Public Speaking Presentation Techniques

Preparation, Presentation, Persuasion are the key ingredients when you are speaking to 10 or 500 people. Your audience will judge your presentation within 30 seconds; 55% by your body language, 38% the quality of your voice and 7% the words you say. The most effective way to communicate to your audience is with accuracy and energy.

55% of how people perceive you is body language:
* Look at your audience, glancing at your notes only occasionally.
* Step out from behind the lectern or podium to make yourself accessible to the audience.
* Use your hands to emphasize a point, otherwise relax them at your side.
* Use flowing movements. Rocking side to side indicates insecurity.
* Smile and be dramatic or humorous when appropriate. It denotes you are a multi-faceted person.
* If you need notes make them on 5 x 7 index cards; not paper because it's noisy. Use black ink for your main bullet points and red or another color for sub-points. Number the top corner of the cards.
* Place a glass of lukewarm water near your notes (cold closes your throat).
* If you blank out and forget a point, take a sip of water and check your notes.

38% of how people perceive you is by your voice inflection:
* Practice your speech out loud repeatedly. Eliminate umms, ahs and maybes. A pause is more powerful. If you connect your name and your company together: "Hi, I'm Bill Smith and my company is XYZ", it would not be as effective as "Hi, I'm Bill Smith. (pause) The name of my company is (pause) XYZ." This method draws the listener's attention toward what you will say next. Pausing also helps the listener to digest what you have said before you go on speaking.
* Female speakers, lower your pitch.

7% of how people perceive you is by your words:
* Eliminate words like if, someday, but, problem, issue. If you have a problem, mention it once, and then go into conclusions, results, answers and solutions.
* Use powerful words: memorable, colossal, limitless, family, friendly and excellence.
* Opening your speech is your chance to attract your listeners attention. A powerful technique is to open with a statement or question to get them focused on you and your presentation. An eloquent analogy or comparison to preface what you intend to say is an audience grabber.
* Closing your speech is another opportunity to create a call to action finish for your audience in. You could end by using an famous quotation, or a slogan or a story that sums up your topic.

Your audience is rooting for you. They want to benefit from what you have to say. Practice your speech standing up, record yourself, play it back and have friends or family critique you. Take deep breaths and realize that nervousness is normal. The secret to giving an excellent speech is to commit, prepare and rehearse. Have fun, make audience eye contact, project your voice clearly and be committed to what you are saying.

Donna Hartley is an international speaker for over three decades. She has been featured on NBC, ABC, PBS and in The New York Times. Donna Hartley is the author of Fire Up Your Life and Fire Up Your Intuition, released in June 2011. For her books please go to http://www.amazon.com

By Donna Hartley

Tips for Curing Your Fear of Public Speaking

For many individuals, there's nothing more terrifying as the thought of having to get in front of a crowd to deliver a speech. But as people are thinking more of going into business for themselves, they are finding that may not be able to avoid it-especially if they're going to have to speak to an audience about their business, products, or their services.

Being a little nervous is natural. It's a sign that you want to do well, but being overly nervous might pose a challenge. With a some training you can learn to overcome your anxieties or fears and make good informative speeches. Here are five tips on how to gain confidence in public speaking.

(1) You would want to wear a favorite outfit that makes you feel confident and comfortable. Choose professional clothing for the day of your speech. Your outfit should not be too casual or too flashy. You always want your attire to complement your speech.

(2) Good eye contact with you audience is very powerful in public speaking. Try at first to include everyone in the audience equally when you look out over the crowd. Then select a couple of faces you wouldn't mind speaking directly to throughout most of your delivery. Good eye contact increases your credibility as a speaker.

(3) Speak clearly. A good speaking voice is important for delivering an effective talk. You naturally want your voice to be pleasant, natural, and dynamic. Remember to speak directly into the micro-phone. If you don't have a microphone, then pay close attention to the volume of your voice in order for everyone in the room to hear you. Don't talk to fast! Use pauses when appropriate for effect, laughter, or applause.

(4) Turn your fears into positive energy. This is no doubt the biggest challenges of public speaking is the fear you may have that something awful or publicly humiliating is going to happen to you. Just try concentrating on channeling your nervous energy into an enthusiastic delivery simply because you have something valuable to say. So just be conversational. A good conversational style will aid you to be relaxed as a public speaker.

(5) Practice! Experience builds confidence, which is the key to an effective delivery. Every speaking opportunity will help you become more relaxed and confident. You can start small and work your way up to bigger audiences and events. In time you will begin to develop trust in your own ability to be a true public speaker.

Many books have been written for over a century now on the art of public speaking. But in just 40 pages you can not only learn how to speak to an audience with confidence, but also how to present an effective presentation with visual aids, in the eBook entitled "Public Speaking and Public Presentations."

In this book you'll learn such things as how to train the memory, how to take control of your audience. Are you a student? You will learn how to speak confidently in front of your class. If you need to present a presentation using visuals, this book will help by giving some tips on how to effectively get the most of visual aids tools such as Power Point, videotape, or a 35 millimeter slides and more.

With the help of this publication, "Public Speaking and Public Presentation," you'll be provided with the basics to excel in one, or the other, or perhaps both. Whether you have an agenda to speak on, or if it's a matter of choosing a topic and doing research, you can no doubt be successful in becoming a confident public speaker.

For more information on this comprehensive 40 page eBook, go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EM6THC.

RTJ Online blog at http://regjackonline.com/?page_id=5, provides self-help informations and tips on social media topics, to help you get the most of using social media tactics and ideals.

By Reginald Jackson

Public Speaking - How to Speak With Confidence

By Edward Hope


Most people experience "nerves" when they speak in public. Both skilled public speakers and novice speakers experience this anxiety. The difference is in how they use it when they present because of the actions they take and their attitude towards it.

The way to speak with confidence is:

1. Preparation
Careful preparation naturally leads to self-confidence. This involves researching your topic thoroughly so you can build your expertise in it. When a selecting a topic it helps greatly if you are interested in it because when you stand up to speak to a group you are merely expanding the conversation you will have had previously. Once you have researched the topic the next step is to organize, outline and write the speech. When beginning in public speaking, it is advisable to write your speech out in full, so you get a fully thought through speech. Keep the sentences short. Use spoken language rather than written language especially if you are considering reading your speech. (Note it is difficult to convey confidence when reading a speech).

2. Practice
Thorough practice builds confidence. The more familiar you are with your speech the better armed and confident you will be in delivering your speech. The number of times required to run through your speech will depend on the nature of the speech and the natural skills of the speaker. The practice speech delivery should include presenting in front of friends and family. If possible have a dry run at the venue will help you get used to the actual circumstances of the delivery.

3. Performance
When it is your time to present, keep a confident expression on your face and walk purposefully to where you will present from. Stand firmly on both feet placed slightly apart and stand up straight (don't lock your knees). This gives over an air of confidence. Pause and take a few deep breaths and smile (but not like a Cheshire Cat) to settle your nerves. A smile is contagious and also conveys confidence. Be natural, move and speak like you would in normal conversation. This includes looking at your audience. Looking down or away from your audience can be interpreted as "nerves" or lack of preparation. The more often you speak in public or to groups the easier it becomes and the more confident you become. 4. Self Talk

Talk to yourself in a positive way. Keep focussed on the success of the talk rather than what could go wrong. Just before you go on to speak, really go overboard on the positive self talk so you are bursting with "positivity" when you speak.

Experienced speakers can still have "nerves" before they speak. They see this as a spur to give the best speech they can. Others see it as excitement. The same feelings are experienced but a different attitude towards them makes a big difference.

Speaking with confidence comes from exercising a little courage. Many talents are denied the world because it is not exercised. The forest would lack much music if only the birds that sang were the ones with the best voice.

Persistently speaking in front of groups builds confidence. It is by consistently practice and doing, that public speaking is improved. By taking the first step and realizing that the key to success is in your own hands the first "bud" of confidence appears. With proper care and attention the "bud" is developed so that you become more effective and speak with confidence.