www.1001TopWords.com |
Public Speaking Tips: The More You Know, The More It Will Flow - Tips For Knowing Your Audience
The more you know about your audience, the better your presentation will go. For example, if I've got a large diverse group, I'll ask the organisers to give me the names of five people who will be in the audience who represent a cross section across the organisation. I learnt this from listing to a Voices of Experiences CD with Rosita Perez put out by NSA of USA. I'll ring each individually prior to the presentation and the conversation will go like this after a brief introduction: Q: "What keeps you awake at night?" A: "What work of personal?" Q: "Both" I then get a great insight into the challenges they face, personally and professionally. I then summarise and work this into my presentation. "Gathering intelligence about your target readers when writing a book or about your audience members prior to a presentation is an effective way to keep your readers or listeners awake, alert, amused, and involved. You can learn more about your audience members by asking the host specific questions about the group," according to US speaker Jeff Davidson. He suggests asking these questions: Who is the most popular person in the audience? Who is the least popular? Who wins the contests or gets all the honors? Who never gets any of them? Who has been with the organization the longest? Who recently came on board? Who is the biggest kidder? Who leaves the biggest tips? Who is known for falling asleep in presentations? "If you can gather the answers to any of these questions in advance, you have excellent tools at your command! The fact that you go the extra mile by finding out such information gets people buzzing about you and your presentation and makes you more memorable," Mr Davidson said in a recent article in SpeakerNet News published on the 20th May 2005. Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries. You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com. Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom's blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com.
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Make The Most of Examples and Stories Examples and stories can bring your presentations alive. They can transform a dull, dry subject into something which is interesting and alive. When presenters give examples, it helps explain what they are saying in a way that the audience can understand. Examples make the material you deliver less 'information' or and more 'entertainment'. Speech Making - Reasons Why People Dont Listen Making a speech seems simple. You speak, others listen. However this isn't always the case, in fact one of the biggest challenges for speakers is getting their audience listen.If you have to make a speech - you want it to be memorable and successful. If you understand why people don't listen, you will be more successful at getting them to listen! Opening Your Speech Imagine yourself at mission control; 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - Speak! Public Speaking Tips 1. No speech is ever perfect. Perfectionism creates more fear. Do your best and leave it at that. Analyzing Your Audience and Assessing Comprehension Through Feedback Aside from fielding and asking questions, there are other ways of analyzing audience attention and feedback. Unfortunately most trainers are unaware of these methods or feel audience analysis is not really all that effective or important. Nothing could be further from the truth. Analysis is the main tool for what is known as the "functional approach" this dictates that you always seek to measure your progress toward an objective as well as the accomplishment itself. Without the ability to analyze feedback, trainers may have unrealistic or false impressions about the progress being made in the presentation, and thus will be uncertain or wrong in determining their success. Getting on the Speakers List How do you get your name on a speakers list? Speak to Be Heard and Understood Use your voice to your advantage. One of your main tools as a trainer is your voice, and you should be aware of several of its characteristics. Speaking for FUN and PROFIT How do you gain contacts from a speaking engagement? Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking Knocking knees, butterflies (who came up with that word?) in your stomach, sweaty palms, quavering voice. We've all been there ? some of us more than others. I'm going to share with you some of the tricks of the trade to help manage and reduce your anxiety before and during your presentation. These methods are tried and true and have helped many presenters. Boost Your Confidence, Credibility, and Career There's one skill you can develop that will boost your confidence, credibility and career. It's public speaking. If the very thought makes you queasy, you're not alone. For some people, only death is more frightening. For others, death is preferable. Are you the latter? Avoiding the spotlight? Suffering not just butterflies but sheer panic? Dry mouth? Shaking hands? Flushed or pale face? If this sounds like you, then consider overcoming-or at least controlling-your fear. You can start by attending a Toastmaster's meeting and picking up a couple of books for additional help. How VALUABLE is Your Speaking Topic? What information can be used immediately by the audience and what is to follow? How To Start With Public Speaking I don't know how many books, articles, manuals and scripts have been written on that topic. But, I am sure that now there is one more. So why do I dare to write another one? Because I have to contribute a different perspective. I found that all these "how-to" writings about speaking focus on 2 basic things: Speak in Public! Who Me? The first time I had to speak in front of a group was in Air Force boot camp. I had always been very shy, naive, and backward. During Air Force boot camp I was so impressed by my training instructors, I volunteered to be one! The Little-Known Speechwriting Secrets That Won George W Bush The US Election He's been accused of "mangling the language, destroying its meaning by avoiding the use of verbs, twisting nouns into verbs, and endlessly repeating phrases until they become zombified" (Source:'Bush and Blair accused of mangling English' by Kate Kelland, Reuters.com.uk, Mon 15 November, 2004 12:50). How to Promote yourself as a Speaker on the Web Why use the web for promoting your speaking engagements? Speech Training - Building Your Voice, Tips from a Professional Having a clear and confident voice is an essential business skill to be an effective leader, manager and communicator. Executive Public Speaking for English as a Second Language (ESL) Public Speaking is a challenging skill. It is TOUGH! For some of you, it's probably the hardest thing you will ever do; and I can sympathize. Standing in front of the employees and coworkers that you want, (or need) to impress, all the while hoping that you remain clear, memorable, persuasive, entertaining and fun isn't a piece of cake. It is TOUGH, TOUGH, TOUGH!! How to Present Your Proposal at an Executive Meeting What's the worst reaction you've ever gotten when you made an important presentation? Probably, it would come in second to the one I just heard about. A woman-ironically she was interviewing me for an article about "Knockout Presentations"-told me the story of her disaster. It was early in her career as a policy analyst. She was just out of school, proud of her MBA and working in her first real job. When her supervisor praised a report she'd done, she was thrilled. She was less thrilled when her "reward" turned out to be presenting the same report to their executive team. Internet Marketing and Public Speaking: Seven Steps to a Successful Murder Board I recently posted an article providing tips on public speaking for internet marketers, and was bombarded with Emails asking me to expand on one tip in particular-how to conduct a Murder Board, a realistic simulated practice. I did so in a follow-up article providing a more detailed explanation of this practice method, which has its origins in the US military. Now, below, I provide the seven step method to conduct this invaluable practice. This is excerpted from Chapter 14 of my book, The Shortcut to Persuasive Presentations. Speak Up or Sit Down Last night the phone rang; my wife said, "I hope it's for you". When I answered, the caller asked, "Ray, would you speak to the Lions Club next month?" First my gut said, "No"; however, my head said, "Do it". So, one month from next Tuesday, I stand in front of 20 men and women as their evening speaker. They will have just enjoyed dinner with before and after dinner drinks. What a group: stomachs full and heads mellow. Just how will I do it? |
© Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |