Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Speakout IncHow Can You Let Go to Fly?Bragging vs. Establishing CredibilityGetting Out of Our Own Way …. And the Gremlins!Life Goes On … Smiles, Tears and Learning Opportunities for You, TooThe Ultimate Public Speaking BlueprintHow To Go From Soft-Spoken And Reserved To Confident And Exciting[CASE STUDY] How My Client Juan Turned His First Speech Into $109,000,000Climbing Rocks: It’s What Leaders Do!15 Public Speaking Secrets Learned From Legendary TED TalksAvoid a Wimpy Conclusion: Mistake #5 That Leaders Make When Speakinghttp://www.speakoutinc.com Fri, 13 May 2016 15:44:04 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.5.2 http://www.speakoutinc.com/can-let-go-fly/ Tue, 10 May 2016 19:14:02 +0000 http://www.speakoutinc.com/?p=21732 “Put the knife down.” That’s what I was advised after a tense conference call this...
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“Put the knife down.” That’s what I was advised after a tense conference call this week.
Sometimes we don’t realize that we are pushing too hard.
When it comes to putting together and delivering a good presentation or speech, to building our business, or to achieving a specific goal, we can be on the edge and not even realize it.
How do you know you’re acting in a way that may not be healthy or may be sending out energy in a way you don’t intend? How do you sort out what feels as if you need to step on the pedal versus backing off for a needed perspective, or more critically, the necessary air – to breathe – to make the right decisions?
The clues seem to come from close friends and family who see you hitting your head against the wall and not accepting the fact that there is another way to gain entry to the other side.
Listen.
As I continue to heal from the loss of my dear husband, I am reminded of how we need to choose our paths considering both mind and heart. You may be facing some other kind of loss or disappointment that is interfering with your ability to rally yourself.
Regardless of what we’re facing, I believe it’s up to us to learn how to “let go of the knife” that drives us sometimes to keep attacking new challenges instead of embracing them. We need to find a way to heal ourselves, love ourselves and go forward.
When you are public speaking, you are out there, essentially naked with respect to shielding your emotions, until you acquire the skills to control both your words and your feelings.
With study, with practice and with commitment, of course, you do feel less vulnerable and more in control. That’s part of what I’ll be teaching you in my new 4-part Business Speaking E-Course: Go from Ordinary to Dynamic that starts next Wednesday, May 18th. You are welcomed to click this link to find out more and to register at our special rate. Click here.
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]]>http://www.speakoutinc.com/bragging-vs-establishing-credibility/ Tue, 26 Apr 2016 18:07:14 +0000 http://www.speakoutinc.com/?p=21613 For some people, it’s easy and natural to “name drop” in order to impress others,...
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For some people, it’s easy and natural to “name drop” in order to impress others, especially potential clients.Not for me. And maybe not for you, either? I was trained since my teens as a journalist, to be neutral and nearly invisible, and never to insert myself into the story. But the world has changed – not only in journalism but in most industries.
Today, if you don’t promote yourself, and if there’s no way to check out your background on Google or sites such as LinkedIn, you
might as well be non-existent.
For me, the transition from behind-the-scenes player to a more center stage position hasn’t been easy. I learned to be comfortable as a speaker and a communications trainer mainly because my focus was on helping other people to master these critical public speaking skills so they could advance in their company, nonprofit, profession or industry.
Along the way, I realized that sharing my own experiences – some disastrous, some hilarious – made me a better speaker and trainer. My mission for decades has been to eliminate boring speeches and ineffective presentations from our planet. To do that, I found it vital for credibility purposes to include some of my success stories with clients, along with cases that didn’t work out quite as well as expected. (You can read some of these episodes in my new book, Public Speaking for the Genius, to be released this summer!)
To help you become a more successful presenter, I invite you to attend my free webinars next week: Avoid These 5 Presentation Mistakes to Influence Your Audiences. You can choose Tuesday, May 3, 12 noon EDT or Thursday, May 5, 12 noon EDT. Please pass along the link to anyone you think might benefit, too.
(If you can’t attend, I encourage you to sign up anyway because the call will be recorded and you’ll get a copy.)
Here are a few questions for you to consider: How well are you promoting your own expertise? How are you regarded in your company or your industry? What opportunities are you missing because other “noisier” folks are promoting themselves better than you are? What can you do about it?
I look forward to welcoming you on the call next week! Don’t forget to register! As a bonus for participating, you’ll get a free copy of my E-book, Getting the ‘Yes’ Start-Up Kit.
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]]>http://www.speakoutinc.com/getting-way-gremlins/ Tue, 19 Apr 2016 21:19:59 +0000 http://www.speakoutinc.com/?p=21544 On a personal note: A deep thank you for the dozens of emails I have...
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(On a personal note: A deep thank you for the dozens of emails I have received in the last few weeks commenting on the recent passing of my partner in life and business, my husband, Ed Fischer. I was overwhelmed and am so grateful for the outpouring. )Having something go wrong when you’re public speaking– no matter how much you’ve practiced — is caused by two types of what I call “gremlins.” These invisible creatures can attack you on stage, during a meeting, in live performances, webinars and during videos.
The first kind are the technology gremlins. I’m sure you have had the misfortune of meeting them, too. You double and triple check everything and then a few minutes into your presentation – or half way through – all of a sudden, nothing works. The gremlins appear unbidden, taking control of the equipment, which no longer performs as you planned. That can be PowerPoint, a microphone, video, an iPad, or any other device.
I remember making a pitch for investors on behalf of a client awhile back at a venture capital conference. During a break in the program, we had successfully tested the multi-lingual recording of a doctor trying to talk with a patient that opened up my presentation. When it was my turn, a few minutes later, instead of portraying the difficult communication between a doctor and a patient, only dead silence accompanied the opening moments. I had to act like nothing was wrong and go on with the show.
A few weeks ago, I suffered from an unforeseen attack from the second type, the word gremlins, doing a talk on of all subjects, “How to Avoid the Five Most Common Speaking Mistakes that Leaders Make.” As the first of four speakers standing before an impressive audience of bankers and other dignitaries, with the added stress of videographers capturing my every word, I found myself saying things I’d never practiced or intended to bring up. Yikes! Of course, there are no “do overs” when you’re live in front of an audience or running a meeting. You need to just keep going, which I did. No one seemed to notice, 
fortunately.
But when I later watched the video recording, I confess to relieving those painful moments when the invisible word gremlins had taken over my mouth. My point is, folks, that any of us – experienced or newcomers to speaking – can fall victim to the gremlins, either the technology type or the word version, or both. They can only “win;” however, if we throw our hands up in despair or otherwise give up. Keep practicing before you go on – and stay the course with your message, no matter what happens! These approaches are the best and only anti-gremlin medicine around.
Here are a few upcoming learning opportunities for you:
Thursday, April 21, 6-8:30 pm. International Coaches Federation. How to Open So They Keep Listening to You and Not Their Phones.
Save the Dates: Free Webinars. Avoid These Five Presentations Mistakes to Influence Your Audiences. May 3, or May 5, 12 noon EDT.
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]]>http://www.speakoutinc.com/life-goes-smiles-tears-learning-opportunities/ Wed, 06 Apr 2016 20:51:42 +0000 http://www.speakoutinc.com/?p=21485 It’s two months today since Eddie Fischer, my husband of 36 years, passed away. He...
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It’s two months today since Eddie Fischer, my husband of 36 years, passed away. 
He was my partner in life and in business. Every day I learned from him about living a more positive and appreciative life, even as his illness started limiting his physical and mental capabilities over the past 10 years.
It was with Eddie that I began networking many moons ago, at local chambers of commerce, Rotary, veterans groups (he was a proud Vietnam vet), and other organizations. We both learned to be speakers. Ed emerged from the world of sales, became a university adjunct professor, and I transformed myself from being a shy former journalist into an entrepreneur. He did motivational presentations and sales training while I focused on sharing techniques to improve speaking and teamwork.
Speaking aside, Ed was known for his exuberant compliments and for his upbeat one-liners in response to nearly any question, in English or Spanish. Let me share a few to give you some smiles today:
- How are you?
Ed’s answers: If it got any better for me, they’d have to pass a law! If it got any better for me, I’d need to be a twin! Healthy, happy and terrific! Every day that I can look down and see grass is a great day!
2. What’s up?
Ed: The sun, the moon and the stars!
3. What’s new?
Ed: New York, New Jersey and New Haven.
4. Comment: I’ll be joining you for lunch.
Ed: Lucky me!
Many of you who knew Ed have written thoughtful notes and shared memories with me, and I remain grateful for your kindness. He would have wanted me to get back to my weekly blogs, to share some upcoming events where I’m speaking (so you can come or let others know), and news about the books and new programs underway…so here we go!
April 12 @8:30- 10 am – Transform Networking with Your WowPitch™ Self-Introduction, Rise and Shine Breakfast Series of Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce, co-sponsored by National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). Free for first 35 who register.
http://www.speakoutinc.com/event/rise-shine-educational-series/
April 14@ 6 – 8 pm – How to Avoid the Five Biggest Mistakes That Business Leaders Make, Fort Lauderdale Chapter, National Association of Women Business Owners.
http://www.speakoutinc.com/event/avoid-five-common-speaking-mistakes-leaders-make/
April 21. @ 6-8:30 PM – How to Open Your Message So They Don’t Look at Their Phones
International Coaches Federation, South Florida Charter Chapter http://www.speakoutinc.com/event/open-message-dont-look-phones/
The final manuscript for my new book, Public Speaking for the GENIUS, was submitted yesterday, a project nearly three years in the making! Will keep you posted about the expected publishing date for the printed and digital versions. And I’ll be offering a free webinar and a four-week E-course starting next month. Stay tuned for details!
Meanwhile, keep speaking out for what matters to you. Ed would be proud of you!
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]]>http://www.speakoutinc.com/ultimate-public-speaking-blueprint/ Sat, 27 Feb 2016 00:19:39 +0000 http://www.speakoutinc.com/softspoken-to-confident-2/ The post
The Ultimate Public Speaking Blueprint appeared first on
Speakout Inc.]]>
This post is the last in a series designed to make a powerful leader and speaker out of the shy but intelligent introvert types and to help other experts become even more effective whenever they speak.
If you haven’t read Parts 1 or 2 yet, you can do so here:
Part 1: CASE STUDY] How My Client Turned His First Speech Into $109,000,000
Part 2: How To Go From Soft-Spoken And Reserved To Confident And Exciting
Now it’s time for you to fill the Ultimate Public Speaking Blueprint with your ideas.
It’s something I go over with my coaching clients in detail to make sure their speech or presentation connects with their audience and results in a positive response.
Right now, I’ll give you a quick overview how it works.
Know Everything About Them
Keep in mind that your goal is to tailor your message to your audience, using what you’ve come up with during the brainstorming session.
So first, you need to consider who will be present in your audience.
What are their passions, beliefs, fears, and desires? What are they missing or concerned about that you can provide?
Try to answer these questions. Use relevant ideas from your list to address your audience’s motivators.
I usually go much deeper when preparing for a presentation during a strategy session with clients, but these questions will give you a good starting place to get a handle on your audience.
The Perfect Structure For Your Speech
Secondly, you’ve got to give a structure to your message.
Every good presentation consists of four core elements, and I’ll walk you through how to fill these elements with high-quality content.
Start with a compelling opening.
Begin with a bang! What do you know about your audience that you can employ to gain attention at the outset?
You can use a good story or a commanding fact, or one of the four other techniques I teach my clients during our strategy sessions.
(2) Next, venture into the pre-body summary.
Here you summarize what you’re going to talk about while teasing the audience with benefits, intriguing statements or raising concerns about potential problems they may be having.
(3) By now the audience is ready and excited to hear your main ideas, and that’s exactly what you’re going to deliver in the body of your presentation.
Give them your best reasons, stories, solutions, options, and other triggers. Keep your content intense and vital. Be charming and humorous, depending on your audience and goals.
(4) And finally, close with a… you guessed it, close.
Summarize the most persuasive or benefit-driven points you’ve shared. Most importantly: ask for action.
Now’s the time to get your audience to do what you wanted them to do in the first place. If you don’t ask, of course, nothing will happen!
Well before it’s time for you to present, practice your presentation multiple times. Break it apart in pieces. Perform the message aloud, before a mirror, camera, friend or coworker.
Your Turn To Lead And Grow
When you approach your presentations by following the guidelines in this blog, you can count on a positive outcome. It may even surprise you how quickly giving a good speech or presentation can change your life!
Take my client Juan for example who I described in a previous blog. He scored a $109,000,000 contract that was due, in part, to learning to give impressive speeches.
He was a shy, introverted tech type before consulting with me, and now he delivers great presentations and persuades like a born speaker and leader.
If you want me to personally help you go through the content development process, overcome your fear of the stage, and make yourself a great public speaker and leader, let’s get together for your free first strategy session.
Just click the link above and let me know.
But please act soon because my schedule only allows me to develop your ultimate public speaking blueprint in the next 14 days. After that, I’ve got clients lined up for paid personal coaching sessions.
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]]>http://www.speakoutinc.com/softspoken-to-confident/ Thu, 25 Feb 2016 18:59:26 +0000 http://www.speakoutinc.com/109-million-case-study-2/ The post
How To Go From Soft-Spoken And Reserved To Confident And Exciting appeared first on
Speakout Inc.]]>
This is Part 2 of a 3-Part Series. If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, read that first:
Part 1: [CASE STUDY] How My Client Turned His First Speech Into $109,000,000
Part 3: The Ultimate Public Speaking Blueprint
No matter what your level of confidence may be right now with respect to public speaking, no matter how much experience or how little you have, you, too, can deliver a passionate speech that gets you a standing ovation and new prospects for your business. Or followers and donors for your cause.
How do I know? Because I’ve seen this transformation happen time and time again with my public speaking clients.
It’s All On You…
What’s especially relevant here, as you’ll soon see, is this ability to do public speaking well has nothing to do with your character or whether or not you’re an introvert.
Because delivering passionate, persuasive, and impressive speeches depends only on your approach and willingness to practice.
To get to your mountain top of speaking success, it takes accepting the fact that success-or failure-is in your own hands. It’s not a matter of birth or personality.
If you need some proof to believe that, please check out the first blog in this series, where I shared the experiences of my public speaking client, Juan, who scored a $109,000,000 contract after developing his leadership speaking skills and team… even though he is a soft-spoken introvert. (Click here for this blog.)
But for now, let’s just say you are willing to believe me and in your own potential. You can see yourself as a powerhouse on stage, capable of influencing your audience and obtaining the outcome you’re seeking.
This Is How You Forget About Pressure
What comes next is proper preparation. Here’s how you start:
You’ll need to find out what motivates you, what your passions are, and exactly what is it that you want to achieve with your presentation.
Focus on the issue you’re going to talk about, and make sure it’s truly important to you. If you already know it’s important to you, you’ll still need to remind yourself. Go through all the reasons and everything you feel about your topic.
In other words, it’s vital to get fired up and ready to convince people to stand with you.
This soul-searching exploration is an often overlooked, crucial step that helps transform even the most insecure, soft-spoken introvert into a confident, persuasive leader. Often, this process is not easy. But during our strategy sessions, we put a lot of effort into coming up with the best ways to get you fired up, so you can begin to do it on demand!
Once you’re ready, take note of what got you there and how it feels. You’ll use this insight later to get back into the same state before your performance.
Laying The Foundations Of Your Speech or Presentation
Next, you’ll need to write everything down that’s on your mind. My clients love this part of our session!
At this point, you’re not writing a message. You’re just writing a long list of reasons, stories, data, and emotions that will help you get your point across. Don’t judge what whatever comes to mind! Let yourself write it down. And don’t worry about grammar either.
Now, if you’re really passionate about your topic, your list of potential material will be long.
Maybe you’ll be surprised how persuasive some of your points already are, but don’t fall in love with your list just yet.
Because the next thing we do at our strategy sessions is trim and cut this list down mercilessly.
We want to fit it into the Ultimate Public Speaking Blueprint.
And I’ll cover the steps of the Ultimate Public Speaking Blueprint in the next part of this series.
Get My Help With All This
Until then, if you want me to personally help you go through this process, overcome your fear of the stage, and make a great public speaker and leader out of you, let me know when you’re up for your free first strategy session.
Simply click the link above and you can set the date and time that’s convenient for you.
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]]>http://www.speakoutinc.com/109-million-case-study/ Wed, 24 Feb 2016 21:59:48 +0000 http://www.speakoutinc.com/?p=21149 The post
[CASE STUDY] How My Client Juan Turned His First Speech Into $109,000,000 appeared first on
Speakout Inc.]]>
This post is Part 1 of a 3-Part Series. Not only are you going to get more proven speaking techniques in this new blog series, I’m also going to show you exactly how one hard-working client achieved success in this real life case study example.
Meet Juan Diego Calle
As the young, introverted founder of a technology company (.Co Internet SAS), Juan had to deliver an important speech at the international Internet conference (ICANN) in Cartagena, Colombia, with 1200 delegates expected from 200 countries.
His company had just landed a contract from the Colombian government to market the country’s Internet domain extension, .co, as a direct competitor to the well-established .com.
Juan was tasked to educate, entertain, and inspire the various factions in attendance, while delivering his company’s message.
Only problem was, Juan had never given a speech before.
So he decided to reach out and take advantage of my private coaching sessions.
I’ve got to admit, I’m really glad he did!
The Humble Beginnings…
We had seven weeks to go.
That’s not a lot of time to master a new skill – so we had to act quickly and thoughtfully.
First, we developed the content. I asked Juan all sorts of questions and we brainstormed the best ideas to present, not caring about the presentation’s length for now.
Then we simplified the concepts and tailored our message to fit the audience.
The biggest hurdle was to compress everything we’d come up with into the seven minutes Juan was allocated for his presentation. Fitting all the strategic information into just seven minutes alone took hours of effort and countless tough decisions to complete.
But once we finished, Juan knew exactly what to say in his presentation.
Getting Ready To Speak Up
It was time to work on how he was going to say it. By now, we only had a couple of weeks before the big day.
Juan worked extremely hard to master the message and its delivery. I also helped him fine-tune his non-verbal communication skills.
Soon he started to deliberately use his hands to further his point, pause for effect, and smile periodically to avoid looking stern.
It might seem easy in retrospect, but believe me, it was extremely challenging work. The stakes were high, the pressure constant, and the deadline ever closing in on us.
For one rehearsal we used a large, empty auditorium at a nearby university with a podium and microphone so Juan could get used to the setting. It also let me help him remain confident on stage with a small mindset trick I teach during my strategy sessions.
Looking back, preparing Juan for his big speech was intense and at the same time, really fun.
The Not-So-Humble Results
Of course, we could only consider our job truly done once he finished his presentation to a standing ovation. I felt like a proud Mom watching him present on livestream, and hearing the burst of thunderous applause when he stopped speaking.
But more importantly, thanks to this experience, Juan gained confidence in his public speaking and leadership abilities. He has become a respected and sought-after speaker at key Internet and business conferences around the world.
Not bad for a couple hours of effort for several weeks, is it?
Well, then consider that in the spring of 2014, Juan Diego Calle sold the company that he had first talked about in Colombia to Neustar for $109 million.
In contrast, my coaching had cost him only a fraction of that. Talk about a high return on investment!
Now, I’m not saying I can make a millionaire out of you… but developing your public speaking and leadership abilities will certainly help you become more successful on your journey.
See, that’s exactly what I help my private coaching clients achieve. And for the next couple of days you can reserve your spot for a strategy session with me.
But please act quickly, as my schedule only allows me to do this for the next few weeks.
Here are the next two posts in this series:
Part 2: How To Go From Soft-Spoken And Reserved To Confident And Exciting
Part 3: The Ultimate Public Speaking Blueprint
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]]>http://www.speakoutinc.com/climbing-rocks/ Tue, 02 Feb 2016 16:51:28 +0000 http://www.speakoutinc.com/?p=21142 Three western states in the past month. Three magnificent sets of mountains, rocks and terrain...
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Three western states in the past month. Three magnificent sets of mountains, rocks and terrain in Nevada, California and Arizona. Three conferences with different groups, but surprisingly, the issues and dreams were remarkably similar.What I found participating in sessions for authors, entrepreneurs and business organization leaders were the following common themes:
- How do I best make my book, business, product, service, or organization stand out from the pack?
- Social media is overwhelming, and I know I need to use it, but how?
- Where should I spend most of my time to be effective and profitable?
- What’s the secret to getting people involved and willing to help promote me or my group/cause?
- How do I deal with those negative folks who undermine what we’re trying to accomplish?
In future blogs, I’ll do my best to share answers to some of these communication challenges, sharing what I learned at the conferences.
One of the highlights for me was my first ever early morning hike up a mountain trail in Phoenix. I almost never do anything at 6:15 a.m. except maybe go to the airport to catch a flight. Morning is not my favorite time of day.
Since it was really 8:15 am Eastern time for me, I decided to join a dozen other brave souls and climb up some charcoal gray rocks overlooking the city, just before the sun came up. We used the light from a cellphone to help us see where we were walking.
It was a perfect example of the ideal team communication and bonding. The experienced hikers (including two stalwarts from Bank of America), went first, planting their feet firmly in places where they could easily ascend the rocks. They made it look simple. It really wasn’t! Even by following closely and trying to put your feet exactly where these other knowledgeable folks had been just a few seconds ago, I soon learned there was also the question of balance. Or the lack thereof.
Fortunately, behind me was another set of veteran hikers, and one in particular, seemed to sense when I was falling backwards. Emmy gently pushed me forward, preventing a major trail disaster.
Even though I consider myself in reasonable shape – I walk almost daily for two miles around my absolutely flat Miami neighborhood – I confess that I did start to get winded about two thirds of the way up. A few of us were reaching our peak, albeit not the mountain’s! So the local leader stayed with us, kindly urging us to catch our breath, admire the cactus-filled scenery and watch the glorious sun coming up. It truly was one of those “in the moment” experiences I’ll never forget. (Let me recommend my dear friend Achim Nowak’s new book, The Moment: A Practical Guide to Creating a Mindful Life in a Distracted World.) And I know I want to go hiking again!
Bottom line, with every new move you can expect some resistance and a few faltering steps. That doesn’t mean not to go ahead! Be open to accepting advice from those who have traveled your route before, and at the same time, keep pushing yourself forward. With persistence, you’ll find the way to your own remarkable future.
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]]>http://www.speakoutinc.com/15-public-speaking-secrets-learned-from-legendary-ted-talks/ Thu, 21 Jan 2016 19:53:37 +0000 http://www.speakoutinc.com/?p=21133 Public speaking can be a lot of things: Terrifying, nerve-wracking, or quite often– strangely inconsistent....
The post 15 Public Speaking Secrets Learned From Legendary TED Talks appeared first on Speakout Inc.
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Public speaking can be a lot of things: Terrifying, nerve-wracking, or quite often– strangely inconsistent.
Sometimes you’re standing in front of a crowd and you feel like you’re on a wave. The energy is right, the tempo is there, and you’re completely nailing it. But other times, it’s like you’re watching yourself crash. Your voice slows, your tongue feels heavy, and your mind races in circles looking for your next sentence. You feel stuck.
While there are innumerable tips to improve your public speaking, one has been right under our nose all this entire time, just not in the way you would think.
TED Talks have been the go-to place for everything from entrepreneurial knowledge, to historical fun facts. But did you know it’s also a treasure trove for public speaking tips?
By examining a TED Talk, you encounter more than just fun facts and interesting characters. You also learn about the tempo, stage presence and speaking style of the world’s greatest leaders. A TED Talk has all of the great components for public speaking success. And with literally over a decade worth of material, there’s plenty of learning you can do.
But luckily for you, you don’t have to comb through hours upon hours to jot down notes before your next presentation— because I already did it for you.
Here are 15 secrets you can pick up from some of the most legendary TED talks.
1. Turn Nervous Energy Into Good Energy
Try watching a TED Talk with the sound off. You can almost hear the story simply by observing the speaker’s movements and hand gestures. The big TED stage is the perfect size for walking around and gaining solid movement that matches the speaker’s tempo.
Instead of fidgeting at a podium or focusing on your body — move naturally! Sure, you don’t want to pace back and forth, but by freeing your body to be natural, your mind relaxes and you’re able focus on something other than the nervous inner dialogue of “Am I being still enough? How do I look?”
Turn that nervous fidgeting into momentum by getting rid of the podium and exploring the stage.
2. Focus On Your Breath
While breathing and meditation are a frequent topic in TED Talks, they can also help with your speaking, too. When we become stressed or anxious, our breathing becomes shallower.
This automatically makes us feel anxious, and if anxious while speaking, we become short of breath. To counteract this, focus on deep breaths when you feel a burst of adrenaline.
3. Use Your Tone to Strengthen Your Message
Tone and inflection are a huge part of public speaking. Don’t deliver big news in a monotone voice, or deliver any serious news in a “too excited” type of way. Focus on keywords, and repeat important phrases to add emphasis.
Some speakers go through a script and tag what each piece of news means. This allows them to focus on how their tone can strengthen their message.
4. Beware of Repetitive Movements
The best talks are dynamic both in content as well as tone and tempo. However, you should beware of motions that are too repetitive. When we repeat motions, it’s an instinctual “lulling” mechanism. Just like rocking puts a baby asleep, if we rock or sway on stage, it causes an instinctual lullaby pattern in the audience’s brain.
Walking around the stage is great! But don’t pace! Similarly, stepping forward and backward is great, but don’t rock. Be sure to move with purpose. Maybe come closer to the audience when your presentation calls for it, or stepping back during overview portions. Be aware of how you move.
5. Give People Time to Learn Your Accent
Everyone has some form of accent. Even if you think you don’t, every voice is unique. If you have a distinctive accent, don’t worry! TED speakers come from around the world, and they’ve certainly shown us how accepting audiences can be to unique accents.
The recommendation here is to keep your opening sentences slow, and a tad over-enunciated, so that the audience has time to adapt to your speaking style and voice.
6. You Have 7 Seconds
Most audiences choose their level of interest within the first seven seconds of your presentation. Therefore, make an impression! Whether it’s opening with the “meaty” parts and then describing how you got there, or opening with a relevant story, the opener certainly does matter.
7. Scripts Kill Confidence
It’s great to have an outline, but a script — not so much. While this certainly depends on the speaker, many find that using a script can really kill the natural flow of a presentation. This is because your mind is more focused on rehearsed lines, than delivering information in an organic and practical way.
Seeing a speaker ad-lib, or go on a quick tangent, puts the listener at ease and really gives a fun, casual spin on a speech or presentation.
8. Get Hydrated 15 Minutes Before
One great aspect about Ted Talks is vocal sound. The sound quality of the speakers is always incredible. And while this can largely be attributed to a professional sound crew, one way to ensure good speaking tone is through proper hydration.
Drink water, but the key is to drink water 15 minutes before. Why? Because if you go into the talk with your mouth too wet, the microphone is going to pick up on the “clicks and clacks” made by the moisture.
9. Focus on Something Outside of Yourself
Before going on stage, it’s imperative to remain calm. One trick that many of the TED Talk speech coaches recommend is “focusing out”.
Instead of drifting off into your thoughts and thinking of the speech, “zoning out” means to pick something around you and just focus on it. Maybe it’s the color green, so you then look around the room to see how often you can find the color green.
This simple trick eases the mind, and helps you hone in your focus, without focusing on your presentation material.
10. Move, But With Purpose
We’ve already covered the no-no’s of swaying, as well as the power of turning nervous energy into physical energy.
However, don’t forget that your body is also part of your presentation. Explore the stage with your movements! A frantic intense part of your story? Walk across the stage as you speak. The resolution of the story? Lower your voice and approach the audience at the front of the stage.
Adding movement is just is important as tone, tempo and content.
11. Smiling Makes You More Trustworthy
Studies have shown that smiling makes you more relatable. The same can be said for TED Talks! Talks in which the speaker was smiling, not only made the speaker seem at ease, the talks had a very authentic and casual feel to them. This was true even when the content was technical or sensitive.
12. It’s Not “What” You Say But “How” You Say It
Inflection matters, as does speed and tone. Think of your presentation like a song — not a pop song on the radio, but a classical movement. There’s going to be parts that are meant to be spoken soft and slow, while there are other parts meant to be quick and exciting.
Pace yourself, and familiarize yourself with the various modes and nuances in your voice and delivery.
13. Don’t Forget, The Audience Likes You
At the root of everyone’s public speaking fear, is the fear of not being accepted. But we can’t forget that the audience wants to see you win. They want to hear your ideas, they want to see you have fun. Even if they don’t agree with what you’re saying, they’re still very much on your team.
14. Be Okay With The Unexpected
It’s going to happen! Your mic will cut out at the climax of your presentation, you may forget a word, or your slides may spiral out of order. But just laugh it off, or react appropriately. These things are bound to happen, so when they do, don’t let them ruffle your feathers too much. This is all about enjoying yourself and making connections.
15. Psych Yourself Up! Don’t Put Yourself Down!
A lot of times our inner dialogue can be our biggest enemy, maybe without even knowing it. We internally think all of the ways our speech can go wrong. However, you can bypass this by psyching yourself up.
Will it seem forced at first? Sure, but keep at it, and it’ll pay off. Simply tell yourself, this is going to be fun! Or, just 15 minutes to tell my story and we’re done, let’s do this!
These are just a few things we can learn from watching TED Talks, as well as reading about their team, their process and their most legendary presentations. There’s plenty more you can learn as well, by simply checking out some of your favorite TED Talk topics.
The recurring theme here though is simple, having fun. Whether it’s a presentation for work, a research study for school, or even a toast at a wedding — you’re there to tell a story and to take the stage. Enjoy yourself!
The post 15 Public Speaking Secrets Learned From Legendary TED Talks appeared first on Speakout Inc.
]]>http://www.speakoutinc.com/avoid-a-wimpy-conclusion-mistake-5-that-leaders-make-when-speaking/ Tue, 19 Jan 2016 18:07:23 +0000 http://www.speakoutinc.com/?p=21127 If you don’t ask, the answer is never going to be “yes.” That variation of...
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