Public Speaking - 3 Routines That Will Help You to Become a Better Public Speaker

Every person has spoken in public at least once in his life time. Especially nowadays people are confronted with public speaking much earlier than it used to be.

That's why it makes it essential to improve your public speaking skills. If you are a good public speaker then your chances are much higher to get a job.

So what can you do to get better? What routines are useful to become a great public speaker?

Public Speaking - 3 Routines That Will Help You to Become a Better Public Speaker

There are several routines you should get used to. Here is my list.

Get to Know Your Audience

Knowing the audience is very essential. That way you can adjust your speech or presentation according to your audience. Thus your audience is so much more likely to listen and to react in a positive way.

Is your audience mostly made up of one gender? How old are they? What is their ethnic background? Ask and answer these questions and you will be able to pull off a better presentation.

Prepare Your Presentation

Every good public speaker prepares his presentation. And especially beginners make the mistake of thinking that it's not important to be prepared. They think either you are naturally good or you are aren't. But that is not true. You can become so much better simply by preparing yourself.

Even getting to know your audience is a good preparation. You might also want to outline your presentation in order to have a clear view of what your speech is all about.

Get to Know the Place

Whenever you have to go to an unfamiliar place be sure to become more familiar with it. There is nothing more uncomfortable than talking in a place you don't know in front of people you don't know. So at least get to know the place you are holding your presentation at.

That also means that you should get there early in order to prepare everything.

Public Speaking - 3 Routines That Will Help You to Become a Better Public Speaker
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Hi, I am Julius. I have spoken several times in public and I know that it's hard to speak in front of an unfamiliar audience. It's especially hard if you don't know where to start.

That's why a friend of mine has created a great course with lots of useful material on how to create great presentations and what you need to keep in mind when delivering a speech. Take a look at it, it's a great product about improving public speaking.

I hope this will help you to get better public speaking skills.

Top Five Ways To Improve Conversation Immediately

"Communication is a skill that you can learn. It's like riding
a bicycle or typing. If you're willing to work at it you can
rapidly improve the quality of this very part of your life."

- Brian Tracy, Author and Speaker

This report is based upon two kinds of research: First, research in the social sciences such as psychology, sociology, and communication studies. Second, 25 years of observation by the author of people engaged in conversation in many settings: couples, families, business talk, meetings, mixers, informal small talk, professional consultations - a wide range.

Top Five Ways To Improve Conversation Immediately

These five items are distilled from what I have observed and what the research reveals. Adopting even one of these will make a positive difference in improving your conversational skills. Each will have an immediate positive effect. Adopting them all could transform your experience of conversation.

TOP FIVE WAYS

1. Show interest in and be curious about those you talk with.

In conversation, to be curious is a definite plus. Being curious about another person helps to engage us and to validate that person as interesting. On the other hand, if we seem bored by or indifferent to the person, they feel invalidated, as if we are saying "You hold no interest for me. You are not interesting."

Not to be curious can be troublesome in life. As human relations speaker and author Dale Carnegie wrote:

"It is the individual who is not interested in his fellow men who has the greatest difficulties in life and provides the greatest injury to others. It is from among such individuals that all human failures spring."

Consider the spouse who shows no curiosity about what his
partner is thinking or feeling, or the parent who does not wonder
about the thoughts and inner lives of the children. Consider the
manager, thinking s/he knows everything about the business and
who expresses no interest in the employees' ideas. We know the
results: Distance and negative feelings between the people.

The good news is that we can choose to be interested or
curious. This is an act of intention. For example, who
has not taken a required course of study that "held" no
interest at the outset but then, when you saw that being
uninterested in the subject resulted in poor learning and
grades, you decided to be interested in order to learn better.

The same is true for our interest in other people. For
example, a husband whose marriage is troubled and who faces
separation and even divorce because he expresses so little
interest in his wife may choose to "become interested" about
his wife and what she has to say. When he changes his thinking
and his attitudes, his conversational behavior also changes.
He pays close attention. He asks questions. He listens carefully.

I notice that many people try to appear interesting themselves instead of being genuinely interested in others. When we show interest in others, they usually begin to show interest in us. However, when we try to be interesting, we often look self-conscious or even vain, whereas being genuinely interested in other people makes our conversations and life experience a rich adventure.

2. Balance the talking and listening. Take turns.

We Americans tend mainly to be out-going, extraverts, talkative. That's probably a plus, because we are an optimistic, "can-do" society. However, for relationships, lots of talking and too much talking can be harmful to personal and business relationships.

The scientific evidence suggests that balancing our conversation so that everyone gets a turn who wants a turn is supportive of social relations. In informal conversation, balance requires that speakers monitor themselves so that they do not dominate by talking too much. It is also important for more quiet people to speak up from time to time so that the talkative ones don't think you are giving up any interest in sharing your ideas.

Balancing the talk doesn't require a strict 50-50 distribution. The ratio can be 80-20 and still be balanced, as when one person is mainly interviewing the other who of course will do most of the talking. The key here is not so much the actual time each one talks. It is the taking turns that matters. One person may ask a brief question that requires a long, detailed answer.

Having balance in a conversation suggests safety and
fairness and creates a supportive climate for honest ideas
to be expressed and heard. In large groups, a chairperson
or a facilitator can monitor and direct the talk and make
certain everyone has a chance to speak fully. In casual
conversation, we must manage ourselves to make sure
we have balance.

3.Give genuine compliments and real praise when appropriate.

Some people have trouble giving compliments. Others have trouble receiving compliments graciously. Most of these troubles are caused by upbringing and culture. All of these old habits can be eliminated and replaced with kinder and more generous behavior that fosters better relations between people.

The fact is, such public and global praise is suspect, not helpful. And not only for children, but for adults as well. Writing in his landmark 1996 book, "Punished by Rewards," Alfie Kohn makes four solid points about giving compliments and praise:

a. "Don't praise people, only what people do. It's less likely that there will be a gap between what someone hears and what he thinks about himself if we don't make sweeping comments about what he is like as a person."

b. "Make praise as specific as possible. Even better than 'That's a really nice story' is 'That's neat at the end when you leave the main character a little confused about what happened to him.'"

c. "Avoid phony praise. . . . One symptom of phony praise is a
squeaky, saccharine voice that slides up and down the scale and bears little resemblance to the way we converse with our friends. A four-year-old can usually tell the difference between a genuine expression of pleasure and phony praise, between a sincere smile and one that is manufactured and timed for best effect."

d. "Avoid praise that sets up competition. Phrases like 'You're the best in the class (or for adults, in this department)," whose "most pernicious effects . . . encourage a view of others as rivals rather than as potential collaborators. What's more, they lead people to see their
own worth in terms of whether they have beaten everyone else -
a recipe for perpetual insecurity."

Kohn supports each of these points with solid research as he
suggests ways to encourage people and build their intrinsic motivation.

During my early life I had difficulty giving compliments, and now I enjoy doing so. The Scandinavian culture I grew up in was not comfortable with compliments because parents believed that kids would "get a big head" and be prideful. I also had trouble giving compliments because I DID see my fellow students and friends as competitors in classes and on the playing fields. I needed more maturity to be able to give genuine praise to my rivals.

For many years now I have enjoyed complimenting others in
specific ways because I can see the positive effects that result.
When I coach professionals on their performance, the specific
compliments I give them on their behavior and the work they
produce helps them grow and develop.

Some time ago, a student asked, "Whenever I compliment my
friend, she resists. How can I make my compliments stick?"

Try this method: Add a question after your compliment:

"I think your new hairstyle is stunning, Sally! Who did it for you?"

Adding such a tag-question at the end usually prevents the person from avoiding the compliment because they are responding to the follow-up. "The way you read the poem was deeply touching, Fred. Did you practice it many times?"

Finally, if you yourself tend to deflect compliments, try harder to accept them. A simple "Thank you" to the one offering the compliment will do. After you run the billiards table, or score perfectly on the test, it's simply not appropriate to refuse a compliment. Nor is it genuine for the football star who scores seven touchdowns to say "It wasn't me; it was the other guys on the team." When you receive a genuine compliment, acknowledge it and let it in!

4. Keep your positive energy up.

When we interact with others, we exchange not only words and bodily expressions. We also give off - exchange - our vital energy. If our energy is high and vibrant, we lift the conversation. If it's low and sluggish, we sap energy from the encounter.

A professional colleague, Dr. Robert Rausch, is a specialized consultant to many large companies. In his work with management, he has them look at those factors in the company that drain human energy and those factors that increase the energy. Energetic people thrive, and low-energy people
barely survive. His excellent book, "Energy Matters," gives you many ideas on how to enhance your personal energy and avoid being drained by difficult or toxic interactions.

Many ways are available to increase and maintain our personal energy. Among them are well known methods, such as being well nourished and well rested. Also, keeping our interactions positive rather than negative, focusing on what's good and what works instead of griping and complaining. A fine resource to enable positive talk is the book, Encyclopedia of Positive Questions by Diana Whitney and others (2002). This approach of "Appreciative Inquiry" is now being widely used in organizations to make the energy more positive and motivating.

When we are energized, we are able to be responsive, alive to the situation and the person we are talking to. Our voice and
body reflect our responses and add color and flavor to our talk.
When we don't have enough "gas in our tank," being responsive
is difficult at best.

In recent years new understandings have become available about how best to manage our bodily energy. Most are easy to learn and can be self-applied. Here are some excellent references if you wish to follow up on this topic:

Energy Medicine, by Donna Eden (1999)
Become an Energy Addict, by Jon Gordon (2003)
The Mars and Venus Diet and Exercise Book, by John Gray (2003)

5. Ask better questions

A routine question will evoke a routine response. Thus, "How's it going?" will generally get a "Fine, thanks," or perhaps a "I can't complain." If the purpose of the question is only to acknowledge an acquaintance briefly and move on, your purpose is served. This is the social function of language that the anthropologist Malinowski called "phatic communion," which is nothing more than a brief and superficial verbal connection, the smallest of small talk.

However, if you'd prefer a more substantial conversation, you'll need to use a different question to evoke a different response. A deeper and more detailed conversation will certainly be less predictable and probably more interesting, and it will likely have the effect of enriching your relationship.

Here are four suggestions for more productive questions:

1. Ask questions that elicit detail. These are often "What?" questions.

For example, "What did you finally decide about relocating?" or
"What did you do on your trip to Mexico?" will usually stimulate detailed responses. Questions that don't require detail, such as "How are your plans coming along?" and "How was your trip?" can be answered with a mere "Good, thanks."

2. Ask open questions that require more than a Yes or No. These are the "Wh" and "H" questions beginning with What, Why, Where, and How. These work better than "closed questions" that limit the response, such as "Did you like the movie?" Instead, "What did you like about the movie?" draws out a more interesting and detailed response.

3. Ask some questions that are a little bit surprising or "edgy." These are not meant to put the person on the hot seat, or to make them uncomfortable, but to stimulate and get a lively response instead of a routine response. "What's the most exciting/challenging thing that's happening with you at this time?" is such an edgy question. Predictable questions usually evoke predictable responses, such as "What did you learn in school today?" "Oh, not much."

4. Use some "If?" questions such as "If you had the means to
pursue your dream occupation, what would it be?" Or "If you could have dinner with a famous person, whom would you choose?" Such questions break out of the routine and add some fresh energy to the conversation. By the way, don't ask others any question you yourself would not want to be asked. Also, be prepared to answer the very "If?" questions you ask. The other converser may say, "Let me think about that for a minute. Meanwhile, you go first."

For some excellent examples of effective questions, check this book, Questions That Work, by Andrew Finlayson (2001)
Although it's mainly for business and professional life, this book has many good ideas about the structure of questions that apply to any conversation. As well, it contains plenty of question examples, such as "27 questions to inspire creativity in a group." and "66 questions to ask when you're investigating a problem."

===============================================

Loren Ekroth ©2004

Top Five Ways To Improve Conversation Immediately
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Loren Ekroth, Ph.D. is a specialist in human communication and a national expert on conversation for business and social life. His articles and programs strengthen critical communication skills for business and professional people. Contact at Loren@conversation-matters.com. Check resources and archived articles at http://www.conversation-matters.com.

Public Speaking - Attention Getters - Are You Beginning Your Speech With a Big Mistake?

Public speaking is a fabulous tool for solo professionals to market their businesses. But I've seen so many do it all wrong. That's a shame because when you present your speech using the right time-tested techniques and strategies, you'll see amazing results every time.

The first words you speak are some of the most important words of your entire presentation. Real estate professionals use the term "location location location" to talk about what's important with regards to buying and selling a home. In public speaking, you can use the same concept with the most popular and absolute worst way to begin your presentation. Ready for it? Here it is:

"Hi, my name is..."

Public Speaking - Attention Getters - Are You Beginning Your Speech With a Big Mistake?

Bleck.

Boring.

Yawn.

Do people need to know who you are? Sure they do. Do they need to hear it as the first words out of your mouth? Only if you want to bore them to tears during your ever-important first impression. Think about your speech in terms of real estate and consider your first words, known as your "attention getter" to be some of the most prime real estate of your speech. Just as you wouldn't build a shack on the same street with multi-million dollar luxury estates, you don't want to clutter one of the most important parts of your speech with a less-than-powerful phrase like "Hi, my name is." Why is it bad? Read on.

First, you've likely already been introduced. Almost no speaker gets up at a public speaking event and starts to give his/her speech without someone introducing that person. What does that mean? It means the audience already knows your name. They also probably were drawn to the event and saw your name in pre-event publicity or on the program when you arrived. Don't re-state the obvious as your attention getter.

Next, the first words out of your mouth need to compel your audience to sit up, take notice, and be engaged with your speech from the very start. You want their reaction to be, "Ohhhhh... this is gonna be interesting!" And while your name is undoubtedly a beautiful name, it's not enough to make an audience be compelled to listen to what you have to say next.

Finally, as a solo professional delivering a speech to market your business, your speech should NEVER be about you. Your audience is tuned into radio station WIIFM: What's In It For Me. Make it clear from the start that your speech is all about what's in it for them. They'll not only listen, they'll take notes!

So if your attention getter is prime real estate and "Hi, my name is..." doesn't deserve prime location, does it belong anywhere? Yes. Your name has a home later in your speech's introduction. Tell your audience who you are after you've drawn their attention. Use the real estate that comes after your attention getter as the time to begin building your credibility. Tell your audience information that will allow them to know you are qualified to help them with their needs.

When you use the proper techniques and present information in the correct order, you can get all the benefits of marketing your solo professional or small business using public speaking.

Public Speaking - Attention Getters - Are You Beginning Your Speech With a Big Mistake?
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If you'd like to learn more about all the proper techniques so you can use public speaking to market your business, visit [http://www.CashInOnSpeaking.com] . You'll learn everything you need to know from how to choose a topic, how to best organize your speech to get instant results, and where to go to get booked to speak.

Public speaking is one important way to increase your credibility as a small or home-based business owner. I invite you to discover how to Increase Business by Communicating Your Credibility now. You'll get this FREE e-course designed to help you attract more business and get more cash flow. Pick it up here: http://www.communicationtransformation.com/creating-credibility-ecourse.html

Felicia J. Slattery, M.A., M.Ad.Ed. is a communication consultant, speaker & coach specializing in training small and home-based business owners effective communication skills so they can see more cash flow now.

Basic Public Speaking

Public Speaking is an art of oral communication, with specific purposes, open to the knowledge of all or most of the people or to an audience.

Art

Public speaking is considered an art but it does not require a highly artistic talent, years of training, masterly technique or artistic soul. It is more a fruit of hard work than gift of birth. As an art, public speaking involves a process consisting of the ability of the speaker to influence others to accept or reject a belief or an idea. It teaches a person what to do. It has laid down certain rules and procedures to be followed in presenting or projecting the speaker's thoughts to his audience. Since art is beautiful and it give pleasure to the beholder or to the artist himself, public speaking as an art is beautiful and pleasurable. An effective public speaker gives beauty to his art and the listener finds beauty in his appreciation or understanding of the speech delivered.

Basic Public Speaking

Oral

Public speaking is not merely communication, it is oral communication because it is spoken. The spoken communication to be effective must be clear and accurate. Thus the speaker must be voice conscious. He must strive to learn voice variation, voice projection and proper breathing. He must know how to enunciate, articulate, and pronounce in order to have a good diction.

Communication

How does public speaking as a human communication process work? The word communication is derived from the Latin words "con" (with), "minus" (a business), "communis" (common) and "communico" (to refer or consult with one another). Thus public speaking involves conferring or consulting with one another's thought. Communication to be effective and complete must have a transmitter, a receiver and a channel. The transmitter is the speaker, the receiver is the listener and the channel is the occasion. Should anyone of these three elements is missing, communication does not take place. Whenever you speak are an information source.

Your voice is the transmitter that sends out your words or messages. Since the words travel through the air, the air becomes the medium of communication. Someone, a receiver, hears your voice and communication may then take place. If your message is transmitted to your listener and you receive some kind of response, or a feedback, you know you are communicating effectively. Interference of any form prevents successful communication. Communication is poor or ineffective because of poor occasion that destroys the channel of communication. Effective communication depends upon how well or how clearly meanings are shared. Ineffective communication occurs when meanings are only shared partially or missed altogether. your communication is effective when your receiver interprets the message as you intended it to be interpreted or understood.

Basic Public Speaking
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Public Speaking - Types of Speeches

Have you ever tried to create a speech, but the ideas just didn't seem to gel? You know: they seem good enough, they support your message, but they just don't go together.

When preparing your speech, it helps if you know what type of speech you want to create. There are four types:

Informational: this is the most prevalent type of speech. Your goal is to provide information to your audience. It is often presented with a series of numbers, statistics, and many PowerPoint slides... which tend to make it overdrawn and boring. Inspiring: in this type of speech, you seek to inspire your audience to change something in their lives. This is often called a "motivational speech". In fact, that is a misnomer. Motivation comes from within, nobody can give it to you. Inspiration seeks to draw that motivation from audience members in order to get them to act. Entertaining: the main goal of this speech is to make the audience laugh and to enjoy themselves. These ais the format of most after-dinner speeches. Notice that an entertaining speech is not the same as a standup routine. It is much smoother and logical in its flow. In an entertaining speech, the message comes second to the enjoyment of the audience. Persuasive: it aims to convince an audience of your point of view.Typically, this is a sales presentation. Your goal is to convince an audience of the benefits of your product or service, and your speech is constructed accordingly.

Public Speaking - Types of Speeches

Although your speech focuses on one of these types, it helps if you can include aspects of each type in your final delivery. A sales speech will be much more effective if it contains information, is entertaining, and inspiring.

If you have trouble figuring out which ideas to keep and which ones to chuck, first decide on a type of speech and keep only the ideas which fit that type. Once you've got the core elements in place, add elements that will enhance it without taking away from the core message.

Public Speaking - Types of Speeches
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Laurent Duperval consults and trains on communication issues. He publishes the "Communicate To Motivate" electronic newsletter, which aims to help leaders improve their communication, public speaking, and presentation skills to dramatically improve their results.

You can reach him at http://www.duperval.com

Public Speaking - 5 Powerful Tips for Persuasive and Captivating Presentations

Let's face it. Most of us are not comfortable speaking in front of groups, especially when giving formal speeches or presentations. Standing on stage under bright lights, with all those blank faces staring at you, can be incredibly nerve racking. In fact, some people tremble at the mere thought of public speaking.

Did you know the fear of public humiliation is greater than the fear of death? It's universally true across all cultures. It's why most people are deathly afraid of public speaking.

Now here's the paradox. To reach that "next level" of success, socially and professionally, the ability to speak in front of a group is a fundamental necessity. Overcoming this fear will release your untapped potential. It will unlock opportunities that you may currently find unattainable.

Public Speaking - 5 Powerful Tips for Persuasive and Captivating Presentations

One of the most important life skills is communication. Being able to effectively communicate to groups of people gives you an incredible advantage.

Sooner or later you will be presenting. Maybe you need to pitch a proposal at a company meeting... give a sales presentation to prospective clients... or something as simple as voicing your opinion in front of some friends or colleagues. No matter how big or small your audience, the following 5 Tips will help you deliver persuasive, powerful presentations - guaranteed!

...But first thing's first! I am not a professional speaker. I was no less afraid of public speaking than the next person. When I was young I avoided large groups. They intimidated me. So it wasn't in my scope of reality to speak to a group of people!

Then as I got older I realized that shyness and greatness don't mix.

Through training, I overcame that barrier. Not only did I learn to speak in front of a group, I learned how to present. My fear of speaking was replaced with the confidence to deliver impactful presentations to over a hundred people at a time. Now I'm even more comfortable on TV and on camera. So I can say first-hand that applying these skills has absolutely improved my life!

There are a lot of good resources for public speaking. You can find speaking groups, (like Toastmasters), in every major city. It's a terrific way to develop some speaking skills. But, what I'm about to share with you is far more valuable than speaking skills alone. I'm not going to talk about articulation, creative use of language, vocal variety, filler words, verbal crutches, hand gestures, and other techniques.

Although public speaking techniques are invaluable for giving speeches, presentations are more interactive and often require facilitating audience engagement. When you're able to deliver captivating presentations, every aspect of your public speaking skills will improve automatically.

The magic of a powerful presentation is in the ability to make an emotional connection and build trust.

This is achieved by creating the proper setting, or [context], which engages your audience as part of your presentation. Logic, facts and figures may build interest and even impress your audience. However, it won't spark the emotional motivation that decisions are made from. And, it certainly isn't enough to earn their trust. Win over your audience by speaking to their hearts, not their minds. Remember, presenting is "facilitating a conversation". It's not lecturing.

Creating context is how the best speakers in the world influence and inspire. The process can be so subtle that unless you know what to look for, you just think they're amazing speakers - which of course they are! The point is, it can be duplicated. The process will even give you instant confidence. How's that for a great by-product?

...Communication is an emotional contact sport. Presenting to groups is no different. The common mistake is to think that presenting is a one-way street.

5 Tips to Connect With Your Audience:

Yes, it's your audience. And, no matter what you previously thought, "presenting" is two-way communication...even if you're doing all the talking!

Remember, the majority of all communication is non-verbal. Just because the audience isn't talking doesn't mean they're not communicating with you. You just gotta learn to "listen".

1. Get Present:

It's called present-ing for a reason, so be in the now. This is one of the most overlooked factors in giving presentations. It's so easy to get caught up in your "content" or presentation notes that you may as well be speaking to a wall.

There's a story of an actress who was having a conversation at a party. She talked about herself for 20 minutes then asked, "Enough about me. How did you like my last movie?"

Yes... you may have the stage, but it's not all-about-you!

Your audience is consciously or subconsciously looking for [what's in it for them]. For the most part, they're watching and listening to you for self-serving reasons. Address those reasons and you'll get their undivided attention.

Remember, in a presentation you're directing "a conversation". Yours is verbal and theirs is non-verbal. Take moments to stay connected to your listeners. Just as you would make eye contact in a one-on-one conversation, continually scan the room and make your audience feel as if you're talking to them individually. Notice their physical cues and responses during your presentation.

Not everyone has the ability to give a presentation or deliver a speech without using notes, and that's totally fine. Notes are useful and sometimes necessary, as long as they're not a crutch. If your face is buried in your notes, you're not connecting with the audience. That means you're definitely not present with them.

...Stay connected with your audience by "staying present".

2. Enroll the Audience:

Enrolling questions are questions that engage listeners into participation. There are 3 main benefits of using enrolling questions in your presentation:

#1- Questions hook the mind. This allows listeners to at least mentally participate in your presentation, not just sit and listen. Remember, you're leading a conversation and not a lecture. Get them to interact with you by asking questions that will lead into key points of your presentation.

The average adult attention span is probably shorter than the length of your presentation. It's even shorter with kids. So use questions to get them to focus on your presentation, instead of the gazillion things going on in their personal lives. (Considering the average internet user's attention span is in the seconds, congratulations! You're officially above average!)

#2 - Addressing their questions is the way to bridge trust. If your audience doesn't trust you and thinks you're just "selling" or manipulating, you've already lost them.

Use questions that are relevant to your listeners' interests. Your goal is 100% enrollment - your entire audience. If one or two people lose interest, it signals others to do the same. It only takes one person to trigger an episode in a group dynamic.

Participation is the key to retention and asking enrolling questions is the secret to participation. So use the universal enrollment question, "How Many Of You...?" (HMOY)

"How Many Of You would like to be a captivating speaker?" "How Many Of You would like to have the confidence of a world class leader?"

Business coaches, motivational speakers and exceptional salesmen all use the universal enrollment question. We've all heard these kinds of questions. And facilitated properly, it never gets old. Facilitated properly, it always works.

It's good to ask 2 questions at a time - one question, and then it's opposite. This way you get 100% enrollment. For example:

"How Many Of You are comfortable presenting to large groups?" (response)...."Thank You. How Many Of You are not comfortable presenting to large groups?" (response)..."Thank You."

Of course not everyone will physically participate, even though you've asked opposing questions. It's okay because just asking the question will mentally grab their attention.

Key Point: Asking enrolling questions alone isn't enough to fully engage the audience into participation. Physically demonstrate the Response You Want. If you want them to raise their hands in answering your questions, raise your hand!

Enthusiasm is contagious! If you raise your hand halfway, most of your audience may only flip their hand up at the wrist. Raise your hand high, with energy and enthusiasm, and the audience will more likely raise their hands at least halfway up. If you're connected with the audience, they'll follow your physical commands without resistance. If not, it's a cue to get present and re-connect. I encourage you to test this!

Another important point when asking enrolling questions is to thank the audience each time they respond. This is an important part of the enrollment process. It will help you gain trust by appreciating your audience.

...Use enrolling questions > Model the response you want > Thank the audience when they participate.

3. Address Their Physical/Mental/Emotional States:

Have you ever shifted in your seat to get comfortable during a lecture? Ever change leg positions or arch your back to stretch while seated? Ever need to take a big deep breath to stay focused and energized?

Of course!...Did you take a deep breath just now?

This is called a state change. While listening to a speaker, we periodically need to "change our state." We subconsciously do this to release discomfort, or to "refresh" ourselves so our attention doesn't drift off. As a listener this helps us focus. Now as a speaker, it usually means your audience is bored, uncomfortable or in disagreement with you.

What if you could use state changes to your advantage, instead of something to worry about during your presentation? How valuable would that be for your confidence? Here's where delivering a presentation gets fun! (Imagine... public speaking can be fun!)

Have you ever been to a seminar and noticed how often the speaker will ask questions to get you to raise your hand?...And every so often they may even get you to stand up or perform some kind of physical movement.

A lot of people associate this with motivational lectures - to get you energized. That's true, and it's actually much more. Did you ever think that it's an integral part of the entire presentation process? In fact, it's carefully thought out. It's usually so subtle that most people don't realize the intent behind it.

Having good content in your presentation may get listeners interested. However, that's not always enough for them to commit to a decision inspired by your presentation. How you deliver your presentation is everything.

While observing video playback of various seminars, it was discovered that the entire audience would periodically shift in their seats. Here's why...

Like a computer, your brain is constantly processing information at lightning speed. It's processing millions of bits of information per second. Your audience is subconsciously picking up tons of information from the words you're using, your vocal tone, body language, other people in the audience, etc. It processes it all and comes up with an emotional feeling, mental thought, physical sensation, or a combination of the three. This dictates their [energetic state].

This "state" must be constantly addressed in order to retain their attention - more accurately, to retain their interest. Otherwise you'll lose them through the overwhelming amount of information you're blasting at them, or merely through sheer boredom.

Just as you periodically need to hit the [refresh button] on your internet browser, the processor in our brains need to be refreshed too! Mental, physical and emotional states are all closely connected. Change one and you simultaneously influence the other two. Studies have shown that the fastest way to change someone's state is through a physical motion.

Knowing this, you can facilitate state changes in your audience at will, during your presentation. It's not to be mistaken with manipulation. It's the secret to keeping your audience focused and engaged.

If you don't facilitate state changes, your audience will unconsciously do them on their own. And that could mean you've momentarily lost them. If you've even momentarily lost them, you're not communicating effectively.

Remember, they'll only retain about 10% of what you said. But, they'll always remember how you made them feel!...and most decisions are based on emotions - not logic. Logic is how decisions are later justified.

This is why professional speakers put so much emphasis on how their message is delivered - cause context, (how it's said) can be more important than content, (what is said).

...Facilitate "state changes" to get keep the audience engaged.

4. Acknowledge & Thank Your Audience:

Everyone has an inner skeptic. It's healthy, to some degree. But as a speaker, a skeptical audience is intimidating. Unless your audience already knows you, they're probably skeptical while open-minded at the same time. Those odds can quickly change for you or against you. It can happen faster than you can say (or don't say) "anything." So let's increase those odds in your favor!

A key part of delivering a powerful presentation is to build trust. This includes addressing the audience's inner skeptic during your presentation. This is commonly known as addressing [WIIFM's] or What's In It For Me?

...Meaning, what's in it for your listeners? You may have something valuable to share, but is it important to them? What are some obvious questions your listeners may have in order to peak their interest and gain their trust?

Many people, understandably, want to avoid controversy and "hot topics" during a presentation. Objections can be scary to face head on, especially when unprepared and under the pressure of a large group! But completely avoiding them during your presentation has been proven to be a huge mistake!

There's no faster way to lose credibility, and a listener's interest, than to avoid WIIFM's and not address obvious objections.

This one point underlines the core reason most people are afraid of public speaking - the universal fear of public humiliation. Ironically, hidden in the fearsome WIIFM's and objections lies the secret to making quantum leaps in the power of your presentations.

Take the time to anticipate and prepare for major WIIFM's and objections. Even if nobody verbalizes them, someone is thinking about them. And if someone is thinking about them, others probably are too. And if your audience is thinking about their objections instead of listening to your presentation, they may be in disagreement with you. Which means you've momentarily lost the connection.

WIIFM's and objections may or may not be the same. A listener may not have any objections but simply aren't interested cause they don't see any personal relevance, (WIIFM). Or, someone can be interested and engaged while being skeptical (sees the relevance but has objections).

Either way, making an emotional connection is the key to a powerful presentation. Why do you think testimonials have proven to be more effective than selling facts and features?

I can't tell you how powerful it is to address WIIFM's and objections during your presentation. It skyrockets your credibility and further engages your audience for a fantastic presentation.

Remember, it's imperative to thank your audience for their time and participation....Not just at the end of your presentation, but throughout your entire presentation. It's a natural human need to feel valued. Extend your audience's trust by genuinely appreciating them.

...Acknowledge the audience's WIIFM's and major objections.

...Thank them for their time, participation, and/or money.

5. Call To Action:

Depending on the kind of presentation you're giving, a "call to action" is whatever your intentions are for your audience. For example: to get their contact information to build your prospective client list, to schedule future appointments, to make an immediate sale, etc.

This is the time to "close" your presentation and get the results you're intending. You've informed, inspired, and added value to your listeners. Your presentation has prepped them for this moment...now what?

Generally, the audience still needs direction. At this point they probably realize the potential value you're offering. In fact, if you've addressed the WIIFM's and made the emotional connection, they can't wait for you to tell them what to do next! That's exactly the win-win you're looking for.

Keep in mind that most people follow the group dynamic. Without clear guidance, they may scatter or just follow the masses. So, where do you want the masses to go? A common mistake is not providing a simple and clear call to action. I've seen so many good presentations go bad because of a lack of definitive next steps.

...Provide a simple and clear call-to-action.

Summary:

By no means is this article a 'complete guide' to delivering powerful presentations. It's not possible to stuff advanced material into one article. That being said, implementing this process into your presentations will yield outstanding results - guaranteed!

There isn't necessarily an "order" to this process. These tips are to be applied throughout your entire presentation. Using this methodology, you'll be able to take your presentation towards a professional, world-class level!
Get Present Enroll the Audience Address the Audience's Energetic State Acknowledgement and Thanks Call to Action

Next time you watch a professional speaker or top salesman, you'll recognize these powerful tips that you've just learned. Best of all, now you can consciously duplicate this proven process and implement them as your own.

Professional training doesn't always have to cost a lot of money, (like it did for 'some people'). In this case it only costs you an investment in time! Congratulations and good luck! You won't need it: )

Public Speaking - 5 Powerful Tips for Persuasive and Captivating Presentations
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Continue to discover the power of your untapped potential!
We all have so called inner demons or deep-rooted emotions that may have a negative effect on our lives. Most people try and hide or suppress them. However, only by overcoming them and [taming] them can we turn those "inner dragons" into something positive.

In many cases our biggest challenges can become our greatest strengths. We just need to have the courage to face our "dragons" and the tools to tame them. Explore the blog and share your thoughts, experiences, suggestions.

Thanks!
http://stevesdragon.com/

Three Ways to Overcome Your Public Speaking Fears

I am going to show you three specific ways to overcome your public speaking fears, but first you need to believe that the fear and nervousness you are experiencing CAN be overcome.

1. It is normal to be nervous and even fearful before getting up to speak in public. Most great actors feel nervous before going on stage; world class athletes are nervous before a big event so don't feel that you have to be fearless!

If you can accept that your nerves are a normal response and not unusual in any way, then you start to release the tension and allow yourself to function effectively. Because fear is a normal physiological response that releases adrenaline into your bloodstream - preparing you for the fight or flight response - you can harness the help you are being given.

Three Ways to Overcome Your Public Speaking Fears

Adrenaline heightens your responses and gives you the extra 'lift' to give of your best.

2. Work out where your fear of public speaking comes from. With most people it is a fear of appearing foolish - nobody wants to look daft - so preparation is the key. Your self-esteem is a powerful mantle and you don't want to lower it by exposing yourself to laughter or ridicule.

You may feel that the audience won't like you - in fact they are probably more supportive than you may think. You may be worried that the audience will not like your speech or value the content of what you have to say.

Aim for approval from your audience and you will find yourself well pleased too; but never at the expense of compromising the truth of the message you deliver.

3. The audience knows nothing of your fears; audiences like this have seen many speakers before and are looking forward to hearing your speech. Because they are 'neutral' all you need to do is hide your nervousness and act the part of an accomplished speaker.

Think about speakers YOU have seen before; how did they look and act. COPY THEM! Now bear in mind why you have been asked to speak; keep your material simple but to the point and focus on what you believe the audience needs to understand.

Put their needs before yours and you will be assured of giving a great speech. The only other thing to remember is that audience feedback ill tell you how you're getting on.

If they start to get restless, it is far better to call an unscheduled break and regroup forces than it is to continue without positive audience feedback.

These three ways to overcome your public speaking fears will soon have you saying "I enjoy giving a speech, and I'm actually good at it."

Three Ways to Overcome Your Public Speaking Fears
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Peter Fisher is an expert Author and Publisher of www.selfxpress.com which is full of presentation skills tips and techniques. When you follow these Three Ways to Overcome Your Public Speaking Fears you can move on and build your skills anytime you like.