Public Speaking: Delivering A Killer Opening

The only time you are virtually guaranteed to have the entire audience’s attention is at the beginning of your speech. So why do so many public speakers waste it with a litany of “thank you’s?” It's not interesting when Nicole Kidman does it at the Academy Awards. And no offense. You're not Nicole Kidman.

Eight Steps to Better Public Speaking

How public speakers can overcome nervous and stage fright. How to prepare your speech beforehand. The best time to rehearse. How to psych yourself up before going onstage. How to make an audience like you.

Profit From Effective Public Speaking

Developing and utilizing presentation skills can result in increased income for you. Here are a few ways that you can turn your public speaking experience into business profits.

Public Speaking: Specific Objectives

Make sure you find out exactly what you are supposed to accomplish when you are asked to do a public speaking engagement. It is best to have it in writing.

Public Speaking: Room Setup Checklist

Personalize this checklist for your presentations....

Public Speaking: Tips for Television, Videotape, and Videoconferencing

Here are some things you should keep in mind when a television camera is trained on you:

Pausest

A true NO ZZZZZs presenter doesn't feel that he or she must jabber away constantly to keep the audience awake. Skilled presenters use silence to add to the effectiveness and polish of a program. Theatrical folks have identified a whole bunch of neat pauses which I'm sure they have a ball playing with. I'm only going to address some of the most obvious and important ones here.

Give 'em What They Want

As a professional public speaker you don't mope around crying because your product sales would suffer or because your ego is suffering. You give it your all whether there are 3 or 3000 in the audience.

Public Speaking: Give Me a Brake

... a mental brake that is. Here are some mind tricks when you speak too fast.

Public Speaking: Be Careful

I was doing an event for 3200 people in California and it was a really big deal. I had a two stage managers with headsets counting down 30 seconds till show time, a personal assistant and complete video crew for tape and image projection. Everything was hustle and bustle and rush, rush, rush.

Public Speaking: On Stage Tips

* The larger the crowd, the larger and slower the gestures...

Public Speaking: Lay Down the Law

Lay Down the Law: Getting everyone to agree to your plan in the beginning puts enormous peer pressure on an individual violating any of the rules...

Public Speaking: The Front Row

In the research I did on my recent public speaking trip to Thailand, I discovered that a meeting or seminar custom is to seat VIP attendees in the front row. No one of a lesser status either socially or in business would think of sitting closer to the front than their boss, or someone of a higher social ranking...

Public Speaking: International Perspective on Humor

United States public speaking audiences are becoming more and more diverse. It is your responsibility as a public speaker to be aware of and acknowledge significant portions of the audience that come from differing backgrounds. If you are speaking in a different country, again, it is up to you to find out about local customs and types of humor that are appreciated in that locale. The response to humor is quite different for different cultures. Paying close attention to this fact will give you a greater chance of connecting with international audiences in and out of the U.S. You will also be more aware of etiquette and customs that will make you a welcome speaker anywhere you go.

Public Speaking: Self-Effacing Humor

Self-effacing humor, or making fun of yourself is quite a contrast. It is a very powerful form of humor that gets its strength from highlighting your weaknesses. It seems that people who have the ability to laugh at themselves in just the right amount during a public speaking engagement are perceived as secure, confident, strong, and likeable.