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
What is the essence of your message? 2008-03-05 12:12:00 A speech can be more complicated to write and deliver than a presentation - not because it's inherently a more difficult kind of public speaking, but because the speaker perceives it differently. A speech is usually given at a more formal occasion: a wedding, a banquet, a retirement dinner, a conference keynote. So the speaker starts to think the speech must be very proper and stuffy and eloquent. He starts to add lots of big words and flowery language so the speech sounds appropriately fancy for the occasion.Then he starts memorizing it, because he doesn't want anything to go wrong at this special occasion. Once he gets into the memorization trap, he starts panicking to think he might lose his place, and in a memorized speech, the only way to prevent that is to read from a piece of paper.
It's National Grammar Day! 2008-03-04 10:10:00 As Doug Fisher says on his blog, Common Sense Journalism:"So on this day to celebrate 'good' grammar, let's simply stop and take stock of what it is, or should be -- and what it isn't --and ask a simple question: Am I making myself as clear as I can to those with whom I am communicating? And we might ask what some of the conventions are and why they do or don't help us communicate."Here's the official NationalGrammar
Day site, and here's the day's sponsor, the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar, aka SPOGG.And don't miss this article in the Chicago Tribune about not getting carried away on National Grammar Day. Nathan Bierma quotes the NGD site:"'If you see a sign with a catastrophic apostrophe, send a kind note to the storekeeper,' urges SPOGG at nationalgrammarday.com. 'If your lo
Use analogies to make an impact 2008-03-03 10:58:00 We watched Helvetica yesterday, the documentary celebrating the 50th anniversary of the typeface with a peek into the world of graphic design and specifically, type. It's a fascinating story, and I was amazed at how Helvetica is everywhere and, depending on how it's used, can be hip, pedestrian, ugly, elegant or assertive.The movie features the "rock stars" of graphic design from the last half-century, and one of my favorite moments is with designer Michael Bierut as he gives an example of how fresh and clean Modernist design must have seemed in the 50s and 60s as companies moved away from the traditional design of the previous decades.He imagines a 1950s meeting between a graphic designer and a company wanting to change its stationery:"'Here's your current stationery and all that it impli Read more:impact
Note to my commenters 2008-03-01 12:16:00 Dear Commenters,Have I told you lately how much I appreciate you? You help give life to this blog. Without you, I would be talking to the air. Sure, I have other readers and subscribers who don't comment, but those of you who do leave comments continue the discussion and bring new perspectives to the topics I write about. So thank you!Now I have a request for you.Please leave me some information about yourself - e-mail, website, blog, somewhere I can find out who you are and how to contact you. Some of you do enter your blog urls, but then have no about page or contact information on your blog. Some of your blogs are completely anonymous, without even your name.I like to learn about the people who read my blog and sometimes have a conversation outside the blog, but that's hard to do if you
Happy Leap Day! 2008-02-29 12:07:00 When I was very little, we had a neighbor, Mrs. Conchi, who was a leap year baby. I thought she was incredibly silly to say that she was sixteen years old, when it was clear to me that she was older than my grandmother!Happy
birthday to those of you who only get your day once every four years!
It's okay to be a beginner 2008-02-29 12:06:00 People forget that there's a first time for everything. People forget that we're not born knowing what to do in all situations. Kim & Jason talk about being childlike and looking at the world with fresh eyes, but so many of us look at the world through a filter of fear, insecurity and past disappointments.Someone determines that she can't do something as well as someone else, and then she doesn't bother trying. If she's not going to be a superstar, why even make the effort? Why risk embarrassment or humiliation?Is this combination of fear and ego holding you back?People say to me, "I could never get up there and speak like you."Well, I didn't come out of the womb performing (although my mother might disagree). I had to learn the skills and become comfortable onstage just like everyone else
How thick is your skin? 2008-02-28 11:11:00 Last year I attended a conference where one of the speakers was Arianna Huffington. I posted about her comment that she doesn't believe in developing a thick skin, because a thick skin keeps out the good as well as the bad. Rather, she believes in letting things "in and out quickly" - acknowledging criticism but not dwelling on it.This is a critical skill for a speaker to have: Can you handle disagreement and criticism?I'm not asking if you know how to deal with hecklers or troublemakers in the audience. I'm asking if you can emotionally handle conflict so it doesn't eat away at you during and after your presentation.Most of us want to be liked by others, including and especially our audiences. When audience members disagree or challenge us, some speakers take it personally. Some of us eve
Who are you performing for? 2008-02-27 10:57:00 Here's another interesting example from American Idol of a performer who has a completely different perception of himself than the audience (or at least different from the judges - but I have to assume that if all three judges agree, then many viewers must agree as well). That's not to say he's right or the judges are right, but I wonder if Robbie Carrico has watched himself perform.He wants to be perceived as a rocker, yet the judges refuse to indulge him. In last night's performance, I think I saw part of what was missing.Robbie performs to and for himself. His eyes are closed throughout much of his song. When his eyes are open, he's looking up to the ceiling. He doesn't interact with the audience - he doesn't even look at the tv camera.He doesn't exude the kind of self-assuredness and s
Women's Festivals 2008-02-27 10:34:00 The Women
's Festivals will celebrate the accomplishments and nurture the dreams of women in an interactive, multi-cultural, and multi-tracked format focusing on the five critical areas of women's lives: Personal, Professional, Philanthropic, Political, and Planet— otherwise known as the "5 Ps."People from throughout the world will attend the California Women's Festival on March 7th - 9th at the Santa Barbara City College and Earl Warren Showground, and Arizona Women's Festival on March 14th - 16th at Red Rock Auditorium and the Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village.Both shows will include an Expo and Trade Show, Awards Program and educational and enlightening discussions led by world-renowned speakers and authors.Here's info on the Arizona program, and here's info on the California progra
Rules for the sake of rules 2008-02-26 11:14:00 Someone disagreed with my opinion on fillers the other day. Among other things, the person said, "Fillers make people sound very unintelligent."Fillers can certainly make a person sound unprepared, if every other word is "um," "uh," and "y'know." But a few fillers here and there make me sound unintelligent? That just makes me laugh. If a few ums are capable of completely obscuring the intelligence of my presentation, that's more your problem than mine!Rules are made to be brokenFollowing all the rules all the time, just because they're there, is a recipe for disaster, in my opinion. Too many rules kill the soul and the spirit of a speaker. A speaker who follows all the rules comes across either as robotic and mechanical, or slick and overly polished. Either way, I find it hard to connect w
Katherine Heigl apology 2008-02-25 10:44:00 "Please forgive me. I'm unbelievably nervous. I'm not very good at this." ~ Katherine
Heigl, presenting at last night's Academy AwardsYep, even actors can be afraid to speak in public!A few months ago, I posted about apologizing during a presentation, either to explain away nervousness or to get the audience on your side for some as-yet-unperceived mistake.If you've done nothing wrong, there's no need to apologize.If you're nervous, like Katherine Heigl
, I guarantee you are ten or a hundred times more sensitive to your own nervousness than the audience. And even if they do notice you're nervous, so what? They would be nervous, too, if they were the ones in front of the room.You may think that apologizing in advance is going to get the audience's support. You might think it will endear you
Big brown eyes 2008-02-23 10:46:00 When I was little, I would go to the home of a childcare provider during the week, while my parents worked. There were several other children there as well.One day, this babysitter told my friend Debbie that she had beautiful big brown eyes. I was standing next to Debbie, and I asked, "Do I have big brown eyes?" The babysitter said, "No, you have small eyes."I must have been four years old, and to this day, I still remember this discouraging comment.I don't worry about my freakishly small eyes any more; I figured out at some point that they're quite normal.But it's amazing how one thoughtless comment (even a misinterpreted one) can stay with us literally forever (you might remember my comment in this post about my theater professor who thought I should get out of acting because of my lisp)
Why you can't read slides and listen to a speaker at the same time 2008-02-21 11:11:00 More on PowerPoint. . .Most of us really hate it when a speaker reads from her PowerPoint slides, but we may not know exactly why (besides the fact that she keeps her back to us the whole time and speaks like a robot).Subvocalization means "the act or process of inaudibly articulating speech with the speech organs".When we read, we are subvocalizing; that is, we are speaking the words in our heads. In fact, various muscles associated with speech actually move imperceptibly when we are subvocalizing.In the extreme, some people move their lips when reading, but for most of us, subvocalizing is undetectable without sensitive equipment.Imagine listening to a speaker live while also wearing a headset listening to the same speaker, delayed by a half second.If we're listening to the words in our
Learn how to use PowerPoint or leave it alone 2008-02-20 10:12:00 Oh dear. I have to point you to another example of bad PowerPoint
usage, posted by Dave Paradi. In this example, it's not so much what's on the screen as how the speaker is using the tool that is painful even to read about.In a case like this, I would offer my services to the speaker at the end of the seminar. Immediately.If you have decided to use PowerPoint in a presentation or you've been required to use it, and you're not sure if you know what you're doing, please get help. Take a class at your local adult education program, buy a book, get help from an experienced co-worker, or hire me.You run the risk of negating all the good work you've done in preparing your content by tripping over your PowerPoint and making your incompetence the center of attention.
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Let go of the negative 2008-02-19 08:52:00 Yesterday we got locked out of the house. We walked outside for a second, closing the door just enough so the cats wouldn't get out, but not enough to latch it. Wrong. Oops.It was cold and we were in t-shirts. Our neighbor, who keeps a key to our house, wasn't home.Our typical strategy is for my husband to climb through the bathroom window, provided it's cracked open enough to pop out the screen and reach the crank. Luckily it was, but we had just replaced the crank over the weekend and thought it might be too tight to jimmy open.Throughout this adventure, I kept hearing myself saying things like, "It's a good thing it's not raining," and "It's a good thing it's almost time for [our neighbor] to come home" (she didn't actually get home from work until three hours later), and "It's a good t
Tough topics, tough audiences 2008-02-18 11:06:00 This seems to be the month to talk about difficult audiences. I came across the topic on two other public speaking blogs, so I decided to post a link to my own two cents. Based on my presentation last month to UCSB's Rape Prevention Education Program's peer educators, I wrote an article for my January newsletter about presenting difficult topics
, which often results in difficult audiences, or at least difficult audience members.We've all faced a difficult audience member at one time or another, but presenting on difficult topics (like domestic violence, or homophobia, or sexual harassment, or other subjects that bring out people's discomfort and defensiveness) raises the possibility of a resistant audience to a whole new level.Meet them where they are, understand where they're coming from
Always be prepared to speak 2008-02-16 11:04:00 I have a client who's preparing two speeches for her son's wedding and reception. Last weekend, she attended her soon-to-be daughter-in-law's bridal shower and asked me if she was supposed to say something at the shower.I told her that it was a good idea always to prepare to be called on to speak
in situations like this. Bridal showers are not usually occasions for speeches, and being the mother of the groom, it was unlikely she would have to say something.But in case there was a game or an activity where the guests were asked to say something about the bride, I suggested being prepared. I mentioned that I'm almost always prepared to speak when I go to events.She said, "Yes, but you're a professional!"And that was exactly my point. Professionals are used to being called upon to speak, so w
Power of the mind - Lite 2008-02-15 10:44:00 In 2006, I wrote an article about the power of the mind to create fear from thin air as well as to control and reframe it, in reference to a friend's fear of speaking and my own post traumatic stress disorder I experienced after a car accident.I was reminded yesterday of the intense power of the mind - to cure hiccups.When I was in high school, I had a friend who would offer me an imaginary spoonful of sugar to cure my hiccups, sugar being considered one of many possible remedies. I would pretend to take the sugar in my mouth and then let it dissolve, calming my breathing in the process and eliminating the hiccups. It always worked!A couple of years ago, I had the hiccups in the car and my husband decided the best way to stop them would be to startle me. While I sat, unsuspectingly hiccupi
Connect with me online! 2008-02-14 10:27:00 Just do me a favor and include a note telling me you're a Speak Schmeak reader!Here I am on Linkedin.Here I am on Facebook.Here I am on Myspace. (I deleted my old page so this one is brand new; it's mostly there so I can see other's people's pages, but feel free to connect anyway!)
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, online
Is your fear of public speaking a barrier to career advancement? 2008-02-13 11:20:00 "Take it from one of us, who had serious public speaking anxiety - you can only avoid it for so long before bowing out of the spotlight will start limiting how much you make and how far you go at your company."~ Guest columnists Caitlin Friedman & Kimberly Yorio on Fox BusinessOne of my clients turned down a high-paying job that she really wanted because it involved daily sales presentations. She ended up taking another job that still involved public speaking, but only in small increments, introducing other speakers at trainings and events.She called me for coaching when the registration for one of these events started to reach 100 audience members.Just from meeting her for the first time, I could tell that she was overstating her lack of ability. And I knew that once she got through this
Give something of value - even if it's free 2008-02-12 10:53:00 Is it just me? Am I the only one who thinks a free teleseminar should still give something
of value, even though the point is to upsell a paid product at the end?Last night I was on this teleseminar, and I kept waiting for the actual information part to begin. They went on for a while about who the speakers were, their background, how they got into their field, etc. There was a lot of talk "around" the topic, but they just kept saying the same catch phrases and slogans over and over. After a half hour, I hung up. I weighed my time against the possible value to come later, and my time won.If they wanted the chance to sell me something, they lost it. If they had given me some valuable information, tips, anything, I might have stuck around to hear their pitch at the end and find out more abou
The rise of the multi-polar world 2008-02-11 11:02:00 Read Lucy Kellaway's column in the Financial Times from last month for an example of jargon run amok.Thanks to Dan at Word Wise for posting the link.This kind of opaque and confusing language doesn't make for good writing OR articulate speaking. Don't gum up your presentations with it.
Public speaking e-course is back on the market! 2008-02-09 12:15:00 My "7-Week Shortcut to Public
Speaking Confidence" e-course
is back - new and improved, with fresh content, video, and private coaching!Because of the coaching support I'm offering, I'm limiting the number of e-courses sold to 25 - and some are already taken. Once it's gone, it's gone.Here's the link for more information!
Is the font on your PowerPoint big enough? 2008-02-09 11:34:00 Dave Paradi did the research so you can always know how to determine the right font size for your PowerPoint
!Read his post and then click the link to download his handy table which breaks down appropriate font size by screen size and the distance to the furthest person in the room.Now, you're not always going to have the luxury of having these exact variables at your fingertips, especially the screen size, which you might not know until the last minute. But at least having an idea of the room size will help get you to the appropriate font size.Probably better to err on the side of too big, right?
East or west, left or right? 2008-02-08 10:46:00 While driving around looking for an address the other day, my husband made an observation.He pointed out that when someone gives directions to a visitor to an unfamiliar city, east and west are meaningless unless you know the area.For example, Santa Barbara has south-facing beaches and our mountains are to the north. It helps to know this if someone tells you to go east or west. We also have a designated "east side" and "west side," but unless you live here, you don't know where those parts of town actually are until someone tells you.However, everyone understands left and right.When you're giving a presentation, are you giving "east and west" directions or "left and right" directions? That is, are you using universal language that anyone can understand or are you clouding your message wit
Public speaking e-course relaunches today! 2008-02-08 10:18:00 But only to my exclusive waiting list. If there are spaces left tomorrow, I'm opening it up to the general public.Check back here tomorrow to see if the link is up!
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, course
Hot tips from the pros 2008-02-07 11:20:00 Here's a nice slideshow of "Podium Tactics from 28 Public Speaking Pros."I like this quote by Dick Rudder:"The most successful presentations get the audience to direct the conversation."And this one by George Foreman:"Public speaking means putting aside a lack of confidence and delivering a message more important than your feelings and sensitivity. It's about recognizing that your presentation is meant to help someone."
What if no one shows up? Part 2 2008-02-06 10:38:00 As a follow-up to this post, here's another example of how to handle it when no one shows up, from one of the pros."When former President Bill Clinton took to the podium on Friday at the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg, he told the audience a story. He said he had just inadvertently walked into the adjacent auditorium and was mortified to see that all the seats were empty. Then, he recounted, he saw a 'tech guy' in the back of the room and said to himself, 'Well, I'll give my best speech to one guy.' He pounded his fist. 'I’ll give my best speech if it's the last thing I do today'."From The New York Times.
February is National Self-Esteem Month 2008-02-05 21:39:00 How's your self esteem, peeps? Could you use a boost? February
is National
Self-Esteem Month
and Dr. Joe Rubino, an internationally acclaimed expert on the topic of self-esteem, aims to raise the self-esteem level of 20 million people with his 3-part program that helps participants:"1. Heal and Complete Your Past2. Properly Assess Your Present Situation to Determine What's Working Optimally and What's Missing in Each of the 6 Areas of Your Life3. Design a Compelling Future that Honors Your Most Important Values and Champions You in Manifesting Your Gifts and Living Your Life Purpose"I'm helping to promote this project because positive self-esteem is such a huge part of becoming a successful and effective speaker. And if you buy Dr. Rubino's program, you will find two chapters of my e-cours
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