The experts teach presentation skills

The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills ManageTrainLearn Download free books at  ManageTrainLearn The Experts Teach Presentation Skills Download free eBooks at bookboon.com  The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills 1st edition © 2014 ManageTrainLearn & bookboon.com ISBN 978-87-403-0781-8 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Contents Contents Preface 1 When Stage Fright Happens: Use It and Lose It by Judy Ringer 2 Creating an Image – Can a Speech Do it? by Bob Selden 14 3 How to Update Your Executive Presentation Skills Instantly by Milly Sonneman 18 4 How to Be a Great Speaker Without Using PowerPoint by Tom Antion 360° thinking 21 5 5 Fail-Safe Tips When You Forget or Get Flustered During a Presentation by Dianna Booher 6 The Windows to the Soul by Robert Graham 360° thinking 25 28 360° thinking Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers Click on the ad to read more Download free eBooks at bookboon.com © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities Dis The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Contents 7 Seven Strategies for Handling Difficult Questions – What to Say When You Don’t Know the Answer by Mary Sandro 8 Business Presentations – How Boring Are You? by Milly Sonneman 30 34 9 Public Speaking 101: Speaking Secrets of the Superstars by Colleen Kettenhofen 37 10 Keep Your Speech Interesting By Being Present Yourself by George Torok 41 11 Presentations are Better When they Sound Conversational by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE 43 12 Exceptional Presentation Skills: Turning Up The Heat by Milly Sonneman 47 13 The Powerpoint Rules by Robert Graham 50 14 From Paralysis to Peak Performance by Dianna Booher 55 Increase your impact with MSM Executive Education For almost 60 years Maastricht School of Management has been enhancing the management capacity of professionals and organizations around the world through state-of-the-art management education Our broad range of Open Enrollment Executive Programs offers you a unique interactive, stimulating and multicultural learning experience Be prepared for tomorrow’s management challenges and apply today For more information, visit www.msm.nl or contact us at +31 43 38 70 808 or via admissions@msm.nl For more information, visit www.msm.nl or contact us at +31 43 38 70 808 the globally networked management school or via admissions@msm.nl Executive Education-170x115-B2.indd 18-08-11 15:13 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Click on the ad to read more The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Contents 15 How Visual Aids Undermine Presentations – Three Ways You May Be Boring Your Audience to Tears by Mary Sandro 16 How Come Nobody’s Listening to Me? by Robert Graham 58 61 17 Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Presentation? – How the Pros Make Nervousness Their Friend by Mary Sandro 63 18 Three Mind-Tickling Techniques to Make Your Presentation Content More Memorable and Motivating by Mary Sandro 66 19 Seven Habits of Highly Effective Speakers by George Torok 70 20 The Laws of Public Speaking (PEACE) by Arvee Robinson 72 21 Saved By a Cartoon: The Six Blind Men and the Elephant by George Torok 78 22 Special Delivery! Tips for Improving Your Humor by Tom Antion 80 GOT-THE-ENERGY-TO-LEAD.COM We believe that energy suppliers should be renewable, too We are therefore looking for enthusiastic new colleagues with plenty of ideas who want to join RWE in changing the world Visit us online to find out what we are offering and how we are working together to ensure the energy of the future Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Click on the ad to read more The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Contents 23 Building Rapport with Your Audience – the “Like” Link by Dianna Booher 86 24 Suggestions for Using PowerPoint Effectively – or Not at All by Jim McCormick 90 25 How to Stay Cool When Speaking in Public by Joan Curtis 92 26 Using Jokes in Your Presentation by Alan Arthur 96 With us you can shape the future Every single day For more information go to: www.eon-career.com Your energy shapes the future Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Click on the ad to read more The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Preface Preface Introduction to “The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills” In each of “The Experts Teach” series, we’ve gathered together some of the world’s best thinkers to share their ideas with you Their ideas offer new, refreshing, and insightful ways to look at old themes, allowing you to discover new perspectives, develop your understanding, and change the way you think Profile of Editor Eric Garner Eric Garner is an experienced management trainer with a knack for bringing the best out of individuals and teams Eric founded ManageTrainLearn in 1995 as a corporate training company in the UK specialising in the 20 skills that people need for professional and personal success today Since 2002, as part of KSA Training Ltd, ManageTrainLearn has been a major player in the e-learning market Eric has a simple mission: to turn ManageTrainLearn into the best company in the world for producing and delivering quality online management products Profile of ManageTrainLearn ManageTrainLearn is one of the top companies on the Internet for management training products, materials, and resources Products range from training course plans to online courses, manuals to teambuilder exercises, mobile management apps to one-page skill summaries and a whole lot more Whether you’re a manager, trainer, or learner, you’ll find just what you need at ManageTrainLearn to skyrocket your professional and personal success http://www.managetrainlearn.com Acknowledgements The authors of each article in this book have given permission for us to re-publish their work and bring them to a wider audience Unless it states to the contrary, the copyright of the article belongs to each author Each article concludes with a bio of the author and links to their website, if available We also publish their written reprint/republication permission with a link to the relevant web page, if available All such permissions are valid at time of publication If these permissions have been amended or changed without our knowledge, please email us at eric@managetrainlearn.com so that we can take appropriate corrective action Download free eBooks at bookboon.com The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills When Stage Fright Happens: Use It and Lose It by Judy Ringer 1 When Stage Fright Happens: Use It and Lose It by Judy Ringer As a professional singer and speaker, I’m often asked if I still get nervous in front of an audience I And I’ve learned to use my nervous energy – and minimize its impact I practice Aikido, a martial art based on aligning with the attacker and redirecting the attack Instead of seeing an attack, the Aikidoist sees energy If I see what’s coming as attack, I defend against it If I see energy, I expand my options When I suspend my belief that the event is negative, I can direct its energy purposefully toward my goal Let’s apply this concept to an attack of stage fright If you’re like most people, you consider stage fright a negative event What if you suspend this belief for a moment and imagine your anxiety as energy you can direct toward your goal of a great performance? The purpose of this article is to help you use the energy we call stage fright to increase your power and presence in front of an audience Consider professional athletes storied for their ability to excel under pressure: Michael Jordan, ball in hand, with two seconds to make the basket and win the game The greater the pressure, the more focused the athlete They how to use the pressure of performance to increase power and presence Similarly, you can manage your relationship with stage fright by working with it instead of running from it, and allow it to shift you into “the zone” of optimal performance described by professionals the world over What follows are mental and physical strategies to transform your nervous energy into directed energy before and during your presentation, plus additional tips on how to enjoy your moments in the limelight Getting Ready: Your Body Prepares Just Like You Do The anxiety associated with performance usually spikes shortly before show time But symptoms can begin days or even weeks in advance and range from dry mouth and shortness of breath to shaking, shivering, and complete inability to perform Change your perspective While it may seem that your body is attacking you, consider that what you call nerves or anxiety may actually be your body’s way of getting ready for the event Rename the “attack” and call it excitement, preparation, and purposeful design In addition, focus your awareness on the symptoms Notice how they show up, grow, subside, grow again, and subside again Don’t resist them Ride the wave Be there By this I mean stay present, breathe, and increase your kinesthetic awareness Measure the symptoms (That was a on the Richter scale!) Be curious about them (Wow, look how my body is shaking Amazing!) Even try amplifying them Download free eBooks at bookboon.com The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills When Stage Fright Happens: Use It and Lose It by Judy Ringer For example, when I’m really nervous, I shiver In the past, the shivers could grow strong enough to prevent me from speaking or performing Before a concert some years ago, instead of resisting, I tried to amplify the symptom and shiver more At first, I just went with the shivering motion, then gradually increased it until I was shaking like crazy, the difference being that now I was intentionally shivering I was the driver instead of the passenger By mimicking the nervous shaking and intensifying it, I was gradually able to slow it down and stop it I think I also used up the nervous energy As in Aikido, I blended with the energy of the attack and redirected it It was a fun learning Transform the inner mugger Prior to the presentation, notice your internal dialogue Is it friendly or hostile? If it’s friendly, great Keep it If not, blend and redirect Acknowledge the voice and work with it For instance, when I’m feeling intimidated by a workshop group, my inner mugger will say things like: They won’t like this presentation They’ll see right through you You’re not good enough for this group Right? You know the words Not terribly useful I used to try to ignore this attacking voice, but Aikido teaches that it’s not safe to ignore the attack The more I ignore, fight, or otherwise resist my nervousness, the worse it gets Instead, I pay attention I notice the voice, listen, and maybe even ask my inner mugger a few questions: So why won’t they like it? See through what? What would be good enough? How are these folks different from our other groups? I regularly receive illuminating answers In any case, I have fun and – guess what? Listening to the attacking voice tends to quiet it What about your inner mugger? What critical messages does it send? Write them down Attacking voice: _ _ _ By acknowledging the attacking voice, I can replace it with a more supportive one: I’m ready I can handle this I have a worthwhile message, and these people are interested in hearing it This is going to be fun What inner support can you give yourself before a performance? 10 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Special Delivery! Tips for Improving Your Humor by Tom Antion Vary the Types The above formula would get boring and redundant rather quickly if you used the exact same type of humor every time for part B By varying the type of humor in B, you can go on virtually forever, and no one will recognize that you are using a formula I have identified more than 34 different types of humor to plug into the formula You could use one liners, jokes, humorous props, funny stories, magic, cartoons or other funny visuals Rule Of Three One of the most pervasive principles in the construction of humorous situations is the “Rule of Three.” You will see it used over and over because it’s simple, it’s powerful, and it works (See, I just used it there in a non-funny situation.) Most of the time in humor the Rule of Three is used in the following fashion: The first comment names the topic, the second sets a pattern, and the third unexpectedly switches the pattern, making it funny Here’s an example from a brochure advertising my seminars: In the “How to Get There” section From Washington, D.C., take Route 50 This e-book is made with SETASIGN SetaPDF PDF components for PHP developers www.setasign.com 83 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Click on the ad to read more The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Special Delivery! Tips for Improving Your Humor by Tom Antion From Baltimore, Md., take Route 95 From Bangkok, Thailand, board Thai Airways Look Funnier I have been accused of being too “corporate-looking¡” to be funny When I’m being funny, I use facial expressions, odd body angles and bizarre comments and props to make up for my “normal” look Those of you that have obvious physical characteristics that can be used in teasing yourself have an advantage People love characters who are not afraid of teasing themselves You can enhance the funny look with fun patterns and colors on ties and dresses, hats and funny glasses Bombproof Your Talks Are you afraid of bombing when you get up in front of a group? You don’t have to be With proper material selection, a few prepared comments in case of unexpected problems and attention to time, worries about bombing can be virtually eliminated As in tip above, make sure your material is relevant to your topic, and keep it short The longer a piece of humor is, the funnier it better be A) Saver Lines Saver Lines are what you say when your supposedly humorous statement does not get a laugh You shouldn’t be ashamed to use saver lines The top comedians in the world need them and some purposely make mistakes so they can get a laugh from the saver line Johnny Carson was an expert at this After a poor response to a joke, he would say a comically insulting line like, “This is the kind of crowd that would watch Bambi through a sniper scope.” Don’t overdo the saver lines If you have to use too many, your material must be pretty bad B) Pre-Planned Ad-Libs Another way to keep from bombing is to “expect the unexpected.” Canned or pre-planned ad-libs are pre-written responses to unexpected happenings or mistakes that occur during a presentation, i.e., the microphone squeals, the projection bulb burns out, you say the wrong thing, etc Prepared ad-libs actually more than just save you They make you look tremendously polished Here’s the continuum: A bad presenter will stammer around when a problem occurs A ZZZZZs presenter will say nothing and try to ignore the problem A great Wake ‘em Up presenter will make a witty comment that appears to be spontaneous The audience believes you are originating humor on the spot You are just quickly recalling preplanned responses 84 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Special Delivery! Tips for Improving Your Humor by Tom Antion Microphone Squeals This is the portion of my presentation where I my elephant impression Projector Light Burns Out This is the first time I have been brighter than my equipment Highlighter Runs Out Of Ink I’m out of ink I’ll be back in a wink (remember…“k” words are funny) Think Diversity Our audiences are more ethnically diverse than ever before, so it’s crucial to watch your political correctness and eliminate sexist language from your presentation Not only is it easy to offend, which will turn your audience off completely, easily understandable word choice is more critical than ever to ensure that your audience members “get” the humor When speaking across cultural lines, especially, visual humor such as magicHealth Fitness Articles, cartoons and comic strips are the most readily understood www.netaim.info About the author Tom Antion is a veteran of the public speaking circuit He has been paid for more than 2,500 entertaining presentations Tom has helped thousands of corporate executives, professional speakers, salespersons, and trainers become highly effective communicators, through professional one-on-one sessions, retreats, and seminars http://www.antion.com/ Reprint notice Any article may be reprinted and distributed with no charge in your ezine, on your website, or in your print newsletter provided You include the article in its entirety, unchanged (website links should be in clickable hyperlinked format) Byline, author’s statement of copyright and signature must remain intact You notify Articles Factory of intent to publish and send a courtesy copy or link Article source should be indicated as: Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com http://www.articlesfactory.com/terms.html Article Source: http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/humor/special-delivery-tips-for-improving-your-humor.html 85 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Building Rapport with Your Audience – the “Like” Link by Dianna Booher 23 Building Rapport with Your Audience – the “Like” Link by Dianna Booher Connections create credibility To put it simply, people are much more apt to believe you if they like you Haven’t you observed speakers who had great messages but who lost your respect because of their arrogance? On the other hand, how about those poor ramblers who had tremendous difficulty organizing their thoughts and feelings but whose words moved you because you liked them personally? 360° thinking Think how much of any President’s success can be attributed to personal popularity Consider your favorite local news anchors or sports broadcasters How much of their success can be attributed to viewer opinions such as, “He seems like a nice guy” or “She comes across as warm and intelligent”? Personality traits and the attitudes of presenters either attract or repel audiences 360° thinking 360° thinking Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities Discover the truth 86 at www.deloitte.ca/careers Click on the ad to read more Download free eBooks at bookboon.com © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities Dis The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Building Rapport with Your Audience – the “Like” Link by Dianna Booher Be Genuine Audiences want to know that what they see is what they will get A few months ago I heard a speaker at a convention make several offers to address participants’ questions and concerns after the session He seemed genuinely interested in making himself available to anyone in the audience However, when someone approached him with a question a few hours later, his brusque manner let the audience member know that he did not have time to “waste.” The speaker’s hypocrisy and lack of warmth glared like a neon sign Audiences sense concern and genuineness They typically not warm up to speakers who hide behind a “facts only” presentation – one that is formal, emotionless, or indifferent In general, be willing to share who you are with your audience and to laugh at your weaknesses, your mistakes, and your humanity Show Enthusiasm for Your Topic Don’t be afraid to show enthusiasm for your subject “I’m excited about being here today” says good things to an audience It generally means that you are confident, you have something of value to say, and you are prepared to state your case clearly Boredom is contagious Audiences get it from presenters who resist being “too emotional” about their ideas and the outcome of their presentation Even the most mundane topic can be interesting to an audience if you show a little creativity and curiosity Do not equate enthusiasm with hysteria, however Do not intimidate your audience by forcing them to raise their hands if they will contribute at least $X to your cause, bring a friend to next week’s meeting, or stop letting their spouse beat them at poker How much enthusiasm is too much? You have to be the judge Let genuineness be your guide If you are emotional because you really feel conviction about what you are saying, then you are on solid ground When you feel that you are faking it, it is time to back off and cool down Sprinkle Humility Among the Expertise This characteristic confuses many beginning presenters On the one hand, audiences want the presenter to be knowledgeable about the subject On the other hand, they not want a presenter to be arrogant about his or her expertise You have to determine for yourself the proper balance between expertise (which establishes credibility) and humility (which makes you likable rather than arrogant) On occasion, you will have to sell the audience on your competence to speak on a given subject When you do, select experiences, ideas, and illustrations that convey your range of expertise without sounding either egotistical or falsely modest 87 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Building Rapport with Your Audience – the “Like” Link by Dianna Booher Keep in mind that there are ways to show humility other than an overly modest presentation of credentials You can acknowledge your audience’s expertise with a statement such as, “Frankly, I’m a little puzzled about speaking in front of a group such as yours Many of you have as much or more experience with [the topic] than I I’m hoping to share a different perspective on [the topic] for your consideration.” And be sure to credit your information sources and any ideas borrowed from others In short, a presenter’s success rests on three things: likableness, conviction, and competence Meet People Individually Before You Begin Your Presentation Introducing yourself to various people in the group and asking about their expectations for the meeting or session or their interest in the topic or role in the project you may be addressing builds rapport for several reasons: It says that you are aware of their individual presence and not just view them as a group – that you care about their individual concerns or interests Chitchat gives you a chance to find a common bond – a mutual acquaintance, viewpoint, interest, history, or goal Finally, they come to see you as a “regular” person – someone like themselves, someone they can believe Refer to People by Name During Your Presentation Another advantage to arriving early to meet and greet audience members is that you’ll learn valuable information that will help you customize your remarks Engage them in a little chitchat about what they are hoping to learn or hear during your talk, what their role in the organization is, what key projects they are working on, or what mutual friends or colleagues you may have A specific reference by name – particularly, if you can add some further comment about what the person said, did, or believe – is like a personal pat on the back in front of a group And when any single person in the group receives praise, the entire group generally feels the stroke However, the reference does not necessarily need to be praise “Geri, didn’t you tell me you’d worked at Universal yourself a few years ago? So, of course, you know also that the culture there is…” is an audience-involving technique that says to the group “That speaker obviously isn’t on automatic pilot He or she is aware of us as individuals who’ll need to live with this merger.” Forget the Old Adage “Never Thank an Audience” Years ago, the conventional wisdom was that presenters should never thank an audience at the conclusion of a presentation In fact, drama and speech professors insisted, “The audience should thank you, the speaker.” Of course, thanking an audience is appropriate You may want to thank them for their invitation, for the platform or forum, for listening, for their hospitality, for their participation in any interactivity, or for considering their response to any action you are proposing A genuine, heart-felt “thank you” always builds rapport with a group 88 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Building Rapport with Your Audience – the “Like” Link by Dianna Booher About the author Dianna Booher works with organizations to increase their productivity and effectiveness through better oral, written, interpersonal, and cross-functional communication She is a keynote speaker and the author of more than 40 books (22 on communication) including The Voice of Authority, Booher’s Rules of Business Grammar, Speak with Confidence, and Communicate with Confidence Dianna is CEO of Booher Consultants, a communication training firm offering programs in presentations skills, business writing, and interpersonal communication Successful Meetings Magazine named her to its list of “21 Top Speakers for the 21st Century.” Executive Excellence Publishing also named Dianna to its “Top 100 Thought Leaders” and “Top 100 Minds on Personal Development.” www.booher.com or call 800.342.6621 Reprint notice Reprinted articles may not be altered in any way and must include the accompanying byline, biography, and contact information Thank you for your interest in Dianna Booher’s work in business writing training, presentation skills training, and communication performance improvement! http://www.booher.com/articles.html Article Source: http://www.booher.com/newsroom_article32.html Increase your impact with MSM Executive Education For almost 60 years Maastricht School of Management has been enhancing the management capacity of professionals and organizations around the world through state-of-the-art management education Our broad range of Open Enrollment Executive Programs offers you a unique interactive, stimulating and multicultural learning experience Be prepared for tomorrow’s management challenges and apply today For more information, visit www.msm.nl or contact us at +31 43 38 70 808 or via admissions@msm.nl For more information, visit www.msm.nl or contact us at +31 43 38 70 808 the globally networked management school or via admissions@msm.nl Executive Education-170x115-B2.indd 18-08-11 15:13 89 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Click on the ad to read more The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Suggestions for Using PowerPoint Effectively – or Not at All by Jim McCormick 24 Suggestions for Using PowerPoint Effectively – or Not at All by Jim McCormick How to make PowerPoint a positive part of your presentation As a professional presenter for over fourteen years, I’ve seen PowerPoint used well and poorly Unfortunately, is seems to be used poorly more often that well Here are some suggestions for making PowerPoint a positive part of your presentation The secret to using PowerPoint successfully is to be minimalist – fewer slides and less text PowerPoint is a powerful tool Used well, it will enhance a presentation Used poorly, it can destroy it HIGHLIGHTS Use PowerPoint to emphasize your key points Your presentation likely has five or six (or ten) key points Use PowerPoint to reinforce those points graphically NOT A CRUTCH Don’t use your PowerPoint slides as your script or note cards Few things are less engaging that watching a presenter read their PowerPoint slides to the audience (Often referred to as death-by-PowerPoint.) One of the benefits of using your PowerPoint slides to just reinforce your key points is that they cannot substitute for your notes MEDIA TOOL Use PowerPoint to present media that is better presented graphically than verbally This likely includes photos, videos and charts (We live in a media-saturated world If you have to present charts, make them colorful, 3-dimensional and graphically appealing.) READABLE To the extent you put text into your PowerPoint slides, make it easy and pleasant to read Keep the type large (no more than five lines per slide, less is better), use a font that is easy to read and make sure there is plenty of contrast between the type and the background (Keep in mind that the colors will likely not be as rich or saturated when the slide is projected as it is on you computer screen.) 90 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Suggestions for Using PowerPoint Effectively – or Not at All by Jim McCormick NOT A DISTRACTION You are the presenter PowerPoint is there to support you Don’t make it the other way around Human interaction is still the best means to communicate Don’t focus on making your PowerPoint slides too animated or splashy This shows up often when a presenter is uncertain of his or her presentation skills and tries to compensate by creating dazzling slides Audiences can see through this ploy They want to connect with you, not your PowerPoint slides CAN YOU DO WITHOUT? Ask yourself honestly, you really need PowerPoint for your presentation Is it going to enhance your presentation? Will your presentation be more impactful without it? Don’t feel obligated to use it if you don’t need it Not using PowerPoint will likely set you apart from other presenters With PowerPoint so overused, many audiences will thank you if you choose not to use it Consider it And most of all, make your presentation a conversation Most people enjoy conversations If your presentation is conversational instead of a lecture, your audience is much more likely to enjoy and remember it © 2010 Jim McCormick About the author Jim McCormick is the co-author of Business Lessons from the Edge http://www.businesslessonsfromtheedge.com/, the author ofThe Power of Risk and the editor of 365 Daily Doses of Courage Jim draws on his experience at a World Record and North Pole skydiver, MBA and former corporate Chief Operating Officer to help teams and individuals move past self-imposed limitations through presentationsArticle Submission, seminars and performance coaching You can contact him at http://www.takerisks.com/ Reprint notice Permission to publish or post this article is granted provided copyright is attributed to Jim McCormick and the above information about the author is included in its entirety Article Source: http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/business/suggestions-for-using-powerpoint-effectively-or-notat-all.html 91 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills How to Stay Cool When Speaking in Public by Joan Curtis 25 How to Stay Cool When Speaking in Public by Joan Curtis This article will put that universal fear of public speaking in the proper perspective and give you some tips for turning the fear into positive energy Understanding the paradox about fear and effectiveness, speakers can embrace their fear and use it to propel, rather than paralyze Fear then becomes the energy, the enthusiasm, the spark, our friend Does the thought of speaking in public make you tremble inside? Are you one of those people who would rather die than speak before a group? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then fear not, you are not alone The majority of people would prefer to turn tail and run than to rise up and speak before others Most of these people will tell you they have no trouble speaking one-on-one, but when asked to stand and speak before groups, they cringe with fear GOT-THE-ENERGY-TO-LEAD.COM We believe that energy suppliers should be renewable, too We are therefore looking for enthusiastic new colleagues with plenty of ideas who want to join RWE in changing the world Visit us online to find out what we are offering and how we are working together to ensure the energy of the future 92 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Click on the ad to read more The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills How to Stay Cool When Speaking in Public by Joan Curtis This article will put that universal fear of public speaking in the proper perspective and give you some tips for turning the fear into positive energy The Paradox of Fear – (Most people not realize that fear is a good thing In fact, if you are too relaxed you will not perform as well on the podium Seasoned speakers know this It’s a big secret we like to keep to ourselves If everyone knew that fear was a good thing, everyone would confidently walk up to the podium, knowing that the fear would soon disappear Others would not be so impressed with our prowess on stage Let’s look at what happens to effectiveness in relation to fear When you first walk on the stage, your fear factor is very high This is called the red zone, when all of us, even the very best speakers experience the greatest fear In the red zone when our fear is highest, we are most alert Blood is really pumping through our veins Our effectiveness as a speaker rises As the speech progresses, our effectiveness continues to go up, side-by-side with our nervousness After about 2–4 minutes into the presentation, we all hit what is called the comfort zone This is where you begin to sense some relaxation What you hope as a speaker is that you remain in your comfort zone through the remainder of your talk Very nervous speakers not allow themselves to hit the comfort zone They stay in the red zone throughout the talk, causing their fear to take over This phenomenon causes fear not to propel but to paralyze If, on the other hand, you become even more relaxed past your comfort zone, guess what happens to your effectiveness as a speaker? It goes down! In fact, the more relaxed you get after your comfort zone the less effective you are on the stage That little edge that brought you to the podium is now gone Have you ever seen a speaker whom you thought was so good in first few minutes and then he/she began telling off-color stories or rambled on about something irrelevant to the topic? These are people who surpassed their comfort levels Knowing this paradox about fear and effectiveness, we as speakers embrace our fear and use it to propel us, rather than paralyze us Fear then becomes the energy, the enthusiasm, the spark, our friend Tips to Manage Your Fear: * (Identify the fear What are you afraid of? What specifically you fear? Are you afraid of what the other people will think of you? Are you afraid of losing your train of thought? Are you afraid you’ll fall off the stage? Write down everything you fear Make the list as long as you need to 93 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills How to Stay Cool When Speaking in Public by Joan Curtis *Isolate Each Fear Once you’ve identified your fears, list the things you can to prevent that dreaded event from happening For example, if you are afraid you will lose your train of thought, prepare clear, precise notes If you fear what others will think of you, imagine what they are thinking How can you turn their thoughts from negative energy to positive energy? *Take Baby Steps Instead of making your first speech to the local Rotary Club, ask a question in a Sunday School class When you feel comfortable asking questions in public, then teach a Sunday School class or volunteer to give a little talk in your public schools You might consider joining Toastmasters International This organization offers many opportunities for practice and feedback *Practice, practice, practice I wrote another paper on How to Write a Speech without Notes In that paper I outlined a practice model Take a look at that model If you practice your speech to the point that you are absolutely sick of hearing it, you will be prepared for your speech *Make the Unknown Known One of our biggest fears of speaking is the unknown We not know the audience We not know the location We not know what will happen when we open our mouths This list is endless Of course you cannot make all the unknowns known, but the more you make known the more control you will get on this fear For example, how can you make the audience known? Here are some tips: *Research your audience Find out the kinds of people who usually attend this session What are their ages, sex, socio-economic background and likely interests? *Greet people as they walk in Shake hands and make eye contact If possible, ask people their names With a large audience you cannot meet everyone, but each person you greet becomes your new friend *Engage Your Audience Look out into the audience no matter how large and get them involved in your talk Bring them along with you Don’t just talk to them and please, not read your notes or your PowerPoint presentation When your eyes point down to read, you not engage! Ask open questions that make the audience think Challenge them to become part of your presentation Remember, fear is not something to fear It is something to embrace No matter how cool a speaker appears, he/she is shaking in his/her boots We all have that little edge of nervousness when we walk onto the stage We’re all in this together You are not alone in your fear What seasoned speakers have done is to learn how to make fear their friend You can, too! 94 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills How to Stay Cool When Speaking in Public by Joan Curtis About the author Dr Joan Curtis is a nationally known communications coach She has over 20 years’ experience as a trainer and educator She has taught communication skills and presentation skills to leadership groups throughout the country Dr Curtis produces a monthly e-zine: The Savvy Communicator and posts regularly on her blog, the Savvy Communicator http://www.TotalCommunicationsCoach.com/blog Her website is http://www.TotalCommunicationsCoach.com Reprint notice Any article may be reprinted and distributed with no charge in your ezine, on your website, or in your print newsletter provided You include the article in its entirety, unchanged (website links should be in clickable hyperlinked format) Byline, author’s statement of copyright and signature must remain intact You notify Articles Factory of intent to publish and send a courtesy copy or link Article source should be indicated as: Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com http://www.articlesfactory.com/terms.html Article source http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/business/how-to-stay-cool-when-speaking-in-public.html With us you can shape the future Every single day For more information go to: www.eon-career.com Your energy shapes the future 95 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Click on the ad to read more The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Using Jokes in Your Presentation by Alan Arthur 26 Using Jokes in Your Presentation by Alan Arthur Jokes can play a very useful role in making your presentations successful When used appropriately, they can amuse an audience while at the same time sharing something with them The point of contact is the shared laughter If a joke works it brings you together; conversely, if the joke doesn’t work, it pushes you apart Jokes need to be well-chosen, well-presented and, naturally, funny A blue joke from the Rugby club dinner speech probably won’t work well at the annual conference of the Women’s Institute Equally a joke told badly where you miss your timing, tell it too quickly or forget the punch line is worse than no joke at all Make Your Presentation Jokes Appropriate This joke told by Patrick Forsyth seems to catch the mood of a farewell presentation to a colleague who has a reputation as a ladies man: “I remember the day after Nigel joined us and overhearing the impression he’d made on two young ladies from Accounts “Doesn’t that Mr Green dress well,” said one “Yes,” replied the other “And so quickly.” How to Make Jokes about People in Your Audience Making jokes about people in your audience is known as “roasting” The key to successfully roasting someone is to avoid offending them and you can this by making the teasing exaggerated or obviously untrue To show you’re a good sport, and so set the mood, you can roast yourself first Here are some examples of roasting jokes: “Joe’s a man of rare gifts In fact, he hasn’t given any in years.” “I didn’t realize how long Jane had been with us until she was clearing out her desk and came across a stage coach ticket.” “I’m glad to be here tonight to look into your faces And, God knows, some need looking into.” 96 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Using Jokes in Your Presentation by Alan Arthur Turning Presentation Jokes Onto Yourself People who can laugh at themselves are usually seen as strong, independent, secure, and likeable Self-effacing humour shows you’re not a stuffed shirt It connects you by showing you’re really just as vulnerable and error-prone as the people you’re talking to By and large, most people would rather hear about the time you fell on your face than when you won a race Good subjects to tease yourself about include any physical characteristic that is obvious (eg your height, your hair colour), your disorganisation (eg turning up late) and your parking ability (or inability) US President Ronald Reagan was a great self-effacer In his presentation for the 1980 Presidency of the USA, he quipped about his age: “Thomas Jefferson once said, “One should not worry about chronological age compared to the ability to perform a task.” Ever since Thomas Jefferson told me that, I’ve stopped worrying about my age.” Tips on Using Jokes in Your Presentations Here are our top tips on using jokes in your presentations: Make the joke, aside or humorous reference relevant to the purpose of your presentation As a rule, limit yourself to just two or three jokes in a 15-to-20 minute presentation Distinguish between humour and jokes Humour doesn’t rely on punchlines, jokes If humour fails, you can keep going If jokes fail, move on to something else quick Don’t laugh at your own jokes Keep your jokes short Humour itself is not the point It’s a means to an end, not the end itself About the author Alan Arthur is an article contributor to ManageTrainLearn, the site that will change the way you learn forever Download free samples of the biggest range of management and personal development materials anywhere and experience learning like you always dreamed possible; http://www.managetrainlearn.com Reprint notice You may reprint and re-publish all articles on ManageTrainLearn freely, for personal as well as business use, as long as you not change the substantive text, add this reprint notice, and include a link to http://www.managetrainlearn.com Article Source: http://www.managetrainlearn.com/page/jokes 97 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com ... the ad to read more The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills Preface Preface Introduction to The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills In each of The Experts Teach series, we’ve gathered together... ManageTrainLearn The Experts Teach Presentation Skills Download free eBooks at bookboon.com  The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills 1st edition © 2014 ManageTrainLearn... Click on the ad to read more The Experts Teach: Presentation Skills How to Update Your Executive Presentation Skills Instantly by MillySonneman 3 How to Update Your Executive Presentation Skills