This was the only question on our final test for one of my public speaking classes I took in college.
The answer: Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is like syrup on pancakes. It brings out the taste and makes the content go down better. Great speakers have good enthusiasm. Do you?
“Arlen, one of the cheapest and best ways to spruce up a room is to give it a fresh coat of paint.” I have taken this advice to heart many times.
In literally hours an old, dull depressing room and will look alive and even feel homey with one coat of paint.
Can a person transform their public speaking skills this fast? Yes! I would argue that in just 90 seconds you can significantly upgrade your public speaking skills. Does it take longer to hone the craft and skill of public speaking? Yes. However, here are 3 ways to liven up your presentations right now.
Too many speaker speak with either no expression, a frown, or a bored look on their face. Forcing yourself to smile will do three thing:
1. Make your voice sound warm and friendly.
2. Make you more likeable. A likable speaker connects with the audience.
3. Make you feel more comfortable and at ease. I read about a study which showed that just smiling will put you in a good mood.
Try it and see the difference. It will brighten your presentation.
Two mistakes speakers often make are shifting/moving too much and leaning back on their heals. Shifting distracts the audience and leaning back takes energy out of the presentation.
I train people to lean forward slightly so their weight is on the front of their feet. The heals are still on the floor, but the weight has been shifted forward. It is surprising how much energy this will give to your presentation. Videos of speakers before this and after show a remark difference.
A speech without enthusiasm or passion is like a limp puppet without a human arm to move it. By acting enthusiastic and being interested in what you are saying, you will bring new energy into your speech. Plus, enthusiasm is contagious. It will spread to the audience and they will be more interested in your presentation.
Give your presentation skills a fresh coat of paint by applying these tips.
(C) Arlen Busenitz – Speakinginfo.com
I just published a blog post over at Speakerblogger on how to write a book in 90 days.
Check it out and let me know what you think.
Arlen
Study the famous speakers of the past and present and you'll find most use an important public speaking tip. They speak with enthusiasm and passion. Great speakers care about their topic and influencing the audience. We can learn from them and put some fire and passion into our presentation.
Here are three ways to help us speak with passion and enthusiasm
1. Choose topics you care about.
2. Think about how your message will impact the audience.
3. Act enthusiastic. Control your body and the feelings will follow.
You captivate the audience when you deliver your speech. Use this important public speaking tip and speak with passion and enthusiasm.
Reading and practice will help you take your public speaking skills to a new level. However, don't forget to use a very powerful public speaking tip:
Public Speaking Improvement Tip #27: Watch master Communicators in action.
I'll never forget seeing Zig Ziglar in person. One thing that jumped out at me was his enthusiasm. Whenever I want to update my enthusiasm, I think of Zig. Just watching him helps me improve.
Do you watch the masters of public speaking?
With the age of Youtube, it is now very easy to see master speakers in action. Below are several videos. As you watch them, ask these three questions.
You may think this last question is a little odd. Every speaker can improve and watching with a critical eye will help you improve your skills.
The phone rang.
"Hello, this is Arlen."
"Hi Arlen. This is John. We are looking for a speaker on August 12 in the evening."
"What can you tell me about the event?"
"………"
"Yes, John. My calendar is open. I do have some questions for you."
"Sure Arlen, go ahead."
Speech Research Tip #26: Be a Detective and Research your Audience.
Knowing your audience is essential before preparing and delivering the presentation. This knowledge will enable you to connect with the audience and tailor a presentation that hits home.
I may have the same keynote I give to various audiences, but I tweak it depending on if I am talking to Junior highers or retired seniors.
Back to the phone conversation. I asked John a series of questions to get a grasp on exactly who I would be speaking to. This helped me to create a "Chris" and focus my presentation.
These questions enabled me to hit a home run and give a custom tailored presentation.
Recently I was involved in a Toastmaster speech competition. Unfortunately, I did not follow yesterday's speech internalization tip, and made some major changes the day before. How was I to internalize the speech so I could deliver it smoothly?
I used this next speech internalization tip:
At 10:45 I delivered the presentation in my living room. Next, I shut the light off, crawled into bed, told my wife I would be concentrating, and rehearsed the speech in my mind. Another alternative of this is to visualize yourself in the front of the room with an audience. Now deliver the speech in the theatre of your mind. Why is this public speaking tip so effective?
I have read various researchers who claim that what you think about before bedtime stays on your mind all night. Plus this is a relaxed learning enviroment.
Try it and see if it works for you. My speech came across pretty smooth and I attribute some of that to how to I internalized my presentation with this tip.
A couple months ago, I was giving a 7 minute speech presentation at my local Toastmaster Club. If you had been there listening, you would have seen and heard me lose my place 3 minutes into the speech. Awkwardly, I struggled to get back into the speech.
Eventually I did, but long pauses and losing my place are not acceptable in speeches. Why did this happen?
I had failed to properly practice and internalize the speech. There is a difference between a memorized speech and an internalized speech. When your speech is memorized, you know it word for word. You can rattle it off. Problem is that sometimes it may sound memorized. Also, if you forget just one sentence or get distracted, you may find yourself in my situation: struggling to remember the next line.
A better way is to internalize your speech. Here you know it so well, it is a part of you. If you were asked to share about a good experience from your last vacation, you could very easily. Why? It’s internalized. It’s part of you. Every time you deliver it, it may be slightly different, but it comes out natural and you can focus on delivery.
Over the next several days, you’ll be learning several ways to internalize your presentation so you can deliver it smoothly and completely.
Imagine you have a presentation to give on Friday. Set a deadline to be ready to give it on Tuesday. Why?
Would you like to improve your presentation skills fast? You can with the 9% solution.
Presentation Tip #13: Improve 9% with every Presentation Could you have 9% more vocal variety on your next speech compared to your last speech?
What about:
Sure you could. It's not that hard. Improving just 9% with every presentation means you would double your current skill level in just 9 presentations! Focus on improving in just a couple areas for your next presentation. With these small steps, you will quickly improve your presentation skills.
Yesterday, you learned the power of speaking to one person. Another powerful delivery tip is to use the word “you”
Compare these two questions:
“How many have been to New York City?”
“Have you visited New York City?”
The second question is much more personal and the audience member will feel like you are speaking to them. After asking this, you would pause to let people mentally answer yes or no.
Presentation Tip #9: Use the word “You” frequently and reword general questions and statements.
Skim through your presentation and insert the word you when appropriate. When you get to a general statement or question, ask, “How would I word this if I was visiting with someone in the hallway.” Craig Valentine calls this the hall way test.
We would never say to someone in the hallway, “Who here has vacationed in Mexico?”
Instead we would say, “Have you vacationed in Mexico?”
Notice the difference?
Also watch out for what Darren Lacroix calls the “You / I ratio”. We should be using the word “You” much more than the word “I”.
Use the word “You” frequently and it’ll help you connect with and impact the audience.
