**Use stories during public speaking engagements to illustrate points and state the point in addition to telling the story. Always make your story relevant to the subject at hand.
**Select stories to match the intelligence, experience, occupation, and age of the audience as well as the nature of the occasion. You don't want to talk over the heads of the audience members and you don't want to bore them with stories that are too simple.
**Space stories at intervals to provide a change of pace and to reemphasize your message. Remember from Chapter 5 the listening pattern you want to create in the audience.
**Tell about your troubles, stupidity, or ignorance. People like you when you use self-effacing humor because they see themselves mirrored in your weaknesses.
**Eliminate inconsequential detail. Use the fewest number of words that convey the message in an interesting fashion. Writing the story out will help you see words that can be eliminated without hurting the story.
**Keep your humorous stories short during your public speaking engagements. The size of the laugh is inversely proportional to the number of words used to get to the punchline.
Rule: The longer the story, the funnier it must be. You must make jokes and humorous stories believable up to a point. Use factual, specific details that the audience can relate to, i.e., say the brand name like Lots-o-Suds rather than a laundry detergent. The more truthful and specific the story sounds the more your audience will get caught up in what you say.
**Specify the location of a joke or story. If your story takes place in a restaurant say, "I was at Jerry's Sub Shop in Rockville, Maryland, the other day." This gives the audience something concrete to think about, which makes them more involved mentally.
**When crafting a story, use people, places, and things the audience knows. When the audience is familiar with the elements in your story, they will become even more involved. As soon as you mention the company cafeteria, their minds race to the cafeteria to meet you and find out what happens. However, don't use humor that is too inside. Only a few people will understand it.
**Emphasize the adjectives and verbs in your stories to make them sound more interesting. Try it. Look around where you are right now and describe anything you want. Really put punch behind the adjectives and verbs and see how your description comes to life. Use specific and interesting verbs and adjectives. Say I was exhausted, not I was tired. Say, her head was nodding and drooping, not her head was down.
**Learn your stories. In a normal speech if you forget the exact thing you wanted to say, you can improvise and go on. But if you leave out an important detail in a story or if you accidentally give away the climax too soon, you have a mess on your hands. I tell a story at least 30 times in private before I'll test it in front of an audience.
**Use true facts from your own life. This makes it easier for you to tell the story because you lived it and you can learn it faster too. Also, someone else can't steal your story as easily if all the facts have to do with your life.
**Use appropriate emotional language to hook the listener. (Refer to this website's "Emotional Lanquage"article for reference.)
**Construct a humorous story so that it concludes abruptly with a climactic word. Don't utter another syllable or sound after this climactic word. You might squelch the laughter you worked so hard to get.Exception: Some stories get laughter all along the way. More of these stories are used by humorists who are expected to be funny all the time.
**Work out different lengths of the same story to fit different time segments. (Yes, I've snuck a Don't in the Do's section.) Don't memorize your stories word-for-word. This way you won't feel forced to say every word, every time you tell the story. You can change the length of the story easily by adding or subtracting detail. Super Trick: Have a quotation ready that makes the same point as your story. If your time is shortened, you can cut out a story and replace it with a quote.
**Slant your story to the intended audience. When telling a story to a group of executives you would probably want to use different language and emphasis than if you were telling the same story to a group of secretaries. Change nonessential elements of the story to make a better connection.
**Use terms like Imagine this, Have you ever had an experience where ... Let me take you with me to ... to draw the audience into your stories.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Public Speaking Genius Technique: Split Your Story
Split your story. Start a story near or at the beginning of your talk, but don't finish it. Build suspense by cutting off the story at a key point or just before the climactic finish. This builds anticipation. Finish the story at the end of your talk.
When you use this technique skillfully, you will have every single person there at the end of your speech because they want to know what happened at the end of the story.
When you use this technique skillfully, you will have every single person there at the end of your speech because they want to know what happened at the end of the story.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Public Speaking : Asides
In the theater, an "aside" is something said to the audience that is not to be heard by the other actors. If the aside was delivered on a television sitcom, the actor would look right at the camera and talk to the viewers at home instead of talking to the other actors.
To a public speaker it means a temporary departure from the main theme or topic. If you get good at this technique, the audience will think you are a genius. The way it works is that you begin telling a story or delivering information on a certain topic. Then you go off on a tangent (aside) indirectly related to the main theme. When you have finished the aside, you pick up the main theme where you left off and keep right on going.
The audience may think you are lost or confused when you first leave the original topic, but when you return to the main line after the aside, they realize you are in total control. This is very impressive.
Great storytellers are able to take you down several auxiliary paths, but still move you along the main path from beginning to conclusion. I tell a story about some medical work I had done where the doctor said to me, "This will just pinch a little bit. " This phrase sends me down a whole different path talking about how my dentist had said the same thing and then pushed the Novacaine needle up into my brain, twisted it around, and pulled it out. I then came back to the main line of the medical story until I got to the word gauze. This word sets off another tangential story about my mother ripping gauze off me. Then it is back to the main line again.
You can alert the audience of an upcoming aside by saying the word "incidentally" before you veer off the main path. Another good technique is to go to a different part of the stage when you do the aside. Get good at asides and you will add a new dimension to the way you tell your funny stories or deliver information.
To a public speaker it means a temporary departure from the main theme or topic. If you get good at this technique, the audience will think you are a genius. The way it works is that you begin telling a story or delivering information on a certain topic. Then you go off on a tangent (aside) indirectly related to the main theme. When you have finished the aside, you pick up the main theme where you left off and keep right on going.
The audience may think you are lost or confused when you first leave the original topic, but when you return to the main line after the aside, they realize you are in total control. This is very impressive.
Great storytellers are able to take you down several auxiliary paths, but still move you along the main path from beginning to conclusion. I tell a story about some medical work I had done where the doctor said to me, "This will just pinch a little bit. " This phrase sends me down a whole different path talking about how my dentist had said the same thing and then pushed the Novacaine needle up into my brain, twisted it around, and pulled it out. I then came back to the main line of the medical story until I got to the word gauze. This word sets off another tangential story about my mother ripping gauze off me. Then it is back to the main line again.
You can alert the audience of an upcoming aside by saying the word "incidentally" before you veer off the main path. Another good technique is to go to a different part of the stage when you do the aside. Get good at asides and you will add a new dimension to the way you tell your funny stories or deliver information.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Public Speaking : Stage Fright Strategies
Stage fright Is Good and Makes You Better Looking Too! Before you learn how to speak in public, it is important to be ready to speak in public. Stage fright is a phenomenon that you must learn to control if you want to be good at public speaking. Actually, stage fright isn't the most accurate term for the nervousness that occurs when considering a speaking engagement. In fact, most of the fear occurs before you step on-stage. Once you're up there, it usually goes away. Try to think of stage fright in a positive way. Fear is your friend. It makes your reflexes sharper. It heightens your energy, adds a sparkle to your eye, and color to your cheeks. When you are nervous about speaking, you are more conscious of your posture and breathing. With all those good side effects you will actually look healthier and more physically attractive.
When making public performances, many of the top performers in the world get stage fright so you are in good company. Stage fright may come and go or diminish, but it usually does not vanish permanently. You must concentrate on getting the feeling out in the open, into perspective and under control.
Remember Nobody ever died from stage fright or speaking in public. But, according to surveys, many people would rather die than speak in public. If that applies to you, try out some of the strategies in this section to help get yourself under control. Realize that you may never overcome stage fright, but you can learn to control it, and use it to your advantage in your public speaking efforts.
Symptoms of Stage fright
**Dry mouth.
**Tight throat.
**Sweaty hands.
**Cold hands.
**Shaky hands.
**Give me a hand (Oops, I couldn't resist).
**Nausea.
**Fast pulse.
**Shaky knees.
**Trembling lips.
Any out-of-the-ordinary outward or inward feeling or manifestation of a feeling occurring before, or during, the beginning of a public speaking engagement (Wow! What a dry mouthful!).
Here are some easy to implement strategies for reducing your stage fright.
Not everyone reacts the same and there is no universal fix. Don't try to use all these fixes at once. Pick out items from this list and try them out until you find the right combination for you.
Visualization strategies that can be used anytime
**Concentrate on how good you are at public speaking.
**Pretend you are just chatting with a group of friends.
**Close your eyes and imagine the audience listening, laughing, and applauding.
**Remember happy moments from your past.
**Think about your love for and desire to help the audience.
**Picture the audience in their underwear.
Strategies in advance of program
**Be extremely well prepared.
**Join or start a Toastmasters club for extra practice.
**Get individual or group public speaking coaching.
**Listen to music.
**Read a poem.
**Anticipate hard and easy questions.
**Organize your speaking notes.
**Absolutely memorize your opening statement so you can recite it on autopilot if you have to.
**Practice, practice, practice. Especially practice bits so you can spit out a few minutes of your program no matter how nervous you are.
**Get in shape. I don't know why it helps stage fright, but it does.
Strategies just before the program Remember Stage fright usually goes away after you start. The tricky time is before you start.
**Be in the room at least an hour early if possible to triple check the public address system and everything else on your checklist. You can also schmooze with participants arriving early.
**Notice and think about things around you.
**Concentrate on searching for current and immediate things that are happening at the event that you can mention during your speech (especially in the opening).
**Get into conversation with people near you. Be very intent on what they are saying.
**Yawn to relax your throat.
**Doodle.
**Draw sketches of a new car you would like to have.
**Look at your notes.
**Put pictures of your kids/grandkids, dog, etc., in your notes.
**Build a cushion of time in the day so you are not rushed, but not too much time. You don't want to have extra time to worry.
**If your legs are trembling, lean on a table, sit down, or shift your legs.
**Take a quick walk.
**Take quick drinks of tepid water.
**Double check your A/V equipment including the public address system, projectors, etc..
**Don't drink alcohol or coffee or tea with caffeine.
**Concentrate on your speaking ideas.
**Hide speaking notes around the stage area so you know you have a backup if you happen to draw a blank.
**Concentrate on your audience.
**Listen to music.
**Read a poem.
**Do isometrics that tighten and release muscles.
**Shake hands and smile with attendees before the program.
**Say something to someone to make sure your voice is ready to go.
**Go somewhere private and warm up your voice, muscles, etc.
**Use eye contact.
**Go to a mirror and check out how you look.
**Breathe deeply, evenly, and slowly for several minutes.
**Don't eat if you don't want to and never take tranquilizers or other such drugs. You may think you will do better, but you will probably do worse and not know it.
Strategies when the program begins
**If legs are trembling, lean on lectern /table or shift legs or move
**Try not to hold the microphone by hand in the first minute.
**Don't hold notes. The audience can see them shake. Use three-by-five cards instead.
**Take quick drinks of tepid water.
**Use eye contact. It will make you feel less isolated.
**Look at the friendliest faces in the audience.
**Joke about your nervousness. What's the right wine to go with fingernails?
Remember nervousness doesn't show one-tenth as much as it feels. Before each speaking engagement make a short list of the items you think will make you feel better. Don't be afraid to experiment with different combinations. You never know which ones will work best until you try. Rewrite them on a separate sheet and keep the sheet with you at all times so you can refer to it quickly when the need arises.
When speaking in public use these steps to control stage fright so it doesn't control you.
When making public performances, many of the top performers in the world get stage fright so you are in good company. Stage fright may come and go or diminish, but it usually does not vanish permanently. You must concentrate on getting the feeling out in the open, into perspective and under control.
Remember Nobody ever died from stage fright or speaking in public. But, according to surveys, many people would rather die than speak in public. If that applies to you, try out some of the strategies in this section to help get yourself under control. Realize that you may never overcome stage fright, but you can learn to control it, and use it to your advantage in your public speaking efforts.
Symptoms of Stage fright
**Dry mouth.
**Tight throat.
**Sweaty hands.
**Cold hands.
**Shaky hands.
**Give me a hand (Oops, I couldn't resist).
**Nausea.
**Fast pulse.
**Shaky knees.
**Trembling lips.
Any out-of-the-ordinary outward or inward feeling or manifestation of a feeling occurring before, or during, the beginning of a public speaking engagement (Wow! What a dry mouthful!).
Here are some easy to implement strategies for reducing your stage fright.
Not everyone reacts the same and there is no universal fix. Don't try to use all these fixes at once. Pick out items from this list and try them out until you find the right combination for you.
Visualization strategies that can be used anytime
**Concentrate on how good you are at public speaking.
**Pretend you are just chatting with a group of friends.
**Close your eyes and imagine the audience listening, laughing, and applauding.
**Remember happy moments from your past.
**Think about your love for and desire to help the audience.
**Picture the audience in their underwear.
Strategies in advance of program
**Be extremely well prepared.
**Join or start a Toastmasters club for extra practice.
**Get individual or group public speaking coaching.
**Listen to music.
**Read a poem.
**Anticipate hard and easy questions.
**Organize your speaking notes.
**Absolutely memorize your opening statement so you can recite it on autopilot if you have to.
**Practice, practice, practice. Especially practice bits so you can spit out a few minutes of your program no matter how nervous you are.
**Get in shape. I don't know why it helps stage fright, but it does.
Strategies just before the program Remember Stage fright usually goes away after you start. The tricky time is before you start.
**Be in the room at least an hour early if possible to triple check the public address system and everything else on your checklist. You can also schmooze with participants arriving early.
**Notice and think about things around you.
**Concentrate on searching for current and immediate things that are happening at the event that you can mention during your speech (especially in the opening).
**Get into conversation with people near you. Be very intent on what they are saying.
**Yawn to relax your throat.
**Doodle.
**Draw sketches of a new car you would like to have.
**Look at your notes.
**Put pictures of your kids/grandkids, dog, etc., in your notes.
**Build a cushion of time in the day so you are not rushed, but not too much time. You don't want to have extra time to worry.
**If your legs are trembling, lean on a table, sit down, or shift your legs.
**Take a quick walk.
**Take quick drinks of tepid water.
**Double check your A/V equipment including the public address system, projectors, etc..
**Don't drink alcohol or coffee or tea with caffeine.
**Concentrate on your speaking ideas.
**Hide speaking notes around the stage area so you know you have a backup if you happen to draw a blank.
**Concentrate on your audience.
**Listen to music.
**Read a poem.
**Do isometrics that tighten and release muscles.
**Shake hands and smile with attendees before the program.
**Say something to someone to make sure your voice is ready to go.
**Go somewhere private and warm up your voice, muscles, etc.
**Use eye contact.
**Go to a mirror and check out how you look.
**Breathe deeply, evenly, and slowly for several minutes.
**Don't eat if you don't want to and never take tranquilizers or other such drugs. You may think you will do better, but you will probably do worse and not know it.
Strategies when the program begins
**If legs are trembling, lean on lectern /table or shift legs or move
**Try not to hold the microphone by hand in the first minute.
**Don't hold notes. The audience can see them shake. Use three-by-five cards instead.
**Take quick drinks of tepid water.
**Use eye contact. It will make you feel less isolated.
**Look at the friendliest faces in the audience.
**Joke about your nervousness. What's the right wine to go with fingernails?
Remember nervousness doesn't show one-tenth as much as it feels. Before each speaking engagement make a short list of the items you think will make you feel better. Don't be afraid to experiment with different combinations. You never know which ones will work best until you try. Rewrite them on a separate sheet and keep the sheet with you at all times so you can refer to it quickly when the need arises.
When speaking in public use these steps to control stage fright so it doesn't control you.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Public Speaking : How to Relax for Your Talk
By Patricia Fripp CSP, CPAE
We've all heard that the fear of death is second only to the fear of public speaking. That may be true, but if you're looking for one of the cheapest and most effective methods of promoting your service or product, concentrate on the positive results of doing a presentation. Think of the contacts and prospective clients you'll be generating with just 20 minutes in front of an audience.
In case accentuating the positive isn't enough to keep the butterflies in your stomach in line, before you step up to the podium, take time to work through these exercises to help you channel all that nervousness into energy.
Physical Preparation: Warm up and relax your body and face.
**If you're wearing high heels, take them off. Now, stand on one leg and shake the other. When you put your foot back on the ground, it's going to feel lighter than the other one. Now, switch legs and shake. You want your energy to go through the floor and out of your head. This sounds quite cosmic; it isn't. It's a practical technique used by actors.
**Shake your hands...fast. Hold them above your head, bending at the wrist and elbow and then bring your hands back down. This will make your hand movements more natural.
**Warm up your face muscles by chewing in a highly exaggerated way. Do shoulder and neck rolls. Imagine that you're eye level with a clock. As you look at 12, pull as much of your face up to 12 as you can; now move it to 3, then down to 6 and finally over to 9.
All of these exercises serve to warm you up and relax you. Those exaggerated movements make it easier for your movements to flow more naturally. Now concentrate on the potential customers you'll be cultivating with your talk. Aren't you getting a warm feeling just thinking about that?
Go on--step up on the podium and profit from the experience.
Patricia Fripp CSP,CPAE is a San Francisco-based professional speaker on Change, Teamwork, Customer Service, Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She is the author of 'Get What You Want!' and Past-President of the National Speakers Association.Email: mailto:PFripp@aol.comPhone: 1-800-634-3035,Website: http://www.fripp.com/
We've all heard that the fear of death is second only to the fear of public speaking. That may be true, but if you're looking for one of the cheapest and most effective methods of promoting your service or product, concentrate on the positive results of doing a presentation. Think of the contacts and prospective clients you'll be generating with just 20 minutes in front of an audience.
In case accentuating the positive isn't enough to keep the butterflies in your stomach in line, before you step up to the podium, take time to work through these exercises to help you channel all that nervousness into energy.
Physical Preparation: Warm up and relax your body and face.
**If you're wearing high heels, take them off. Now, stand on one leg and shake the other. When you put your foot back on the ground, it's going to feel lighter than the other one. Now, switch legs and shake. You want your energy to go through the floor and out of your head. This sounds quite cosmic; it isn't. It's a practical technique used by actors.
**Shake your hands...fast. Hold them above your head, bending at the wrist and elbow and then bring your hands back down. This will make your hand movements more natural.
**Warm up your face muscles by chewing in a highly exaggerated way. Do shoulder and neck rolls. Imagine that you're eye level with a clock. As you look at 12, pull as much of your face up to 12 as you can; now move it to 3, then down to 6 and finally over to 9.
All of these exercises serve to warm you up and relax you. Those exaggerated movements make it easier for your movements to flow more naturally. Now concentrate on the potential customers you'll be cultivating with your talk. Aren't you getting a warm feeling just thinking about that?
Go on--step up on the podium and profit from the experience.
Patricia Fripp CSP,CPAE is a San Francisco-based professional speaker on Change, Teamwork, Customer Service, Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She is the author of 'Get What You Want!' and Past-President of the National Speakers Association.Email: mailto:PFripp@aol.comPhone: 1-800-634-3035,Website: http://www.fripp.com/
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Public Speaking : Room Setup Trick
Trick: Ask someone from the hotel maintenance crew or wait staff what are some of the problems with the room. They might point you to a troublesome light switch or some other pesky problem. They know the rooms and their advance warning will give you a chance to figure out a way to handle the problem. Chances are they won't offer their advice unless you ask.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Public Speaking : Room Setup Checklist
**Your first priority is safety. Know where fire exits and extinguishers are.
**Have backup equipment and backup plan in case of failure.
**Keep room lights at maximum intensity unless slides and/or video projection are being used.
**If room lights are down, put a soft light on presenter.
**Schedule breaks during program.
**Tape door latches to prevent them from making loud noises.
**Use semi-circular seating if possible.
**Provide hardback writing surface if needed.
**Locate your presentation area as close as you can to front row.
**If seats can't move YOU MOVE!
**Without screen, set to long side of the room.
**With screen, set to short side of the room.
**Avoid long narrow rooms (switch rooms if possible).
**Avoid placing chairs next to walls.
**Cut aisles behind poles.
**Set aisles bigger as they get nearer exits.
**Seat for least distraction audience members should not have to cross more than six others to get to a seat.
**Force audience to front with reserved signs or put out less chairs than the expected attendance. Stack additional chairs in back corner of room so they are handy if needed.
**Arrange for a good sound system. Thoroughly check sound system BEFORE program.
**Check climate. Locate climate controls or know who to call.
**Make sure water and glasses are available.
**Locate restrooms, phones, snackbars, elevators or stairs, and business center.
**Make sure there are signs posted to direct participants to your room.
Personalize this checklist for your presentations.
Other:
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
**Have backup equipment and backup plan in case of failure.
**Keep room lights at maximum intensity unless slides and/or video projection are being used.
**If room lights are down, put a soft light on presenter.
**Schedule breaks during program.
**Tape door latches to prevent them from making loud noises.
**Use semi-circular seating if possible.
**Provide hardback writing surface if needed.
**Locate your presentation area as close as you can to front row.
**If seats can't move YOU MOVE!
**Without screen, set to long side of the room.
**With screen, set to short side of the room.
**Avoid long narrow rooms (switch rooms if possible).
**Avoid placing chairs next to walls.
**Cut aisles behind poles.
**Set aisles bigger as they get nearer exits.
**Seat for least distraction audience members should not have to cross more than six others to get to a seat.
**Force audience to front with reserved signs or put out less chairs than the expected attendance. Stack additional chairs in back corner of room so they are handy if needed.
**Arrange for a good sound system. Thoroughly check sound system BEFORE program.
**Check climate. Locate climate controls or know who to call.
**Make sure water and glasses are available.
**Locate restrooms, phones, snackbars, elevators or stairs, and business center.
**Make sure there are signs posted to direct participants to your room.
Personalize this checklist for your presentations.
Other:
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Friday, May 11, 2007
Public Speaking : Line of Sight
When you speak alot you run into some crazy room setups. It's your job to be there early to make sure all the little preparation details taken care of. One of these details is the visibility of you and your visuals from each chair in the audience.
It doesn't even amaze me any more that a hotel room setup crew would put up a projection screen that 1/3 of the audience couldn't possibly see. Most of the time this occurs when tables and or chairs are placed too far forward in the room. The people on the sides are at much too sharp an angle to see anything on the screen and they only see you in profile.
Another situation is when there are pillars in the room. The setup people normally just slap tables up to suit themselves and forget that the people sitting in the chairs just might like to see what is going on at the stage. When you have pillars to deal with you must be very aware of your stage positioning. You won't be able to be seen the entire time by everyone because of the pillars, but you can limit the time you are unseen by noting the worst areas of the stage with an 'X' of tape on the floor. Avoid standing still anywhere near the 'X.' It's OK to pass by or over the 'X,' just don't plant yourself near it.
It's your job to check every chair in the room to be sure every participant has an unobstructed line of sight for each part of your presentation. They must be able to see the screen, the flipchart and you wherever you travel on the stage.
If possible, be in the room early when lots of setup crew are around so that you can make the adjustments before the room is totally set. Taking care of details like this is one more vote for you as a highly polished presenter.
It doesn't even amaze me any more that a hotel room setup crew would put up a projection screen that 1/3 of the audience couldn't possibly see. Most of the time this occurs when tables and or chairs are placed too far forward in the room. The people on the sides are at much too sharp an angle to see anything on the screen and they only see you in profile.
Another situation is when there are pillars in the room. The setup people normally just slap tables up to suit themselves and forget that the people sitting in the chairs just might like to see what is going on at the stage. When you have pillars to deal with you must be very aware of your stage positioning. You won't be able to be seen the entire time by everyone because of the pillars, but you can limit the time you are unseen by noting the worst areas of the stage with an 'X' of tape on the floor. Avoid standing still anywhere near the 'X.' It's OK to pass by or over the 'X,' just don't plant yourself near it.
It's your job to check every chair in the room to be sure every participant has an unobstructed line of sight for each part of your presentation. They must be able to see the screen, the flipchart and you wherever you travel on the stage.
If possible, be in the room early when lots of setup crew are around so that you can make the adjustments before the room is totally set. Taking care of details like this is one more vote for you as a highly polished presenter.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Public Speaking : You Must Have a Good Sound System
If it is hard to hear, people won't listen. When speaking in public you must have an excellent sound system because some of the time you will be speaking while your audience is laughing. Stand-up comics need good sound too, but they are a little different because they tell a joke, then people laugh (they hope). They tell another joke, then people laugh. A good public speaker will be rolling right along making points, showing product features, telling stories, and dropping one-liners and must be heard all the while.
A humorous speech demands a better sound system than a serious speech. In a serious talk, words can be missed and the main message can still be very clear. In humor it doesn't work that way. If key words are missed in a joke or story, it will ruin the humor. No one will laugh and you will look like a giant goober.
The need for a thorough sound check is another good reason to be in the room early. You need to check the microphone to make sure it works. You need to check to see how far your mouth should be from the microphone. You need to know how loudly you should talk. Realize that during your check the audio level should be very loud. People will absorb the sound once they get into the room.
Make sure the sound system is carrying to all parts of the room. If someone is speaking prior to you, try to go to the back of the room to see how he or she is coming across. If you have someone at the presentation with you, have them signal from the back of the room if changes are needed in the public address system after you have started.
If the amplifier controls aren't handy after you have started, you can adjust the sound by changing the distance between your mouth and the microphone and/or increasing or decreasing the loudness of your voice. Try not to use the latter method too often so you don't strain your vocal mechanism.
A humorous speech demands a better sound system than a serious speech. In a serious talk, words can be missed and the main message can still be very clear. In humor it doesn't work that way. If key words are missed in a joke or story, it will ruin the humor. No one will laugh and you will look like a giant goober.
The need for a thorough sound check is another good reason to be in the room early. You need to check the microphone to make sure it works. You need to check to see how far your mouth should be from the microphone. You need to know how loudly you should talk. Realize that during your check the audio level should be very loud. People will absorb the sound once they get into the room.
Make sure the sound system is carrying to all parts of the room. If someone is speaking prior to you, try to go to the back of the room to see how he or she is coming across. If you have someone at the presentation with you, have them signal from the back of the room if changes are needed in the public address system after you have started.
If the amplifier controls aren't handy after you have started, you can adjust the sound by changing the distance between your mouth and the microphone and/or increasing or decreasing the loudness of your voice. Try not to use the latter method too often so you don't strain your vocal mechanism.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Public Speaking : Room Setup Makes a Big Difference
The arrangement of chairs, the sound system, the lighting and the overall climate of the room can make a big difference in the way a public speaking engagement is received. You may not think you have much control over these items, but think again, because you do.
If you have prior access to the room where your speech will be held you should always get there as early as possible. I have never had a speaking engagement where everything about the room set-up was perfect. There is always something amiss. Expect minor problems to be the norm.
I have had many public speaking engagements where I had a few minor problems. The sound man who had the mixing board, wireless microphone and tape deck didn't show up. The videographer was delayed with a speeding ticket and showed up 10 minutes before the program was to start. That caused a 40 minute delay. Fifteen minutes into the program the video projector, an integral part of the program, conked-out. So what did I do? I had a back- up, hand-held microphone with a long cord with me so I plugged it into the meeting room's public address system. One of the other speakers had a portable cassette player so we played the opening music on the cassette player and put the microphone in front of the speaker. It wasn't the best sound, but it got the job done. I had a good quality home-grade video camera there that was supposed to shoot secondary footage. It was just being moved to the main camera position when the video technician showed up. The video projector quitting on me was a different story.
All the other problems were handled before the public speaking engagement actually started. Since the projector was to be used throughout the day something had to be done and done quickly. I told the audience to take a five minute break and we all scrambled to check out the projector. We determined that it was nothing that we could fix fast, so I made plans to bring in several monitors arranged as back-up. This was not as good as an 8 foot by 8 foot screen, but it would have to do. While we were checking out the video projector one of the seminar participants was watching us and overheard my decision to bring in the monitors. He said, 'Listen, I've got a video projector at my office. I can go get it and have it set up in 20 minutes.'" He did, and I gave him a $90.00 audio tape album for his trouble.
These were obviously more than minor problems, but being prepared with back-up equipment and being in the room early enough to do something about the problems saved the day. A little help from a friendly participant didn't hurt either.
Create an Atmosphere Conducive to Laughter and Interaction.
Unless you are using slides or video projection you want the room lights at maximum intensity. Half your effectiveness when speaking with humor is realized because the audience can see you. The audience wants to see your face. They want to see your expressions. They want to see your body language. It is easier to establish a bond when the public speaker and the audience can see each other which is one good reason to avoid reading your speech from behind a lectern.
I recently attended a speech in Washington D.C. by a 'big name' author. He conducted a three hour slide show with no breaks. He was totally 'in the dark' behind a lectern. I am an audience watcher so I know he never connected with the audience.
Besides being in the dark the man made several other inexcusable mistakes that indicated little regard for his audience. Three hours is too long to go without a break. Starting at the 1 1/2 hour mark people were constantly getting up to go to the restroom or getting refreshments. Before the speech the man was in the room with three hundred people with a bored nasty look on his face. I tried to make eye contact with him when he walked by me and he stared right through me.
What could this speaker have done to dramatically increase the effectiveness of his public speaking engagement? Since I'm supposed to be talking about lighting right now, I will. All he had to do was put a soft light on himself that lit him or at least lit his face. A low intensity light placed properly would not have affected the visibility of the projection screen at all, but would have helped him connect with the audience. They would have been able to see his face. As it was, all they heard was a voice coming from the darkness.
The other problems I mentioned were not lighting related, but I'll tell you how to fix them now anyway. Take care of your audience's basic needs. Three hours is too long to go without a break. Schedule a short break and you won't have audience members interrupting the speaking engagement every few minutes.
f you are nervous or scared or bored before a public speaking engagement don't let the audience know. This presenter would have been better off hiding from the audience rather than alienating them with his sourpuss face. If you're nervous or scared, go out and greet audience members. It will make both of you feel better. If you can't do that, stay hidden until it is time to start.
It was a shame this presenter had no basic public speaking skills because his content was excellent. I'm sure his book sales suffered at that event.
SEATING
Seating arrangements are a critical part of any successful public speaking engagement and are especially important for humorous speeches. As a professional public speaker you must consider not only interaction, but safety and comfort parameters as well.
The best situation is when you have total control over the seating style and set-up of the room. For this discussion I'll be using laughter and interaction synonymously. Semi-circular and straight theater style arrangements do both enjoy one advantage. Both these arrangements have the audience members sitting very close together. This togetherness allows laughter to pass immediately from one person to the other. You will even see audience members elbowing and slapping their immediate neighbor on the knee.
By far the best seating arrangement for laughter is semi-circular. When public speaking audience members are seated on a curve they can look to their left or right and see the faces of each person in the row. Laughter is contagious. Many people will laugh just because they see others laughing. In a straight-row theater style, when an audience member looks left or right, all that she sees is the ear of the next person in the row. If that next person is not laughing, the other audience member is less likely to laugh. If you change the seating arrangement to semi-circular where each audience member can see everyone's face in the row, you will create a much higher likelihood that that person will see someone else laugh. As the speaker you will have a much higher chance of having your audience enjoying laughter because of this seating style.
Audience comfort is another advantage of semi-circular seating. The room can be set to face each chair directly toward the area where the presenter will be standing. This is much better than straight theater style where the audience members at the end of a row must turn their heads sharply to see the presentation. This creates an uncomfortable audience member in a very short time. An uncomfortable audience member is less likely to laugh; more likely to tune out all together. If the bulk of the presentation consists of looking at a screen you could point all the chairs at the screen instead of where the speaker will be standing. Do whatever it takes to keep your audience comfortable.
Always attempt to be as close as you can to the first row in whatever seating arrangement you have. Distance between you and the audience is a definite barrier to interaction. Don't use a riser unless it is absolutely necessary for you to be seen.
You may get some resistance from room set-up personnel who are not used to semi-circular seating arrangements, but don't give up. If you get to the presentation site early you can usually make changes yourself. Remember--you are the one who will look bad if the speech doesn't go well. No one will ever blame the set-up crew.
Sometimes changing seating arrangements will not be possible. Shoot for the best when you can and be persistent. On the other hand, don't be distracted if you end up with a poor seating arrangement. If you are prepared and have a powerful message, you will still do a good job.
If you have to speak in a situation where the seats are fixed, don't despair. If the seats can't move, you can. Be more animated and move around. This will cause the audience to move their heads to see you, thus creating more interaction and increasing the chance they will see another face that is laughing. Another trick you can use if you're stuck with fixed seating is to ask the audience to choose a new seat after they come back from a break. Anytime you use this technique you must tell the audience why you are doing it and you must give the instructions before the audience takes a break. American audiences have a 'homing instinct' for the same seat they started with and you'll upset them if you snatch it away for no reason.
For example, tell them that part of the reason to come to a speech is to meet and interact with new people and by changing seats this goal will be accomplished easier.
Another thing to watch out for is a situation where seating arrangements in an organization have been established over a long period of time. If you come in as the 'new kid on the block' and try to make drastic changes you may upset many 'old timers.' Make changes slowly and always tell them why.
Additional Seating Tips
When possible set the presentation to the long side of the room so the last row is as close to the speaker as possible. Avoid long narrow rooms which put audience members far from the speech as if they were in bowling alley. People prefer to sit by aisles.
Avoid chairs next to walls. Audience members will feel trapped. Aisles should get bigger as they get nearer the exits because they must accommodate more people.
Seat for least distraction--no audience member should have to cross more than six people to get to a seat.
Make people sit as close as possible to the front. Force them to front with reserved signs on back tables or keep chairs stacked until all front rows are full. Don't tip chairs up to reserve seats or force people forward because they may trip over the legs of the chairs.
GET A SOUND SOUND SYSTEM
If it is hard to hear, people won't listen. As a humorous public speaker you must have an excellent sound system because most of the time you will be talking while your audience is laughing. Stand-up comics are different because they tell a joke, then people laugh (they hope). They tell another joke, then people laugh. A humorous public speaker will be rolling right along making points, showing product features, telling stories, and dropping one- liners and must be heard all the while.
A humorous presentation demands a better sound system than a serious talk. In a serious talk, words can be missed and the main message can still be very clear. In humor it doesn't work that way. If key words are missed in a joke or story it will ruin the humor. No one will laugh and you will look like a giant goober.
The need for a thorough sound check is another good reason to be in the room early. You need to check the microphone to make sure it works. You need to check to see how far your mouth should be from the microphone. You need to know how loudly you should talk. Realize that during your check the audio level should be too loud. People will absorb the sound once they get into the room.
Make sure the sound system is carrying to all parts of the room. If someone is speaking prior to you, try to go to the back of the room to see how he/she is coming across. If you have someone at the presentation with you, have them signal from the back of the room if changes are needed in the volume of the public address system after you have started.
CLIMATE
Uncomfortable people will not listen to you. The unwritten rule is that meeting rooms are always too hot or too cold so you'll have to do your best. When setting air conditioning levels, the room should be cooler than you think it should be. The body heat of the audience will bring the room to the comfort level. Make sure it does, and be ready to make adjustments as you go. If you can't get the right temperature, make sure you acknowledge the audience's discomfort and encourage them to make the best of it. Your care for them will automatically make things a little better.
If you have prior access to the room where your speech will be held you should always get there as early as possible. I have never had a speaking engagement where everything about the room set-up was perfect. There is always something amiss. Expect minor problems to be the norm.
I have had many public speaking engagements where I had a few minor problems. The sound man who had the mixing board, wireless microphone and tape deck didn't show up. The videographer was delayed with a speeding ticket and showed up 10 minutes before the program was to start. That caused a 40 minute delay. Fifteen minutes into the program the video projector, an integral part of the program, conked-out. So what did I do? I had a back- up, hand-held microphone with a long cord with me so I plugged it into the meeting room's public address system. One of the other speakers had a portable cassette player so we played the opening music on the cassette player and put the microphone in front of the speaker. It wasn't the best sound, but it got the job done. I had a good quality home-grade video camera there that was supposed to shoot secondary footage. It was just being moved to the main camera position when the video technician showed up. The video projector quitting on me was a different story.
All the other problems were handled before the public speaking engagement actually started. Since the projector was to be used throughout the day something had to be done and done quickly. I told the audience to take a five minute break and we all scrambled to check out the projector. We determined that it was nothing that we could fix fast, so I made plans to bring in several monitors arranged as back-up. This was not as good as an 8 foot by 8 foot screen, but it would have to do. While we were checking out the video projector one of the seminar participants was watching us and overheard my decision to bring in the monitors. He said, 'Listen, I've got a video projector at my office. I can go get it and have it set up in 20 minutes.'" He did, and I gave him a $90.00 audio tape album for his trouble.
These were obviously more than minor problems, but being prepared with back-up equipment and being in the room early enough to do something about the problems saved the day. A little help from a friendly participant didn't hurt either.
Create an Atmosphere Conducive to Laughter and Interaction.
Unless you are using slides or video projection you want the room lights at maximum intensity. Half your effectiveness when speaking with humor is realized because the audience can see you. The audience wants to see your face. They want to see your expressions. They want to see your body language. It is easier to establish a bond when the public speaker and the audience can see each other which is one good reason to avoid reading your speech from behind a lectern.
I recently attended a speech in Washington D.C. by a 'big name' author. He conducted a three hour slide show with no breaks. He was totally 'in the dark' behind a lectern. I am an audience watcher so I know he never connected with the audience.
Besides being in the dark the man made several other inexcusable mistakes that indicated little regard for his audience. Three hours is too long to go without a break. Starting at the 1 1/2 hour mark people were constantly getting up to go to the restroom or getting refreshments. Before the speech the man was in the room with three hundred people with a bored nasty look on his face. I tried to make eye contact with him when he walked by me and he stared right through me.
What could this speaker have done to dramatically increase the effectiveness of his public speaking engagement? Since I'm supposed to be talking about lighting right now, I will. All he had to do was put a soft light on himself that lit him or at least lit his face. A low intensity light placed properly would not have affected the visibility of the projection screen at all, but would have helped him connect with the audience. They would have been able to see his face. As it was, all they heard was a voice coming from the darkness.
The other problems I mentioned were not lighting related, but I'll tell you how to fix them now anyway. Take care of your audience's basic needs. Three hours is too long to go without a break. Schedule a short break and you won't have audience members interrupting the speaking engagement every few minutes.
f you are nervous or scared or bored before a public speaking engagement don't let the audience know. This presenter would have been better off hiding from the audience rather than alienating them with his sourpuss face. If you're nervous or scared, go out and greet audience members. It will make both of you feel better. If you can't do that, stay hidden until it is time to start.
It was a shame this presenter had no basic public speaking skills because his content was excellent. I'm sure his book sales suffered at that event.
SEATING
Seating arrangements are a critical part of any successful public speaking engagement and are especially important for humorous speeches. As a professional public speaker you must consider not only interaction, but safety and comfort parameters as well.
The best situation is when you have total control over the seating style and set-up of the room. For this discussion I'll be using laughter and interaction synonymously. Semi-circular and straight theater style arrangements do both enjoy one advantage. Both these arrangements have the audience members sitting very close together. This togetherness allows laughter to pass immediately from one person to the other. You will even see audience members elbowing and slapping their immediate neighbor on the knee.
By far the best seating arrangement for laughter is semi-circular. When public speaking audience members are seated on a curve they can look to their left or right and see the faces of each person in the row. Laughter is contagious. Many people will laugh just because they see others laughing. In a straight-row theater style, when an audience member looks left or right, all that she sees is the ear of the next person in the row. If that next person is not laughing, the other audience member is less likely to laugh. If you change the seating arrangement to semi-circular where each audience member can see everyone's face in the row, you will create a much higher likelihood that that person will see someone else laugh. As the speaker you will have a much higher chance of having your audience enjoying laughter because of this seating style.
Audience comfort is another advantage of semi-circular seating. The room can be set to face each chair directly toward the area where the presenter will be standing. This is much better than straight theater style where the audience members at the end of a row must turn their heads sharply to see the presentation. This creates an uncomfortable audience member in a very short time. An uncomfortable audience member is less likely to laugh; more likely to tune out all together. If the bulk of the presentation consists of looking at a screen you could point all the chairs at the screen instead of where the speaker will be standing. Do whatever it takes to keep your audience comfortable.
Always attempt to be as close as you can to the first row in whatever seating arrangement you have. Distance between you and the audience is a definite barrier to interaction. Don't use a riser unless it is absolutely necessary for you to be seen.
You may get some resistance from room set-up personnel who are not used to semi-circular seating arrangements, but don't give up. If you get to the presentation site early you can usually make changes yourself. Remember--you are the one who will look bad if the speech doesn't go well. No one will ever blame the set-up crew.
Sometimes changing seating arrangements will not be possible. Shoot for the best when you can and be persistent. On the other hand, don't be distracted if you end up with a poor seating arrangement. If you are prepared and have a powerful message, you will still do a good job.
If you have to speak in a situation where the seats are fixed, don't despair. If the seats can't move, you can. Be more animated and move around. This will cause the audience to move their heads to see you, thus creating more interaction and increasing the chance they will see another face that is laughing. Another trick you can use if you're stuck with fixed seating is to ask the audience to choose a new seat after they come back from a break. Anytime you use this technique you must tell the audience why you are doing it and you must give the instructions before the audience takes a break. American audiences have a 'homing instinct' for the same seat they started with and you'll upset them if you snatch it away for no reason.
For example, tell them that part of the reason to come to a speech is to meet and interact with new people and by changing seats this goal will be accomplished easier.
Another thing to watch out for is a situation where seating arrangements in an organization have been established over a long period of time. If you come in as the 'new kid on the block' and try to make drastic changes you may upset many 'old timers.' Make changes slowly and always tell them why.
Additional Seating Tips
When possible set the presentation to the long side of the room so the last row is as close to the speaker as possible. Avoid long narrow rooms which put audience members far from the speech as if they were in bowling alley. People prefer to sit by aisles.
Avoid chairs next to walls. Audience members will feel trapped. Aisles should get bigger as they get nearer the exits because they must accommodate more people.
Seat for least distraction--no audience member should have to cross more than six people to get to a seat.
Make people sit as close as possible to the front. Force them to front with reserved signs on back tables or keep chairs stacked until all front rows are full. Don't tip chairs up to reserve seats or force people forward because they may trip over the legs of the chairs.
GET A SOUND SOUND SYSTEM
If it is hard to hear, people won't listen. As a humorous public speaker you must have an excellent sound system because most of the time you will be talking while your audience is laughing. Stand-up comics are different because they tell a joke, then people laugh (they hope). They tell another joke, then people laugh. A humorous public speaker will be rolling right along making points, showing product features, telling stories, and dropping one- liners and must be heard all the while.
A humorous presentation demands a better sound system than a serious talk. In a serious talk, words can be missed and the main message can still be very clear. In humor it doesn't work that way. If key words are missed in a joke or story it will ruin the humor. No one will laugh and you will look like a giant goober.
The need for a thorough sound check is another good reason to be in the room early. You need to check the microphone to make sure it works. You need to check to see how far your mouth should be from the microphone. You need to know how loudly you should talk. Realize that during your check the audio level should be too loud. People will absorb the sound once they get into the room.
Make sure the sound system is carrying to all parts of the room. If someone is speaking prior to you, try to go to the back of the room to see how he/she is coming across. If you have someone at the presentation with you, have them signal from the back of the room if changes are needed in the volume of the public address system after you have started.
CLIMATE
Uncomfortable people will not listen to you. The unwritten rule is that meeting rooms are always too hot or too cold so you'll have to do your best. When setting air conditioning levels, the room should be cooler than you think it should be. The body heat of the audience will bring the room to the comfort level. Make sure it does, and be ready to make adjustments as you go. If you can't get the right temperature, make sure you acknowledge the audience's discomfort and encourage them to make the best of it. Your care for them will automatically make things a little better.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Public Speaking : TOP TEN WAYS TO MAKE MONEY PUBLIC SPEAKING
SELL YOUR KNOWLEDGE
This is my overriding principle that came from years of hard knocks trying to get people to hire me to speak. I get more speaking engagements than I ever had before when I quit trying to sell them and began selling my knowledge in as many different formats as possible. The idea is that infinitely more people can buy what you know through books, tapes, CDs, Ebooks and videos than could ever hire you to speak. Your name recognition because of your knowledge distribution makes speaking engagements much easier to come by because the people that could hire you have already heard you and your message on your knowledge based products. In the mean time, the money from the product sales keeps your business thriving.
GET SPONSORSHIP
You can get other companies to sponsor your speaking fee so they can be associated with your message when you speak. Stop and think of what kinds of groups would want to be associated with your message. Let's say you speak to the banking industry. Maybe mortgage, or mutual fund companies would sponsor you. Maybe bank equipment companies would. Think of anyone who would want to have exposure to your target audience then simply make a proposal to their public relations department.
GET DIRECTLY PAID
This is pretty straight forward. You speak to a corporation, association, civic group, or anyone who would hire you and they pay you directly. Most of the time you should try to get a deposit up front of about 50 percent and the balance either before the event, or the day of the event. You will use various methods to get hired. I have had the greatest success in my career getting hired to speak by promoting myself properly on the Internet.
SPEAKERS BUREAUS
A speakers bureau is a for profit organization that locates speakers for paying clients. The speakers bureau normally takes a percentage of your gross fee. The percentage is usually in the 15 to 30 percent range with the average fee being 25 percent. It is very difficult to start with speakers bureaus unless you are a bonafide celebrity and your fees are substantial. You must remember they get paid on straight commission and the higher your fee, the more they make. Also, unless you have a proven track record, a speakers bureau will be afraid to put you in front of one of their clients because if you bomb they could lose many more bookings from the same client. You must also supply the bureau with promotional materials that don't have your contact information so anyone that sees the material will contact the bureau directly and not you.
PUBLIC SEMINARS
This is another fairly simple idea, but that doesn't mean it's simple to do. Basically you promote your seminar to the public and they buy tickets to attend. You could also promote it to corporate management and get them to buy tickets for their employees to attend. I avoided public seminars for years because of the risk and expense involved in printing and mailing brochures. Now I do lots of public seminars because I can promote them at no cost through my website and email magazine.
TELEPHONE SEMINARS
This can be a form of public seminar, or it can be done for private groups. You arrange for a telephone bridge line (very inexpensive), or a conference call (can be VERY expensive). You have participants call in and you deliver the seminar over the telephone. This saves a tremendous amount of money on travel expenses for you and the participants along with all kinds of savings for the participants (travel, time, etc.) For visuals you can have the participants sitting in front of their computer while on the phone. You tell them what web page to visit to see your visuals. I have produced a CD set on this topic. http://www.antion.com/teleseminarkit.htm
WEBCASTS
This is similar to telephone seminars except you are using the Internet instead of a telephone to hold the seminar.
TRAINING COMPANIES
In this case a company hires you to deliver their programs to public seminar participants, or to participants all from the same private company. Career Track, SkillPath Seminars and Fred Pryor Seminars are examples of companies who hire seminar leaders. In some cases you can develop programs for the seminar company and get a higher fee for delivering that program and a fee each time it is delivered by another seminar leader. You also get a percentage of all the back of room products you sell. These companies can keep you on the road quite a bit so you better be ready to travel and don't think each event will be in the Bahamas . . .Your events are more likely to be in places like Toledo, Cleveland and Columbus. These are relatively low paying jobs when compared to the kind of money you can get promoting your own speeches and seminars.
SPEAK FREE TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS
Many professionals speak or give free public seminars to help get clients. Attorneys, doctors, dentists, accountants, real estate agents, lawyers, home builders and many other people from a wide variety of professions give seminars to promote their business and to gain clients directly from the seminars. To do this effectively you must not spend the entire seminar promoting yourself. You must give the participants good information with the idea of establishing yourself or your company as the expert. There is certainly nothing wrong with showing people how complicated things are and even though they can do it themselves, it might not be a wise thing to do. For instance, you could be a plumber giving a seminar on how to remodel your bathroom. You tell the participants every little detail of how to do it and also tell them the perils if they do it wrong. No one will complain that you were just giving a sales pitch, but many will think to themselves, "Maybe this is too much to tackle by myself. Maybe I should hire this person to either help me or do it for me."
SPEAK AS PART OF YOUR JOB
Many companies have their own speakers bureau. Normally the only reason it exists is as a public relations tool to provide a good image of their company to the community. One of the ways you can speak for pay in your company is to volunteer to be in the speakers bureau. As long as you are on company time when you are speaking, you are indirectly getting paid to speak. If they always ask you to speak after hours on your own time, well that's a different story. You still might want to do it to continue to become a better speaker. Another way to get paid to speak in your job is to join the training staff of your company, or start one if one doesn't exist. You can simply target a problem the company is having and work up a program to train others in the company on how to solve the problem. Suggest a few sessions to your boss to see how it goes. If you get results, chances are they will want you to do the same program for others in the company.
For a free in-depth report on what it's like and what you need to know to be a paid professional speaker either part time or full time visit http://www.antion.com/public-speaking.htm
You can also get a free subscription to Great Speaking the largest ezine in the world on public speaking. http://www.antion.com/ezinesubscribe.htm Visit our blog at http://www.GreatPublicSpeaking.BlogSpot.com
Public Speaking Books, CDs and Videos
This is my overriding principle that came from years of hard knocks trying to get people to hire me to speak. I get more speaking engagements than I ever had before when I quit trying to sell them and began selling my knowledge in as many different formats as possible. The idea is that infinitely more people can buy what you know through books, tapes, CDs, Ebooks and videos than could ever hire you to speak. Your name recognition because of your knowledge distribution makes speaking engagements much easier to come by because the people that could hire you have already heard you and your message on your knowledge based products. In the mean time, the money from the product sales keeps your business thriving.
GET SPONSORSHIP
You can get other companies to sponsor your speaking fee so they can be associated with your message when you speak. Stop and think of what kinds of groups would want to be associated with your message. Let's say you speak to the banking industry. Maybe mortgage, or mutual fund companies would sponsor you. Maybe bank equipment companies would. Think of anyone who would want to have exposure to your target audience then simply make a proposal to their public relations department.
GET DIRECTLY PAID
This is pretty straight forward. You speak to a corporation, association, civic group, or anyone who would hire you and they pay you directly. Most of the time you should try to get a deposit up front of about 50 percent and the balance either before the event, or the day of the event. You will use various methods to get hired. I have had the greatest success in my career getting hired to speak by promoting myself properly on the Internet.
SPEAKERS BUREAUS
A speakers bureau is a for profit organization that locates speakers for paying clients. The speakers bureau normally takes a percentage of your gross fee. The percentage is usually in the 15 to 30 percent range with the average fee being 25 percent. It is very difficult to start with speakers bureaus unless you are a bonafide celebrity and your fees are substantial. You must remember they get paid on straight commission and the higher your fee, the more they make. Also, unless you have a proven track record, a speakers bureau will be afraid to put you in front of one of their clients because if you bomb they could lose many more bookings from the same client. You must also supply the bureau with promotional materials that don't have your contact information so anyone that sees the material will contact the bureau directly and not you.
PUBLIC SEMINARS
This is another fairly simple idea, but that doesn't mean it's simple to do. Basically you promote your seminar to the public and they buy tickets to attend. You could also promote it to corporate management and get them to buy tickets for their employees to attend. I avoided public seminars for years because of the risk and expense involved in printing and mailing brochures. Now I do lots of public seminars because I can promote them at no cost through my website and email magazine.
TELEPHONE SEMINARS
This can be a form of public seminar, or it can be done for private groups. You arrange for a telephone bridge line (very inexpensive), or a conference call (can be VERY expensive). You have participants call in and you deliver the seminar over the telephone. This saves a tremendous amount of money on travel expenses for you and the participants along with all kinds of savings for the participants (travel, time, etc.) For visuals you can have the participants sitting in front of their computer while on the phone. You tell them what web page to visit to see your visuals. I have produced a CD set on this topic. http://www.antion.com/teleseminarkit.htm
WEBCASTS
This is similar to telephone seminars except you are using the Internet instead of a telephone to hold the seminar.
TRAINING COMPANIES
In this case a company hires you to deliver their programs to public seminar participants, or to participants all from the same private company. Career Track, SkillPath Seminars and Fred Pryor Seminars are examples of companies who hire seminar leaders. In some cases you can develop programs for the seminar company and get a higher fee for delivering that program and a fee each time it is delivered by another seminar leader. You also get a percentage of all the back of room products you sell. These companies can keep you on the road quite a bit so you better be ready to travel and don't think each event will be in the Bahamas . . .Your events are more likely to be in places like Toledo, Cleveland and Columbus. These are relatively low paying jobs when compared to the kind of money you can get promoting your own speeches and seminars.
SPEAK FREE TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS
Many professionals speak or give free public seminars to help get clients. Attorneys, doctors, dentists, accountants, real estate agents, lawyers, home builders and many other people from a wide variety of professions give seminars to promote their business and to gain clients directly from the seminars. To do this effectively you must not spend the entire seminar promoting yourself. You must give the participants good information with the idea of establishing yourself or your company as the expert. There is certainly nothing wrong with showing people how complicated things are and even though they can do it themselves, it might not be a wise thing to do. For instance, you could be a plumber giving a seminar on how to remodel your bathroom. You tell the participants every little detail of how to do it and also tell them the perils if they do it wrong. No one will complain that you were just giving a sales pitch, but many will think to themselves, "Maybe this is too much to tackle by myself. Maybe I should hire this person to either help me or do it for me."
SPEAK AS PART OF YOUR JOB
Many companies have their own speakers bureau. Normally the only reason it exists is as a public relations tool to provide a good image of their company to the community. One of the ways you can speak for pay in your company is to volunteer to be in the speakers bureau. As long as you are on company time when you are speaking, you are indirectly getting paid to speak. If they always ask you to speak after hours on your own time, well that's a different story. You still might want to do it to continue to become a better speaker. Another way to get paid to speak in your job is to join the training staff of your company, or start one if one doesn't exist. You can simply target a problem the company is having and work up a program to train others in the company on how to solve the problem. Suggest a few sessions to your boss to see how it goes. If you get results, chances are they will want you to do the same program for others in the company.
For a free in-depth report on what it's like and what you need to know to be a paid professional speaker either part time or full time visit http://www.antion.com/public-speaking.htm
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Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Public Speaking : Bribes
... or, as I like to call them, 'Tips in advance' are a part of my public speaking life. Does that mean I am an unethical person? ABSOLUTELY NOT! It means I am a realist. It means that when I am 30 minutes from the beginning of a presentation and I have been trying to get a projection screen for two hours, it might be time to grease a few palms. I just consider it an investment in my image. I am the one who is going to look bad if I am not prepared to begin on time. If it costs me five or ten or even twenty bucks to get some action, so what? I don't believe in penny pinching when you get in a pinch.
Am I happy about this? No, I am not happy, but I am always willing to invest in excellence. Also, I would rather lose a few bucks than get all worked up and upset before a public speaking engagement. In addition, any problems I am having are probably not the fault of the maintenance or set up person who gets the money. It makes me feel good to give them a little boost in their pay for that day.
So, have a few small bills handy before every presentation, just in case you need to get something done quick. One more thing ... This also works when you have too much baggage at the curb side check in. An extra bag costs 50 bucks at the airline ticket counter, so I give the skycap 20 and save myself 30. It doesn't work every time, but most of the time it does.
Am I happy about this? No, I am not happy, but I am always willing to invest in excellence. Also, I would rather lose a few bucks than get all worked up and upset before a public speaking engagement. In addition, any problems I am having are probably not the fault of the maintenance or set up person who gets the money. It makes me feel good to give them a little boost in their pay for that day.
So, have a few small bills handy before every presentation, just in case you need to get something done quick. One more thing ... This also works when you have too much baggage at the curb side check in. An extra bag costs 50 bucks at the airline ticket counter, so I give the skycap 20 and save myself 30. It doesn't work every time, but most of the time it does.
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