The Successful Speaker

August 2008

Contents This Month

· It’s Like Riding a Bike

· It’s Also Like Riding a Bike

· RPGE

· Quotations

· Update Your Email Address

· Refer Madness

It’s Like Riding a Bike

Several years ago, a friend of mine lamented the fact that he had started getting anxious again when giving presentations. He was an experienced presenter, and an experienced ex-Toastmaster.

He said that he had “gotten over” his nervousness (he hadn’t gotten rid of it, but it was no longer a hindrance) while he was presenting and teaching frequently. He went on to tell me that he had gone about six or seven months without giving a presentation. It was after that lapse that he started getting nervous again. When he told me about it, he was very disappointed in himself.

Presenting is like riding a bike. You have to practice it frequently to maintain your skill and nerve-control mechanisms. I recently started riding a bicycle again. While I hadn’t forgotten how to ride it, my skills had decayed somewhat after about 20 years of not riding.

If you want to avoid what happened to my friend (Jim, you reading this?), you have to keep practicing. Volunteer to speak at staff meetings, read bulletins at church, or elsewhere. If you can’t do this, at least learn to modify your expectations.

It’s Also Like Riding a Bike

Being in the audience is also like riding a bike. While audience members aren’t the stars of the show, they still want to be recognized and acknowledged.

When I ride my bicycle on the road, I know that I’m not the heavyweight, but I want the heavyweights (cars and trucks) to know that I’m there. Your audience feels the same way. Make sure you:

· Make eye contact with everyone in the audience. In most audiences (about 8-12 people), this is easy. With large audiences, the best you can do may be to include several people in each section of the audience.

· Listen to questions or input from the audience with rapt attention. While you may have heard the question or example before, make sure you listen to all of it with your eyes locked in. Nod when appropriate and respond to everyone.

· If someone gets heated with a question or comment, let them know that you heard not only what they said, but how they said it. Say something like, “It sounds like you feel very strongly about that,” or “You seem to have had a bad experience with it.” You aren’t’ agreeing with him/her; just acknowledging their feelings.

RPGE

Rob Becker was doing his one-man show, Defending the Cavemen in Dallas. He had done the show almost every night for years. He could do it in his sleep. One night he drew a complete blank and forgot his script. He left the stage and gave everyone their money back!

Losing your train of thought happens to all of us. As presenters our memory lapses feel catastrophic. Here’s an easy (easier with practice) way to make these lapses appear minor.

· Repeat. Repeat or rephrase the last thing you said and make it sound important.

· Pause. Hold someone’s eyes for a second to give more weight to what you said.

· Glance. Take a glance at your notes to find your next idea. If you constructed your notes with different colors, cue words (rather than sentences or phrases), and large print, you will easily find the next idea.

· Eyes. Look to a different pair of eyes before you start with your next point.

When you learn to do this well, you will look smooth and poised rather than ready to refund your audience’s investment.

Quotations

“Find a subject you care about and which you feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, and not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style.” – Kurt Vonnegut (American author)

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche (German philosopher, author)

Update Your Email Address

Don’t miss an issue of The Successful Speaker. If your email address is going to change, let me know about it.

Refer Madness

If you had a good experience in my workshop/seminar, share it with someone you know. If you provide me with a lead that generates new business for me, I’ll pay you (or your favorite charity) $250 (less if it is less than a full-fee engagement).

If you belong to a professional organization that needs a speaker or If you know any business or non-profit organization (including your own), that could benefit from my workshops, presentations, coaching, or needs a facilitator:

1. Tell your contact about me.

2. Tell me about your contact. Call me at 972-378-0937 or write me at dgunby@mindimensions.com

3. Wait for your check (if I get your contact’s business)

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