Constantly, Take Their Temperature! The Goal of all Communications; written, spoken or visual, is the same. We want the recipient(s), as quickly as possible to 'Get It!' They may not agree with all of our message They may not agree with any of our message. But unless they 'Get It!' we can't have a meaningful Read More
Presentation Tips
The Best Speakers Don’t Work Harder than You . . .
The Best Speakers Work Much, Much, Much Harder! Have you read Malcomb Gladwell's book , Outliers, The Story of Success? If not, I strongly suggest you buy and devour it! Hard work is not the only thing that can lead to success in life, but it is one of the things you can control and do something about. Gladwell says Read More
Non-Verbal Communication Element #2 –
Facial Expressions
What does your Face Say? We’ve heard expressions like; “I can read his face", or, “The expression on her face told the whole story.” Those expressions are correct! The ways our face expresses emotion are varied, but the interpretations are pretty much universal. The first, and most important Facial expression is – Read More
PowerPoint / Keynote Presentations
YOU Supply the Text! If I'm using a PowerPoint / Keynote Presentation and project the slide on the right onto a screen, and at the same time say, "It's time for you to leave!" - You 'Get It!' The slide, showing a door opening with an EXIT Sign above , is clean and simple. My verbiage supplies the text - keeping the Read More
Speech Competition
There's really only one person you need to compete with . . . Toastmasters, and other speaking clubs, sometimes have speech competition called Speech Contests. When I was a Toastie, I entered several. I'm sure I won a few, but know I lost more than I won. I hate to disagree with the famous coach Vince Lombardi, but Read More
Non-Verbal Communication Element # 3 –
Gestures – They communicate, also!
Shhhh! The figure on the right is not speaking, but their finger raised in front of their mouth is communicating - "Please be quiet!" Gestures, like other forms of non-verbal communication, can stand on their own communicating a message. They can also be combined with other forms of non-verbal communication, or be Read More
Speech Content – Part #5.5
Closing Your Speech
Your LAST WORDS Will probably be the FIRST WORDS Your Audience will Remember! Before closing, tell the audience that you are about to close the speech. This is important. It’s OK if your closing has a surprise in it, but not if your closing is the surprise! Here’s an analogy. You’re on a trip and have been Read More
Verbal Communication Element #4 –
Cadence
The Rhythmic Flow of the words . . . A natural partner of inflection is our next element, Cadence. It’s the rhythmic flow of the words used when speaking. Other terms used for this element are: meter, beat, measure and pulse Usually, and largely because of nervousness, presenters speak too quickly. Some speakers Read More
Verbal Communication Element #3 – Inflection
Did you ever hear a presenter speak in Mon-O-Tone? Did I hear some say, "R2D2 of Star Wars fame? If you did, you probably couldn't wait for the talk to end, and it's doubtful you remember anything from the speech. Inflection, or Voice Modulation, is “change in the pitch or tone of the voice.” Varying your tone Read More
Non-Verbal Communication Element #1 –
Eye Contact
Eyes are the 'Windows to the Soul'. They are the first things we use for non-verbal communication when we meet someone. The same applies when speaking to a group of people. 'Look me in the eye!' 'The eyes have it!' The first thing to do, after taking the lectern, and before beginning your talk, is to find a Read More