7 tips for better speaking
7 tips for better speaking
2. By all means use Powerpoint, but do not overuse it. The problem with many Powerpoint presentations is too much information, too many charts and poor content. You can use Powerpoint to show pictures instead of just facts and data.
3. Tell stories. Once you have decided the number of key points to make, think of a personal story, political anecdote or a joke that relates to your key point. People do not want to hear the 25 features of your new IT platform, but they will love a story about how you got started.
4. Stand tall, walk free if you can, but never put your hand in your pockets. If you must stay at the lectern, just cling to it on occasions, not all the time. The microphones will pick you up even if you back off a little.
5. Don’t apologise or tell us what you have to leave out. If time is short and you have to cut your speech short, just do it – the audience does not know what you were going to say anyway.
6. Give us a pause. By stopping, you keep our attention and reinforce that you have just made an important point. We love a short break (a few seconds is fine). I use counting to myself to put in the pauses, like this: “The world’s biggest selling business author (pause, one, two three, while they wonder who it is), Stephen Covey has written that ‘communication is the greatest skill in life’ (pause one, two, three, four, and if I can, pause even longer so they are desperate to hear what my next point is). It’s a message I learned the hard way.”
7. End with a stand. Let the audience know that you are about to make your concluding point, so they’re ready for it. Then make the big statement that you used at the beginning to make a stand in the first place. Wrap it up with “I am grateful for your attention today. Thank you.” Then you stand there and wait, because they will want to clap and it shows respect.
7 tips for better speaking - To learn more about this author, visit Stephen Manallack's Website.
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1. Make a stand. Start your speech by showing passion, making a key point. For example, I sometimes start by thanking the speaker and then I say “The world’s biggest selling business author, Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, has written that ‘communication is the greatest skill in life’. It’s a message I learned the hard way.” The stage is set.
2. By all means use Powerpoint, but do not overuse it. The problem with many Powerpoint presentations is too much information, too many charts and poor content. You can use Powerpoint to show pictures instead of just facts and data.
3. Tell stories. Once you have decided the number of key points to make, think of a personal story, political anecdote or a joke that relates to your key point. People do not want to hear the 25 features of your new IT platform, but they will love a story about how you got started.
4. Stand tall, walk free if you can, but never put your hand in your pockets. If you must stay at the lectern, just cling to it on occasions, not all the time. The microphones will pick you up even if you back off a little.
5. Don’t apologise or tell us what you have to leave out. If time is short and you have to cut your speech short, just do it – the audience does not know what you were going to say anyway.
6. Give us a pause. By stopping, you keep our attention and reinforce that you have just made an important point. We love a short break (a few seconds is fine). I use counting to myself to put in the pauses, like this: “The world’s biggest selling business author (pause, one, two three, while they wonder who it is), Stephen Covey has written that ‘communication is the greatest skill in life’ (pause one, two, three, four, and if I can, pause even longer so they are desperate to hear what my next point is). It’s a message I learned the hard way.”
7. End with a stand. Let the audience know that you are about to make your concluding point, so they’re ready for it. Then make the big statement that you used at the beginning to make a stand in the first place. Wrap it up with “I am grateful for your attention today. Thank you.” Then you stand there and wait, because they will want to clap and it shows respect.
7 tips for better speaking - To learn more about this author, visit Stephen Manallack's Website.
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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