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Fred Miller
Dec 28, 20113 min read

Speakers, My 2012 New Year’s Resolutions are. . .


2012It’s That Time of the Year! Here are My 2012 Resolutions. What are Yours?

#1.  Prepare and Practice for each Presentation even if I’ve given it 100+ times.

  1. It might be the umpteenth time I’ve delivered it, but it’s the first time most of the audience have heard it.

  2. The size of the audience doesn’t matter.  I should always give my best.

  3. “Practice makes perfect.”  No!

  4. “Perfect Practice makes Perfect.” – No such thing!

  5. The one I subscribe to is: “The road to perfection never ends!”

#2.  Regularly Refresh and Update my Content and Delivery.

  1. The only constant is Change.  I’ll continue to practice Kaizen, the Japanese word that means continuous improvement.

#3.  Get Out of my Comfort Zone with Content and Delivery.

  1. When we Get Out of our Comfort Zone – our Comfort Zone becomes Larger!

#4.  Study, Study, and Study more about my subject of Expertise, the Art & Science of Public Speaking/Presenting.

  1. I always learn new things from the blogs, articles, books and videos I seek out on public speaking/presentations.

#5.  Continue to regularly Write a New Post with great Content and to place the Audio in each Post.

  1. The combination of Written Post + Audio Post has made me a better writer and a better speaker.

#6.  Take just about every opportunity I can to Speak.  Paid and Fee Waived.

  1. Walk my talk, “Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities.

  2. It’s the only real way to better my craft because, “The Learning is in the Doing!”

#7.  Always remember to be Audience Centered.

  1. It’s ALL about the Audience and not about me!

  2. Focusing on the Audience raises the level of my presentations and lowers my anxiety.

#8.  Always write my own Introduction.

  1. Let the emcee know it’s my job to write it and their job to present it as if they wrote it.  My writing it is to make their job easier.

  2. Inform them the Introduction is an integral part of the speech, and review it with them.

    1. Just to be safe, always bring an extra copy to the event!

#9.  When teaching and coaching others in the Art and Science of Public Speaking/Presenting, respect the investment they are making in time and money.

  1. Do my best to help them accomplish what they want.

  2. Realize that some are really out of their comfort zone, and the call to me was not without a great deal of thought and trepidation.

#10.  Continually go Back to the Basics. This is an important concept for accomplishing much in life.

Sometimes I, and others, stray from the Basics – and our presentations suffer. The Components, Parts, and Elements of a Presentation have stood the test of time. They don’t change!

  1. Two Components to a Presentation: Content and Delivery

  2. The Parts of  Content include:

    1. Introduction

      1. Always write my own, and have it answer three questions:

        1. Why this Subject?

        2. Why this Speaker?

        3. Why Now?

    2. Opening

      1. Have a Strong Opening that grabs the audience’s attention.

      2. Tell them what I’m going to tell them.

    3. Body

      1. Make a Point – Tell a Personal Story that reinforces the point.

      2. Do this three to five times.

    4. Conclusion

      1. Tell them what I told them.

      2. Have a Strong Closing, a “Call to Action!”

  3. The Parts of Delivery include  Verbal and NonVerbal Elements:

    1. Verbal Elements include:

      1. Pronunciation and Enunciation

        1. Speak clearly and distinctly.

        2. Sometimes I don’t do this.  Being aware is the first step.

      2. Projection

        1. Talk to the person in the back of the room.

        2. Don’t yell!

      3. Inflection

        1. The correct inflection can change the entire meaning of a sentence.

        2. Work on this and I’ll better my presenting!

      4. Cadence

        1. Not too quickly, which I sometimes do.

        2. Varying the pace helps keep the audience engaged.

      5. Pause

        1. Tough, but I believe, the most powerful element of Verbal Communication.

    2. NonVebal Elements include:

      1. Eye Contact

        1. First thing, find a friendly face and make eye contact.

        2. Next, find another friendly face!

      2. Facial Expressions

        1. Smile!  Remember, it’s universal. Give one, and I usually get one right back!

      3. Gestures

        1. Make them in sync with my message.

        2. Make them larger for larger audiences and for emphasis.

      4. Posture

        1. Stand tall and straight.  No slouching!

      5. Body Movement

        1. Make them deliberate and return to several “anchor points.”

        2. I need to work on this.  My nervous energy needs to be harnessed!

Those are My 2012 Resolutions.

What are Yours?

For reading, and/or listening, this far I’d like to give you a FREE Gift. Go to: https://nosweatpublicspeaking.com/freegift to receive it!

About the Author Fred E. Miller is a speaker, a coach, and author of the book, “No Sweat Public Speaking!” Businesses and individuals hire him because they want to improve their Public Speaking and Presentation Skills. They do this because we perceive really great speakers to be Experts. Perception is reality and we rather deal with Experts.

They also know: Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities. Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities. Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities. He shows them how to Develop, Practice, and Deliver ‘Knock Your Socks Off Presentations!’ with – No Sweat!

Photo Credit: Billy Alexander

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