Public Speaking Sucker

What If... A Talented Public Speaking Coach Moved In With You For 7 Weeks?

Well, respected public speaking coach and uber-blogger Lisa Braithwaite is running a contest based on just that happening.

It's also ridiculously easy to enter (and win) too.

The prize is a copy of her 7-Week Shortcut to Public Speaking Confidence e-course that's being released next month. (I've been talking to Lisa about it and she tells me she's tricked it out with AUDIO and VIDEO coaching too. It was already very good and now it sounds like it's going to be even better.)

Here's the deal.

To win your copy you've just got to tell Lisa how you'd use her in a public speaking capacity if she turned up on your doorstep and "moved in" with you for 7 weeks.

Would you have her work with you on overcoming your nerves? What about helping you create a presentation from scratch? Critique a slideshow? Work on your delivery, your timing?

Anything! It's only limited by your imagination.

The 3 most compelling answers win!

Here's the link. Just leave your answer in the "comments" section of the post.

Sorry For The Gift

Hey, not for the last time, health permitting, I agree with Seth Godin.

He says to stop saying sorry for giving your speech. "Sorry, I know you're hungry... I know you'd rather be somewhere else...

STOP.

Your presentation, like Seth says here is a gift. And who apologizes for giving a gift?

What are you not letting out?

For years when my stutter was bad I wasn't exactly unhappy. I wasn't depressed. But I was very frustrated.

Frustrated that I couldn't say what I wanted to say when I wanted to say it.

Frustrated that I couldn't tell a friend a joke because I'd 'block' before the punchline.

Frustrated that I couldn't pick up the phone and call the girl I had eyes for in science class.

Years later. And I'm not so frustrated. I've figured out ways to manage my stutter so it's almost undetectable.

But I'll never forget feeling that frustration. 

And so when I see someone 'letting out' the bold new them that they've been bottling up for years, I want to share it. Maybe inspire you to uncork your own authentic voice in a public speaking situation.

Which is why I want you to watch this short video clip today.

Proof that amongst the truckloads of puffery, there are genuinely moving moments on reality TV.

Paul markets cellphones for a living. He seems shy. Unsure of himself. Needing confidence. But he takes the leap of faith. He's nervous, but he does it anyway. And what passion erupts!

Take the three minutes to watch... this is the real-life ...."They laughed when he walked to the microphone - But when he started to sing!"

(Quick P.S.... Paul Potts just signed a 1 million pound contract with Simon Cowell's record label. It can pay to let it out :-)

What Message Are You Sending When Your Presentation Runs Over?

To my mind, you're all but shouting....

"I don't know how to (or can't be bothered to) fit my message into the time frame that we agreed on. So, your busy schedule will have to wait. Sorry about that."

So what can you do to stay within your time and avoid giving your audience the metaphorical middle finger?

Here's a few suggestions:

1. Ask yourself, what can I snip in a timing emergency? If you find yourself on the road to running long, what could be snipped from your presentation that wouldn't murder your message? There's usually something.
2. Always, always, make sure that there's a timepiece in your line of sight as you speak. And check it regularly. A little bit like you should use your windshield mirror when driving. If there's not a wall clock then lay a watch flat on a table beside you, or on the lectern out of view.
   
3. Practice your presentation in-front of humans. Practicing alone is of great value, but some people speed up their delivery in front of an actual audience. Others tend to s-l-o-w right down. Some stay the same. Everybody has their own pace and you should find yours. Do this by practicing in-front of living, breathing humans. Humans who can't say "No". Your family. Colleagues who owe you a favor. Search these people out and guilt them into being your 'practice' audience.

Seth Godin has more on why time can be so crucial to staying in the good favor of others.

Sandy's Surprise

Gosh. I love surprises. Surprise parties. Surprise gifts. Surprise infections. O.k, not so much infections. But I'm sure you'll agree, surprises can be fun.

The surprise you really don't want though is the surprise Sandy received.

She thought she'd just be stepping up and talking off-the-cuff on a very familiar subject. But then she notices a poster that said.......actually, if it's alright with you, I'll let Sandy tell you herself.

Is Bill Clinton Overcome With Nerves Before He Gets Up To Speak?

‘Cause, I’m thinking he’s not. 

Bill and I aren’t as tight as we once were…..but I’d bet that he’s actually as near to a state of bliss as you can get whilst remaining fully clothed. 

After all, he’s about to stand up and do something that he knows he’s good at. Something that everybody else knows he’s good at. And he’s about to prove himself and everyone else correct.

Gotta feel good.

Just a little long-term something to aspire to.

Someone's A Tad Excited

This is a video of Lionel Messi, an Argentinian who plays for Barcelona, scoring one of the greatest goals in soccer history last Wednesday night.

What's this got to do with public speaking?

Well, it's not the goal, it's the audio aftermath. See if you can't channel a little of the energy and enthusiasm that this commentator exhibits into your next public performance.

Removing The Bull From Your Presentation

Using jargon in your presentation can be a good thing when your audience understands it.

It can show that you're a kindred spirit and a member of their club. It becomes a bonding tool.

Using jargon in your presentation is bad when your audience doesn't understand it. Then it breeds confusion and disconnect.

The lesson being, pick your words wisely. A term that you might use everyday might be a term that someone else has never even heard before.

Be mindful that a clear message is usually clear of jargon.

And on the subject of showing jargon the exit door, here's a piece of software that does just that. It works with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint documents and eliminates all your jargon for you.

It's called Bullfighter. And even though it's very useful, it's totally free.

Too Much Information!

It used to be an overused punch line on Friends.

But now Friends is over, Rowan Manahan would like to adopt it to apply to your Power Point slides.

The great 'Insultant' is annoyed enough to share a (very) powerful example that shows the tremendous difference a little creative thinking can make as you're designing your slide show.

Rowan also takes on the findings of some crucial new research. Findings that are so important to your public speaking success that I recommend you don't click on another Power Point icon until you know exactly what they are. 

Read Rowan's rant here: Power Point - Too Much Information

Five Ways To Snap Your Audience Members Awake If They're Dozing Off

1. Make your audience interact with one another.

Ask them to turn to the person next to them and get their opinion on an important issue relevant to your presentation. Give them two minutes to share their thoughts with one another. Then call on a few random folk to report their findings. You’ve added a totally new dimension to your presentation, introduced your audience members to a potential new friend or contact, and woken everybody up in the process.

2. Call on someone out-of-the-blue.

As soon as you call on someone out-of-nowhere everyone else immediately wonders, ‘Will I be next?!’ and they quickly perk up.

3. Raise your voice a little.

Don’t deafen anybody, but raise your voice just enough to jolt people out of their comatose state.

4. Use people’s names.

Don’t over-do-it. But if you know people’s names, or people are wearing name-tags, then incorporate some names into proceedings. “And Charlie, that’s how the self-cleaning oven came to be.” It lets your audience know that you’re paying attention to them, so that they feel it would be poor form not to reciprocate.

5. Sprinkle in a rhetorical question or two.

“So, what does all this data tell us…?”

And then pause. Don’t answer right away. Look around your audience. Let them stew for a few moments on the idea that you might call on them for an answer. It’ll force them to wake up and think a little in case you do call on them for input.

I found some videos I think you'll like

They're short, bite-sized vignettes put together by Scott Ginsberg from HelloMyNameIsScott.com

He's shot sixteen (one to two minutes long) videos of great how-to information on public speaking. Here's the link to check out the sixteen. (scroll down and you'll see them.)

But as a taster here's Scott on how to open your speech.

Click here for more on "Tips On The Art of Public Speaking"

Jingle Jangle

Check your pockets for loose change before you get up to speak. Even a slight jingle-jangle can be a niggling distraction for your audience.

The Message In A Bottle Factor

What’s so magical about finding a message in a bottle?

It’s the ‘serendipity’ involved.

“Of all the beaches in all the world… I happen to be standing on this one at the exact same time as this bottle, holding this message, washes ashore.”

And often times, when the best public speakers take the stage, their audience members feel just the same way as someone who has just come across a message in the sand.

As the speaker gets into their talk, it gradually dawns on them that…'I was meant to be here today to hear this!'

We’ve all been in the audience  when we suddenly feel that the speaker is talking directly to our personal cares and concerns. Whilst, more than likely, other audience members sit around us thinking the exact same thing.

How has that speaker managed to connect with us on such a level?

Well, they’ve made sure of a few things:

1. They’ve come from a place of service and contribution. Not from a place of ‘What’s in this for me?’
2. They’ve done what they can to get to know their audience. They've asked questions and cared to hear the answers. They've talked to prospective audience members and gathered insights into what they should include and what they should leave out.
   
3. They’ve made sure to put their ideas into language that you can understand and relate to. Even if it took them more than five minutes to successfully simplify what they want to share.
4. They’ve helped you open up to their message by looking you in the eye and not making you strain to hear them.

Of course, any speaker can do these things. It just takes effort and energy.

But is it worth it?

Well, that depends if you want your audience members to find your next presentation to be a delightful surprise that they're rushing to tell people about. Or if you're O.K with it being just another walk down the beach much like every other.

Grumpy in the morning?

I can be. Though a bowl of Weetabix quickly perks me up. (You really don't know what you're missing)

So I'm with Tom Antion when he warns that the time of day of your presentation can change your audience's response: Time Matters

Tom's main gist: don't expect your audience to respond well to humor if it's before ten o'clock as everyone is probably half-asleep. Instead, go heavy on information and light on humor.

Around lunch is a better time to throw in some laugh lines as late risers have fully woken up and early risers aren't yet tiring.

Tough Love

Consultant Rowan Manahan gets to the crux of the matter:

Get to the heart of your nervousness. Become conscious of it, de-construct it and understand it for what it is. Play Devil's Advocate on your excuses for being a bad public speaker. Because unless you have been diagnosed with glossophobia by a fully-fledged psychiatrist, all you have are excuses - not reasons.

Giving anything more than an average public speaking performance is hard, hard work. If confidence is born of surety, then the only way you can approach an audience with genuine confidence is if you really know your topic, have made strenuous efforts to understand your audience’s viewpoint on the topic and have mastered the material you intend delivering. Even then, I would still hope that you will have butterflies in your stomach as you begin to speak – but those should be the healthy butterflies that will galvanise your performance, not paralyse it.

Read more: Fear of Public Speaking - Why?