A week ago myself and 21 others sat down in the courtroom. We were the chosen few to appear that day for jury duty.

In strode the judge. Medium height and dressed in a suite with no robe. He gave us a 7 minute speech and explained the jury selection process and how long the trial would be. Then he marched out.

His mini speech illustrated three speaking lessons:

1. Dress Up

People do judge a speaker by their dress (pardon the pun). Is a doctor going to have more credibility dressed in a white coat or old jeans? Studies and experience say “yes!” If you dress up, people tend to give more credibility to what you have to say.

The pros say to dress up one step above the audience. If they are in shirts and ties, wear a suit. Everyone wearing Jeans and a collared shirt? Throw on a sports jacket.

If the judge had come out in an Hawaiian shirt and shorts, his message would not have had near the impact.

 2. Acknowledge what the Audience is Thinking

“I know many of you don’t want to be here.”

“Thanks for giving up your day to do this.”

“This will be a short trial and done today.”

By saying what we were thinking, it helped him connect with us potential jurors.

You can I can do the same. If the room feels hot, mention it. If you know that there may be an objection to a position your taking, say, “You may be thinking, ‘….’ “. Then answer it.

You’ll connect and better deliver your message.

3. Keep it short

People have short attention spans. Depending on your audience, many don’t want to be there. Short speeches tend to be remembered. Think about the Gettysburg address.

His speech was 7 minutes and then he was done. No extra time to fulfill his ego or put us into a mid morning nap.

Most speeches have too much fluff. Recently we received a package of cleaning supplies from an online website. It was a big box with 1/3 taken up with our supplies. The other 2/3′s was taken up by air!

Many  speeches have a lot of air and can be cut down to save everyone some time. Plus, it’s more impactful.

Don’t eliminate the pauses, cut out content and sharpen what’s left.

These three lessons helped the judge deliver an effective speech and will help you and I.

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

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Three days ago, I heard the great speech coach Patricia Fripp share a speaking tip to make our presentations deliver more punch.

Presentation Tip #5: Put the most important word or phrase at the end of the sentence.

Compare these two sentences.

Persistence is the secret to reaching your goals.

The secret to reaching your goals is persistence.

The second sentence puts persistence, the power word, at the end. This gives more punch to the sentence. Subtle but effective.

For your next speech consider Patricia Fripp’s advice. Skim through your speech, rearrange sentences, and put the most important word or phrase last.

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

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It’s spring and 35,000 Toastmasters from around the world are competing for the coveted title of World Champion of Public Speaking. Through a series of contests, 9 finalists will emerge and compete in Las Vegas later this year for the title.

I am not competing this year due to being an Area Governor. I highly recommend taking part in these contests for your personal growth.

For those of you who are, Here are two steps that have helped in my Toastmasters Speech Preparation

Step #1: Choose a truth, statement, or idea that has positively impacted your life.

In past contests I have used:

• Obligation or opportunity
• Keep on driving
• Adapt and advance

They can be longer, but you’ll notice that most of the winning speeches have a key point.

Step #2: Use personal story(s) to illustrate how these truths have impacted your life.

Here is one example.

You may be wondering, “How has this worked for you?”

Good question.

Year 1: Won three contests and placed third at district.  Did not put enough humor in my speech and it was my first time competing.

Year 2: Reached the top 244 in the world. Was told my vocal variety was lacking. Plus, I made a major change the day before and did not practice it enough.

Year 3: I brought my “B” game to the contest and the winner brought his “A” game. Lost at Division. Should have read my article on preparation.

So yes there is more than just following these two steps, but they will make a great foundation for your speech.

What truth has impacted you? What are some personal stories that illustrated the truth? Put the answers together and you have a jump start on your journey to world champion.

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

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Question #30: How should I not start a presentation or speech?

There are good ways to start a speech and poor ways. Here are a few openings that can hinder your presentation and possibly ruin the entire speech. Avoid them. There are many better speech openings.

1. I’m sorry but I did not have time to prepare like I wanted. (See more on starting with an apology)
   
2. Thank you for this opportunity and I would like to thank these forty people.
   
3. I am not an expert in what I am going to talk to you about.
4. Sorry about the power point snafu – Rob
   
5. Umm. Uh. I. Ah…
6. I’m going to talk about… - Melanie
   
7. I was up last night for half the night and could not sleep. Please bear with me.
8. I have allergies and a cold, but I’ll try to fight through the pain.
9. I heard a joke you may like. It has nothing to do with the presentation and you have all probably heard it but I’ll tell it again.
10. I’m so happy to be here.

What is wrong with most of these? They are “I” focused. The audience is concerned with themselves. What are you bringing to the speaking table.

Instead of these openings check out these articles:

• How to Write a Good Speech Intro
• 4 Ways to Start a Speech
• The Hook & Reel Intro

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

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Question #28: What is a good method to structure my talk when writing a speech or preparing a presentation?

Dale Carnegie was a master presenter who lived in the first half of the 20th century. He trained thousands of speakers around the country and taught them the following:

Tell the audience what you’re going to say, say it; then tell them what you’ve said.

Lets break that down:

1. Tell the audience what you’re going to say. (preview)

2. Say it. (explanation)

3. Then tell them what you said? (review)

Want an example?

How do I “Tell the audience what you’re going to say, say it; then tell them what you’ve said?”

Recently I gave a business presentation on “How to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking”. In this presentation I shared three keys for increasing speaking confidence and reducing fear.

Using the above formula, my speech went like this:

Intro

You will learn three keys that have enabled me to overcome my fear of public speaking. They are: 1. Act Confidence. 2. Prepare. 3. Relax

Let’s start with the first one. Act Confident.

…..

Second key is: Prepare

……

Third key is: Relax.

……

You can overcome your fear of public speaking. First, Act Confident. Second, Prepare. Third, Relax.

Notice how I previewed my three keys, then explained each, and finally reviewed them in my conclusion.  I have given this presentation multiple times and the above format has worked the best.

Under each point you can start with saying the point, explain the point, and then review the point. This makes your presentation get remembered.

You can use the same idea when telling stories with effective storytelling techniques.

Telling Stories that Make a Point

Every story or situation will vary, but here is a great outline.

State the Point – Story illustrating the point  – review the point

By following Dale Carnegie’s formula your speeches will be well structured, easy to deliver, and remembered.

(C) Arlen Busenitz – Speakinginfo.com

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

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Question #26: How do I start a speech with a Bang?

In NASCAR the start of the race is critical. Starting with good momentum will help propel the driver to victory. A weak start is very difficult to overcome. Same applies to delivering a business presentation, motivational keynote, or other speech. Start your speech with momentum and you'll be able to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. A weak opening is difficult to overcome. Here are 4 ways to begin a speech or open a presentation. Watch as Patricia Fripp shares how to begin your speech with a bang. Learn more about Patricia Fripp (Aff Link)

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

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When you are preparing a speech, what is your first step? Do you brainstorm a topic, make an outline, or research? Consider this next speaking tip:

Speech Preparation Tip #24: Find your Chris and Prepare the Speech for Chris.

• What problems does Chris have?
• What would keep Chris’s attention?
• What info will help Chris?

• Select someone you know who represents the audience.
• Ask yourself, “What would I say if it was just this individual in the room?”
• Tailor the speech so it appeals to and impacts the diversity of people in the room.
• Prepare for one, but appeal to all

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

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Your speech intro is one of the most critical parts of your presentation.

During these essential few minutes, you want to do three things:

- Grab Attention

- Preview the speech

- Share compelling reasons why the audience should listen to you.

Over the next couple days, we'll be tackle each one of these.

Good Speech Intro Tip #19: Grab their attention with a question, a story, or a startling statement.

Any one of these will get the audience involved and ready to pay attention.

Starting with a Question

Do you remember a time when your were very discouraged or disappointed?

Would this question grab the audience's attention? Definitely, I've used it several times with great success. Three points to remember when asking questions.

First, ask it to one person. Look at one person and ask the question. Second, phrase the question so it is "you" focused. Third, pause after the question to let people reflect on it. One of the World Champions of Public Speaking said, "If they reflect, you will connect."

Starting your speech with a Story

Two years ago, I was…

Stories are an excellent way to grab attention. Just jump right in. No need for clutter phrases like "Here is something interesting that happened to me" or "Now, I will tell you a story." Dive into the story and let the story grab the audience's attention.

Starting with Startling Statement

Last year 11,773 People were killed by drunk drivers. That's like two 747 Jumbo Jets crashing every month.

Did this grab your attention? Think of true, but startling statements to open your speech.

Take some extra time to create a good speech intro with this speaking tip.

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

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