Speaking tips blog
Communication matters. What are you saying?
Handouts
Lots of speakers provide handouts. It's a good idea. It gives the listener a take-away and future reminder of the content -- at a minimum they're faced with the decision of whether to throw the handout away or not. That is more follow-up than a listener who only...
Finding those problems
Here's a tip I (re)discovered this week. First, I'm a HUGE fan of video as an unbiased observer to help us get better as speakers. It's the only true way for us to see ourselves as the audience sees us. So the (repeated) tip: use video early and often.But in...
Phrase of the week
Probably heard it 40 times this week (and maybe every week, but it's been really prevalent in at least three settings this week, and unfortunately, I heard myself use it once this morning): "I want to say..." and it's corollary, "I want to tell you..."There's really...
How to get better
Had a comment on last night's post to just give the tips to getting better. Unfortunately, there are really precious few.The best tip, of course, is Rule #1: It's not about you, the presenter. It's about them, the listener/learner/client/audience. Keeping that in...
Hand-me-downs
I've witnessed a lot of seminars/presentations/classes/shows lately. Suffice it to say I have plenty of material for coming weeks.Watched an instructor roll out a course. He was capable, competent, credible, and well spoken. But the materials were marginal at...
Say what you mean…
and, mean what you say. My friend Jeff blogs about a pet peeve we share -- folks who cannot follow through on what they say, especially with respect to time. Mankind's most precious asset is time -- don't abuse or presume on it!Corollaries include:"...to make a long...
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain…
Sat in on a presentation today that in one short hour will likely fill the blog for weeks to come. First, there was a web element (remote attendees via LiveMeeting) to the meeting. The presenter didn't know how to work the technology, and had to solicit help. Not...
Undivided attention
Whether giving or receiving information, the focus and intensity of attention to the other party is critical. Was in a meeting the other day, called by the other person. During the (short) conversation, this person took not one but two opportunities to check his...
We will pass out no materials before its time
One of the mistakes I watch many trainers and speakers make is the thought that everything needs to be passed out before a session begins. While that does often simplify logistics, it also promotes distractions, premature conclusions, and often disinterest. To...
New way of doing things
Sometimes, until we see someone else do something, we presume it must be done a certain way. Our assumptions are often wrong. My laptop's power cord has always been a pain to deal with. In addition to the inevitable "Low Battery. Switch to AC power immediately."...
Distraction
Watching some sports talk 'analysis' tonite -- three ex-jocks trying to elaborate on the finer points of a game that admittedly is not my number one passion. I was having trouble paying attention, and tried to figure out the reason why. I think I may have discovered...
Second place
I placed second in tonite's Toastmasters' Division Evaluation contest. While I won the Area contest, I joke that I finished second to last (only two competitors). Everyone in tonite's competition had won twice already, and everyone was good. After the contest, I...
