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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Sunday, December 7, 2008
Using Humour For Your Next Presentation - Public Speaking
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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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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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
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