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Posts Tagged ‘public speaking tips’

What to Do if your Presentation Lacks Power

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

I have mixed thoughts about Graham Hill’s TED speech.

He has a nice attention-getter; he utilizes a prop to make a point about how often we move from place to place, and the amount of things that we drag along. He has a simple premise; simplify, and some very nice examples. He uses PowerPoint very well, utilizing simple, entertaining images to drive his premise, and he does not clutter his slides with data.

But I’m still a little underwhelmed. And that’s because we’ve heard this speech before. It’s important to really sweat out what your premise is when you begin a speech. Once you’ve decided what you would like to do with the speech, whether it is to entertain, persuade, or educate, it’s crucial that you look for something novel or new to say with your speech. Unfortunately, we’ve heard many times before that we all ought to simplify our space, simplify our lives. There is nothing terribly novel about Mr. Hill’s speech, so it lacks power.

What might have helped? A new approach. Ok simplifying living spaces is your passion… how about discussing the concept of simplicity itself a bit more? Or delving a bit into why we clutter? Or connecting a personal story of your own to why you truly like to simplify? Personalizing a speech always creates more interest.

Yes, sometimes it’s good to go with your first instinct with a speech…but often, we need to sit with our premise for a long time, in order to reap its rewards.

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Posted in Video Analysis of Contemporary Speeches | No Comments »

How to Execute a Killer Twenty Minute Speech

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

JJ Abrams gives a killer twenty minute speech here.

How? Simple. First, NO POWERPOINT. Break the addiction folks, powerpoint is often way overused. He uses video.. a more interesting choice

Second, he has a single, simple message… can you find it? I think it is “mystery is more important than knowledge”.

Third, he tells loads of stories, and gives the speech a personal touch. He begins right off the bat correlating his love for mystery with his love for his grandfather, and then tells touching stories about him. There is always room to share; yes even in your business presentations.

Fourth, the power of three; he has a strong premise, discussion section, and conclusion. We all like threes… so tell them what your gonna tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them.

Fifth, he’s got cool props. Not slides, not graphs, not the dreaded hand-out, but props; the mystery box he bought as a kid, a deconstructed kleenex box, etc. Props are powerful storytelling aids.

He stumbles a bit for wording at the top, and has some vocal tics, but who cares, as long as the passion and craft are there, an audience can accept imperfection.

Thoughts?

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How to Slow Your Rate of Speech

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

“Silence hath more eloquence than words” – George Farquhar

Silence serves many purposes in a speech, but the simplest, and most important purpose it serves, is to allow you to breathe. Many people hold their breath while speaking, and this creates tension, and a monotone speaking style. It is best to breathe from the diaphragm, in a relaxed, organic manner (for a great breathing exercise, click here).

Of course, Martin Luther King used pauses to great effect. As an exercise, take a look at this excerpt from his “I Have a Dream” speech. Read over the excerpt silently, and then read it over out-loud, taking a two second pause for ending punctuation, and a one second pause for all other forms of punctuation:

‘This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.” And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

Notice any differences? Hopefully this exercise allows you to take deeper breaths between sentences, allows you to clarify your thoughts more readily, and let’s you more easily control your rate of speech.

Let’s compare it with the master himself….

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Posted in Non-Verbal Communication | 1 Comment »

Effective Speaking for Media Events

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

A media interview can be simple if you have a one sentence premise to your five to ten minute interview. Check out the clip above. The biologist being interviewed in this clip is not a conventional speaker, but he gives a great five minute interview here because his message is honed. What is his premise? What does he want to get across? The oceans are in trouble. Simple, we got it. What does he used to get our attention? A series of jarring statistics, one of the best being “there are 46,000 pieces of plastic per square mile of ocean”. This string of statistics leads to a smart, savvy call for action. He helps himself by keeping strong eye contact with the interviewer, and using gestures that are organic to the way he moves.

What do you think makes a good media appearance?

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Posted in Speech Writing | No Comments »

Using Humor in Presentations

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

cartoon from www.weblogcartoons.com This blurb from a New York Post article out today explains perfectly how not to use humor in a presentation:

“The clueless CEO in charge of the upstate Indian Point nuclear plant had a stunning meltdown in judgment when he kicked off an investor meeting by displaying the quote from the movie “The Hangover,” “By the way, we’re all gonna die!”

In a bonehead attempt to ease fears about potential disaster, Wayne Leonard, the boss at New Orleans-based energy conglomerate Entergy, littered his 111-page presentation with pictures and lines from the hit 2009 movie.”

Um…hullo!!?? What was this guy smoking? Clearly Mr. Leonard is in dire need of a presentation coach, and, perhaps, a psychiatric evaluation. The question for the rest of us is when is humor appropriate in a speech, when is it not, and how should it be used?

Humor should be used in almost all speeches, especially in boardroom meetings, client presentations, and conference speeches. It adds warmth and humanity to a speech, helps fend off boredom, and it clarifies your main point. Humor is best used sparingly in solemn, or deeply emotional occasions, such as a wedding toast, or when introducing a speaker who is speaking on an important or controversial topic, when presenting an award, and especially, when accepting an award. If you don’t know how your humor might affect the organizers, or the audience, it is best to play it straight.

Of course, most speeches benefit from humor. What type of humor? I think one-liners, and amusing, heartfelt, positive, or self-effacing stories are your best weapons. Unless it’s a roast, or a bachelor/ette party, stay away from off-color jokes. Try jotting down amusing, touching, lighthearted stories about your family (always a winner), or make a list of humorous, ironic quotes… Here are a few gems from Oscar Wilde:

“All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.”

“A true friend stabs you in the front.”

“An excellent man; he has no enemies; and none of his friends like him.”

“Arguments are to be avoided: they are always vulgar and often convincing.”

“Do you really think it is weakness that yields to temptation? I tell you that there are terrible temptations which it requires strength, strength and courage to yield to.”

“I suppose society is wonderfully delightful. To be in it is merely a bore. But to be out of it is simply a tragedy.”

“Life is too important to be taken seriously.”

Finally, and this is crucial, make sure the humor you use is in line with the main point of your speech.

What was the best use of humor you ever used/saw in a presentation?

Click here to register for my June “Language of Leadership” seminar co-hosted with Colleen Culley from Move into Greatness!

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Posted in Speech Writing | No Comments »

Time Stress and Presentations

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Let’s face it, there’s never enough time. In work, or in relationships, we often find ourselves harried, either consumed by the various minutia that is a part of staying afloat in modern society, bills to pay, jury summons to satisfy, etc., or swamped by work requirements, clients to please, dinners to attend, paperwork to finish, etc.

Of course, this often leads us with little time for our presentations. So how do we know how much time to spend on our presentations? And more importantly perhaps, what do we do if we feel we are too busy to prepare?

I recently had a young woman come to me requesting help with a TED speech that she was to give in Bali in two weeks’ time. I was thrilled to get the call. An invitation to speak at TED is close to the pinnacle of success in the world of public speaking. The greatest thinkers in the world are invited to speak there. What’s more, you are allowed to have a call to action with this speech, to inspire, to push for change, to encourage transformation. All of the speeches given at TED go out over the internet, and are widely viewed. For twenty minutes, the world would be this young woman’s stage.

But she had no time. The irony of her success was that she was now inundated with offers for freelance work, and she didn’t have time to adequately prepare for the speech of her life. Luckily we were able to work with the confines created by her new-found success, and carve out a dynamic speech.

I would recommend asking yourself a few questions if you feel that you are short on time:

1) How important is the speech, or presentation? In an ideal world, we would be adequately prepared for every speaking engagement; however, the reality is that sometimes we simply are not. That being said, if the speech or presentation presents an unparalleled opportunity for you, or may be important for your career, you must find a way to carve out time even if it means telling your immediate supervisor you need the day off, or your spouse you have to cut dinner short.

2) Are you really that busy? Ask yourself tough questions. Are you busy, or scared? It’s fine to be nervous about public speaking, it’s perfectly natural, but it’s not good when you start avoiding the hard work it takes to pull off a great speech. If you feel that you are avoiding your speech, talk to a trusted advisor or colleague. Share your feelings. Then put together a plan of action and break through your block.

3) Can I re-arrange? If there is simply no time, or the time allotted to you for preparation is not adequate, it’s fair to ask to re-schedule.

If all else fails? Just be in the moment. Time stress happens to the best of us, and when we run behind, there is no point in beating ourselves up. If your speaking day has arrived, remind yourself you’ve done the best you can, and step up to the podium with as much courage as you can muster. You never know, you might still knock it out of the park!

Click here for my May “Language of Leadership” seminar co-hosted with Colleen Culley from Move into Greatness!

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Posted in Speech Preparation and Anxiety Reduction | No Comments »

Non-Verbal Communication and Leadership

Friday, April 8th, 2011

Caroline Casey gives a stirring speech here…let’s look at it from the perspective of leadership, and non-verbal communication. When we are presenting, we often feel that we need to move in a certain way, a way that conveys “leadership”. I find that trying to move in a way that conveys “leadership” or “confidence” just creates tension. I like the way Caroline Casey moves. She gestures freely, and speaks passionately, and doesn’t seem to be trying to imitate other speakers. She moves in a way that feels comfortable, a way that is her own . This is the key to conveying leadership with your body language, not imitating “successful speakers”, but finding a natural, organic way to move that expresses you.

Vocally, I think Caroline speaks eloquently and expressively; however, I would quibble with the pace at which she speaks. She’s motoring through the speech, and I think she would benefit if she slowed down a bit, took some deep breaths, and clarified her points a bit more.

What do you think creates a confident speaker? Do you move in a way that is comfortable to you? Do you speak with a voice that is your own, and not an imitation of other speakers?

For more information on movement, voice, and leadership, take our Language of Leadership Seminar!

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Posted in Non-Verbal Communication | No Comments »

Video Analysis of One of the World’s Best Public Speakers

Friday, February 4th, 2011

Sir Ken Robinson is hands down one of the world’s greatest speakers. I defy you not to be immensely entertained and enlightened by this twenty minute speech.

Almost every moment here is a gem. Let’s start with his body language. Notice how still he is. Of course, one should feel free to move throughout a speech, there are no hard and fast rules about body language, but few among us have the tolerance to explore stillness while speaking the way Sir Robinson does.

Now let’s take a look at his language…every word is articulated clearly, and he uses an abundance of inflection and pitch. He hits his content words, and makes every point clear, yet never over-articulates. Because he is physically relaxed, we are not distracted by his gestures from the most important component of his speech, his ideas.

He uses his wit to wonderful effect in this speech, eliciting a laugh a minute. Every trick in the public speaking book is used here, analogies, stories, quotes (including a gem from Abraham Lincoln), one-liners…. the speech is crammed with interest. It’s no wonder his last TED speech was downloaded over 10 million times!

Notice the structure of the beginning of his speech; an attention getter at the top that elicits a big laugh, then a clear thesis statement outlying his topic, than a wonderful analogy is made playing off of the public’s fascination with “resources”. Now we are hooked, and we know where we are going. The discussion section of the speech is a series of short, pithy stories. The story he tells about the child who wants to be a fireman, and is humiliated for not wanting to go to college, is one of the best, most appropriate, and powerfully told stories I have ever heard. Watch when he polls the audience as to who is wearing wristwatches… he manages to make a point, and leave everybody in stitches at the same time.

I could go on, and on. Each brilliantly told story weaves effortlessly into his main point: education is in need of reform. He culminates with a lovely quote from W.B Yeats.

A colleague of mine once said to me; “You know a standing ovation is authentic if the audience stands as one unit, immediately after the speech has finished”. Sir Robinson’s authentic ovation here was well deserved.

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Posted in Non-Verbal Communication, Video Analysis of Contemporary Speeches | 2 Comments »

The King’s Speech and the Wholistic Approach to Speech

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

If you haven’t had a chance to see the King’s Speech, do yourself a favor, and check it out. It’s a wonderful and well-crafted film about one man’s fear of his own greatness. It’s also a great tutorial on the role that emotions play in our speaking problems.

I coach executives, administrators, teachers, professors, artists, everybody, and the one problem I see over and over again is a tight jaw. Jaw tension is epidemic. Where does jaw tension come from? Some of it is physical, but a good portion of it is emotional. As Kritsin Linklater pointed out in her seminal book “Freeing the Natural Voice”, clear thinking equals clear articulation, and a free emotional life equals a rich, powerful sound.

So what is jaw tension? It’s over-socialization. It’s a habitual pattern developed over years. Throat and jaw tension often have a direct correlation to “swallowing” our thoughts, and our feelings. When we are young, and we are told not to think something, or not to feel something, perhaps because of social consequences, we tighten the jaw, and push away our thoughts and feelings. Over years this habitual pattern of repression, and it’s correlating muscular tension, builds into hardened, malignant tension.

How can jaw tension be cured? Through breathing exercises, muscular release, and learning, slowly over time, to express yourself freely. Yes folks, it is all related. Emotional release connects to muscular release. I see it time and again with my clients; as they feel freer to speak their mind, their speaking related problems begin to ebb.

So don’t hold back! If you do not speak your truth, the world will not have it. Speak clearly. Speak freely.

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Obama’s Tucson Speech

Friday, January 14th, 2011

President Obama gives a powerful, and eloquent speech at the memorial in Tucson for the victims of Saturday’s shooting spree in Arizona.

To begin with, he has made the smart choice to work without a tele-prompter, and instead, simply read off of cards. This allows him to make an abundance of eye contact, and to focus more readily on the ideas behind the speech.

He starts the speech with a jarring attention getter, speaking of the “sudden hole torn in our hearts”. The image suggests a bullet wound. It’s a bold metaphor, and a great choice for an opener. From here, he moves into the stories of sacrifice and courage under fire that permeated the tragedy. A great speech is always filled with personal details, and there is an abundance here; the r.v. used by two victims to travel across the country, or the fact that the youngest victim, a 9 year old girl, was a softball player, and dreamed of being the first woman in Major League Baseball.

Obama never forgets his call to action. Every speech should have one. Toward the conclusion of the speech, Obama states: “we know we should not use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on each other.” It’s a profound plea for peace, made in a speech that was defined by chaos.

What do you think? I would rate this as one of our president’s finer moments.

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