How to Give Great Presentations at Work?

What is a great presentation? As you might have already seen on the Internet, or read in books, there are many definitions of great presentations. Nevertheless, they all emphasize one point - a great presentation is one which, ideally speaking, completely holds an audience enthralled. It is not entirely true that only great personalities can give great presentations. To develop great presentation skills, which you will need, especially if you are a Six Sigma professional, you need to understand the anatomy of a great presentation.

Anatomy Of A Great Presentation

Unlike written reports where you have a chance to correct mistakes, presentations are a sort of 'get it right the first time' business activity. So, a considerable amount of preparation is necessary to make a presentation great.

1. All Great Presentations Are Well Researched and rehearsed in advance. You must determine how much information or statistics needs to be given in proportion to a plain lecture. Too much statistics defeats the purpose of your presentation and makes it boring.

2. Encourage The Audience To Have Confidence in you at the beginning by greeting them and briefly explaining the points you are going to cover during the course of your speech.

3. Presentations Are All About Scoring Points and winning over others to your opinions. Delivery skill is a vehicle of driving a point home. Statistical information should be presented in logical sequences and in the right doses.

4. Make The Presentation A Light-Hearted One wherever possible but without compromising on the seriousness of the matter. All great presentations are made in simple language using industry specific jargon, but not words that are too hard to understand.

5. Great Presentations Use Audio-Visual Aids for greater impact. This is based on the principle that a picture speaks a thousand words. Even a budgetary speech or an accountant's presentation can use slide pictures.

How To Give Great Presentations

Begin with greeting the audience; end with asking their feedback and then thanking them. Announce that you will answer their questions later at the end of your speech. Apart from the apparent benefit this provides you, you get their undivided attention to your speech which is vital to your success.

Proven Steps To Give Great Presentations

Whether it is a formal speech to a large audience or an informal briefing, knowing your audience is vital to your speech preparation and helps you to relate it to them. Here are a few steps to making the actual presentation.

1. Judiciously Use Examples from everyday life or from past events to make your point quickly understandable. But don't let examples occupy center stage.

2. Don't Forget, Your Audience may have come from different departments within your organization. Each of them has different interests and different levels of understanding on your topic. Strive to address the needs of the entire audience, not just a select few.

3. Grasp Audience Responses that show whether and how much they like your speech. Make midcourse corrections to the tone of your speech if necessary. At this point you can engage them to lift their moods.

4. Extemporaneous Presentation goes a long way to make it interesting as this obviously eliminates the 'report reading style' and gives your speech a natural touch. You can use notecards if necessary, so that you don't forget them.

5. Using Body Language Effectively. Make eye contact with members of the audience. Make gestures like hand waving, nodding and voice. Using body language in this way helps to break the monotony of a possibly long speech.

Giving a great presentations at work is not limited to just benefiting your organization. Use this vehicle to travel that extra mile to reach your career goals.
Source: Free Articles

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Presenting - Presentation Skills Advice

Whether you are a university student giving a presentation on a project, a middle manager giving a talk on this months figures or a psychology expert giving a seminar on dyslexia in children presentation skills are vital in order to succeed. The ability to speak to a room or hall full of people can be a daunting one. Whether you know the people or even if they are complete strangers standing up by yourself and commanding an audience's attention is tricky no matter whom you are. This can be even more difficult for people with learning difficulties like dyspraxia and dyslexia.

There are various methods to get through presentations from imagining your audience naked to imagining you are talking to a friend. Different techniques will work for different people so it is all about finding what works best for you. However there are a few things that everyone can do to get by when speaking in public whether you're dyslexic or not.

As with most things in life preparation is the key to success. If you walk into a room with out any real understanding of what you are going to talk about how can you expect to do well? If you know your subject inside out then you should be able to breeze through it and handle any questions asked by the audience with confidence.

Technique is the other skill that you should work on and this is something that everyone needs to take into account. One of the most common problems when people give presentations is that they tend to read their notes rather than use them as a guide. This is terrible for the audience as it results in the speaker talking into their chest rather than making eye contact with the audience and making them feel involved and interested. The best way to overcome this is to use reminders in your slide show or presentation utilities.

If you are having problems looking at your audience the best thing to do is to look directly at the back of the hall over the heads of the audience. The audience will think you are looking directly at them and will feel engaged while you won't have to focus directly on one or two people. Practise is the other thing that will help you overcome fears of giving a presentation and will help you to build your confidence.

If you are still having problems after all of this then you can always hire someone to give you presentation skills training or attend an evening class at a local college or university. These people will have a wide range of techniques, learning methods and facilities that will allow you to practise and perfect your skills till you are confident enough to do it yourself.

If you are interested in finding out about Presentation Skills Training then Clifford Solutions can help.

If you want to find out more about Dyslexia Schools or are looking to find Dyslexic Schools for your child then why not try Appleford School in Wiltshire.

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

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Know The Purpose Of Your Presentation

A quality listing presentation involves considerable advance planning, careful research and analysis, and highly developed presentation and sales skills. This allows you to derive maximum impact from the minimal time you have to present yourself and your recommendations, close the deal, and obtain signatures on a listing agreement.

Your advance planning takes two forms. First you need to qualify your prospects - determining not only their desires and expectations but also their ability to make the buying or selling decision and complete the purchase transaction.

The other essential ingredient in a listing presentation is a competitive market analysis (CMA) along with a presentation that displays the full complement of your sales skills and abilities and helps you win your prospect's confidence and secure their listing.

Knowing the purpose of your presentation

Be crystal-clear on this point. The objective of a listing presentation is to secure a signed listing agreement before the meeting ends. It's not to pave the way for a "be-back" listing, where you plan to return at a later date to handle paperwork and secure final prospect approval. Your purpose is to make your case, close the deal, and get ink on the paper right then and there while you're face-to-face with your prospects. If you don't, I guarantee the odds of securing the listing start to swing away from you.

If you let even a few days or a week slip by, your prospects will have a hard time separating your presentation from other agents who they met in the meantime. And the moment they lose sight of your distinguishing attributes, they'll revert to a commodity mindset by focusing on price and selecting an agent based on who offered the lowest commission or the highest list price.

I've personally made over a thousand listing presentations, and I've coached and listened to the presentations of hundreds of other agents. I am totally convinced that a quality listing presentation can and must result in a signed contract at the presentation.

These are two reasons you need to get the listing signed during the presentation:

1. The moment you leave the appointment, anything can happen. A buyer could appear out of nowhere, knocking on your prospect's door with a direct offer. An agent who interviewed your prospect a few days ago could be desperate enough to call with an offer to cut their fee by another percent. At Rotary or church or a chamber of commerce meeting, your prospect could meet another agent. Or, after-the-fact, they could begin to confuse you for a different agent whose presentation they didn't like at all. The list of "coulds" goes on and on. The only thing you know for sure is that if you don't get the signed listing at the appointment, you leave it up for grabs and vulnerable.

2. You need to feel the win. The win in the listing game is when the contract is signed. Don't underestimate the power of that personal victory. Selling involves the risk of rejection. If it didn't, it would be called order taking, and you wouldn't be paid so well because it would be so easy. A listing presentation gives you the chance to go for the win, perfect your close, and attain the victory. Give yourself the satisfaction and adrenaline rush of walking out of the home with a signed contract. Your drive home will be the shortest ever known. If you don't get it signed, it will be the longest few minutes you've ever known.

I have an incredible coaching client who sells homes on Long Island. She is a listing machine in her market area. She takes over 125 listings a year. Yet a while back, when we tracked the numbers she was closing on the night of the appointment, we found her close rate was less than 40%.

This finding got her focused on the uncompensated time she was spending on second meetings with listing prospects. It also made her think about how many listings were lost following the first meeting. A month later, her closing figures had changed dramatically. With a new resolve to get the contract closed on the night of the appointment, she skyrocketed her closing rate to over 70%.

Again, be crystal-clear. Know your objective of your listing presentation. It is to secure a signed listing agreement before you walk out that door. Don't leave your business to chance - take control and watch your closing rate skyrocket!

Dirk Zeller is an Agent, an Investor, and the President & CEO of Real Estate Champions. His company trains more than 250,000 Agents worldwide each year through live events, online training, self-study programs, and newsletters. He's the widely published author of Your First Year in Real Estate, Success as a Real Estate Agent for Dummies®, The Champion Real Estate Agent, The Champion Agent Team, Telephone Sales for Dummies®, and over 300 articles in print.

Real Estate Champions is a premier coaching company. Training covers a wide spectrum from new agents, to seasoned, as well as those interested in real estate marketing or real estate investing.

You can get more information at Real Estate Training, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Business Building.

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

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Presentations - Delivering a Better Presentation - Seeing the Point

A client, Bill, recently came to me to help him sort out a problem he was having with his presentations not being understood by the audience. Bill is a highly respected executive manager for a large international finance organisation here in Belgium, and he has many presentations to give, so this was a serious problem and he was very concerned about the situation. In fact it was his boss that had pointed out the problem to Bill in the first place. Bill knows exactly what the message is he wants to get over in his presentations, but his audience was ending up confused because he spoke too quickly.

Some Cutting Remarks

Making a presentation is about delivering a clear, coherent, concise message to the audience. Its about communicating. Its a bit like laser eye surgery! The laser in eye surgery is an incredibly precise cutting instrument. Its purpose is to make incredibly fine, accurate and precise cuts in the eye in order to alleviate or remove impediments to clear vision.

When a laser beam is focused, it cuts precisely, neatly and cleanly. It does this because the beam of light it sends out is coherent, its all going in the same direction at the same time. If the beam is not focused, it does not cut, it simply acts more like a torch and illuminates an area of the eye. The unfocused light beam is said to be incoherent when it is in this unfocused state, the beam is not tight, it is scattered.

After talking a while with Bill about the problem it soon became apparent that speaking quickly was just a symptom of a deeper issue. It turned out that Bill was not really 'focused' on the presentation. His focus was scattered, he was so keyed up he kept looking forwards to what were going to be the expected outcomes of the presentation during the presentation. So just like the incoherent laser, Bill, illuminated a great deal of what was being presented, but failed to make the precise, accurate cuts that a coherent presentation would have made. In other words Bill's incoherent presentation was coming from the simple fact that he was not 100% 'present' to the delivery of the presentation, he was, at least partly, in the future somewhere with a bunch of expected outcomes.

Not being 100% present to the presentation came through as the sped up delivery and the audience picked this up. If you're not '100% present' to deliver the presentation why should your audience be there?

Being Present - By being 100% present to what you are doing, you become more authentic, genuine about the thing you are engaged in doing, in this case delivering a presentation. There is a very simple but powerful technique that I use in order to develop this ability, its called conscious breathing, and here's how to do it.

1. To start with you'll need a quiet place where you will be undisturbed for 4-5 minutes. When you are there and sitting or lying comfortably then;
2. Close your eyes and simply focus your attention on the physical sensation of your breathing. Allow your self to become 100% focused and aware of the cool air moving into your body on the in-breath and the warmer air moving out of the body on the out-breath.
3. Do this for 4-5 minutes.

Its OK if you go off focus from your breathing. As soon as you're aware that you are off focus, just gently bring your attention back to the sensation of your breathing.

You may find that your breathing wants to speed up or slow down, become deeper or shallower, that's all OK, just let the breathing do what it wants to do, try not to control it at all. Similarly the body too may want to relax, so just let it. All you have to do is stay as focused and aware as you can of the physical sensation of your breathing.

This is a great technique to do regularly. I suggest that you do this for example just after waking up in the morning and just before going to sleep at night. Of course you can do this where ever and as often as you want, in fact the more you practise this simple technique, the more you will find yourself doing it automatically during the day.

Of course, take a few minutes to do this before a presentation, and then notice the difference in your delivery.

Bill practised twice a day for a week and started to see some real positive benefits from the technique. His presentations are now being delivered at a normal, slower and more relaxed pace. This in turn is being felt by his audience who are relaxed by his calm approach and equally engaged with Bill's material and presentation skill. His audience is now starting to see the point Bill wants them to see.

Two or three weeks into the using this technique Bill told me of other changes that the technique had allowed him to make, most significantly is his calmer, more mindful approach to his work, colleagues and his family. He is getting feedback from his colleagues and most importantly his boss about how much better things are, and Bill attributes this to the conscious breathing technique.

The Point

Breathing this way actually brings us incredibly close to the present moment. Our breathing is a very intimate, here and now process that we have been doing, largely unconsciously, since we were born.

Being in or close to the present moment makes us more like the coherent laser beam, we can simply be with what is, rather than de-focusing to the future or past. When we are present to what we are doing, we do it with greater clarity, presence, authenticity and mindfulness. So breathe yourself to clearer, sharper, authentic, coherent presentations and be open to the other benefits that this technique will bring you.

Interested in more ways to enhance your presentations and life with simple breathing techniques? Then visit my website to read about other beneficial breathing techniques at http://www.breathwork.be/

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Public Speaking - Owning "The Skills" Part 2

After reviewing part 1, we have some more...

In order to present at the top, in order to acquire The Skills, you must remember three rules that govern everything you do whilst presenting. They're really quite simple, but sometimes it's easy to forget the simple things, and these rules must remain in the forefront of your consciousness at all times.
Rule Number 1 states: If you're working too hard, you're doing it wrong!
Rule #2: When you're doing it right, it's always Win-Win.
The sad truth is, typical speaker behaviors more often fall into the category of Lose-Lose. Whether it be the way the speaker engages the audience with his eyes, or what she does with her hands, or the pace with which either cranks out the word stream, most things that speakers do work both against their feeling comfortable and the audience's ability to follow and buy into what is being said.
For instance, think about what you see presenters do with their arms and hands. Instead of using the opportunity to throw off excess energy by using the full swing of their arms and hands to paint pictures of the words they are saying, your average speaker locks them up in some position that not only keeps the excess energy trapped in a re-circulating loop, but in a position that translates to a body-language signal that is off-putting to the audience.
Luckily, as is the case with the other counter-productive behaviors in which speakers engage, these can all be changed simply by engaging in other, learnable behaviors that produce positive outcomes. You don't need talent to do it right, you simply need to know how to do it right, and then practice those physical behaviors.
When you employ the behaviors that comprise The Skills, not only are you more relaxed, authoritative and convincing, but your audience has a much easier time hearing, seeing, and ultimately agreeing with the message you are trying to impart. One thing to remember is that audiences, as Yale's Professor Edward Tufte likes to point out, "are lazy, and audiences are fragile". You can't ask audiences to work in order to get your message because they won't. And you can't make them feel uncomfortable because they'll spend their small amount of energy trying to get comfortable and won't have anything left to spend on trying to comprehend your point.
Proper eye-contact, gesturing, tone, inflection and volume all work to make for a great experience for both speaker and listeners alike. When you're using The Skills, it's always a Win-Win.
Rule #3: People only START listening when you STOP talking.
This is an easy concept to understand, but a very difficult one for most people to implement. If you stop to think about it, you don't so much hear what is being said as you do to what was just said. In fact, the left hemisphere of your brain, where speech and text are processed, is programmed to not absorb information immediately, but rather put it through a process of analysis before storing or acting on it. It's a momentary process to be sure, but nonetheless one that is immensely aided when a moment or two of silence follows the words or phrase that the speaker wants his audience to really hear and comprehend.
Think for a moment of what happens when someone tells a joke. Jokes are structured to get the listener thinking that the action in the setup will proceed along the expected path, and the humor comes when the listener realizes that the punch-line has altered that path in an unexpected way. But you don't laugh at the moment the punch-line is delivered. You laugh only when you realize your line of thought has been diverted, and that always takes a moment, or sometimes, if the joke is really good, two. You only hear what was actually said when the joker stops talking and your mind has the opportunity to recognize the misdirection.
Of course, what most speakers do is continue with an endless stream of verbiage from the moment they open their mouths until they discover that the talk is over and they can (Thank God!) take their seats again. Once people start talking in front of a group it is very difficult to get them to stop, as it goes against what they've taught themselves to believe: that as long as they continue to hear words coming out of their mouths they're still OK. A very common fear is that somehow that stream will stop and they won't be able to get it started again. But why is this so?
A Stitch in Time
Because of the physiological changes that occur in the body when you are facing an audience, your perception of time actually s-l-o-w-s d-o-w-n. The universe doesn't change - just how you perceive it. So although the audience is listening to you in real time, you perceive even a momentary lapse in your word-stream to be much longer that it actually is. A 1-second pause for the audience might feel like 3 or 4 to you. This is where umm's and ahh's are born. We hear that dreaded silence, and in a desperate need to fill it immediately, we grab for the closest thing - a non-word that we don't have to structure into our word track.
It might be hard to believe, but time goes by quite nicely even when it's not filled with your words. As you develop your eye and an ear for The Skills, you will come to see that ALL great speakers not only know Rule #3, but also embrace it. They not only embrace it, it is at the forefront of their thinking whenever they are speaking. It is the Number 1 issue on their minds. And that says a lot, because Rule #1 says that we can't be thinking about too many things at once.
Being able to resist saying the next thing on your mind immediately after you offer your last thought is the most difficult idea for participants to learn, but it is an absolutely essential element of The Skills.
J. Douglas Jefferys brings twenty-five years of corporate training experience to his role as a principal of PublicSpeakingSkills.com http://www.publicspeakingskills.com - His firm changes presenters lives forever with their unique apporach to training presentation design and delivery skills. Discover how to design and deliver presentations that audiences actually listen to by visiting their website now. For a quick and entertaining video of Mr. Jefferys' unique style and approach, check out: http://publicspeakingskills.com/pages/Store-DVD-Videos.htm

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Public Speaking - Owning "The Skills" - part 1

People who get paid well to speak all share one of two traits: either they're famous, or they own "The Skills". To be able to move people who don't know you as a celebrity of some sort, you must know how to keep your audience focused on you and your message, and how to keep them on the same page, on the same wavelength, every step of the way.

Keeping an audience with you is simply not possible with the way 99% of all public speakers behave when at the front of a group. When you speak the way most of us have been taught to do from an early age, you engage in behaviors that send the wrong signals to your audience - in many cases exactly the opposite of what you would like to signal. Worse, these standard behaviors actually reduce your cognitive capacity at the time you most desperately need it.
If these statements seem sweeping, please understand that we have been training people from business, politics, the military and the clergy for over 15 years in The Skills. During that time, we have had the privilege to work with over 10,000 people from all walks of life, and here is what we have learned: 99% of speakers engage in exactly the same behaviors, and consequently produce similar results when it comes to the quality of their speaking.
In fact, in every one of our on-site programs, we begin with an exercise that "benchmarks" how each student speaks prior to training, and we are able to predict to the second what each and every participant will do during their initial delivery. To the second!
Good News!
But that's the good news. It's good news because we also know that most people speak the way they do simply because they've never been shown the proper way. And though many people take courses in public speaking in high school or college, the format of those courses tends to emphasize the content part of speaking rather than the actual physical behaviors one needs to understand in order to acquire The Skills.
If you have ever taken a course in school, we bet that your assignments were to create a series of different types of speeches: The Informative, The Inspirational, The Motivational, etc., etc. Sound familiar? But what were you taught about the actual delivery, other than to look at everyone in the audience and watch your umms and ahhs? Worse, during your speaking career you probably have been receiving positive feedback for your behaviors no matter what you've been doing by people either too polite or simply not knowledgeable enough to tell you otherwise.
Speaking well: talent or training?
When people learn the proper way; when they understand what the audience expects of them as human beings; when they embrace the idea that it's OK to go into a presentation without having spent hours and hours rehearsing it; when they become comfortable with not knowing what they're going to say until just before they say it; and when they come to accept that often the most powerful thing they can say is nothing at all, they never engage in the old behaviors again. They approach every opportunity to speak to a crowd with desire and enthusiasm, and the larger the crowd, the better. They actually see speaking to a group as one of the most relaxing things they can do, as it is one of the few times left in life where they are free to do only one thing at a time. These people have The Skills.
And we can't emphasize enough that The Skills are, indeed, a set of behaviors that you learn, and not something that you are born with. Only a very small subset of people is 'born' with the ability to move a group to action with their words and actions. Those people have what the rest of us don't: it's called "charisma". Charismatics have been known to lead thousands to action by the power of their spoken words, often for good, and sometimes not. But charisma alone didn't get Bill Clinton to the top job in the world. Bill Clinton, believe it or not, was not always a great speaker. What he had was both charisma and the brains to know that he did not know everything - and that becoming a great speaker was both an essential job requirement and something that someone could be taught.
Bill Clinton was one of only a handful of men who was elected president of the United States without great personal or family wealth. He got elected on his ability to motivate people to listen to him, work for him, follow him and support him all the way. He was successful because he didn't simply speak; he spoke with a manner and a style that caused people to not only listen to his words but also to hear them, remember them, and to believe them. Bill Clinton has The Skills.
The Skills supersede genes, culture, background, heritage, and to a large extent even education. Many clients come to us because they want help with their accents or they feel their voice needs correcting in some way. Although we grant that there are some people with a speaking voice better suited to silent films, for the vast majority an accent or unique pitch only adds to the level of interest they can create as a speaker. That's because, as we'll learn, these traits simply add to one's "humanness".
It's about being you
People are not moved by messages delivered by speakers whom they don't feel are "real". And yet most of us were taught behaviors that cause us to adopt completely alien personas when we speak to groups. We try to become "Presenterman!" or "Presenterwoman!". Sadly, Hillary Clinton does this. Could you imagine spending dinner across the table from Hillary Clinton and having her speak to you the way she does to crowds? Pretty painful thought! Yet you could pretty much imagine that if you were sharing dinner with Bill, or Ronald Reagan, the conversation would be not unlike how you know them to speak in public. Alas, Hillary does not have The Skills.

Read more, part 2

J. Douglas Jefferys brings twenty-five years of corporate training experience to his role as a principal of PublicSpeakingSkills.com [http://www.publicspeakingskills.com]. His firm changes presenters lives forever with their unique apporach to training presentation design and delivery skills. Discover how to design and deliver presentations that audiences actually listen to by visiting their website now. For a quick and entertaining video of Mr. Jefferys' unique style and approach, check out: http://publicspeakingskills.com/pages/Store-DVD-Videos.htm

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Public Speaking - Three Points and You're Out!

Before organizing your presentation keep reminding yourself that Less is More. Also consider that most presentations have far too many concepts, and the concepts far too many details.

You should be able to put the gist of your presentation into one sentence or "headline". What would the headline of your speech be? Think about it. Start by writing a few full sentences to describe your overall theme. Edit out the superfluous adjectives, and then see if you can combine the sentences all into one. Then make that sentence a phrase. If you can't put all that into one headline you may have to simplify your idea.

Most presentations end up having too much content, although ironically presenters always fear not having enough to say.

It's also probable that you're audience has never heard your idea before. Though old news to you, its very likely something new to your audience. If you're on a traveling road show giving the speech over and over again, no matter where you go on the whistle-stop tour, it's always their first time. Don't forget that.

The Kitchen Sink

Most presenters end up using the "kitchen sink" approach and tell their audiences all they can, about everything they can, in the short amount of time allocated to them. Therefore it becomes a race to spew out as much information as possible as quickly as possible, essentially a self-serving data dump. How disheartening for the audience.

Your presentation is about your audience, not about your finishing everything you want to say as quickly as possible. And its certainly not about your demonstrating the breadth and depth of your knowledge, even if the CEO is in the back of the room. Although we'd like to believe it, nobody can recall everything that you say anyway.

So choose to make your headline important, relevant to your audience, and to the point. Once they have the headline, they have a context into which to put your supporting evidence. But if they're still trying to figure out what your main point is while you're trying to offer them proof, the impact of your evidence will be highly diluted.

And speaking of points: Keep it to three. Humans have an amazing ability to remember things that come in three, and forget things more complicated. The rule of three is a principle in writing that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things.

No matter what your topic, either break your supporting data apart or put them together to form three main components. Repeating those three components often will lead to not only greater comprehension, but much greater retention, too.

So argument that is broken down into three concepts, each supported by three solid sources of evidence, becomes an argument that your audience will find very easy to buy into, even it they don't see the simplicity of the symmetry.

Remember FDR's advice: "Be sincere, be brief, be seated."

J. Douglas Jefferys brings twenty-five years of corporate training experience to his role as a principal of PublicSpeakingSkills.com http://www.publicspeakingskills.com His firm changes presenters lives forever with their unique apporach to training presentation design and delivery skills. Discover how to design and deliver presentations that audiences actually listen to by visiting their website now. For a quick and entertaining video of Mr. Jefferys' unique style and approach, check out: http://publicspeakingskills.com/pages/Store-DVD-Videos.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J._Douglas_Jefferys

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Public Speaking - Speak Easy

If you're one of those who would rather have the flu than go on stage, we're glad you're reading this. You might have got away with remaining in the background in the good old days, but today, unless you're out there, talking, you won't bring much value to the business. Yes, we mean it. Being able to speak convincingly in public is as important as being able to think clearly or work diligently.

Now, it's a no-brainer that most human beings are born without great public speaking skills. Some of the most talented and the most brilliant people get all tongue tied when it comes to addressing a gathering. So, how do you go about the business of public speaking sounding like it's the most natural thing in the world?

Here's how.

• Prepare. It takes careful preparation to make an effective impromptu (sounding) speech. Make sure you know the content of your speech inside out. Take care that the facts are well researched and substantiated, and the flow of ideas is smooth and logical. If you're confident about what you're saying, more than half the battle is won.

• Rehearse. You must know how you appear to the audience. Rehearse in front of the mirror, speaking like you would at the actual event. Once you gain some confidence, try it out in front of a small supportive audience, who will give you constructive criticism instead of harsh judgment.

Take care not only with your words and tone of voice, but also think of when
you will pause, what you will emphasize and so on. Then there are your
hands... if you're a naturally exuberant person, be sure you're not going over
the top with your facial expression or physical gestures.

• Dress right. No one wants to look at a poorly groomed speaker. Take care that your clothing is appropriate to the occasion. As a rule, it is better to overdress than otherwise. If you know you're looking good, that confidence will project itself positively.

• Seek a friend. Sure you're nervous, and some people know it. However, in every audience there is always a sympathetic member or two present. Try to identify where your support base lies, and make eye contact with those people in the beginning. You can move on to the hardliners once you've got your teeth into your presentation.

• Well begun is half done. And that's never truer than with public speaking. Don't pull any stunts as an attention grabbing ploy. Start normally and confidently, with an appropriate greeting. Set the tone of your presentation by outlining the major objectives at the outset. That way, everyone knows what to expect.

• Seem nice. You are much more likely to be heard patiently if you come across as an intelligent, mature, confident and nice person. The likability factor is supremely important. A display of arrogance is only an invitation for trouble during the question hour!

• Talk, don't read. Power Point presentations are great to look at, which is why most people look at the slides rather than the speaker. If you want to recite what's on your file, email the presentation instead, and cancel the speech. Remember, the presentation is meant to serve you, not take over your role! Use it only to guide the speech.

No one said public speaking was easy, but there's no getting around it. With practice and application, you can certainly improve your skills. Once you get through your first public speech unscathed, the rest will follow!

Hi, I'm Akhil Shahani, a serial entrepreneur who wants to help you succeed. If you like to work smart, check out http://www.SmartEntrepreneur.net It's full of articles and resources to help you start and grow your business successfully. Please visit us & download our special "Freebie of The Month" at http://www.smartentrepreneur.net/freebie-of-the-month.html

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

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Public Speaking - Learning to Say, "I Don't Care!"

Early in the movie, The Fugitive, Officer Gerard catches up with Dr. Kimball near the outlet of a high dam. Gerard had been chasing Kimball not as a suspect in a crime (the murder of Kimball's wife), but as fugitive from justice. With seemingly no where to go, and Gerard's gun trained on him, Kimball still hesitates to surrender.

Looking Gerard straight in the eye, Kimball shouts, "I didn't kill my wife!"

Gerard, staring back at his captured prey, replies, "I don't care!"

For Gerard, the question of Kimball's guilt or innocence was immaterial - he was doing his job in apprehending a convict who had escaped from the wreck of a prison train.

Sometimes as a presenter you have to learn to accept that as long as you are performing by the rules, you can't necessarily care about how you are being received by every member of the audience.

In other words, one thing that should never be a source of discomfort for you is an audience member's response to your engagement at any one time.

When you complete your thought with a listener, and you pause and move to find your next target, there will be times when your new your target has his head down or is otherwise not returning your engagement. Although once the audience realizes that you are actually engaging them as individuals, it's not likely to happen often, but when that does happen to you, it's an example of how you have to learn how to not care.

Seriously. The last thing you ever want to do is when you shift from one person to the next and the next one is not looking at you, is to give in to the temptation to quickly find another target. She may be asleep. He may be on his Blackberry.

You have to learn to some extent to simply not care. Here's where the win/win comes in, because the rest of the audience wins when you don't care and you simply continue on as you were. You certainly don't want to shift your vision, see something you don't like, and then quickly revert to aerosol eyes to find somebody else. You have to really learn that there are all kinds of reasons for an audience member to not be engaged with you at that moment, and most of those reasons having nothing to do with you or the quality of job you're doing.

The side of caution

The problem is that part of the anxiety speakers feel is based on their ongoing assessment of what the audience is thinking about them. The brain is always going to make a worst case assessment, because it needs to err on the side of caution. It's going to think the worst, and determine that there's a threat.

In the absence of any totally proactive - oh, yes, you're great, I love you - response, your brain will tend to think all sorts of bad things. Your brain is looking for threats all the time, so that's what it finds.

When you turn to somebody and his head's down, or he's asleep, you're likely to say to yourself, "Oh, no, what am I doing? I must be boring." The reality is that the person's head is down because she was out at The Roadhouse until 5:00 in the morning. You know, she came back late, had a shower, crawled into work, and now she's sitting in the dark and she falls asleep. There are all kinds of reasons why somebody might not be giving you totally positive feedback.

If you turn to your target, regardless of the response you get, you need to learn to just stick with that same person for the rest of your thought, and not be shifting around quickly, looking for another target. The win for you in this situation is that for that particular engagement, you're using that person to reduce your visual over-stimulation by taking no more action than you would have if she were returning your contact.

J. Douglas Jefferys brings twenty-five years of corporate training experience to his role as a principal of PublicSpeakingSkills.com [http://www.publicspeakingskills.com]. His firm changes presenters lives forever with their unique apporach to training presentation design and delivery skills. Discover how to design and deliver presentations that audiences actually listen to by visiting their website now. For a quick and entertaining video of Mr. Jefferys' unique style and approach, check out: http://publicspeakingskills.com/pages/Store-DVD-Videos.htm

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A Simple Guide to Public Speaking

Most of us will probably freeze at the mere thought of making a speech. Yet, public speaking is one of the key skills that a successful leader needs to have. Experts will tell you that most people are not born with the gift of the gab; impressive speakers are made with a little bit of guidance, but mainly through perseverance! While there are lots of resources devoted to the art of public speaking, like "Great Speaking Ezine" on here are a few quick tips for someone who wants to hit the ground running.

Know your audience: The listeners are the most critical element of any speech. Therefore, make the effort to understand your audience. What could you incorporate into your opening remarks, which can set the stage for a lively interaction? For example, is there an issue of general, topical interest that you could mention? Well begun is half done, and if you can start off on a good note, it will give you much needed confidence to face the crowd.

Put into practice: Face it, there's no easy way out. The best way to speak in public is to rehearse the whole exercise beforehand. While you must not memorize your talk word for word, as that will make it sound stilted and unnatural, you should know the flow of your presentation by heart. That will also help you pick up the threads in case there are any interruptions. Remember, it is you who will be speaking on stage, and it is therefore up to you to control the proceedings.

Choose your words carefully: The importance of doing so cannot be overemphasized. Make sure the words you use are appropriate to the situation and the nature of the audience. Coarse slang and obscenities have no place in a public talk. Again, think twice before making any references to issues that might stir up strong emotions, like religion, cultural practices or politics.

Lighten up: Humor is a very powerful and effective tool of public speaking. Not only does it give the audience some relief in the midst of a heavy speech, it also makes the content memorable. You don't need to try too hard to be funny, or go over the top. Use caricatures, anecdotes or even jokes, but make sure that they are relevant and inoffensive.

Spur action: Be clear about the objectives of your speech. Is it aimed at motivating action, solving problems or sparking a discussion? The real impact of public speaking can be gauged in the response it generates among listeners. A sparkling speech is not worth the paper it is printed on if it's forgotten as soon as the audience leaves the room.

Expect the unexpected: If you suddenly find that the audience is not catching on, be prepared to change your talk mid-way. Stop to clarify, or invite questions in between. Also, if you are running out of time, be ready to leave out the less important parts of your presentation. On the other hand, if you have extra time, make sure to utilize it effectively - a Q&A is usually a great way to interact with the listeners.

These were some useful pointers along the path to effective public speaking. No doubt, you want to know a lot more. "Instant Speaking Success", an e-book available at "10 Days to More Confident Public Speaking" and "How to Develop Self-Confidence and Influence People by Public Speaking" from can help you transform into a powerful public speaker.

Hi, I'm Akhil Shahani, a serial entrepreneur who wants to help you succeed. If you like to work smart, check out http://www.SmartEntrepreneur.net It's full of articles and resources to help you start and grow your business successfully. Please visit us & download our special "Freebie of The Month" at http://www.smartentrepreneur.net/freebie-of-the-month.html

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7 Tops Ways to Overcome Your Public Speaking Fear

Congratulations on making a great decision and reading the 7 Top Ways to Conquer Your Public Speaking Fear. Whether you are attending a business networking luncheon, speaking to a group of Sunday school students or attending a one on one business meeting, you are speaking in public. It is something we do everyday. Most of us have never had an ounce of public speaking training. We can either sink or swim. And when it comes to public speaking most of us sink.

I am amazed that society expects us to be great speakers without any formal training in school. All we can do is hope that we do not make a fool of ourselves. And believe me, I know from personal experience. I have been through the humiliation. I have been through the laughs. I can feel your pain or discomfort. If I can overcome my challenge, you can too.
I wish I could tell you that there was a magic pill. There isn't. Remember, I didn't say "Top Easy Ways." Because there isn't a quick fix, what I am going to share with you may seem uncomfortable at first. I promise you, you will be okay. It is like ripping off a band-aid at times. You have to take the first step. Public speaking is exactly the same thing. You have to commit yourself to taking the first step and applying the 7 Top Ways to Conquer Public Speaking Fear. If you do so, you may realize you can truly overcome your fear. So many of my clients have conquered their fear. I know you can too

Top Way #1: Realize it is Perfectly Okay to be Nervous.
Do you remember when you first tried to ride a bicycle, drive a car or use a computer?
Do you still get nervous?
You first had to learn how to do it. Then you had to make a couple of "hopefully" minor mistakes. And now you are so comfortable with it, that it almost seems easy. Public speaking is exactly the same. When you commit yourself to learning the art of public speaking and staying open to moving past your comfort zones, I promise you it will get easier.
I have a Secret to tell you. I still get butterflies in my stomach. Would you like to know why this still happens to me? I want my audience to know that I put my heart and soul into my presentation and into my message. I want to be my best for my audience. As a result, I have some nervous energy before I speak. However, I do follow these exact principles I am sharing with you. Then I channel the nervous energy in to a dynamic, powerful and fun presentation with tons of heart. If I can do it, you can too.

Top Way #2: Burning Desire
Do you have a real passion for what you are talking about?
Do you have such a strong commitment to changing lives that you will do anything to overcome your fear?
I had to connect with my Burning Desire too. As I started to get in touch with my true passion for empowering others through public speaking, I rushed to come up with a speaking topic. I chose to talk about organizing and de-cluttering homes and offices. It was something that over time I became really good at. It was obvious that so many people needed my help.
I began speaking to groups and organizations about letting go of clutter and getting organized. I did everything I thought I should do. I tried to convince my audience that I was passionate about organizing. An audience will always know when your heart isn't truly in your topic. It is something you can't fake. As a result, no matter how hard I tried to put on a big smile, every organizing speaking event seemed like a chore. My audience could sense that too.
When you do not feel the passion for your topic, it makes it a thousand times harder to create and deliver a powerful presentation. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I absolutely LOVE teaching the art of public speaking today. It is something that I am truly passionate about. Remember, you can't fake a burning desire. You will know when you are faking it and so will your audience. As a result true public speaking success may seem to elude you. The next time you have to give a presentation, be creative and incorporate something that you love to talk about and relate it to your topic. Watch for the many blessing that will unfold as a result.

Top Way #3: If You Can See It, You Can Achieve It
Are you focused on a negative outcome?
Are you afraid that you are going to make a fool of yourself?
One of the essential keys to becoming a confident and powerful speaker is Visualization. Many new speakers sabotage themselves with negative self talk before they even get started. You need to control your negative self talk, or it will control you. When you expect the worst, the worst usually happens. The next time you are getting ready to give a presentation to a group, spend a few minutes each day seeing yourself as the huge success you know you deserve to be. All you have to do is close your eyes and see yourself making a confident and successful presentation. If you commit to doing it, you will reap great rewards.

Top Way #4: Relaxing is as Easy as One, Two, Three
Do you feel like you are grasping for air?
Are you BREATHING?
At one time or another, everyone including the most experienced speakers will feel some form of nervousness and anxiety. Most speakers have become so accustomed to breathing shallow breaths, especially when they are feeling nervous, uncomfortable or rushed. Shallow breathing will absolutely increase a speaker's level of anxiety. As I have learned from personal experience, it can also lead to an unpleasant higher pitch in the speaker's voice.
The opposite type of breathing, deep belly breathing, has a dramatic and instantaneous positive relaxing effect on your body, voice and your mind. The best speakers know that one of the easiest ways to relax is to learn how to breathe properly. Deep breathing is a simple and effective technique for getting our bodies and our minds to relax.
I discovered this simple solution to BREATHING EASIER. Always have a pitcher of room temperature water on hand when you are speaking. I know some of you are thinking, "Yuck. Room temperature water." Listen to me. Drinking room temperature water not only helps wet the mouth, it also relaxes the vocal cords and muscles. Ultimately the room temperature water makes it easier for you to breath.

Top Way #5: Your Audience Truly Wants You to Succeed
Do you think your audience wants you to fail?
Or do you believe that your audience wants you to be great?
Statistics have show that public speaking is the number one fear that people have. In your audience's eyes you are a star already because you are willing to conquer your fears when most of them can't even step foot on a stage. You are a Winner already because you are willing to take action, learn and grow. Always remember, your audience needs you.
One of the most effective ways to reach, move and connect with your audience is to get to know who is in your audience in advance and finding out why they are choosing to listen to you speak. So many times people get so nervous wondering what their audience is thinking about them. Instead, a much more productive thought is to think about why your audience needs your information and what difference it is going to make in their lives.

Top Way #6: Time to Get Physical
Do you know how to use your body to decrease nerves?
Are you open to getting physical?
When you are preparing your presentation, think of a fun way to incorporate a physical movement or a prop to help reinforce your message. If you can incorporate this in to the first few seconds of your presentation, your nerves will significantly decrease just from doing something physical in the beginning of your presentation.
Over the years, I have learned to be very creative with props, everything from hats, Lego's, dice and even Reese's peanut butter cups. I have used basically anything I could find that would enhance my presentation and enhance my audiences' ability to learn. Props are essential to a great presentation because they serve as a very important visual aid. You are giving your audience what they need because most of your audience members are probably visual. Props are a great way to keep them entertained and help you conquer your fear. Be creative. You can use props in so many imaginative ways.

Top Way #7: Incorporate the 3 P's
Have you ever tried to make up a presentation as you go a long?
Do you stumble and bumble over your own words?
Please learn from Amonda Rose's Operation Oops. I have rehearsed my personal introduction; also known as the elevator speech over and over again. I know it is an attention grabbing and powerful introduction that gets results. However, one day I decided to abandon my intro at a networking meeting. I had one minute to speak and I bumbled and stumbled over my words. I felt horrible about it. I left that meeting committed to never ever doing that again. I am committed to sticking with what works. My 3 P's Solution is really simple. Are your ready? Here it is. The 3 P's Solution is Practice, Practice and Practice. I am surprised that so many people forget to do this. Commit to yourself today that you are going to Practice. If you take this simple principle and apply it consistently you will reap great rewards.

Bonus Top Way #8: You've Got to Tell'em
Do you want more?
Do you like Bonus Tips?
I know I do! When you are getting ready to prepare a presentation or create a personal introduction that sizzles, always keep in mind this simple and easy format for every presentation using the tell 'em format
Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em
Tell 'em
Tell 'em what you told 'em"
Get started today and commit to following the "7 Tops Ways to Conquer Your Public Speaking Fear." You have the ability to reach your true potential and improve your ability to communicate whether it is in a group or one on one. Vital to your success is your desire to change, a vision for your life and dreams you want to turn into reality. By being proactive about your future, your priceless success and happiness are ensured. There will never be a better time than now to launch your success and create an incredible future.
You can know everything about any topic, even your own business, however if you are unable to communicate effectively to your prospective clients, you may never have the level of true success you desire. For most of us, the first step is to overcome our fear of public speaking. Bravo for being proactive about your life. All great communicators are committed to learning and growing so they can master the art of public speaking.
THANK YOU for caring enough about yourself and your audience to read this report and for giving me the absolute pleasure to serve you in your public speaking needs. I want you all to know how much I appreciate you for taking the first step and reading this article. I have just so much information to share, and I haven't even scratched the surface.
For more information about Amonda Rose, visit HighPerformanceSpeaking.com to learn how she can help anyone move from Fearful and Doubtful to Confident and Dynamic.

Amonda Rose uses the most advanced Public Speaking and Communication Techniques to help the beginner to the advanced students excel.
To book Amonda Rose to speak to your group or to request information about her powerful High Performance Speaking Coaching or Pain-Free Public Speaking Workshops, Tele-Classes and Webinars, call 561-706-7371 or visit http://www.HighPerformanceSpeaking.com and http://www.PainFreePublicSpeaking.com
Copyright © MMVIII - Amonda Rose Igoe

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Achieving Success in Professional Speaking

The real success of every presentation is leaving your audience with something of value. What do they get out of spending time in your presentation?

Many people believe that they need natural brilliance in speaking well and presenting well. The believe that they need to be polished, smart, witty and charming all before they actually start to build a speech. Those attributes can come naturally, but most often, they come as a result of passion, knowledge and practice of the speaker's material.

One of the most important factors in having a successful presentation is serving the needs of your audience. Going back to the idea that you need to leave your audience with something of value, caring for your audience's needs doesn't require perfection. You can make mistakes with speaking and it's going to be okay. The projector equipment can fail and it's still going to be okay. You don't have to include humor in order to be a success. With that in mind, real perfection is more like being successful at reaching your audience.

Give your audience two or three gold nuggets of information. No one expects you to be a walking encyclopedia concerning your subject matter. No one expects you to speak for hours on end about your topic. It's too much for you and for your audience to handle. Find two or three heavy hitting points to make and work with those points so that they become exciting to hear.

To give your audience something of value, focus on them not on you. Telling your personal testimony is great, but eventually during your presentation, you've got to find a way to relate your presentation back to your audience. One rule of thumb concerning this area is to use 10 "you's" for every one "I". That means you'll talk less about yourself and talk more about your audience.
Realize you don't have to control every situation in your audience. You don't have to emerge as the victor over negative audience members. The audio/video equipment does not have to be perfectly functioning. You simply don't have enough time to combat situations in your audiences (I.e. - like them falling asleep, talking or cell phones ringing) and still communicate your message effectively. Remember that your whole goal is to give your audience something of value.
Give your audience something of value by becoming their friend. Sometimes you may need to stop thinking of yourself as a professional speaker and start thinking of yourself a close personal friend of the audience member. You'll teach them something and give them advice. You'll sound more natural in our speech and you'll be more relatable to your audience. People often associate those on stage as automatically having knowledge and wisdom on the topic covered. While this thought is great to establish you as a leader, the points you make in your presentation may be better received if you came across from a more personal standpoint.
Your whole goal as a professional speaker is to leave your audience with something of value. This means creating a solid bond between your audience and your material. This means you think about the needs of your audience. Give your audience something of value today!

Kolawole Olambiwonnu is the Publisher of Niche-Newsletter, a collection of well-researched articles. For more information on this title, visit Money Mouth.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kolawole_Olambiwonnu

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