Sunday, December 7, 2008

Public Speaking: How To Make A Point With Humor


One of the old saws of public speaking says that you should "Tell em what you are gonna tell em. Tell em. Then tell em what you told em." When you want to make a point during your presentation, you can use a similar formula. You tell em the point, illustrate the point, then tell em the point again. This formula, however, can seem boring and redundant if you dont spice it up a little. One way to do it is to use humor. Here is the formula:

1. Make your point.

2. Illustrate your point (in our case with a humorous two-liner, but you could use props, humorous props, funny stories, serious stories, case studies, etc.)

3. Restate your point.

Here is an example where your point is "The Importance of Communication."

1. First make your point by saying, Accurate and clear communication is an important part of our everyday lives.

2. Then illustrate your point. In this case use a humorous two-liner. Its like the student pilot who was asked over the radio to state his altitude and location. He said, "I am five feet nine and I am in the left seat."

3. Then restate your point in a slightly different manner by saying, You can see how what we may think is clear communication could be interpreted incorrectly especially when people are under pressure. (Ref: Wake em Up Business Presentations Page 65)

"This book gives you advanced presentations skills and humor training that would otherwise take you years to learn. It is an absolute must read for anyone who wants to be a fantastic presenter."

Patricia Fripp, Past president & first woman president of the National Speakers Association



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Public Speaking: Make 'Em The Stars


If you make the audience the stars, they will make you the star by giving you higher evaluations and buying more of your ideas, products and services. Here are a few ways to do it:

=> Get them on stage with you. I find an excuse in virtually every presentation to have one or many people up there with me.

=> Mention their individual names, or subgroups during the program. Praise their accomplishments and mention the good ideas you got from them in your pre program research.

=> Put quotations of the audience members in the handouts. . . . again you could have easily gleaned quotes during your pre program research.

=> Put quotations and ideas of the audience members in custom visuals (overheads, slides and computer generated images). I do custom quote overheads with my company name on them at the bottom. After using it in the presentation, I give it to the person who gave me the information. I've seen these pinned up on the recipients bulletin board long after my presentation.

=> Give out awards. Find out who the unsung heros are and make up an award to present during your presentation.

=> Give out prizes for people who participate in a positive way.

Want to be more professional in the way you approach each speaking engagement? Do at least two of the above items every time you speak. . . . Raise the bar and make them the stars. (Ref: Wake em Up Business Presentations)



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Amazing Public Speaking: Props Part 2


Types of props There are many different kinds of props that can be used to your advantage in a presentation. Extra large or extra small props are funny. Noisemakers are funny. Even though you are attacking the sense of hearing, you are attacking it in a unique way that makes it memorable. Costumes and magic tricks make good props.

I have a friend who speaks on telephone skills. He uses a giant telephone receiver to make a point about the importance of phone skills. I used a clown prop to make the serious point that if we went through with this merger it would be like being in a thunderstorm with a clown umbrella (for those of you that do not know, a clown umbrella is only about 8 inches in diameter).

Noisemakers are fun. I recommended that a sales manager get one of those expressway revenge devices that makes machine gun, ray gun, and bomb noises when you press a button. If XYA company (remember no Zs) gets in our way, this is what will do to them (he pressed the machine gun button while holding the device near the microphone). He got his point across.

I have worn gorilla costumes, brought full-size mannequins on stage and kicked them around. I have done simple magic tricks and many other things to get my point across in a more memorable and interesting fashion.

You dont necessarily have to do wild things to use props. A very creative friend of mine, Carolyn Long, was going to talk about the keys to creativity. She opened by holding up keys, then discarded them in favor of a combination lock. Her point was made.

Tips for using props

=> Normally you should keep your special props hidden until you are ready to use them.

=> Make sure the prop can be seen from all parts of the room.

=> ALWAYS talk to the audience, not the prop (unless the prop is a puppet).

=> Make sure the audience is focused on surprise props before you unleash the surprise. (If using a fake peanut can with pop out snakes, hold the can in full view for an extra second before you open it so the audience does not miss it).



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Amazing Public Speaking: Props Part 1


The term "prop" is a shortened version of the theatrical term "property," a word used to describe any object handled or used by an actor in a performance. As a presenter you are a performer whether you believe it or not. You have an obligation to use whatever means that are necessary to get your message across to the audience.

I think of props as any physical item that is on stage with you. Your flipchart is a prop. Your lectern is a prop. Overhead projectors, pointers, notes, chairs, markers, pens, and other audio/visual aids are all forms of props. Conversely,props are a form of visual aid.

Why use props?

Props help warm up the audience. They can be used as a substitute for notes. They help focus attention on the points you are trying to make along with illustrating them for you. They make better connections than your words with the visually oriented members of your audience. They create interest, add variety, and make your points more memorable.

Props can be used pre-program to pass around in the audience in anticipation of the program. You see this at large arenas when beach balls and Frisbees are being tossed around in the crowd. I pass out snacks and/or custom-designed crossword puzzles about the group that I make on my computer. The puzzles make especially great icebreakers because the members of the group get together to help each other with the solutions.

Do you hate relying on notes? Props can be a substitute for written cheat sheets. To illustrate this in live seminars and television interviews I use three hats as an outline for a program. The first hat is a gag ball cap that has really long hair attached to it so that you look like a hippie when you wear it. The second hat is a black top hat. The third is a safari hat. Each hat prompts me to talk about a thoroughly rehearsed bit or chunk. Putting on the longhaired ball cap immediately reminds me to talk about when the company was young and aggressive. After that section I remove the ball cap (if you have a fun and playful audience, you could put it on an audience member's head), then I put on the black top hat. The top hat prompts a section on the mature growth years of the company. I then put on the safari hat which kicks off a section on searching for new business. The whole talk is done without any notes at all. You only have to memorize your opening and closing and practice each of the sections independently as you learned in a previous issue.

Didnt someone say a prop is worth a thousand words? Maybe that was a picture, but its just about the same thing. Many times a well selected prop will illustrate your point much better than you could ever do in words. It also focuses attention directly on the point you are trying to make because it is something novel that is occurring during the presentation. People can space out easily on your words, but a unique prop is hard to ignore. Also, the visually oriented people in your audience will perk up and get more value when you use props.

Memorability is another good reason to use props. People remember pictures far longer than words. That is why the great storytellers try to use words to create images in your mind. They know the images will be remembered when the words are long forgotten. If you are not a great storyteller yet, you can use props to help create these pictures.



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Public Speaking: Be A Little Phony On The Phone


"Wow! Your phone message is just too happy!" "You've got way too much energy." "How do you stay so upbeat?" These are just some of the comments I get about my voice mail message and my technique for answering the phone. Many times I answer personally and the person on the other end of the line starts to leave a message. They think I'm the voice mail. Hahaha I tell them I answer that way so if I don*t like them I can say "beep" and hang up.

You can't catch me answering the phone poorly. If I feel bad, I still answer the phone in an upbeat manner which sometimes knocks me out of my bad mood. If I feel so bad that I just can't rise to the occasion, then I DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE. It's all part of walking your talk, or I guess in this case you would call it "talking your talk." If I profess to be able to create excitement in the client's organization and I can*t even do it in my own, I've lost a considerable amount of credibility. My interns aren't even allowed to answer the phone until they can absolutely prove that they won't hurt my reputation of being upbeat and exciting.

Listen to your own voice mail message. Is it as enthusiastic as it could be? Does it convey the personality you are selling to the client? How about the way you answer the phone? Would you be proud if I called you and critiqued your technique?

You can sell a ton of products and services just because of the way you act on the telephone. Be a little phony if you're not feeling great, but push yourself toward enthusiasm. Potential clients don't want to hire a dud.



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More Humour For Public Speaking - Making Fun Of Stupid People


40 TERMS FOR THE STUPID:

A few clowns short of a circus.

Dumber than a box of hair.

Too much yardage between the goal posts.

A few fries short of a Happy Meal.

An experiment in Artificial Stupidity.

A few beers short of a six-pack.

A few peas short of a casserole.

Doesn't have all her cornflakes in one box.

The wheel's spinning, but the hamster's dead.

One Fruit Loop shy of a full bowl.

One taco short of a combination plate.

A few feathers short of a whole duck.

All foam, no beer.

The cheese slid off her cracker.

Body by Fisher, brains by Mattel.

Couldn't pour water out of a boot with instructions on the heel.

He fell out of the Stupid tree and hit every branch on the way down.

An intellect rivaled only by garden tools.

As smart as bait.

Chimney's clogged.

Doesn't have all his dogs on one leash.

Doesn't know much, but leads the league in nostril hair.

Elevator doesn't go all the way to the top floor.

Forgot to pay her brain bill.

Her sewing machine's out of thread.

His antenna doesn't pick up all the channels.

His belt doesn't go through all the loops.

If she had another brain, it would be lonely.

Missing a few buttons on his remote control.

No grain in the silo.

Proof that evolution CAN go in reverse.

Receiver is off the hook.

Several nuts short of a full pouch.

Skylight leaks a little.

Slinky's kinked.

Surfing in Nebraska.

Not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

The lights are on, but nobody's home.

24 cents short of a quarter.



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Using Humour For Your Next Presentation - Public Speaking


Test humor is humor that is placed in your written introduction. It is to be read by your introducer, not by you. Pick a couple of these lines and stick with them. The real value of test humor comes when you have heard the same line being delivered in your introduction over and over. The laughter of the audience will tell you if they are ready to laugh. This concept is called "in fun" (see Wake' em Up Business Presentations for a complete explanation.)

NOTE: The "?" is for your name, and most of these pieces of test humor can be used for either male or female presenters

? is one of the greatest speakers ever and that's just not my opinion, it's his/hers too. Let's welcome ? (lead enthusiastic applause)

It has been said that ? is the number one man/woman in the field of ???. And here folks is the man/woman who said it. Let's welcome ? (lead enthusiastic applause)

The man/woman I am about to introduce is so full of ideas I have heard him described as a manic EXPRESSIVE. Let's welcome ? (lead enthusiastic applause)

? is a man/woman who helps people. In fact, he/she would never turn someone away from his/her door if they needed help ...He/she would let them sit there all day if they wanted to. Let's welcome ? (lead enthusiastic applause)

Some people believe that ? is one of the greatest business speakers alive today....Of course some people believe in the Easter Bunny. Let's welcome ? (lead enthusiastic applause)

?'s discussion of (subject) will be very enlightening. She says that after her talk you will still be confused, but on a much higher plane.

? says she is going to speak and hopefully you are going to listen. If you finish before she does, please raise your hand.

? says she will be happy to answer any questions you might have as long as you don't ask, "Why did you bother to come here?"

Although she eventually became a model ? says she wasn't the cutest child. In fact, her parents threw away her kindergarten photo and framed the negative.

? says she doesn't read Fortune, but she has eaten a lot of their cookies.

? says she wants to fly to Hawaii for a second honeymoon and she's getting her husband to drive her to the airport.

? says their are seven ages of women: Baby, infant, Jr. Miss, Young Woman, Young Woman, Young Woman and Young Woman.

? Says the best years of her life were the ten years between 29 and 30.

? Says he was a war baby. His parents looked at him and started fighting.

? Says he was born during the great depression. Not the countries. His mothers.

? Says she will give you in length what she lacks in depth.

She/he wants you to think of her/his talk as the horns of a steer. A point here, a point there and a lot of bull in between.

For all female audience:

? says diamonds are a girl's best friend and dogs are a man's best friend. Now you know which sex has more sense.

? says a businesswoman has to be twice as good as a man. Fortunately, that's not hard to do.



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Speaking To Younger Audiences


When speaking to a youth group you must use attention gaining devices several times per minute to combat the extremely short attention spans which are normal for that age group.

You should also speak at a very fast pace to force them to keep up with you. You can also randomly point to a particular person and ask them to repeat what you just said. Yes, I know putting them on the spot can back fire and alienate you, but which is worse, talking when no one is listening or at least getting their attention with a little confrontation? . . . I really don't know the answer, but for my money I'll lean toward confrontation any day over being ignored.

Alex Ryan

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Amazing Public Speaking Testimonial Tips


There are two types and four formats of testimonials.

Types:

· Pat on the back · Results Based

Formats:

· Written · Audio · Video · Oral

I have found that "results based" testimonials are by far the most effective. "Pat on the back" testimonials are nice and I would certainly use them if that's all I had, but I want you to keep your eyes out for "results based" testimonials.

Example of "Results Based" Testimonial:

"Since we started working with Tom our monthly revenues have quadrupled." Patsi and Denise AKA the Blog Squad

Example of "Pat on the Back" Testimonial:

"We recently had a consultation with Tom and he really took a lot of time working with us. We really liked him." Sally and Joe Nicepeople

Even though the "Pat on the Back" testimonial may appeal to people who really want personal attention, it generally won't help you as much as the "Results Based" testimonial.

Extra testimonial tips:

Make sure your testimonial is believable. I got one once where the person claimed that my information doubled his business in one week and this guy already had a really big business. I did not use the testimonial because it was not believeable to most people and I think he just wanted a link from my website back to his.

Also, make sure your testimonial is not too long. You can excerpt from it. If you feel the need to put in the entire thing (which is most cases is a bad idea), at least highlight the best things said so you don't bore people to death.


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Public Speaking Book Review: Words That Sell


The title of this article is the same as a famous book by Richard Bayan that is used by marketing professionals around the world. As I was looking through it the other day I realized that the same kinds of words could be used in public speaking to get the same kinds of effects.

We want to sell our ideas don't we? We want to increase our credibility don't we? We want to move people to action don't we? These are all the things that good advertising copywriters try to do in print with their words. Judiciously using the phrases in this book will give you a more scientific way to accomplish the goals of your speech. You will have specific words and word phrases to pick from to get a particular response from the audience.

Example: Let's say you are telling the audience about a good resource that you want them to check out. You want to persuade them to seek it out and take advantage of it. You might turn to the "Words that Sell" book and go to the "Informative" section. There you would find words and word phrases that mean valuable and informative.

You might say:

"This resource will:


take the guesswork out of ...
expand your knowledge ...
help to alter your perceptions of ...
keep you abreast of ...
give you new insight ...
give you the hard facts ...
keep you ahead of the game ...

There were 33 phrases in that section alone. This book will simplify your work especially when you are searching for just the right thing to say to make a particular point. In addition, it is an indispensable tool to have around when you are writing copy for your promotional material and website.

Alex Ryan

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Public Speaking Book Review: "The Shortcut to Pers...

Public Speaking Book Review: "The Shortcut to Persuasive Presentations" by Larry Tracy


Book Review

"The Shortcut to Persuasive Presentations" by Larry Tracy

I'm amazed by Larry Tracy. Larry was an accomplished speaker before I even started. He has the uncanny ability to meet you, learn a few things about you and give a PERFECT introduction as if he'd known you for years.

Larry has endorsements from President Ronald Reagan (the great communicator), Ambassadors and hundreds of other top government, military and political figures.

His book has a very interesting section called "Murder Boards". This is a group of people that hit you with every hard question in the book BEFORE you do your actual presentation. . . . Talk about high level preparation.

One of Larry's jobs was to explain government policy to some of the most demanding and hostile audiences in the country. He did this over 400 times. If you do what's in this book, I don't believe there is anything that could shake you up on stage.

Larry gives exact details on how to deal with difficult audiences and even how to lure debaters into saying things that undermine themselves to their supporters.

I also loved Larry's explanation of "Primacy" and "Recency". He totally made me realize how important openings and closings are.

You can't go wrong with this book.

Tom Antion

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Saturday, September 27, 2008

Storytelling and Public Speaking - The Power Of Telling Stories In Your Speech


In this issue I’m going to be talking about stories, story telling. And the power it has to igniting your audience’s imagination. And you’ll notice that every good public speaker these days, they use stories to convey their point. And there are three reasons why they do this.

The first reason, number one it’s easy to remember as opposed to memorizing a speech. Have you ever been up there on the stand and you’re thinking, “Man, this is quite difficult. This is very difficult. I’m trying to memorize a speech here and if I just had a story that had a very similar point to the point I’m trying to make in this speech, then that would be so much easier to tell.” Because number one, you’re recalling from memory, it actually happened in the past. And it’s easier to remember that as opposed to just reading or memorizing facts and figures.

The second point is the audience relates to stories far better than listing to facts and figures. They would rather you tell a very personal story that has a point at the end as opposed to going through half an hour of facts and figures and graph charts and pie charts and then making your point. The audience likes to follow stories.

And number three, no one like PowerPoint presentations anymore, so if you do still user PowerPoint presentations I highly recommend you stop. The quickest way to lose an audience is by dimming the lights and turning on that PowerPoint presentation. That is the quickest way to lose an audience.

You have to have faith in your story telling. You have to reveal things. You have to have a little guts to be personal with your audience. And you know what the best stories are? Personal stories, people like to hear personal stories and the insights that that person has experienced. So if you have a very personal insight, something you learned from, something that makes a point at the end that other people in your audience can gain some experience from then tell it.

Now if you don’t have that many stories to recall from I advise you to collect stories. Now it’s very simple to do this. All you have to do is head out and buy a paper, buy a newspaper. Buy one of those media magazines and start a note book or a database to improve your access to the stories that you like. Now once you have a few stories to recollect from learn the characteristics of a good story. So take the time to learn what makes a good story. What makes a story that people can relate to and learn from as opposed just someone blabbing on about their trip yesterday to the Rocky Mountains.

A good story is, number one it’s told well. Number two, the plot involves a transformation. Number three that story teller is sincere; no one likes anyone that isn’t sincere. Number four the story fits the occasion. So if you’re giving a presentation about business communication and why you should communicate with your colleagues and you’re telling a story about your trip with your kids to the fair ground last week, it’s not suitable. People can’t relate to that. It doesn’t fit the occasion.

Number five, the characters come alive. Make the characters come alive by giving them facts and details about the character’s appearance, the way they walk, their habits, give them something to picture in their head. Usually I try and match my characters with movie stars.

So if I’m telling a story about a short stocky fellow with no neck, I will talk about Danny DeVito. And that gives the audience a character to relate it to.

And lastly the story addresses the issues at hand. There has to be a call to action at the end for the audience, and it has to address their issue.


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Public Speaking Tips – Why You Should Tell Stories During Your Speech



Storytelling is a powerful medium when it comes to public speaking and you’ll notice that the majority of popular public speakers these days have a series or wide collections of funny and other emotional stories to tell.

Stories that make you laugh, cry, sadden and other emotional feelings are the best stories to tell as it give your audience a roller coaster of emotions. The more emotions they feel the more of a connection and rapport they’ll feel towards you.

I recall at that at one point I told a story about a dear friend of mine who had lost his way when it came to love, he had everything at one point and then gave it all up and now he’s lost, alone and very sad, my story about my dear friend was a long one (not to be repeated here) and I could feel the energy in my seminar room warm towards me after this story.

Its strange and very funny at the same time.

Storytelling in public speaking is considered a norm these days with many public speakers taking up storytelling classes and coaching to gain that sense of rapport with their audience.

Storytelling is an art form and we should be happy of that, as this means the more we practice the craft of storytelling the better we’ll become at it.

I hope you enjoyed this quick article on storytelling in public speaking.

Alex Ryan

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Quick Tips To Becoming A Great Public Speaker ...


Imagine a fancy hotel ballroom brimming with people. Hear the buzz of an audience anticipating a great speech. The speaker arrives and gives a technically competent speech.

The content is perfect but the delivery is plain. There is no fire in the speaker's belly. No conviction in their voice. The speaker lacks passion. Music is not just someone hitting piano keys in the right order. It is the soaring passion of playing music as an expression of the soul.

Think of the greatest speakers you have heard. They may not have been technically perfect, but they had passion.

Why is passion important?

If you do sales presentations, have a passion for your product. At my sales training seminars, I do an exercise where I role-play as a skeptical customer. The salesperson has to convince me why their product is the best.

The salesperson with the most passion - the most conviction - can persuade me to buy. After all, if you don't believe in your product, how can your clients? If you do marketing presentations, have a passion to persuade your listeners. If you do training, do it with the enthusiasm of someone committed to help people grow.

Here are three questions to help you discover your passion:

1. What subject do I love so passionately, I would speak about it for free?
2. What topic do I talk to friends and family members about?
3. Why is it vital for ME to be the one to deliver this message?

These questions focus on the passion that is INSIDE of us. If you fail to be passionate about your message, you cheat your audience. You also deprive yourself of the enthusiasm of feeling truly committed to your life's work.

Finding that perfect topic is like finding the love of your life. It may take time and a few false starts but it is well worth it. Unleash the passion!

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Quick Tips On Starting Your Speech ...



If you are naturally funny, by all means start with a joke. But for most of us, starting with a joke is a poor idea. Why? Because jokes depend upon perfect comedic timing. But, it's difficult to have perfect timing when you are nervous.

Since nervousness usually strikes during the first 60 seconds of your speech, that is the worst time to try a joke. So, what else can you do to grab your audience's attention?

One of the best methods is to recite a startling statistic, famous quote or personal anecdote that relates directly to your speech. Also, if you are using Power Point, you should display this information on your slide.

Here are some tips for using a statistic, famous quote or personal anecdote to start your speech:

1. Statistics: For example, I begin my public speaking workshops by saying, "55% of people are more afraid of giving a speech than dying!" That grabs people's attention and makes them want to learn my technique for dealing with fear of public speaking. So, where can you find startling statistics? One place is the US Government's site at: www.fedstats.gov. For Canada, you can check Statistics Canada at www.statcan.ca/start.html

2. Famous quotes: Here is a great online resource for quotes: www.quotesandsayings.com

3. Personal anecdotes: Here is a secret: start your story in the middle of the action i.e. "I am trapped! Yet another Power Point presentation! My eyes are about to glaze over. I am so bored!" By starting in the middle of the action, and gradually giving more details. you will captivate your audience's attention.

Begin your speeches the simple, easy way. Start your presentation with a startling statistic, famous quote or an interesting anecdote. Grab your audience's attention and set the stage for a great presentation!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Aoki

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How To Memorize Your Speech - Quick Public Speaking Tips



In the above video you'll find quick tips on memorizing your speech for the big day!

Memorizing is important however if you OVER-memorize then you'll meet something we call the dreaded monotone voice, where you find yourself just reciting your speech from memory with ZERO emotion.

Audiences hate this and so do I !

Enjoy!
Alex Ryan

Timing Your Speech - Speaking Overtime Is Okay...



Do you ever find you going overtime in your speech?

If so then that's okay and here's why ...

There is a range of arguments out there supporting going overtime when you speak, I always go overtime to ensure my audience gets full value from me.

Another argument is timing is critical in your speech and ensuring you don't go overtime is critical to building respect with your audeince. No audience member appreciates speakers going overtime and it shows disrespect to them and their time.

Alex Ryan
http://www.10PublicSpeakingTips.com

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Quick Tips On Practicing Your Speech ...



Do you find yourself over-rehearsing sometimes?

This this short video is for you and I deal with some simple ways to rehearse your speech before presenting it and WHY it is important for you to practice your speech as much as you can.

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Public Speaking Tips - Dealing With Questions From Your Audience



Are you often overloaded with questions at the end?

Do you sometimes get interrupted by questions while you speak and throws you off track?

If so then this short video will reveal some simple tips on dealing with questions from your audience while giving your public presentation.

Fear of Public Speaking - Why Are You Still Afraid Of Speaking In Public?



Fear of public speaking still grips the majority of speakers to this day. The only difference between a successful speaker and YOU is how THEY handle their fear. Professional speakers look like they're having fun on stage whereas younger public speakers freak and are clueless on how to act.

Enjoy the video!

Alex Ryan
10publicspeakingtips.com

Why You Should Tell Stories In Your Public Speaking Presentation



The above video reveals why you should tell stories to your audience during your public speaking presentation. It is essential that stories be told to establish a connection and emotional bond that your audience can relate to.

You'll find that most dreary public speakers speaking in facts and logic and the more prolific and engaging speakers speak in emotion.

Enjoy the video.

Alex Ryan
10publicspeakingtips.com