes so just use any of the other 10 popular ways to start your speech. This will prevent you from being the joke.

3. Demonstrate confidence in your content.

You’re lucky. You’re what in my country is called a “Big Up.” Somebody researches and writes your speeches for you. Great! Is it too much then, for us the audience to expect you to collect that speech BEFORE you leave home for the event and edit it so that it becomes yours? How can you hope to convince us about anything when you’re stumbling over unfamiliar words and rushing through complex concepts?

For you not-so-fortunate folk like me, use a style of writing and delivery that you’re comfortable with and reflects your personality. Too many people believe that once you have to speak to more than five people at a time, you must use a style and tone from the days of Chaucer. You are wrong. This only makes you sound as though you borrowed the speech and prevents you from connecting with the listeners.

4. Tell personal stories.

Nothing connects like letting your audience know that you’re human. Don’t be afraid to share the story of how you arrived for the meeting too early – one week too early – to emphasise your point about the importance of using a personal planner.

I believe that story-telling is so important to adding zest to your presentation that as part of my public speaking training, I did the story-telling module. Any good salesperson will tell you that people buy with emotion and justify it with fact. It’s the same with making a presentation. Grab them on emotion, keep them with facts. I always have a story to tell. What’s your story?

5. Have fun!

Really, please do. I know you will say that I can say that because I’m a trained public speaker, but I was having fun first before I had all the training. So smile, show lots of enthusiasm and play with the audience. Think of the situation as having a conversation instead of delivering a speech. Don’t behave as though you’re at the dentist for a root canal. Have fun!

Now, can’t you begin using these tips right away? Yes you can. And when you do I’m sure you’ll be telling me that now you’re as good as I am! Well… not quite, but nearly.

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Lorna Barrow’s public speaking training spans twenty years and include training and coaching thousands of people to achieve their public speaking goals. Before your next speech, download her Basic Steps to Public Speaking Handbook from the Purchase Zone at http://www.itds-training.com so that you can stand up and speak, and sit down and smile. While you’re there, don’t forget to grab all the wonderful free stuff that awaits you!

It’s that time of year again! What time? you ask. It’s the time of year I celebrate my birthday by doing the same number of push ups that equal the year I’m celebrating. It seemed like a good idea when I turned 30, but I’m guessing I’m going to have to look for a new way to celebrate sometime soon. The challenge this year is to do 40 consecutive push-ups. The outlook is bleak.

Because I wasn’t sure if I would make 39 push ups last year, I wrote a list of 39 Things I’ve Learned About Public Speaking.

I don’t want to repeat last year’s list, so I’ve come up with a new list… 40 Fatal Public Speaking Mistakes. It’s not that the mistakes will kill you, but they will definitely hurt your presentation.

1.) Don’t practice. Just wing it and hope everything falls into place.

2.) Drink ice water and dairy products before your presentation. Who doesn’t want to produce more phlegm and clear their throat a lot during a speech?

3.) Apologize in advance for being boring/nervous.

4.) Create your slides before you’ve nailed down your content.

5.) Skip audience analysis.

6.) Tell a lot of irrelevant stories about your kids, spouse, nephews, etc…

7.) Keep walking from one side of the room to the other for the entire presentation.

8.) Try to sound motivational by speaking loudly the entire time.

9.) Insult politicians, businesses, and other easy targets so you can get a quick laugh. Just hope they don’t have supporters or employees in the audience.

10.) Dress inappropriately for the event.

11.) Speak quickly so you can get more information into your speech in half the time.

12.) Stand in one spot while rocking back and forth from heel to toe (like a rocking chair).

13.) Stand in one spot while swaying from side to side (like a pendulum).

14.) Start the speech by telling the audience you haven’t done this presentation in a long time and will probably get lost along the way.

15.) Use slides that say the exact same thing you’re telling the audience.

16.) Keep turning your back to the audience and speaking to the screen.

17.) Don’t arrive early to set up your room. Show up a few minutes before and expect everything to be set up perfectly.

18.) If you’re using a microphone, skip the sound check. Just ask people if they can hear you when you start your speech.

19.) Start your speech by reading the “Starfish” story from “Chicken Soup for the Soul.”

20.) Use a lot of acronyms your audience won’t be able to remember.

21.) Use a lot of big words to show off your vocabulary. Who cares if no one knows what you’re saying?

22.) If your audience disagrees with you, try to convince them by being extra passionate about your position.

23.) Go over the time you’ve been given to deliver your speech. This works well just before lunch.

24.) Don’t research the statistics you use in your speech. Just assume they’re correct because you heard someone else use them.

25.) Steal stories from other speakers and make yourself the main character.

26.) When reading a speech, hold onto the lectern for dear life and don’t look up.

27.) Ask the audience to share their deepest feelings with people they’re meeting for the first time.

28.) Ignore the mood in the room and jump straight into your presentation. It will show the audience how tuned in you are.

29.) When using statistics, let the audience figure out how those statistics apply to them.

30.) Say “um” a lot so you’ll sound more “authentic.”

31.) Keep checking your wristwatch every few minutes. The audience will be curious about where you have to be after the speech?

32.) Assume the professor pose (one arm across your body and one hand holding your chin) so no one questions your knowledge.

33.) Give an infomercial on your product or service instead of speech that provides useful information.

34.) Forget vocal variety. Just use the same tone of voice and volume regardless of what you’re speaking about.

35.) Start your speech by complaining about the weather, your hotel, breakfast, aches, pains and anything else you can think of. Everyone loves a whiner.

36.) Mispronounce the names of the VIPs in your audience. Better yet, call them a different name altogether!

37.) Since body language is supposed to make up for 55% of your message, use a sparkling smile and huge gestures to cover up your lack of preparation.

38.) Insult people in the audience because they’re not as enthusiastic about your topic as you are.

39.) Use examples that are sexist and racist generalizations.

40.) Don’t practice. I know this was #1, but it’s important enough to repeat again. Failing to prepare for your speech is the most fatal public speaking mistake you can make.

If you want to avoid making the 40 Fatal Public Speaking Mistakes, I suggest you download a free copy of my “Successful Speeches Toolkit.” It will give you the inside scoop on how to give a better speech and get better results. Visit http://www.wellwrittenwellsaid.com/freetoolkit.html to get your workbook and search tool.

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John Watkis is a freelance speechwriter, speaking coach and keynote speaker who helps his clients use the right words at the right time in the right way so they can educate, influence and inspire their audiences. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Watkis

Every year, I challenge myself on my birthday by doing consecutive push-ups to match the birthday I’m celebrating. As you can imagine, the task becomes more difficult every year. Last year, I felt fortunate to have eeked out the 38th push-up.

This year, on my 39th birthday, I realized there was a chance I might not be able to meet the challenge, so I decided to pump out 39 of something else. With that in mind, I did some reflecting and compiled a list of 39 things I’ve learned about public speaking.

1. You’re never good enough not to to practice.

2. Public speaking is both a science and an art. Approach it strictly from either point of view and you and you won’t be as successful as you could be.

3. All things being equal, written speeches are better and more successful than extemporaneous speeches.

4. No height of reasoning or depth of wisdom is strong enough to educate a mind that refuses to learn.

5. Every audience and individual is unique. What works for one won’t necessarily work for another.

6. There is no “best way” to start every speech. Each speech is as unique as the audience. Every opening should also be unique.

7. Gestures are overrated. They can’t add substance to a message that lacks substance.

8. Even the right words can lose their effect if they’re not delivered with the right timing.

9. Even if your audience disagrees with your position on a subject, they want your speech to be good. After all, they have to sit through it.

10. When put to the test, most statistics about public speaking are a crock.

11. What our audience remembers most is what resonates with them most.

12. The setup of your room affects the flow of energy in the room.

13. Recording yourself on video is the best way to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses.

14. Memorizing your material and knowing your material are not the same thing.

15. Sometimes public speaking should be treated as a performance. At other times, public speaking should be treated as a conversation. On occasion, it should be treated as both.

16. Always research your audience as thoroughly as possible… always!

17. Reading the book of Proverbs is a great way to train your mind to come up with analogies that easily explain complicated concepts.

18. Age means squat when it comes to your effectiveness as a public speaker. Martin Luther King Jr. was only 34 when he delivered the “I have a dream” speech.

19. It’s okay to say “um” every now and again. People expect it. “Um” becomes a problem when it is used in a pattern the audience begins to anticipate and predict with 99% accuracy.

20. One of the easiest ways to improve your ability to develop a successful speech is to read and listen to successful speeches of the past and present.

21. When you truly connect with your audience, you will be able to feel and experience their energy.

22. Public speaking is not a monarchy and content is not king. Content alone is not enough to persuade people and move them to take action.

23. What you say AND how you say it are of equal importance.

24. Authentic story telling is easy to learn. Just read story books to children.

25. If your presentation relies heavily on technology, be sure to have a plan B.

26. If you’re using PowerPoint or props, rehearse with them.

27. Knowing your subject is important. Explaining your subject in a way that’s easy to understand and memorable is more important.

28. Your speech is successful if your audience remembers, repeats and responds to it… not if you get a standing ovation.

29. The worst times to speak are just before and just after a meal. The audience is too hungry to concentrate just before and too full (or tipsy) to concentrate after.

30. Asking questions is an effective way to engage the minds of the individuals in your audience.

31. When you tell a story, debrief it. Not everyone will interpret your story the same way.

32. Before using a statistic in your speech, research the statistic yourself. There are a lot of myths disguised as statistics.

33. Always put statistics in context. Explain what the statistic means and why the audience should care.

34. If you must tell a joke, use an original one. Few things are as deflating as having people in the audience deliver the punch line before you do.

35. Don’t use a $20 word when a 5 cent word will do the trick. When it comes to word choice, simpler is usually better.

36. Use repetition in your speeches. It will reinforce your main message and make it easier for the audience to follow your train of thought.

37. If you’re going to be introduced, write your own opening. Never trust someone else to do it for you.

38. Even excellent presenters have “off” days. Get over it and move on.

39. Your audience won’t shut you off as quickly as they will a show on television. They can watch the show in their pajamas, but they get dressed up and travel to hear you speak.

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If you would like to take your speeches to another level and learn more public speaking tips, I suggest you download a free copy of my “Successful Speeches Toolkit” so you can make sure your next speech is a successful speech. Visit http://www.wellwrittenwellsaid.com/successfulspeechesblog/?page_id=10 to get your workbook and search tool.

John Watkis is a freelance speechwriter, consultant and keynote speaker who helps his clients give better speeches so they can get better results.

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 transitions as it is to plan the rest of your presentation. Clear transitions help the audience stay focused (and awake) and process your material. They’re like links in a chain that keep your presentation cohesive and organized.

Here are ten ways to transition from one idea to the next.

1. Repeat and recap the main point you just covered.

2. Use humor or tell a joke that closes your previous point.

3. Show a slide or give a handout that gets the audience thinking about your next segment.

4. Ask a question that previews the next segment and write the answers on a flip chart.

5. Ask a question that gets the audience to respond to or summarize their learning from the last segment and write the answers on a flip chart.

6. Have the audience stand up and stretch.

7. Share a quote or story that summarizes your previous point or leads to the next one.

8. Use a logical chronology of points, or numbered points, so that transitions are clear (your talk goes from biggest to smallest, longest to shortest, outside to inside, general to specific, 1960 to 1980, etc.).

9. Pause or take a drink of water before moving to the next point.

10. Physically move to a different part of the room or stage.

Incorporate clear transitions into your presentation and your audience will never be confused about what comes next or how you’re going to get there!

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Lisa Braithwaite works with individuals to uncover their challenges and build their strengths in presenting themselves confidently as speakers. Find your voice with public speaking coaching! Sign up for the Presentation Pointers newsletter or a free consultation at http://www.coachlisab.com. And check out the Speak Schmeak blog.

A presentation, whether to a small group or large audience, is your moment in the spotlight. Many people miss out on that spotlight — or blow it — because of some misplaced belief. Here are the top ten illusion I’ve heard over my training career that can doom presentations and presenters.

10. “I just wing it.” You may think you’re better “off the cuff.”

But the reality is when you haven’t prepared or aren’t well-organized, you risk a rambling dialogue and unclear message.

9. “This is my speech and I’m sticking to it.”

Illusion: the speech is good as it is regardless of the audience. Reality: every audience is different, and if you don’t relate to and adapt to their unique needs and interests, you don’t have much chance of connecting.

8. “I don’t need visuals-they detract from my presentation.”

You may believe visuals are crutches that will make a presentation seem hokey. But without visuals to help reinforce your main ideas, your audience might not understand or remember your points.

7. “I couldn’t give a presentation without lots of elaborate PowerPoint.”

A prevalent illusion today is that PowerPoint slides — and lots of them — will wow the audience and make you look high tech and impressive. But realize that overdone visuals result in the medium overtaking the message and detracting from you.

6. “I have to have notes, preferably all written out.”

You may want to stick to a script because you won’t forget anything and will say everything perfectly. Recognize that when you’re over-reliant on notes, you tend to read the notes instead of deliver the ideas, which results in poor eye communication, low energy, and no connection with audience.

5. “The facts speak for themselves.”

Translation: lots of facts or statistics offer impressive evidence that validates your information. However, numbers and raw facts can be overwhelming and meaningless without interpretation or explanation. The key to giving your numbers meaning is to humanize your information. This means use anecdotes, analogies, examples, stories, audience involvement or demonstrations to give meaning and context to your information.

4. “I have to get everything in.”

Speakers have a strong, if mistaken, urge that everything they have to say on the subject is very important and audiences need to hear it all. The truth is, audiences are more interested in getting out on time. Respecting time limits is the mark of a good speaker.

3. “I don’t care what people think of me — I just say what has to be said.”

Illusion: because you’re ultra confident and know you’re right, it doesn’t matter what the audience thinks — it’s the principle of the matter. Reality: audiences don’t generally respond favorably to arrogance. If you want to be persuasive, you can’t be from simply being right. You have to know what motivates your audience and then appeal to those motivations; show them what’s in it for them.

2. “I’ve got to be taken seriously.”

If you take yourself too seriously, it usually results in a deadly dull presentation. Energy, humor, dynamism will enliven your presentation and engage your audience.

1. “I’m not a good public speaker.”

In other words, you’re panic-stricken at the prospect of addressing a group and therefore believe you’ll blow it. But the thing is, everyone is nervous about public speaking. But it’s never killed anyone, so it’s not a good enough reason to miss the opportunities for exposure that are crucial to anyone’s career success. You’ll be a lot better and more comfortable if you practice, practice, practice. And, of course — get some good training.

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Abraham Lincoln wrote, “Extemporaneous speaking should be practiced and cultivated; it is the lawyer’s avenue to the public. However able and faithful he may be in other respects, people are slow to bring him business, if he cannot make a speech.”

When Lincoln spoke of extemporaneous speaking, he did not mean making totally unprepared speeches — “winging it” we might call it today. Few speakers can trust the moment or raw talent for a good speech. Very, very few.

Years ago I knew a woman who had a brief career as a keynote speaker. Several times she boasted to me that she never gave a prepared speech. She told me the audience deserved something new every time. She liked to believe that it was a good thing that her every utterance was something new, something never heard before, never thought of before. It occurred to me that she herself may never have thought of some of the things that she said. Many of her thoughts were new to her, too.

For a while she was in demand because she was a high-energy speaker, witty and intelligent, and well informed about corporate life.

But she relied entirely on her wits, and the moment. Clients never knew what kind of speech they would get. Sometimes her presentation would be brilliant. Other times embarrassing.

Today she is out of the speaking business.

I know another speaker who took a different path. He is witty and intelligent and well informed too, but he prepares carefully every time – even when he makes an announcement at a local meeting or introduces a relatively unknown guest speaker.

“You never know who’s forming an opinion of you,” he once told me. “I never have been able to understand how a professional speaker could even think about getting up to speak without preparing.” Neither can I. Not surprisingly, this speaker is in demand year after year.

In case you’d like to acquire the reputation for giving great extemporaneous speeches, here’s a checklist of what to do if you are called upon to make a short presentation. (A keynote presentation has additional rules, but adheres follows these basic principles, too.)

One. Know what your opening sentence will be. If this opening sentence can be witty and short and safe, good. If not witty, then short and safe. By “safe,” I mean something that you know will work, not something that might ricochet.

Two. Create a script, if not on paper at least in your head. Know the main points that you need to cover-when, where, and why if an announcement. If an introduction, who the speaker is, what are his/her credentials, and why his/her message is worth hearing. If you are called upon to acknowledge or recognize a number of people, for god’s sake, prepare a list in advance. You will almost certainly omit someone important if you don’t.

Three. Know how you will conclude. When you are getting up to speak, have in mind how you will end. For the short presentation, the close generally is more important than the beginning. Don’t just trail off or abandon control with Q & A. If you do Q & A, keep back something strong for your conclusion – a thought-out sentence or quote or a very short and apt story to illustrate your point.

Lincoln knew and observed those rules. We know because some of his notes that he used in the courtroom have been preserved. Lincoln would prepare a rough script-how he would open, the illustrations he would use, the points he would make, and how he would conclude.

Moreover, Lincoln spent a lifetime acquiring material that he could plug into his speeches-ready-made modules to fit the moment. He memorized poems and Bible passages. He immersed himself in newspapers and books and written sermons. He knew thousands of jokes and humorous stories and even carried a joke book with him so that he could adapt traditional stories to local situations.

Lincoln spent a lot of time preparing for his extemporaneous presentations.

It’s a mistake to sound too slick, too smooth, too over-rehearsed; but it’s a greater mistake to sound unprepared, inept, and unprofessional. Let all speakers who ‘wing it’ prepare for painful crashes. There are more winds that hurt speeches than help them.

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Gene Griessman is a professional speaker, executive coach, and author of The Words Lincoln Lived By and co-author of Lincoln Speaks To Leaders: 20 Powerful Lessons From America’s 16th President, with Pat Williams and Peggy Matthews Rose. Griessman’s website is http://www.presidentlincoln.com.

Executives who want to improve their speaking skills are often advised to liven up their presentations by incorporating stories. The way I put it is, “Use stories, not statistics.” But that sage advice leads to the logical question: How do I make my point in a speech (and sometimes even in a press release) by telling a story?

If you’ve got kids, you probably already know, because they’ve badgered you to tell them stories and let you know what doesn’t work (“Too boring, Daddy!”) and what does (“Ooh, this is good!”).

Believe it or not, the general guidelines for creating interesting kids’ stories are the same as for folding stories into a speech.

START WITH SOMETHING YOU KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE UNDERSTANDS. With your kids, you pick something age appropriate. When you’re giving a speech, you have to be sure to start your story with a reference that will mean something to the specific group you’re addressing. Your employees will know a lot about the history of your company; your customers-especially new ones-will know a lot less.

SET UP A CONFLICT QUICKLY. Kids love stories with conflict. Audiences, too. If at all possible, draw contrasts between opposing points of view in your speech, describe working hard to overcome a rival in the marketplace, or find other ways to get conflict into your speech. It will add drama and keep your audience tuned in. One of the best speeches I’ve heard was by the then-CEO of chip-maker AMD describing how his company had “valiantly fought the Goliath” (Intel).

STOCK THE STORY WITH OBVIOUS HEROES AND VILLAINS. Speaking of Goliath, in a speech, setting up heroes and villains not only entertains, it also helps to win the audience over to your point of view.

DON’T FORGET THE STICKING POINT. Most of the time, you’re just telling kids a story to entertain. But every once in a while you use a story to teach them a lesson about life or maybe even deliver a warning. The point of many executive speeches is to convince an audience of something-about your company, about a product, about a company policy, etc. To do that, you need to include one telling fact or detail that will resonate with the audience and stick with them.

“Unless we act now, the United States will stagnate, the way Japan did in the 1970s.”

“Sarbanes-Oxley has become little more than a full employment act for accountants and business consultants.”

And on and on.

A HAPPY ENDING. You always have one for your kids, of course. It’s a little trickier in a call-to-action speech. You want the audience to believe there CAN be a happy ending, but only if they do what you want them to do: support legislation, buy a product, invest in the company, etc.

For an executive giving a speech, of course, the best happy ending is enthusiastic applause.