| Current Category is: Public Speaking | Select Another Category | |
|
|
| Home | Search | Categories | Links | About Us | Contact Us |
|
|
 |
How to Get Started In Public Speaking
Public speaking is among the five most feared activities human beings encounter. The majority of us fear it worse than anything else. Yet, the mastery of public speaking is an important tool in our business skill set. It's never too early (or too late) to learn to speak in public. Every one needs to start somewhere. The best strategy is to look for non-threatening opportunities with familiar surroundings, friends and colleagues. Plan your speaking gigs in stages starting out with a small comfortable group then increasing the number of members in the audience and finally tackle the prominence of the engagement. Become a member of the leadership team where you need to give reports or host meetings. In these instances, you will have prepared material in front of you. Practice with the material as if you were giving the speech. Don't just read the material; live it and convey it with feeling. When you begin with an audience, remember to make eye contact. Watch how people are receiving your information. Do they look bored? Adjust your inflection accordingly. Do you participate in a professional association, social club or sport that hosts regular meetings? Ask to make a short presentation. If this is too daunting volunteer to introduce another speaker. This will get you in front of an audience but the spotlight won't be on you because you are not the primary focus. It will help you to feel comfortable with a stage, a mike, and an audience. If you are comfortable with jumping right in, ask to be the keynote. Plan for it to be informal so that you get the experience of speaking in front of a group but you don't have to extensively prepare or make a formal presentation. Make sure to ask for feedback. The simplest way to do this is to have an evaluation sheet. Write the questions using a ranking of 1-5 for answers. Leave space for writing an additional assessment, but the less work someone has to do in an evaluation the better the response. Tip: Make sure to collect the completed forms before the audience leaves the room. Otherwise, you will never get them back. After a few informal speaking occasions plan to make a "real" speech. Make it about something you are an expert on so the material will come naturally. Prepare for 20 minutes tops for this type of presentation with a ten minute Q& A You will want to have notes but it is imperative that you are comfortable with the topic. It has to be part of your repertoire so that it comes to you even if you get off track. The more you know about the subject the more comfortable you will be with your audience. Tip: About 8 pages of typed material equals 20 minutes if you speak in an even measured rate. Tip: As a friend or a moderator to ask a question even if the audience doesn't have one (Prepare several questions in advance). Look for panel opportunities that allow several participants. Once again, this gives you time in front of the microphone where the focus is not just on you. It also helps because there is a moderator who will keep the dialogue going if you hit a rough patch. It's also good to discuss before hand what the moderator will ask and what they expect from you in the way of a presentation. How long will it take? How many questions you will be asked, etc. Tip: In this instance, you are part of a team. Don't hog the limelight. If your material is good and you are well prepared, you will come out as a credible participant. Tip: Never serve on a panel blindly without knowing what you are going to be asked in advance. After you have mastered the informal and the panel, it's time for some serious speech giving: The 45-minute program with 10 minutes of Q&A. This requires preparation and practice; a good venue for this is a trade show or conference. At these affairs they are always looking for speaker. Plan months in advance. Contact the organizing group about your topic. Make sure your topic fits with the conference theme otherwise it might not draw the audience you want. Tip: Abstracts are required in advance of the actual event. Unless you are an expert at winging it, do your homework early. The abstract should be the framework for your presentation. This will give you ample time to prepare your speech and presentation and add new material should something relevant happen. Tip: You want your material fresh. Always look to current events or hot button issues to make the presentation contemporary. Tip: As a beginner, be advised to stay away from the more exotic aspects of speech giving. If you use PowerPoint, make it simple. Remember, the more complicated it gets the greater the chance for something to go wrong. Always take a backup CD and at least two printed copies of your speech. There are groups such as toastmasters that you can join that will allow you the opportunity to speak in front of a group in a non-threatening environment. To find out about a group near you go to http://www.toastmasters.org/ Remember everyone has to start somewhere. The more you speak front of people the more comfortable you will become. The audience is not the enemy. They are there to learn from you. Share the wealth of your knowledge. Keep that thought in mind when in front of the podium. JoAnn Hines' specialty is PACKAGING PEOPLE. Whether you want to be paid more, you just lost your job, or you want to progress in the one you have, Ms. Hines advice and expertise can help you transform your personal brand. She can show you how to package yourself and make your brand a hot commodity. It's easy once you know the ropes and begin to utilize her insider's secrets. She shows you step by step how to increase your visibility, credibility and marketability with easy to use tutorials and templates. It is time to get started "Packaging Yourself." To learn the ropes and "Package Yourself" for success email Ms. Hines @ pkgcoach@aol.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Ten Fatal Flaws Frequently Found from the Podium 1. No clear purpose for the presentation. Youre Making Me Nervous Almost everybody is nervous when they stand up to speak. There's no shame in being nervous. Overcoming Your Fears of Public Speaking You're waiting your turn to make a speech, when suddenly you realize that your stomach is doing strange things and your mind is rapidly going blank. How do you handle this critical time period?In all of my speaking classes, students ask me how to handle public speaking nervousness, fears, jitters, anxieties - and the physical symptoms these feelings produce. Be Brief! Centuries ago great speakers often spoke two hours and more. But today when sound bytes on television news are the norm and serious problems are solved in an hour on a television drama, audiences are most interested in speakers that get their points across in a short period of time. What to Do When an Audience Member Disagrees With You Some people enjoy drawing attention to themselves by trying to trip you up on a fact or statistic during your presentation. A few will find something you say threatening to their secure view of the universe and want you to know that " You are dead wrong!!" When this happens it is important to remember that you won't be able to please everyone in your audience and you shouldn't try. How to Create a Compelling Media Kit A well-built media kit is vital for effective marketing. Without it, all your promotional efforts could be wasted. What is Public Speaking? When we talk about public speaking, we usually think about some person in front of a large group giving an extended presentation on a difficult or technical subject. That is not usually how it is. A Perfect Meeting: AKA When You Dont Want to Strangle the Speaker Have you ever worked for weeks or even months, often far beyond normal office hours on a special meeting event only to have it turn into THE PERFECT STORM. Well, maybe your entire crew didn't perish at sea, but there were those clearly identifiable moments when it looked as if the ship was about to capsize. Feedback I believe that asking for and acting on objective feedbackis the best way to improve your speaking skills. In our Excellence in Speaking Institute (ESI), wecall this 20/20 feedback. Get Real Humans are born storytellers, but our education system doesn't help us develop these natural talents that we all have. Instead, society increasingly homogenizes us, covering up the things that make us unique. The Porch Light* Method to Speaking Confidence You know the feeling. Looking out at a sea of faces, you notice a few scowls, frowns, even droopy eyelids on some of your audience members. How to Use Public Speaking to Attract Clients When Robert Middleton moved his marketing consulting practice, Action Plan Marketing, to Palo Alto, California several years ago, he started his business from scratch. He had left his well-established client base several miles away and now had to find strategies to generate new clients. 15 Tips For Making A Great Speech 1. Listen to your internal dialog. Are You Talking the Talk? "More learning occurs through emotion than through intellect" C.S. Speech Presenting - Seven Ways to Tailor Your Speech to the Audience Every speech has an audience and every audience is different. Tailoring your next speech to its audience is as important as the content in the speech. Conversationally Speaking "Would you like to say a few words?" How many of us dread that request? The thought of speaking off the cuff can terrify even veteran speakers. But what about the ability to give a prepared speech and sound natural?As a speech coach, I see hundreds of people who are wedded to their words. 15 Ways To Keep Your Speaking Inspiring and Creative When stressed or blocked it is wise to make a change so thatwe don't stay in that place. Yet, many times we forget someof the simple things that we can do for ourselves, quicklyand easily to bring our inspiration back and increase ourcreativity. Fee Credibility is a Must Think of it like this: your fee credibility is as important as putting on your clothes before going to a speaking engagement. Having questionable integrity when it comes to your fee, will leave you open for attack from many different angles (as would giving a speech nude). Using Your Natural Style On Stage We were both speakers at the same convention presenting on the same day-but what a difference. I am tall, while she's short. 10 Tips for Better -- and Less Scary! -- Public Speaking The fear of speaking in public is well-documented, often discussed, and probably overrated. The great news is that speaking in front of a group can be an entertaining and energizing experience for even the most fearsome among us.
|
| Home
| Sitemap
| Disclaimer
| Privacy
| Contact
Us © COPYRIGHT 2011 BRAINBELLY.COM |
