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.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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!

The fear of public speaking is one of the top fears that individuals have. Statistics show that over 41% of people have some level of fear or anxiety with regards to speaking in front of a consultation. This fear often manifests as excessive sweating, sweaty palms, increased pulse rates, blanking out (memory loss), nausea and often times trouble breathing. There are many speakers who have been in front of audiences for years and they still treat anxiety to some degree.

Since having this fear often has no touching on whether you must do a presentation or not, you’ll have to find some tips to overcome your anxiety. The initial step is to know that you are not alone and that you are able to prepare before so that the level of fear you feel is importantly low. Here are another interesting statistics.

• Correct presentation and rehearsal of your speech can lessen your fear by about 75%.

• Utilizing breathing systems can cut your anxiety by another 15%.

• Organizing your mental state can reduce your fear the remaining 10%.

With these statistics in mind, he’re some conditioning points to aid you relax and reduce your feelings before getting in front of your guests.

1. Know the environment you will speak in.
Become familiar with the location by arriving early and strolling approximately. Know how much space you have and the physical distance between you and your listeners. As you acclimate yourself to your stage, you will find yourself feeling more leisurely.

2. Know your audience.
You should find out who comprises your viewers and do some investigate to ascertain their likes and dislikes. When they enter the room, greet them and take time to get to know some faces.

3. Know your presentation inside and out.
If you don’t know what you’ll be presenting how can you expect yourself to feel fearless?

4. Implement breathing methods to help you relax.
Breathing systems have been scientifically proven to invigorate the body and help you remove nervousness.

5. See yourself on stage before you really arrive.
Replay images of your successful presentation in your mind. If you visual success, you’ll observe it.

6. Know that your audience wants you to succeed.
Your prosperity means they get what they want and need. If they have paid money to attend your presentation, they have a personal stake in securing your future. If you are providing training, they have an individual stake in your success. If you’re delivering a graduation address at a local university, the graduating class has an individual stake. Get the belief? Your viewers wants you to succeed.

7. Don’t draw attention to your being nervous.
Many people will not even realize that you are nervous. Most occasions you will find that while you have your audience’s attention, they’re really thinking about on their own. They’re absorbing what you say and processing that into how that relates to them.

8. Know that there is a purpose to your warning.
You have a warning to deliver. Often times it’s an underlying cause that you are passionate about. Other times, perhaps it is training that your business requires you to give.

Preparation is the cornerstone to your success! Through preparation, you can likewise overcome most if not every one of the feelings of fear that you could have so prepare, prepare, prepare!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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

We’ve all heard that eye contact is essential for successful public speaking. Sometimes, however, looking audience members in the eye isn’t easy, especially when nervousness and self-consciousness hijack our thinking.

Recently, I coached a client who had a severe case of eye-avoidedness. It was the first issue he brought up. And of course, I saw it in action immediately. Even though we sat in armchairs no more than 4 feet apart, I’d estimate that he avoided looking at me about 80% of the time.

He knew this was a problem both in presentations and interpersonal communication, but he had no idea how to overcome his shyness. And that, in fact, turned out to be an important clue for me. He mentioned that he was an introvert. One speaking trait introverts sometimes have is a desire to “go away” in their own mind and fashion a carefully structured and gift-wrapped statement or response. In the rough-and-tumble of conversations and Q & A, however, we seldom have the luxury of doing this.

Before we tried an exercise I had in mind, I gave him the two reasons why I believe strong eye contact is critical to successful speaking situations:

1. You will never exert influence on people you don’t look in the eye! When was the last time you were persuaded by someone who wouldn’t look at you while he or she was talking?

2. People are easier to get a response from than the back wall. I often hear from my trainees, “But if I look anyone right in the eye, I’ll forget what I’m saying!” At this point I usually respond: “Which do you think is going to give you something back, the ceiling or the person you’re talking to?”

Our listeners should give us energy–not suck it out of us like an audience of vampires! Speaking to “the window of the soul” (the eyes) as you say something important to people, and observing their response, should be a delightful activity rather than a painful one. People want you to look at them when you talk. If you do, they’ll trust you more.

As it turned out, the exercise we practiced next turned out to be even more helpful for this client than I anticipated. Here it is:

I had prepared around 20 impromptu speech topics, which I folded and placed in an envelope. My client had to reach in, choose a slip and read the topic, then look up at me and start talking about it. Understand: I gave him no time to prepare. (No nicely wrapped speech package possible here!)

The topics were intentionally ones that he would have no expertise in; and in fact, each topic had no right or wrong answer. For instance, they included, “What do you like about the United Nations, and why?” And: “What do you think was the most interesting ancient civilization?,” and so on.

For a minute or two each time, my client spoke on each of four items he’d selected. And I’d say that 90% of his responses were delivered looking directly at me, with rock-solid eye contact!

You see, he couldn’t “go away” and marshal his thoughts and relevant data on the subject, for his professional experience hadn’t given him any special knowledge. The exercise was simple and clear: he had to look his listeners in the eye even if he wasn’t sure what he was about to say. His job was to reach his listener with what he was saying, not fashion the perfect answer.

The exercise is a sure-fire confidence builder, and I’ve used it many times for that purpose. But it was nice to know that it works well as a tool for strengthening eye contact, too.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GARY GENARD is an internationally known speech coach and corporate trainer. A former professional actor, he is the founder of Boston-based Public Speaking International, one of the world’s premiere presentation skills and media training companies. PSI offers communication skills improvement including public speaking training, executive speech coaching, speech improvement training, presentation skills and using PowerPoint, sales presentation training, and media appearance training. Public Speaking International can be found online at http://PublicSpeakingInternational.com.

Regardless of how good you are as a public or professional speaker, you can always get better.

Self-Confidence

In speech giving, frequently your level of self-confidence will be directly proportionate to the quality of both your speech and its delivery. The two important elements of self-confidence are preparation and practice.

Excellent speech preparation includes: mastery of topic (even if you just did the research), flow of thought and/or persuasion, the quality of your PowerPoint (if you select to use it), planned emotional peeks and valleys, planned emotional releases through humor, and correct length of time. Only amateurs go over their time!

Practice is a whole different issue; defective practice yields defective speeches. While everyone wants their speech to appear to be “fresh” relying on your adlib or improve abilities is surely a mistake. While I would never recommend learning a speech word for word, I do however; recommend that you memorize your outline. Also work in your timing, allowing for audience laughter, which indeed adds minutes to your speech. If you can deliver, in your living room, a great speech to your spouse, significant other, or your children; your speech will be a hit with its intended audience.

Guard the Prime Time

If you were to ask most speakers just before they took the podium, why they were there, the most frequent answers would be:
“I was invited to speak.”
“I don’t know why I was invited to speak.”
“I’ve got some things I want to get off my chest.”
“I was roped into it.”
“I don’t know how I get into messes like this.”

While there are many reasons to stand in front of an audience, always remember this; for you, it’s your prime time. You will be remembered by your words; powerful or not…persuasive, or not…caring, or not.

The next time you take to the podium (by the way, look up podium; not something you stand at, but rather on) consider others by recognizing this is your prime time. Guard it well.

Make Every Speech an Event

When you get to the point that you are giving “just another speech,” don’t! Nobody is interested in “just another speech” but very interested in what you have to say that will make their lives better. When you give “just another speech” everyone in the audience knows it, and generally they quickly zone-out and become disruptive.

The solution is to see each speech as an event. One of my early mentors, Lee Andree Davis, who I have frequently referred to as a “diamond in a garbage can” would remind me to make all my activities with my children an EVENT. Not that I have always been successful at it, I have kept his words in the back on my mind. As an example, the other day I was driving with my older son, who was home from college for the holidays, on Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu. I suggested stopping for a bite to eat. So I took him to Paradise Cove, a fabulous location, yes in a private cove and right on the beach. It was the perfect Southern California winter day; sunny, warm, no wind and a calm ocean. The perfect day and location made our lunch soirée an EVENT to be remembered.

My continual challenge for you is to similarly make every one of your speeches an EVENT. Do not allow yourself to fall into the trap of mediocrity. Never just stand in front of a group of people and talk. Honor them, their time, and their intelligence by making your speech an EVENT.

Let the Diamond Show Through

Above, I suggested that you make every speech an event. I mentioned, Lee Andree Davis, who I have frequently referred to as a “diamond in a garbage can.” What I mean by this analogy is that Lee had a heart of gold but wrapped it up in such a coarse package that few were able to see his diamond.

How this relates to every person that steps onto the platform, literally or figuratively, is in relation to authenticity-what many say is the number one element to a great speech. Will you take the risk of authenticity? It is easy to stand upon the platform and be “Speaker Guy or Gal,” however it is difficult to be vulnerable enough to let your authentic diamond show through. This year, more so than in any year past, I’m going to work on letting my diamond show through, perhaps you’d like to do the same?

Love Your Audience

Yes, I know it might sound a bit odd coming from a high-content speaker like me. However, the advice is sound! Think about it, you have the attention of a number of persons waiting to hear what you have to say; they are giving a piece of their lives to you, why not respect that?

While you are waiting to speak, think about the above, it will both relax you and put you in the correct frame of mind. When you start your speech, send “mental” appreciation to your audience. This appreciation will also show up in your voice, facial expression, and body language. It is a great way to start a speech. Try to keep the idea of “loving your audience” in your conscious mind throughout your speech; I assure you, it will make a positive difference.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Public speakers have a tremendous responsibility to deliver their presentations effectively, with confidence and conviction. In order to deliver a successful presentation, the speaker needs to polish their presentation skills. Discovering strategy and tips to deliver your presentations will greatly enhance your presentation skills.

1.    Know the Purpose. Know why you have been asked to speak. What is the objective of the event? Be clear on the purpose before you prepare your presentation. Your presentation will be a lot more effective when you understand why your message is significant to the event or group.

2.    Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. A great presentation is not just going to fall out of the sky and proceed out of a speaker’s mouth. A speaker has to plan, prepare, research and practice their presentation. I like to stand in front of the mirror when I am preparing for a presentation. I want to see what natural or unnatural movements I might be making. I want to check my stance, my facial expressions and so on. Public speaking is a skill that has to be honed. The more the speaker presents, the better the presentation will become.

3.   Study. Take a look at very successful speakers. What is it about their style or technique that stands out or has an impact on you? How are they able to capture the attention of their audiences? Develop some of those successful presentation skills and tweak them to fit your unique style of presenting.

4.    Tell a story. Everyone has a story to tell. People love to hear stories they can either relate to or understand. Stories not only add to the impact of the presentation but will help the audience remember your message and hopefully you. Telling a personal story in your presentation helps you personalize the topic.

5.   Finish strong. End your presentation on a high note. Your closing should be as impactful as the start of your presentation. What do you want the audience to do? Is there a call of action? Avoid just ending your presentation with just, “Thank you for your time.” End with something positive and strong.

There are so many strategies to delivering your presentations with purpose and passion. Taking the time to hone your skills will help you communicate effectively so your audiences will actually listen, understand and act on your message.

If you are looking for a network to join, check out Speakers Network at http://www.gwenthibeaux.com/about-speakers-network for more information.