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.

Authors and speech coaches claim:

• Eye contact will connect you with the audience
• Eye-contact will make you look confident
• Eye-Contact will help hold attention

I used to be a big proponent of emphasizing the importance of eye-contact when speaking.

Not anymore.

I still believe that good eye-contact is crucial. However, our focus should not be on eye contact but on this principle:

Talk to one person for 3-8 seconds.

Look at someone and deliver a sentence or two. Have a mini-conversation with them for a few moments. Ignore everyone else and speak directly to them.

Speak in terms that make them feel like you are speaking directly to them. Craig Valentine says, “Speak to them like you were talking to them in a hallway.” If I met you in the hallway, I would not say “Each of you can reach your goals”. I would say, “You can reach your goals”.

Keep your voice conversational. Sometime as speakers we get into our “preacher’s voice”. Would you use this voice if you met someone in the hallway? Nope. Keep it coversational.

Several benefits of applying this principle and Talking to one person for 3-8 seconds.

Benefit #1: You will make good eye-contact (Yes! This is important)
Benefit #2: They feel like we are speaking to them, will listen better, and feel more connected.
Benefit #3: The people sitting around the person will feel like you are talking to them.

More info on how to do this in Become a Better Speaker in One Evening.

Move beyond eye-contact. Focus on talking to one person for 3-8 seconds.

Here is an intro I heard a couple weeks ago.

I would like to thank you for the opportunity to be here. I am very happy to speak about something which I am very interested in. My story starting in high school. Bullies terrorized our school.

This intro is boring and does not grab the audience’s attention. You want to hook the audience. With every word of those first couple sentences, people’s attention is swimming away.

See what happens after you take an axe to it.

I would like to thank you for the opportunity to be here. I am very happy to speak about something which I am very interested in. My story starting in high school. Bullies terrorized our school.

Now, the speaker jumps right into the action.

Bullies terrorized our school.

What an attention grabber!

Immediately everyone is paying attention. You can continue to reel them in throughout the speech. If you did not use the axe, most of the people lost during the first sentences may never come back.

Do your intro’s need an axe?

Here are some tips for taking an Axe to your intro:

1. Jump right into the story.
2. Use a question to grab attention.
3. Thank the audience after you grab their attention.
4. Grab their attention before you say what you will be talking about.

Learn more in the Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™ Program.

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I have competed several times and have learned 7 keys which will help a person do well in this contest. You are probably thinking, “Arlen, how well did you do?” In 2009 I was in the top 243 out of 35,000 competitors from around the world. The following 7 keys helped me reach that level.

Key #1: Don’t focus on winning the speech contest. Focus on influencing the audience.

Create a speech which will have a lasting impact on the audience. Walk in with this focus and you will have a winning speech no matter how many contests you win.
Key #2: Have one main point or phrase and build the speech around it.
Points from past speeches include:

• Keep on Driving
• Adapt & Advance
• Obligation or Opportunity

Key #3: Use your story to communicate the point.

Share how this truth has impacted you with a stories from your life.

Key #4: “Manipulate your voice to influence the audience” – Rory Vaden

Use vocal variety to influence the feelings of the audience. Speed up to create excitement. Slow down to drive a point home.

Key #5: Pause

Pause before and after a key point. Pause for humor. Pause to let your truth sink in.

Key #6: Open Hot, Close Hotter

According to Patrica Fripp, the first and last 30 seconds of any speech are crucial. Grab attention and launch into your speech. If you say, “Fellow Toastmaster, …” say it 20-30 seconds in and not as your opening line.

This is a motivational speech. The last 30 seconds to should leave them on a high and leave a great impression on the judges.

Key #7: Speak from the Heart

Here is an excellent example of a speech by Rory Vaden from the 2007 World Championship.

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You don’t have to have a Kindle. You can read it on any computer.

Click here to Improve Your Conversation Skills in One Evening

My boss in college said, “KISS means Keep It Simply Simple.”

Below is one of the most basic speech writing formulas. However, many do not use it and may take the audience on a meaningless safari and leave the audience saying “Huh? What was the point?”. Those who do use this are easy to follow and audience’s appreciate the clarity.

1. Grab attention with the intro and preview your speech.

Read these articles for more info:

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

2. Have 2-4 main points and label them

If I am talking about overcome fear of public speaking, I have 4 keys. In the presentation I’ll say, “Key #1: Act Confident”. Audiences can easily follow you when you have main points and label them. See this article for more info.

3. Review the points and conclude with a story or call to action

I call this a home-run ending. Your circle your points and head for home plate with a story or call to action.

Simple speech formula and follows the rules of KISS. Results can be outstanding.

Learn more in this public speaking training.

Sure, I’ll get some butterflies at times. A little nervousness may creep in if I am doing a large event.

However, I don’t mind a few negative feelings. A couple tactics from Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™ will neutralize them.

Speaking fear, terror, extreme nervousness are as rare to me as a Super Bowl appearance by the Kansas City Chiefs. (I am a big fan, but am being realistic here.)

Has not always been the case.

Terror gripped me the first few times I spoke. If I had not been “strongly encouraged” (forced) to give those first speeches, I might still be in the shackles of public speaking fear.

How did I go from terrified to empowered?

I learned a three word phrase.

I use it daily to help me break outside my comfort zone and conquer fears in other areas of my life.

“Just do it.”

Ignore the fear. Just do it.

Fearful of trying something new? Just do it.

Scared you’ll mess up on stage? Just do it.

Comfort zone keeping you corralled? Just do it.

When you have this bold, just do it attitude, expect three benefits:

1. You’ll expand your comfort zone and you’ll feel comfortable doing new things.

2. Your fear will dissipate and no longer be an obstacle.

3. You’ll make others jealous because they see you accomplishing things which they wish they had the courage to do.

Ignore the fear and “Just do It”. (Unless it’s something stupid.)

It’s a technique which creates a memorable section of your speech which audiences love and remember.

Here is the speech writing technique:

Tell a personal story and then share two or three lessons or tips.

Read this real world speech example of how I used the technique:

Recently our family went on vacation. We were anticipating the fun and relaxation, but dreading the airport security.

We approached security lugging five carryon’s, a laptop computer, a stroller, an active 18 month old, and two bottles of apple juice over the three ounce limit.

After clearing the initial identification checkpoint, you know what happened next. The security-check dance began.

Belts are removed. Wallets and shoes tossed into tubs. All the while seeking to keep an 18 month old corralled.

My wife and I make it through the scanner, start collecting our personal belongings and keep an eye out for anyone accidently grabbing one of our bags.

A tall dark haired TSA agent approached.

In one hand he held our daughter’s pink diaper bag and in the other hand he held two bottles of apple juice. Clearly more than three ounces.

Busted.

The TSA website claimed the that having a toddler allowed us a green pass on the juice.

Mr. TSA looked at me and said, “Sir, you can either open the apple juice and let us test them for explosives or we can pat you down and search all your bags.”

I paused.

Glanced at our overstuffed bags, the blue gloves, and made the no brainer choice.

“You can test them!”

Surprise, surprise. The apple juice was found non-explosive.

This experience illustrated of three tips in getting people to do what we ask.

1. Be polite and treat people with respect.

We like to be treated with respect. Politeness makes us more willing to follow the another person’s wishes.

Combining a respectful attitude with “please”, “thank-you”, “Sir”, “Ma’am”, and other polite words increase our persuasive powers.

2. Give people a choice

Mr. TSA did not order me to open the apple juice. He gave me two choices. I may have internally bulked at the thought of opening the sealed Juice, but suddenly it seemed like a great choice when compared with a pat down and search.

A friend of mine used to work as a babysitter. She said she would give the kids choices instead of orders.

“Would you like to read this book or that book?”

“Would you like to go to bed now or stay up and washes the dishes with me?”

This is a powerful persuasive technique for adults and children.

3. Make requests instead of orders.

Earlier a TSA agent said, “Could you take your daughter out of the stroller?”

Sounds better than, “Take your daughter out of the stroller!”

Requests can still have the same authority as orders, but are much more palatable to us.

Turn your orders into requests.

“Could you pick up this report?”

“Would you have time to…”

I’ll never forget that experience nor the persuasion tips it illustrated.

Do you see how this technique will keep the audience’s attention?

When you get stuck in speech preparation or want to spruce up your speech, choose a personal story and then share several lessons from it.

Your audience will love it.

Have you heard this statement? Is it really true? In the past three weeks, I saw two speakers keep the audience on the edge of their seats despite poor delivery skills. Why? I wondered the same thing until the answer flashed into my mind a few days later.

The first speaker we’ll call Mr. Monotone. His voice was as flat as the roads of KS. He did move some and had OK eye contact, but his voice was stuck in one pitch. Normally his delivery skills would have put the audience to sleep, but all 300 people hung on his every word. Why? Keep reading.

The second speaker was at a different event with a room full of 90+ people. Let’s call him Mr. No Eye-Contact. I don’t want to be disrespectful, but I have never seen someone make such poor eye contact. He never once looked at his notes, because he did not have any!

Where did he look? The inside of his eyelids. His eyes were closed at least 90% of the time. I am not exaggerating!

But again, the audience was with him every sentence of the way. Why did these two speakers with poor deliver skills have such a tremendous connection with the audience?

Simple.

 If a hungry audience is fed by a top chef, they listen intently.

This is the winning formula. Vocal variety, stage presence, and eye contact are all helpful. However, as I witnessed,  they are not critically important when the speaker is feeding a hungry crowd

Mr Monotone had made millions on the internet and was addressing a roomful of internet marketers wanting to increase their income. 

• Audience hungry for info on how to make money.
• Expert and credible speaker showing them how.

 Mr. No Eye-Contact was a top expert in the health/nutrition field. The audience was made up of individuals hungry for information to improve their health. Again a winning formula.

Because both speakers were top chef’s or experts in their topics, this increased the hunger of the audience and they felt more satisfied.  

Hungry Audience + Credible and Expert Speaker delivering satisfying content = Audience on the edge of their seats.

Both speakers are highly paid and popular, not because of their delivery skills, but because they are feeding hungry audiences.

How can we apply this:

• Choose topics your audience is hungry for.
• Speak in the areas you have expertise in.
• Let it slip out that you are a top chef in your topic area. Put it in your introduction. Slip in a few self-praises in a humble way.

Delivery skills are very important, but you can hold attention if you find a hungry audience and feed them well.

(C) Arlen Busenitz. All Rights Reserved. www.SpeakingInfo.com

Using techniques from my book Conversation Magic, I connected with about 8 different people. In part 2, we’ll look at how I do this. In this article we’ll look at 5 reasons why I mingle with the audience.

Reason #1: Mingling Increases my Connection with the Audience

My friend took a young lady out for coffee. Was it a fun evening? Nope. The conversation dragged and it felt like a piano and a guitar playing different music. Their was no connection. He cut the evening short and took her to a movie so he would not have to talk to her!

An audience who feels connected with the speaker listens attentively and the room is filled with energy. If there is weak or little connection, bother speaker and audience may wish they were at the movies!

By mingling with the audience, they will see you as a normal person and it will easier to connect on stage. Leave a great impression before and it will make it much easier to leave a great impression from the stage.

Reason #2: Mingling Increases my Comfort Level and Reduces Anxiety

I rarely experience public speaking fear due to using the principles in Speak with Confidence. However, mingling puts me even more at ease.

A quick way to reduce public speaking fear is to spend time greeting the audience. I coach clients to stand at the door or go around greeting people. They report back how much it helps reduce anxiety and boost confidence.

Reason #3: Mingling Increases my Likeability

A year ago, I spent 10 minutes mingling with a crowd before a training workshop. Later I glanced at the reviews and several individuals mentioned, “He’s a likeable guy.”

If people like you as a person, they are much more apt to enjoy your message and ask you back. Spending time interacting before your speech will greatly increase your likeability.

Reason #4:Mingling Increases my Ability to use Customized Humor and Content.

Audiences love a customized presentation. One of my friends gets paid $5,000 a speech. He’ll mingle with the audience before the event or even the day prior so he can pick up info on what’s going on. If someone mentions the hotel rooms are small, he’ll work that aspect into the speech.

It’s like toppings on ice-cream. A small amount greatly enhances the experience of the audience.

Reason #5:Mingling Allows Me to use People’s Names in the Presentation

Use a person’s name in a positive way and they will enjoy the attention and everyone else will immediately pay attention. Work in people’s names. If they ask a question, refer back to them by name. Your status will quickly rise as a speaker.

Mingling is a powerful public speaking tip. It can be the difference between a good speaking experience and a great speaking experience.

All these reasons benefit me. However, they also benefit the audience even more so they get more out of my presentation.

Watch for part 2 on how to mingle with the audience.