A Speakers Golden Opportunity

You have finished your presentation and fielded questions: now is your golden opportunity to connect with interested audience members. Audience members are (hopefully) inspired by your words and ready to take action. They want to have personal contact with you and ask a question or share a story.

Even though you offered the opportunity for them to speak during the question and answer session, many people are shy or self-conscious about speaking in public. Perhaps what they have to say is personal and they do not wish to share it publicly You may be surprised at what happens when they come to you in this way. You will hear wonderful stories, questions and receive referrals and offers of help.

Sometimes they want a few minutes to gather their thoughts before they speak.

During the conclusion of your talk, tell the audience you will be available to speak. Offer an immediate and safe way they can interact with you in a smaller setting. Use an incentive to get them to approach you such as a brochure they want.

Use these final moments to your advantage. Be available to talk: avoid packing up your equipment or chatting with a colleague Mingle with the crowd or position yourself in a prominent place where you are approachable. Many people will not feel comfortable addressing you in front of others and desire personal, one-to-one contact.

One of the highest praises and audience member can give you is to share a personal story with you related to your talk. This indicates they have heard and internalized your message.

You may notice people standing near you, wanting to talk to you but feeling too shy to approach you. Watch for these people and pull them in. Be ready with a few questions to use as conversation openers.

The time immediately following your talk provides you with an opportunity to make high quality contacts with individuals in your audience. Take a few extra minutes to chat, mingle, and be a good listener to their stories. You may end up with many unexpected benefits such as good stories and new partners to help you reach your goals.

 

© 2007 by iSpeakEASY – All rights reserved. This speaking tip is one in a series provided to you by iSpeakEASY.

Adding Sheen to Your PowerPoint Presentations

It is fun to watch a professional make a presentation as their presentations go off (nearly) flawlessly and they look like they are having fun doing it. Audiences will make a connection between the professionalism of your presentation techniques and your overall competency. Here are a few tips on how to add professional sheen to your presentations that use PowerPoint (or Prezi).

Before your presentation:

• Arrive early to set up and test your equipment. Make sure the images look good on the screen.
• Set up your equipment with you laptop facing you. This enables you to see your show while always facing the audience.
• Learn how to operate the lights and window shades before your audience arrives.
• Place a black slide in your show before your first and after your last image. This allows your show to be up and running without your audience seeing your desktop or that embarrassing “end of slide show – click to exit” slide.
• Ask your host to operate your equipment and handle the lights.
• Have a backup plan in case there is equipment malfunction. You should be able to deliver your talk without your images.
• View your show in a room about the same size as where you will be presenting. What looks good and readable on your computer screen will not appear the same when projected in a room.

 

During your presentation:

• Always begin your talk with the lights on. Introduce your topic, turn the projector on and dim the house lights. At the end of the PowerPoint portion of your presentation, turn the house lights on before turning the projector off. This eliminates the audience sitting in the dark.
• Stand to the right of the screen and be sure not to cast a shadow.
• If you use a laser pointer, hold it against your body to steady it, shine it on the screen for a brief period and turn it off.
• When using a pointer, ground it gently to the screen to insure everyone sees you point to the same place.
• In case of a problem, calmly work through it without getting flustered. The audience understands and does not need to hear an apology.

If you want to be taken seriously, spend time on the small details of how you present yourself. presenting with your competency in your work.

Contact iSpeakEASY for information on workshops and coaching to improve your credibility through improved presentation skills.

 

© 2006– iSpeakEASY. All rights reserved. You may link to this article without prior permission. Written permission is required to reprint/reproduce this article in any format. Contact us for information.

4 Strategies For Answering Questions (especially when you don’t know the answer)

The way you handle questions has a large impact on your credibility. You may be asked questions for which you don’t know the answer, you may misunderstand the question, or you may benefit from a small bit of time to consider the correct best answer. Here are four strategies to help increase your creditably when answering questions.

 

1. Prepare

Write a list of questions you may be asked, write the answers, and practice delivering these answers before you are in front of your audience

2. Remember you are an expert

You know your topic, your job, and your project

3. Buy time (and think)

Use these statements sparingly to help gain focus

• “That is a great question”
• “I am glad you asked”
• “Make sure I understand what you are asking”
• “I am not sure I understand what you are asking, can you give me a bit more background?

4. Give an answer

If you don’t know the answer or don’t know the entire answer, you still need to respond in confident manner. Use these statements:

• “Here is what I know about that….”
• “Here is what I don’t know…”
• “This is what I will do to find out…”

 

Keep your answers short and concise, answer only what was asked, and resist the temptation to tell ALL you know about the question. When you are finished, ask to see if you have given the info being sought.

The best way to maintain your credibility as an expert is to prepare. Be ready for all questions, even the ones you do not know how to answer.

 

 

 

 

© 2017 – All Rights Reserved.  iSpeakEASY provides coaching and training workshops. Call or email for information.

5 Assumptions About Public Speaking

Preparing for a presentation is difficult as there are many unknown variables. It is acceptable for a speaker to make certain assumptions about a presentation. Here is a list of the 5 basic assumptions a speaker can make when preparing for a presentation.

 

1. Assume all your equipment will work perfectly. Do not arrive early to do a check, do not call ahead to troubleshoot any compatibility issues. It can be a good idea to boot your PowerPoint as the audience watches this will allow you to share the cute picture you have on your desktop.
2. Assume you are the expert and the audience knows less than you. You do not need to ask audience members what they know or believe about your topic – assume they know nothing. Speak the entire time leaving very little, if any, time for questions. The faster you speak, the more words you say, the bigger “bang for the buck” the audience receives.
3. Assume you are more important than the audience. Do not waste time learning about your audience or listening to audience member before you speak. You are the speaker, not them. It is more important they learn who you are as you are the guest. Besides, in 45 minutes you will be out the door and will never see these people again. Anything you may learn will be a waste.
4. Assume the audience will not care about your appearance. Dress in a very casual manner as this will help audience will see you as a regular guy. Overdressing can make you seem stuffy and unapproachable. Wearing jeans to a business function is good as your relaxed demeanor will help the audience relax.
5. Assume the audience will forgive you if you mispronounce the name of your host and the organization that asked you to speak. This will demonstrate to them that you believe you are important and will leave them wondering if they named their organization incorrectly.

 

Speaking is often considered a “soft skill” – that is one that is less important than other business or life skills. Many people believe they can “muddle their way through” most any speaking situation without any formal training or even much thought. Research supports this theory as 82% of speakers are fair to poor.

Implement these 5 assumptions you can be part of the majority!

 Mini-Workshop on “Dangerous Assumptions On Public Speaking”

Thursday, February 11, 2016 – Details

This “tongue-in-cheek” speaking tip is provided by iSpeakEASY. Our clients become the 18% of speakers that are good to excellent. Contact us for information on individual coaching or group workshops.

© 2013 by iSpeakEASY. All Rights Reserved.

The Last Time I Let An Audience Get The Best Of Me

I remember the last time I let an audience get the best of me. It wasn’t really the entire audience, it was just one person who was unhappy or angry at the group that I represented. I let him rip me to pieces in front of everyone. I was embarrassed, belittled, distracted and felt quite stupid.

I remember the experience well because I left feeling beat up and angry at the man who attacked me. As I drove home though, I realized my anger was misguided. Yes, he was a jerk and yes he was trying to make me look bad but the real culprit was me: I allowed this happen.

I had the tools to better manage the situation I just forgot to use them. I let him lay a trap and like a fool, I walked right in. It was a good, but painful, lesson for me to learn and it has never happened to me since.
By comparison a year ago I led a meeting where there was a woman clearly gunning for me. This time though, the experience though ended quite differently and I walked out giving myself high fives in my brain. The difference was this time I remembered what I knew and I used the tools I had at hand. I was calm, I let her speak, I asked clarifying questions, and the more she spoke, the more outrageous she sounded to all in the room. I used the audience as my ally watching their reaction to her behavior and then asked if they wanted to continue her conversation of if they preferred to return to the agenda.

The next time you make a presentation, take stock of all your tools and training before you go into the room. Don’t allow fear to guide you, but do prepare for anything that might happen and keep control of yourself. If you sense something beginning to happen, breathe, think, and respond but don’t react. Chances are great you will not have to use all of your tools, but it sure is great to have them handy when you need them.

Tools For Managing Hecklers

 

• Set ground rules for audience behavior and stick to them.
• Always be on guard – pay attention to all questions
• Make sure to understand the questions or issues raised
• When dealing with a heckler (or possible heckler), allow them to speak freely for a limited time as they will probably dig themselves into a hole
• Use the audience as your friend
• Be calm – it is usually not personal
• Ask for more information as most hecklers expend all their energy in the first punch and have little more to say after the initial attack

This Speaking Tip is one in a series from iSpeakEASY. We help people present information in an exciting and relevant manner. Contact us for information on workshops and coaching for groups and individuals. We take good speakers and make them excellent.

© 2015 by iSpeakEASY. All Rights Reserved.

How Much Information Is The Right Amount?

The topic of the talk was on the 7 key points to marketing. Seven. A good number, but much too high if the speaker expected the audience to remember her points. Instead of giving us 7 points of marketing, most people left remembering few, if any of the points she provided. How did this happen?

It has to do with how people learn. Each of us can retain and organize a certain number of bits of new information when it is received. While the actual number is different for everyone, the magic number for most is 3-5.  Most people can absorb, organize, and remember a maximum of 3 to 5 bits of new information at a time.

You can pour water on a sponge and it will soak it up until it reaches saturation and the rest runs off. With the human brain though, when we reach saturation, it is like someone is squeezing the sponge draining us of almost all the new information we gained.

While her talk was good and informative, while she clearly is a subject matter expert, I left the talk an hour ago and am not sure I could tell you even one of the 7 points. My brain reached saturation and I lost it all.

If her talk had been on the 3 key elements of marketing, there is a greater chance her audience would have left remembering her words.

Effective presentations are built around 1 central theme or message. This message is supported by 3-5 sub topics or bits of information. Any more than that and you will lose too many of your audience members.

When planning a presentation, it is easy to figure out what you want to say. It is very hard to determine what you should eliminate.

In presenting information, less is truly more. But only if you want people to remember your words.

 

© 2014  iSpeakEASY. All rights reserved – We help people profit from their words. Call for information on individual coaching or group workshops.

 

 

Reasons You Should NOT Improve Your Speaking Skills

I hear a lot of reasons for why people do not want help with their presentations:

• “I don’t feel nervous in front of an audience.”
• “I am only presenting to my peers.”
• “It is just a staff meeting.”
• “I know my subject.”
• “I took public speaking in college.”
• “I use PowerPoint.”
• “I don’t use PowerPoint.”
• “I did not have time to prepare so I will just wing it.”

After their talk, speakers often justify why they are sure they did not need help:

• “I was not nearly as nervous as I thought I would be.”
• “No one threw fruit “(yes, they really say this to me!).
• “My friends said I did a good job.”
• “They laughed and clapped, they must have liked it.”
• “There were no questions.”
• “It felt pretty good – I think I did okay.”

This is all good except nervousness is not a gauge of effectiveness, people don’t really throw fruit (at least in this country), your friends tend to say you do well, and not asking questions probably means they want the fastest way out of the room.

An effective presentation is one where you meet the objectives you set before you spoke.

In sales, this may mean an increase in closed sales.

In management, this may mean changing employee behavior.

As a scientist, this may mean increasing support for your project.

As a parent, this may mean a reduction in household tension.

In non-profits, this may mean more money and volunteers to accomplish your mission.

Before you plan your next talk, write down the answer to this question:

“When I am done, what do I want my audience to do?”

Plan the talk with this answer as your target and you improve the chance you will reach your objective.

The Speakers Academy is designed for professionals serious about improving their presentation skills. This five-part workshop focuses on the key elements of effective presentations: Organization, content, delivery, and visual aids. Graduates leave with increased confidence, are viewed as more credible, have noticeably improved skill, and enjoy greater success with their speaking. Click here for more information.

© 2010  iSpeakEASY. All rights reserved – This speaking tip is one in a series provided by iSpeakEASY. We help people profit from their words. Call for information on individual coaching or group workshops.

 

Presentation Checklist

Good Presentations Do Not Just Happen.

They are created.

Do you have:

1.       A Clear Message?

Are you clear on what you want your audience to know and do when you are through speaking?

2.      Good Visuals?

Visual aids should be interesting, clear, and to the point. Audiences often miss the message when visual aids (PowerPoint in particular) are poorly designed.

3.      Knowledge Of The Audience?

Research the group before you arrive. Take time to meet individuals before you speak. During the talk, pay attention to the energy of the audience.

4.      Adequate Preparation Time?

Preparation is critical to deliver a credible and moving presentation. Create an outline and good visuals, practice, and know how to use your equipment. The first time you deliver your talk should never be the first time you deliver it in front of an audience.

5.      Plans To Making Your Audience Comfortable?

If your audience is uncomfortable in their chairs, hungry, thirsty, in need of a break, or in a room with poor temperature control, they will have a difficult time paying attention.

6.      A Room Set Up To Meet Your Needs?

The arrangement of seats, tables, lectern, and the screen in relationship to the windows and doors, will affect the audience’s ability to get the most from your talk.

7.      Appropriate Methods Of Presenting Yourself?

The audience will judge you on your dress, choice of words, and level of organization. Watch your use of “French”, jargon, and technical terms. Speak in a manner the audience can understand and follow.

8.      A Contingency Plan?

The audience will expect, and is entitled to, a great performance. What will you do if your computer crashes, the room is inadequate, or you forget something? ­

9.      An Evaluation System In Place?

Check your success based on the goals you set in step 1. Revise your presentation to improve your presentation skills.

Related Articles That Might Interest You

• A Magic Elixir For Speakers
• Four Things Everyone Can Do To Improve Their Presentations
• Three Things I Learned From This Speaker (and the one thing she was really trying to say)
• 6 Ways To Lose Your Audience In The First 10 Seconds
• Reasons You May Not Need Help With Your Presentations

© 2011 by iSpeakEASY – All rights reserved. This speaking tip is one in a series provided to you by iSpeakEASY.

We help people profit from their words. Call for information on individual coaching or group workshops.

The Benefits of Speaking Well

We all know to how to talk: that comes from having a mouth. But talking and speaking well are completely different.

Speaking WELL helps you:

1. Improve your professional and personal reputation
2. Increase your influence in decision making processes
3. Be concise and on target at all times
4. Gain the trust and respect of others
5. Deal with difficult people
6. Come across as sincere, authentic and reliable
7. Increase your success business
8. Be seen as an expert
9. Make strong first impressions
10. Conduct effective business meetings
11. You attract people – people want to be with dynamic people
12. Enjoy the rush of public speaking (even if you fear it)

Speaking is easy and we all do it everyday. Speaking well is learned skill. Effective speakers are able to get things done in a more efficient manner. It is that simple. Improve your speaking skills today.

Here are three things you can do to start the process of improving your effectiveness and credibility:

1. Enjoy free speaking tips and articles at http://www.ispeakeasyblog.wordpress.com
2. Talk with a professional speaking or presentation coach
3. Enroll in the iSpeakEASY Speakers Academy

 

Related articles

• Becoming A Perfect Speaker
• 4 Things Everyone Can Do To Improve Their Presentations
• The Tremendous Advantages Of Being A Good Speaker
• Steps To Create A Yawn Inspiring Presentation
• Show The Audience You Don’t Care
• When Is It The Right Time To Not Speak?
• The Single Most Important Speaking Tip

© 2013, iSpeakEASY – All rights reserved

So What?

“So what?”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Why should I care?”

“Why is this important to me anyway?”

Though it may sound as if these words are coming from a teenager; these questions are going through the minds of everyone as you speak. It does not matter if you are presenting to a large group or talking one-on-one. The main thing your audience cares about is themselves. They are wondering how what you say proves valuable to them.

When you are planning your presentation, put yourself in the position of your audience and ask yourself the same questions. Why are you telling this to your audience, why would they care, and most importantly – why is it important to them? If there is no reason, then don’t say it as your audience will not be listening anyway.

Most people do not have an intrinsic desire to take in new information for the sake of learning. We are bombarded by information every day and rely on internal filters to control what we absorb.

When you speak, the listener will be unconsciously deciding if the information is important to them or not. Your job is to present your message in a manner that lets them know why it is in their interest to listen to you. It is the speaker’s job to demonstrate why the listener should pay attention rather than to space out or think about something else.

Design your talk from your audience’s point of view. Why is your message important to them? Why is each part of your talk of interest to them? How will listening make their life better? Examine each part of your talk from your audience’s perspective.

If you address these questions in your planning, you increase the likelihood your audience will pay attention and absorb what you are saying. If you fail to address these questions adequately, you will end up with an audience of one – and the one person paying attention will be the person doing the speaking.

With appreciation to Sam Ham.

© 2009 – This speaking tip is one in a series provided to you by iSpeakEASY. We help people speak effectively and with confidence.

Call for information on individual coaching or group workshops.

Related articles

• A Speakers Golden Opportunity
• On Buying Aspirin And Public Speaking
• ow Much Time Do You Really Have To Grab Their Attention?
• 6 Ways To Lose Your Audience In The First 10 Seconds