2 Powerful tools for power speaking

In my public speaking I have learned a powerful technique to boost the attention span of your audience.

In normal organization of a speech we have the introduction phase followed by the preview phase. I have learned to add what is called a hook to the introduction phase.

I will even start my speeches with a hook. A hook is used to wake your audience up and gain their attention. You need to think of something that will make them sit up and pay attention to you.

A popular hook is to ask them for a show of hands to a question, such as:

"by a show of hands how many of us would like to retire rich?"

Ok this type of question is one that almost everyone would raise their hands up for.

So design your hooks carefully. Once you get into the habit of using them you will see people paying rapt attention to every word that you say.

I normally finish my introduction before I use what is called a contract.

Now the contract is where you really make your audience sit up and pay attention.

I no longer use the preview and have replaced it with the contract.

If you will recall a traditional preview went something like this:

"Ok, today I am here to talk about dog walking. I will first of all tell you about blah blah blah, and secondly I will talk about..blah blah blah.

Well when you use a contract you state the benefits instead of the features.

So you must determine what is the benefits of someone listening to your message.

Then you craft your contract which is making a contract between you and your audience and delivering them the benefits that you promise.

Example:

If you give me but a few minutes of your time I will show you how you can:

First of all retire within ...
Secondly do it without having to ....

So instead of telling them the features of your program you just told them the benefits that they will obtain by listening to you.

Use Public Speaking to Boost Your Business by Victoria K. Munro

Public speaking can be an excellent form of free PR and an effective marketing tool. Speaking in front of groups gives you exposure to potential clients and enhances your credibility as an expert in your field -- and people like to buy from experts. Below are some tips to help you step out and use speaking to grow your business.

Identify your ideal audience. Research professional associations and industry meetings your target clients are likely to attend. Service clubs are often looking for speakers, and their members might be good clients for you. Get names of program chair people and call to ask if you can speak to their group.

Make your message meaningful. Talk about what you know -- topics you're passionate about. Provide valuable information that will really help your audience. Perhaps pinpoint your target clients' three biggest problems and write a speech about how to solve each of them. Aim to give practical tips -- preferably ones they can implement right away. Don't use your talk to give a sales pitch for your services or products.

Be crystal clear. Know what you plan to say. Start with a simple outline based on your main points -- ideally, no more than three. This makes it easy for your audience (and you) to remember. State your points at the beginning, repeat them throughout your presentation and use them to recap at the end.

Keep their attention. Make your talk interesting and memorable. Illustrate each of your points with examples and stories your listeners can relate to. Statistics can be powerful to back up what you say, but keep them relevant and don't bore your audience with too many.

Practice your presentation. Become so familiar with your material that you don't need to rely on notes and can step away from the podium. Be natural and speak from your heart. Make eye contact with several members of the audience. Never read your speech. Be sure to stay within the time limit set by your host.

Look the part. Be well groomed and appropriately dressed for your audience. Ideally, dress like but slightly more formally than your audience.

Have helpful handouts your audience can take away listing the main points of your presentation. Include space for them to write notes and your contact information. Proof your handout carefully, and have someone else look it over to ensure there are no typos and that it represents you well.

Arrive early and become familiar with the room, the PA system, and meet and mingle as people arrive. If you're using a projector, give time for set up and testing.

Be prepared for questions. If you want your audience to interrupt you with questions, tell them. If you plan a question-and-answer time at the end, let them know this at the beginning and suggest that they make notes of questions to ask later. Then be sure to allow enough time for questions.

Fine-tune your speaking skills: read books, take a course, join Toastmasters International or hire a speech coach. Start with small low-risk groups.

A major marketing campaign may not be in your budget, but speaking is a great way to get your message out to prospective clients. It will take some of your time and energy, but will set you apart as an authority in your field and it's free!

Victoria K. Munro is co-founder (along with husband Dave Block) of Make-it-Fly® LLC, a company dedicated to creating success for small business owners through creatively designed programs and tools. Victoria has started and run nine different businesses. To receive FREE business success articles with tips to help you with your business, sign up for their award-winning ezine, "In-Flight Refueling," at: http://www.Make-it-Fly.com, and receive a free copy of the eBook, Get More Done in Less Time: 101 Quick and Easy Time Tactics & Tips.

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How To Enjoy Public Speaking by Duncan Kelly

Public speaking, for an introvert like myself, was always a no no for me. But now I can do it with ease. Let me share the methods and the process I went through, and how this can work for you too.

* Start off with small groups of very easy people. The easiest people in the world to talk to are preschoolers and the first few grades. They will love you whatever you say, and if you bring along a visual aid or two they will think you are Christmas! Have some sweets to hand out and your talk will go like a house on fire! Doing these "easy people" will start to build up your confidence for bigger challenges later. I started off with very small groups, talking to young kids in grade 3 as a Sunday School teacher.
* Don't worry about butterflies in your stomach just before a talk. This is quite normal. Even famous speakers still have these little twinges. It keeps you alert.
* To become calm before getting up to speak, when there's about 2 or 3 minutes until you have to stand up, take a very deep breath, as much as your lungs can take in. Exhale slowly. Wait a minute and then do it again: deep breath, hold, and exhale slowly. You'll be amazed how much calmer you will feel. Although we don't realize it, when we are tense we tend to take very shallow breaths, with the result that we begin to starve our brains of oxygen, which then makes our anxiety worse. Deep breathing stops this vicious circle of increasing anxiety and restores our calmness.
* Try to make any talk you do beneficial to your audience. The knowledge that you are helping people to be happy or improve their lives or be encouraged is a wonderful motivator to get up there and talk.
* Try and get as much humor into your talk as possible. When people are laughing every so often they are much more likely to pay attention to the serious things you say. Laughing seems to ventilate people's brains and make them able to absorb a lot more data than they would if they were bored. Even highly technical talks about Quantum theory or even cancer research can be helped and brightened up by humor.
* Visual aids are great for two reasons: they take the audience's attention off you, and they become focused on your visual item. Secondly, you are making use of other areas of their brains, which helps them to concentrate on and absorb what you are saying, and they will remember this part of your talk much better than the purely aural delivery. Real live items, like a pumpkin or a flashlight are better visual aids than a picture or a chart.
* If you become nervous in the hours leading up to the talk, focus your mind on the time of the day when you will be back in a safe area, like home, or out of work, and tell yourself eg. " I will be home at 3pm and this whole thing will be over!" Focus on the next pleasant thing after your talk, and you will realize that it is just a temporary, albeit adrenalin pumping, moment! Like your Mom might have said : "It'll soon be better!"
* Do your homework. Research your subject. Make sure you know what you are talking about. Try and get excited about your subject matter, so that some of your enthusiasm will rub off on the audience. Get a fire going in your heart and the people will come and watch you burn!
* Always remember that you are a worthwhile person. Everyone has something to contribute that can help others. Believe in yourself! Don't listen to people that tell you otherwise. You have value. You have worth.

These guidelines I've given you have worked well for me. I've spoken to small groups of kids, small groups of adults, and sometimes large groups of people. I have led courses at work which involved a few days of speaking. For 16 years or so I have led a group of teenagers from all races and cultures, teaching them about making life choices that will benefit them. Now when you consider that I am a shy guy who hates being the center of attention, and ugly to boot, it's amazing that I could get up there and talk at all; yet I did, and I still do, and I enjoy it, because I know that the people I am talking to are being helped and encouraged by what I say.

So don't be scared! It's really not that bad. It's like jumping in a swimming pool.

It's lovely once you're in!

Duncan Kelly

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