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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In college my friend Rodney approached me and said:

“Whenever I stand up to speaker, my voice tends to falter and I do not speak confidently. Any ideas?”

I shared one public speaking tip with Rodney. He left and we talked again in two weeks. Rodney was excited.

“Arlen, it worked! Two days ago I was able to stand up and deliver with a confident voice.”

What did I share with Rodney?

A simple breathing exercises.

As a beginner speaker, I would often use this moments before I spoke to calm the nerves. Still use it when I get in stressful situations. Its simple.
1. Breath in through your nose for a count of three. “1 and 2 and 3″
2. Hold for a count of three. “1 and 2 and 3″
3. Exhale slowly for a count of 6 “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6.”
4. Repeat

You’ll immediately feel calmer and have breathing power for when you need to speak. I also told Rodney to take a short breath before he starting his talk.

Try it before your next speech or whenever you need to calm down. Let me know what you think.

Rodney became a better speaker in just five minutes. Take you speaking skills new a new level in just one evening.  Click here for Become a Better Speaker in One Evening

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 #25: How do I minimize preparation time when preparing a presentation?

Can you reduce preparation time and increase the quality of your presentation at the same time? Yes, you can with a specific strategy. The key is to marinate your speech. My friend cooks very delicious food. One of his secrets is to take the meat and/or vegetables and marinate them. He will soak them in a liquid filled with spices, acids, and other ingredients. This process may take hours or even  days. Occasionally he will turn it to help the marination process. Marinating the meat enhances the flavor and creates a very delicious meal. Marinating your speech will enhance the quality and reduce your preparation time. How?

1. Have your speech done days or weeks ahead of time.
2. Practice your speech twice a day for three days leading up to the presentation.

When you follow this process, several things will happen:

1. Brilliant thoughts and additional ideas will pop into your mind.
2. You'll think of better ways to word it, and take out unnecessary fluff.
3. You will internalize your speech, so it is a part of you. It will be a very smooth presentation.
4. You will increase your confidence, because you have practiced.
5. You will reduce your preparation time.

By working on your speech over a period of days or weeks you will spend less time staring at your computer screen or notebook. You may jot down a couple notes every evening and slowly build your speech. If you are used to not practicing much, then this extra practice will take more time. However, the quality of your presentation will significantly improve by following the process. Take time to marinate your presentation. You will reduce your speech preparation time and increase the quality of the presentation.

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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I’ve been told by experienced speakers, “Never open by thanking the audience.” Others have emphatically said, “You must thank the audience when you begin.”

What’s best? Rob Christeson has some great points on this.

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Speaking Tips – Should You Thank the Audience?

Yes.

I love easy questions.

The real question, though, is how should you thank your audience?

First, the two times you should avoid thanking them: the first 30 seconds and the last 30 seconds of your presentation.

Why not start that way? Because the first 30 seconds is when you need to make that connection. Although this touches on another topic,  remember that if you open your speech with pleasantries, including variations of “thanks for having me”  will get your presentation off to a weak start.

Okay, but why not wrap up with “Thank You”? I know…you have seen famous people do it, so it must be okay, right? Wrong. Those last 30 seconds (or even minutes) are the last thing your audience will remember. Make it powerful. Make it memorable. Make it something you would listen to.

Now that you know how not to do it, what about the right way to do it? Glad you asked. You are probably thinking that any type of thank you placed in the dead center of your speech will be…well…dead, or at least out of place, right? That is true. The two times to thank your hosts and/or audience are soon after your opening, or…you guessed it: Right before your closing.

For instance:

“Before I close, I would like to thank Rotary 123 for asking me to speak today…(clap…clap…clap)…the importance of good dental hygiene cannot be overstated…” into your closing. No, I do not speak about flossing techniques. I just wanted to give an example of transitioning into your closing. The point is to treat a “thank you” like you would Q&A: wrap it up before you give your closing statement.

I would like to thank you for reading my post today, you have been a wonderful audience.

Remember the two parts to “Should I thank the audience?”
1. Yes.
2. After the opening or before the conclusion.

If you open your speech with power and close it with conviction, you will have time to express gratitude with grace.
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Rob Christeson is an IT Project Manager, freelance writer and speaker based in Wichita, Kansas. His Talk to the Human™ blog is based on the premise that while on-line social networking, e-mail and text can be very useful for building contacts and staying in touch, nothing beats real live human communication when you need to get stuff done.

See Rob’s Latest Article

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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Have you heard of Toastmasters? If not, the term may inspired images of gray haired men giving toasts with brass mugs. Far from it. If you want to improve your leadership skills and speaking skills, Toastmasters is an effective and inexpensive way to do it.

What is Toastmasters?

According to the official site

Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations.

In the city of Wichita, KS, there are 15 local clubs. Most meet weekly for an hour, though mine (Semi-Pro) meets twice a month. A typical meeting consists of:

• Three 5-7 minute speeches
• An evaluation of each of those speeches.
• Several 1-2 minute “Off the Cuff” speeches.
• Plus several other activities geared towards improving speaking skills.

Find a club and check it out for free.

Back to the original question.

Why Should I join Toastmasters?

1. Crush your fear of public speaking and become more confident in front of an audience.
2. Become a better speaker through the training and practice.
3. Eradicate the distracting “Um’s” and “Uh’s” from your speech. Toastmasters has a simple, but powerful way of doing this.
4. Become a better leader.
5. Expand your network.
6. Take your speaking skills to another level by entering in the spring and fall contests.
7. Share your knowledge and mentor other speakers.
8. Get $3,000 training for just a few dollars at the District Conferences.

Find out more about the 2010 Fall District Conference

You may be thinking, “I am an advanced speaker and speak quite a bit already. How will Toastmasters help me?”

Great question. Including the above benefits you’ll be able to:

• Refine parts of your current speeches and practice sections in Toastmasters. (The Pro’s practice each section of their speech many times in front of different audiences.”
• Refine your skills. There have been times I thought I was a really good speaker. Then I was blown away by the skills of other Toastmasters. This friendly competition pushes me to new levels.
• Increase your circle of influence. 80-90% of speakers get booked because of someone who heard them. Do a great job and someone may approach you after the meeting and ask for your business card.

What if you are completely new to speaking? Toastmasters is a great environment for not just the advanced, but also the beginner. Every person in your club will be able to relate with any mistakes you make. It is the perfect environment for growing.

What does Toastmasters cost?

About twenty cents a day. Depending on the club, your yearly due will be about $60. That’s an inexpensive investment with a large return.

How to find out more about Toastmasters?

Find a local club and go visit (It’s free). Check out Rob’s site for additional articles on Toastmasters.

(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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Imagine you have to give a speech in 5 days. It could be a college class speech, business speech, or even a wedding speech. How do you prepare for this public speaking event? Here are four steps that will help you create an excellent speech.

Step #1: Choose your topic

I used to waste hours and hours thinking of a topic to speak on. Then I discovered a brain storming tip which has helped me choose speech topics.

Take two minutes and write out 10 topics you could talk about. For an example I could brainstorm these topics:

• How to reach your goals
• Lessons I learned from my first job
• Three qualities every good leader has
• How to overcome fear of public speaking
• How to improve your public speaking skills fast
• How to write a book in 90 days
• Why a cruise is a great vacation
• Funny moments in child raising
• Overcome procrastination
  
• Organization made easy

In two minutes I have a list of topics. After two minutes select the best three and analyze them.

Pick the best one. Don’t waste a lot of time choosing a topic. Find something you are interested in, know something about, and meet the expectations of the audience, meeting planner, or professor.

If you don’t like the best one, repeat the entire process. Within 10 minutes you’ll either have your topic or a nice number to choose from.

Step #2: Write out your speech or make a detailed outline

The first time I gave a thirty minute speech, I did not use notes. Worse, I had not even practiced it. I rambled. I was boring. I was very discouraged afterwords. None of that would have happened if I had used this step.

The process of putting your thoughts on paper can double the quality of your speech. If you don’t write it out word for word, make a detailed outline with points.

Step #3: Practice, Practice, Practice

You can reduce your nerves by up to 83% through good preparation. Now take your notes and practice out-loud. Practice while your walking around the house, showering, or during the advertisements of favorite TV show. (By the way TV stands for “time vacuum”)

There is no substitute for good practice!

Mentally practice in the theater of your mind.  This will help implant your speech into your mind.

Step #4: Deliver with power and confidence

Backed with solid preparation, you will be able to stand up and speak with power and confidence.  Make eye contact. Have enthusiasm. Smile. Your public speaking presentation will be great.

(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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What makes one person successful and another person unsuccessful? Brian Tracy claims the answer is simple. Successful people have successful (million dollar) habits. In his book Million Dollar Habits, Brian lists the habits a person must have to be successful.

I realized the same principle applies to speakers.

Successful speakers have million dollar speaking habits.

After some brain storming, here are a list of 10 habits we should have as speakers (Feel free to share your thoughts). Having these may not make us a million dollars, but it will help make us incredible speakers.

#1: Be passionate about our message.

#2: Be audience focused and truly desire to serve/help them.

#3: Know and research the audience before every speech.

#4: Give a clear organized presentation.

#5: Have one main point or foundational phrase.

#6: End on time.

#7: Speak to one person

#8: Prepare well.

#9: Give a $10,000 speech every time.

#10: Review and evaluate every presentation.

Developing these habits

On the right side of my computer desktop is a shortcut to a file with a list of million dollar speaking habits. Every time I prepare, I seek to glance through and implement the habits. Why?

Time + Consistent Action = New habit.

Soon these habits will be almost second nature.

What other habits could we include?

(C) Arlen Busenitz

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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A dry mouth can really hinder a presentation or conversation. In part 1 I shared 4 dry mouth solution tips. Here are 5 more dry mouth tips to help you when conversing or speaking from the stage.

#5: Lightly bite your tongue.

By lightly biting your tongue, you’ll find your mouth starts producing more saliva. Here again it is important that your body be hydrated.

#6: Use Sugar Free Candy

Many famous people will keep candy or lozenge in their mouth if they have problems with a dry mouth. Check with your pharmacy if you wish for specially made ones. Lemon flavored often helps. Unless you have an extreme dry mouth, remove it before you stand up to speak.

#7: Sleep with a Humidifier

A humidifier puts water into the air. In the winter the air becomes drier and can irritate the throat and dry out the mouth. Breathing in this moist air at night can prepare you for the public speaking event.

#8: Learn how to Overcome Fear of Public Speaking and Social Anxiety

Think of a good speaker that you know. Likely at one time this person experience stage fright, fear of public speaking, and speaking anxiety. At one point they learned how to overcome this fear.

You can do the same. Take time to read and study how to overcome public speaking fear and anxiety. There are several good public speaking programs that can help you.

#9: Using breathing Exercises to relax and breath your nose.

Good breathing exercises will help you relax and thus it make it easier for your body to keep your mouth, tongue, and throat moist. Breath in for a count of 3, hold for a count of 3 and breathe out for a count of 6. Repeat.

Before you speak, seek to be breathing your nose as to not dry out your mouth.

Dry mouth affects nearly every speaker. Use these 9 dry mouth solutions and it will help you keep the saliva flowing so you can captivate the audience and speak with confidence.

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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I was suffering from public speaking embarrassment. For 20 minutes I had walked around the room greeting people. I smiled, made small talk, and burned off some nervous energy.

Seven minutes before Showtime, I was slammed with an embarrassing realization.

My zipper was wide open. Have you been there? My mind raced back to the ten plus people I had talked to. How many had noticed? Why had no one said anything? Friends don’t let friends walk around with unknown wardrobe malfunctions!

If I had gone on stage with the blinds open, that could have been embarrassing. Thankfully, I caught it before I went up on stage. However, as speakers it’s very important to check our zippers, our buttons, and anything else that could be a distraction.

Not only will a wardrobe malfunction distract the audience but it can throw us off once we realize it. Every speaker has to recover from this, so don’t feel too bad.

What’s the solution? Do a full body mirror check before you walk into the room. Is your hair fine? Food on the face?

Next, as you are waiting your turn to speak make sure your zipper and buttons are OK. Tuck the shirt in. Consciously do this, so you don’t have to do this on stage. It is hard to speak and be checking your wardrobe at the same time.  

What if you are speaking and notice something is wrong? If you can discreetly fix it, do so. If the audience is well aware of it, make a joke out and keep on going. You could say, “My worst nightmare has come true. (pause for laughter)” Fix the problem and try and work it into your content.

Don’t be caught with your zipper down. Check your wardrobe before you go on stage and you’ll prevent public speaking embarrassment.

(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™

More Posts - Website