Owner: Speak Schmeak URL:http://coachlisab.blogspot.com Join Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 16:31:53 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Tips, techniques and insights about public speaking and speakers. Site statistics:Click here
Fonts are fixed! 2008-03-17 11:44:00 I was mortified to discover this weekend that the fonts on my blog were all mismatched. Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet? I was showing my father-in-law how to use a blog reader on his computer and I used my blog as an example to show him how to subscribe. I had no idea that I had three different fonts going on; of course it looks different on my computer, because my default is set to Arial. What a mess!I wish someone had told me, but I guess it's a little like having spinach on your teeth. I guess no one wanted me to feel embarrassed.I hope this looks better and I hope you forgive me for putting out such a mess of fonts until now.
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Fixed mindset vs. growth mindset 2008-03-17 11:31:00 I've been meaning to write about this for some time, and then I came across Terry Gault's excellent post applying Carol Dweck's research to public speaking and decided just to forward you there!In a nutshell, Dweck says that most of us operate from one of two basic mindsets. The person with the fixed mindset says, "I am who I am. I can't change." This person believes that intelligence is fixed.If the person is successful in school, work, life, she believes that she doesn't have to try harder, practice more, or learn anything new, because she's inherently bright and doesn't need to work at it. A successful person with a fixed mindset is afraid to take risks because it might damage the reputation of success she already has.If the person with the fixed mindset is not successful or less intel Read more:Fixed
Funny Friday 2008-03-21 11:15:00 Is it just me, or is this the funniest skit ever on Saturday night live? I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. (If you can't see it, click here.) This is another of my favorite skits. . . (I don't know why it has ayearolder.com across the top, but it's pretty hard to find this video, so I'm not complaining.)I guess now you really know what a weirdo I am.
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, Friday
Tough Love Thursday 2008-03-20 11:45:00 This seems a bit like the chicken and the egg. People tell me all the time how much they dread public speaking, and when I ask where and when they speak, they tell me they don't.I understand being afraid, self-conscious, and all of that, but if you don't get practice, you will never get over your discomfort.There's just no way around it. You can find every possible way to learn about public speaking without actually doing it: you can read books, buy audio CDs, take classes or get coaching, but unless you stand up in a room in front of people, you will never improve.Start smallStart by preparing yourself to speak up in a meeting. Offer to facilitate a small committee at work, school or church, with people you're already comfortable with. Volunteer to give a short report. Introduce the new e Read more:Tough
, Thursday
How NOT to give a technical presentation 2008-03-19 12:12:00 Thanks to Barry Flanagan at Public Speaking for Geeks for the heads up on this video on how not to present at a technical conference. Put together by guys who actually do know how to present, it demonstrates all the worst characteristics of inept presenters.(If you can't see the video, click here to go to the video on YouTube.)As Barry points out, if you didn't know this was a gag video, you would think these presentation
s are real. I've seen way too many presentations like this -- and not just by geeks.
Me. . . on national TV? 2008-03-22 15:37:00 In the last week, I've gotten calls from two national TV shows about possible appearances. I can't really say much about the calls; one was mostly exploratory and the other ended in a confidentiality agreement.Am I nervous about being on national TV, you ask? You betcha!I'll keep you posted if anything comes of either inquiry. Right now I'm just thinking it's nice to be noticed. :-)Thanks to Gustavo Bueso Padgett for taking that cool pic of a TV in his grandma's garage.
Do you know what you're saying -- and why? 2008-03-22 11:07:00 Does anyone know what a laundry list is? Me neither. I think I saw one in a museum exhibit last year, but I'm not sure. I believe it's a list of all the possible items that a laundry will take, and you have to check off which items you're leaving to be cleaned. This is one of those expressions that makes no sense to me, so I don't use it. I learned my lesson on this when I was about eight years old. Some family friends left our house after a visit and I, merely repeating an expression I had heard many times, said, "Goodbye and good riddance." Let's just say there were consequences for my rudeness.Using words accurately and appropriately is important to me, as you know if you've been reading Speak Schmeak for a while. Just about the worst thing a speaker can do is be unclear.Who is your aud Read more:saying
PowerPoint slides as handouts 2008-03-25 11:23:00 Conference attendees frequently request PowerPoint
slides as handouts
. If your PowerPoint has so much text and data that it can be used as a handout, then you're doing something wrong.Your PowerPoint is most effective when it's image-based with minimal text and enhances your presentation, as I've mentioned here, here and here. You can also learn more about effective PowerPoint at Dave Paradi's blog and at the BBP (Beyond Bullet Points) blog.Instead, provide handouts that:1. Summarize your talk into concise points2. Illustrate data, charts or graphs that were too detailed for the screen3. Give tools for your audience to use when they leaveKeep handouts to a minimum; once your seminar attendees see how much paper they've brought home from the conference, much of it will go right into the rec
Gimme a break, part 2 2008-03-24 11:44:00 I haven't talked about this for a while, so forgive me if you remember my post from last year about the same subject. It's worth repeating.A client of mine recently sat on a committee to organize a conference. There were seven speakers scheduled during the 2 1/2-hour conference; each one spoke for ten to 15 minutes, with the keynote speaker last in line and speaking for an hour.When audience evaluations came back, one of the most common complaints was that there were no breaks.People need breaks. Yes, I know you want to cram a lot of stuff into your workshop or training, but let me ask you this: How well can you concentrate when you have to pee?1. Audience members shouldn't have to get up and miss part of a speaker's presentation.2. Audience members shouldn't have to stay seated with a ful Read more:Gimme
Think before you speak. . . 2008-03-27 10:24:00 Another TV reference for you.Last night on "Top Chef," after failing in his task to create a fine dining version of the humble taco, Erik Hopfinger made the statement, "I don’t think fine dining and Mexican go together."For an executive chef who's supposed to know a thing or two about food to make a blanket statement like this on national TV -- not a brilliant move. Did he really just say that a whole entire cuisine has no fine dining?Besides the fact that there are indeed fine dining Mexican restaurants in this country, all Erik has to do is take a trip down to Mexico to realize that, like just about every other cuisine, there is street food, haute cuisine, and everything in between.Take it out of the context of a TV show and imagine Erik giving a speech to an audience in the food indus Read more:speak
Confidence shines through 2008-03-26 11:48:00 Michael Johns successfully takes on a difficult Queen song.If you can't see the video, click here to go to YouTube.The judges said, "Finally, you believe in yourself," "This was your shining moment," and "This was the only memorable performance of the night so far." They referred to Michael's confidence and "star potential." You can see the pride in his face.Confidence
allowed this performance to soar. When was your last shining moment?
More on taking risks 2008-03-26 11:41:00 David Cook picks an unexpected version of an unexpected song and nails it.If you can't see the video, click here to go to YouTube.The judges call this performance "original," "bold," "brave," "willing to stretch the boundaries," and "amazing."What have you done lately that can be described this way?
Experience vs. practice 2008-03-29 11:00:00 When it comes to expert performance, we tend to think that those with the most experience will do better than the beginners. For example, we reassure beginning-level speakers that the more they speak, the better they will become.However, according to Time.com article "The Science of Experience," it's not the amount of time spent repeating an activity that determines expert performance, but the time spent practicing the most difficult skills associated with that activity."Ericsson's primary finding is that rather than mere experience or even raw talent, it is dedicated, slogging, generally solitary exertion — repeatedly practicing the most difficult physical tasks for an athlete, repeatedly performing new and highly intricate computations for a mathematician — that leads to first-rate p
Me . . . on TV, part 2 2008-03-28 10:29:00 Yesterday, it turned out to be a good thing that I didn't have all the details beforehand.While preparing for an on-camera interview with a TV show that's looking for a public speaking expert to appear on an episode, I went over all my best public speaking tips and prepared to speak about my philosophy and my background, as requested.When I walked into the room, it felt a lot more like an audition than an interview! The camera pointed at a lone chair in the middle of the room, while the other people in the room sat back several feet. Center stage!For part of the interview, I had to speak directly to the camera. Another part of the interview involved a role-playing exercise for me to demonstrate my skills and my coaching style.Why was it a good thing that I didn't have all the details befor
Guest post on public speaking fear 2008-04-01 10:47:00 Stop by fellow speaker Jeremy Jacobs' blog to read my guest post on what's really behind public speaking fear and a couple of tips on how to minimize it.Thank you to Jeremy for the invitation!
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Which audience do you like better? 2008-03-31 10:43:00 Which audience do you prefer: the one who is mandated or the one who chooses to be there?Most speakers would agree, the audience who chooses to be there is the one we like better
. They're interested in your topic, they're open to your opinions and they expect good things to come of their investment in time, energy and maybe money.On the other hand, the mandated audience is much more difficult. They are there because they've been told to attend, not because they want to attend. They're either captive in a classroom or in a conference room, but either way, they're not there by choice. You're disrupting their day, interrupting their workflow, assaulting them with information they never asked for. Great.Some speakers avoid the second kind of audience as much as possible. I read comments the ot
Stuff white people like 2008-04-04 10:00:00 I'm feeling uninspired today and a little burned out on writing, so instead, here's a funny blog I found the other day, called "Stuff White People Like." Enjoy -- if you're not too offended, that is.Here are a couple of representative posts:Dinner PartiesT-shirtsRecyclingOutdoor Performance ClothesHere's the full list of stuff white people
like.
Speaking off the cuff 2008-04-03 11:00:00 A Speak Schmeak reader sent me a question about speaking off the cuff that I'm going to address today, expanding on a post from February. Her concern was about speaking effectively in an informal group discussion setting or classroom, rather than giving a presentation where there is time to prepare.My first response to this question is that you can still be prepared! As I've posted before, TJ Walker says:"Being able to think on one's feet is highly overrated. It is far better to develop the discipline of preparing in advance and rehearsing. Of course, this is hard work, but if you consistently think about your message and all of the issues surrounding your topic, you will rarely be surprised.So if you want to appear to be good at thinking on your feet, spend some time thinking at your seat Read more:Speaking
Sticky commercials 2008-04-02 10:45:00 I've written before on sticky ideas, specifically unexpectedness and simplicity, from the Heath brothers book, "Made to Stick." To refresh your memory, the acronym SUCCESs spells out the six attributes of ideas that stick in people's minds: Simplicity, Unexpectedness, Concreteness, Credibility, Emotions, and Stories.I recently noticed these two brilliant commercials by Farmers Insurance, advertising their HelpPoint service. These videos have most of the features of a sticky idea, the primary ones for me being:1. Unexpectedness -- could you have anticipated how these would end?2. Emotions -- they start out silly and end up sad. The one about the house fire chokes me up every time.3. Stories -- each one tells a story, but there's no happy ending.(If you can't see the video, view it on YouTub
Slideuments 2008-04-05 12:00:00 Since there was such a great response to the post on PowerPoint slides as handouts (and lots of great suggestions -- check out the comments), I thought you'd enjoy this post by Garr Reynolds from Presentation Zen on "slideuments."Here's an excerpt:"Slides are slides. Documents are documents. They aren't the same thing. Attempts to merge them result in what I call the "slideument" (slide + document = slideument). Much death-by-Powerpoint suffering could be eliminated if presenters clearly separated the two in their own minds before they even started planning their talks."Enjoy!
How accessible are you to your audience? 2008-04-07 11:00:00 In my recent guest post on Jeremy Jacobs' blog, my first point about public speaking fear was that you don't have to be friends with everyone.People in the audience may or may not like you, and how people feel is just something that it's pretty impossible to control. Sure, you're warm and friendly, funny and smart. You're well-dressed, respectful and have a nice smile. You like long walks on the beach, drinking wine and watching sunsets . . . Oops. Wrong blog.No matter how spectacular your personality is, it's a fact of life that you cannot connect with everyone.But how about when you don't connect with anyone?Are you so concerned with presenting the "right" appearance that you end up buttoned-down, stuffy, and looking as gray and dreary as your suit?Are you so concerned with appearing "fu
Making science engaging 2008-04-09 11:00:00 Here is a video that I enjoyed -- yes, for the fascinating behind-the-scenes explanation of a space toilet, but also for the speaker's excellent delivery.The speaker is Canadian astronaut Chris Hatfield. He's talking to an audience at the Ontario Science Center about how human waste is handled in space.His style is easygoing and relaxed. He explains scientific concepts in a way that a young child can understand, yet the adults in the audience are clearly enjoying the talk.He uses tangible descriptions, helping us to visualize the tubes and funnels and the toilet being "sorta windy when you're sittin' there."He's got great comic timing throughout; notice how he pauses in the middle of his final sentence, as the meaning of what he's saying starts to dawn on the audience and they begin to lau
Ten ways to transition to your next idea 2008-04-08 12:01:00 We talk a lot about organizing our content, main points, opening and closing, but we rarely talk about how to get from one segment to the next. How do you handle the spaces in between your points, stories, examples, and exercises? These are your transitions.It's as important to plan your transitions as it is to plan the rest of your presentation. Clear transitions help the audience stay focused (and awake) and process your material. They're like links in a chain that keep your presentation cohesive and organized.Here are ten ways to transition from one idea to the next.1. Repeat and recap the main point you just covered.2. Use humor or tell a joke that closes your previous point.3. Show a slide or give a handout that gets the audience thinking about your next segment.4. Ask a question that
Are you encouraging or discouraging your audience? 2008-04-10 10:17:00 In a study at UC San Diego, researchers Kari A. Wasilenko, James A. Kulik, and Rebekah A. Wanic assigned 45 female undergraduates to exercise next to either a fit peer, an unfit peer or no one (the control group).Women who exercised next to unfit peers exercised longer than the control group, whereas women who exercised next to someone who was more fit exercised for a shorter time and expressed greater body dissatisfaction.This reminded me again of the reason why we, as speakers, shouldn't try to appear flawless, perfect, and all-knowing to our audiences.An audience member who finds a speaker's achievements to be unattainable is going to focus less on the message of achievement and more on how far he has to go to reach his goals. This has more to do with the audience member's insecurities
Winging it - not okay 2008-04-12 12:05:00 I hear people say about their presentations, "I just wing it," or "I never practice."Maybe they throw the presentation together the day before and go over it once, briefly.They say, "When I wing it, I do okay. I don't need to practice it."Remember this? "It's not about you."What does your audience think about your thrown-together presentation? If you're doing the bare minimum to get by, then they're probably not getting much out of your presentation. You're basically showing the audience that you don't give a crap about them.What's the point of giving the presentation if you don't care what the audience gets out of it?Why be just "okay" when you could be "good" or even "great?" If you're doing your best, and trying your hardest, and making a sincere effort, your "okay" is going to be bette
Give extra value by using demonstrations 2008-04-11 12:06:00 Just a quick reminder of how a demonstration or exercise can be helpful in getting your message across. . .Yesterday at my referrals group meeting, a chiropractor brought out a model of the neck to show us what a healthy neck and a neck with structural damage look like from the inside. Then she called up a group member who is one of her patients, and she demonstrated her non-force technique for adjustments. It was a visual and easy-to-understand demonstration that answered questions I had and demonstrated the vast difference between this technique and other chiropractic techniques.The next speaker, a life coach, handed out one of his worksheets that he uses with his clients and gave us a few minutes to do the exercise. This was a great way to demonstrate how he works with clients and also
How do public speaking skills advance your career? 2009-04-12 14:07:00 I was planning a post on how public speaking skills help us in "real life," and along came Andrew Dlugan with an excellent post on "10 Ways Your Presentation Skills Generate Career Promotions." An excerpt:"Benefit #6: You are a better listenerPoor presenters: They are too concerned about their own presentation mishaps to listen attentively to the audience.You: Presentation skills are not only about what you say; it’s about how you listen. With a heightened sense of how to convey a message to your audience, you have also developed keen listening skills. Listening effectively to your audience makes you a better listener at all times. This, in turn, makes you more approachable…Benefit #7: You are more approachablePoor presenters: They may welcome the idea of interacting with others, but t
What to do when you're bombing 2008-04-16 10:33:00 I learned a few things from Eddie Izzard the other night about how to deal with bombing.When one of his jokes triggered only a few chuckles, he responded, "Thank you 12 people."At one point, he said in response to another flat joke, "So it's true but not funny -- that's what you're saying."Eddie frequently plays two characters having a conversation onstage. During this show, when a joke wasn't working, the two characters would occasionally discuss the audience's response.All of these techniques brought more laughs.I think this was my favorite response of the night: "Just shut up, will you? I know one or two people have heckled, but I will kill you. It's the middle of a flow. What was I saying?"This is a great lesson for speakers. There are times when your audience will start to drift off,
Check your sight lines 2008-04-15 11:06:00 Last week, I attended a networking event featuring a couple of speakers. The room, unfortunately, had two fat pillars in the center, and I ended up sitting in a spot where I couldn't see the speakers.I noticed, however, that the speakers didn't make an effort to see me. Neither of them moved around enough to come into my line of sight. I know there were other people behind my pillar (it was quite fat!), and another group behind the other pillar.There was plenty of space in the front of the room, and one speaker had made a point of saying she wasn't going to use the lectern but rather move around. The other speaker, who spoke at the lectern, was never in view. I felt disconnected, and being a visual person, focused instead on the the reading materials that had been handed out in advance.Som Read more:Check
Recovering from a public speaking mistake 2008-04-17 11:00:00 I attended a presentation the other day where the speaker, in referring to one of her clients who was in the room, called her by the wrong name. Twice.Did she fall apart? Did she get really embarrassed? Did she bend over backward to express how sorry she was and continue to dwell on her mistake?Nope.She apologized to the woman, made a joke about how she and the woman are "best friends," and moved on. We all laughed, and it was over. I'm sure that, afterward, she apologized to the woman again in private, but in front of the audience, it was all clean and professional.Well done.
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