Lights, Camera, Action: Once more for the Oscars - Paul Johnstone

Winning an Oscar

When it’s your turn to give an acceptance speech, here are a few tips that will help you:  An acceptance speech is a short, pointed and appropriate speech.    

Well, that's what the audience is hoping for when they watch programmes like the Oscars. It’s strange that many actors fear and dislike public speaking as much as anyone else.  Many high-stakes award acceptance speeches fall flat, go on too long, or consist of just a long list of I would like to thank my Barber and the bookmaker as well as great aunt Bessie.  And the problem with a list is you always leave someone out which really offends them.  

Take a leaf out of Colin Firths book not only did he promise us a short speech last night he delivered on his promise.   I think Franklin D Roosevelt said it best when he was asked about speaking.  His reply; Be Sincere, Be Brief, Be seated.  

But how else can a winner (at the Oscars or industry gathering or sports club award) use the acceptance speech to make a positive impact?

Continuing on the Oscars theme, use the mnemonic OSCARS:

Openings - A strong Opening.  
This works for any speech.  It might be funny, humble or touching, but just like a great speech or presentation, a short award acceptance needs to begin well to have impact.

Say thank you your host or to the awarding group.
Awards don't fall from on high. Make sure you thank the group giving you this honour, first and foremost. Believe me organisers get brassed of when you forget about them.

Categorize, rather than specify. This is where sweeping generalisations work best.  Thank "every single person whose heart and mind and work went into helping you get to this point." And remember that the list with the barber and your great aunt Bessie is not the one for this occasion.

Avoid fillers. "There are too many people to thank," "I'm sure I'll forget someone," and similar time-buyers (time-wasters, in the audience's mind) just use up precious seconds.

Rember -A little practice helps If you don't like speaking and there's a good chance you'll win, practice is your friend. Remember: Practice can help you deliver great words even when you're emotional and surprised, as many types of winners are. However a quick word of caution here.  Over practice can trip you up. Practise just enough to know where your speech will take you.

Something the Audience doesn’t know. Whether it's how you got started. It could be what that teacher said that spurred you on.  Tell your audience something specific about you and this award that will make us remember you and your speech. And remember Franklin D Roosevelt!

Now you have a template when you go to an awards function that lets you deliver any awards speech.

Paul Johnstone is a Speaker, Trainer and Paradigm Shaker. Founder of The Paradigm Shakers and a Subject Matter Expert.

Paradigm SHakers - Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Check out other free speaking tips:

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P.S I always appreciate feed back and comments and new followers!

©Paul Johnstone

Public Speaking: Audience Humour - Paul Johnstone

Audience Humour is it just a gag?

Audience humour is offbeat asides and jokes that occur unexpectedly during a presentation. 

An old stand by often used be Dr. Joel Goodman, is where a telephone rings during his presentation. He answers the phone that was hidden in the lectern and pretends to talk to his mother. The same joke would be called a running gag if the phone rang at several other times during the program.    

I believe the two Ronies used a similar technique in their long running series on the BBC.

Graveyard Wakeup

This is great if you have drawn the short straw and have to present imediatly after lunch, the graveyard slot.  It’s another tried and tested piece of humour, which is lots of fun and takes almost no time to set up.  

Before the presentation, pick out about 10 willing audience members to help you. All you do is give them simple that they share with no one else. This instruction leads them to a course of action that is carried out on a certain cue during the presentation. To start the gag, have an assistant interrupt the seminar to give you an important note. 

The note read (for effect it helps if you use a serious expression):

"It appears that someone is in attendance today with another man's wife. There is a large and irate man on his way here right now. If you want to get out quickly, there is a backstage door you can use to disappear through."

At this point, 10 men jumped up out of their seats and ran crazily out the door. Once they realized what was happening, several women jumped up and ran out too. It was great fun and wakes up everyone who had just lunch and were feeling a little snoozy. 

Your turn now to tell me is humour in presentations just a gag?  

Or you could share with others your experiences of humour in presentations - Good or Bad - but please keep it appropriate!

Paul Johnstone is a Speaker, Trainer and Paradigm Shaker. Founder of The Paradigm Shakers and a Subject Matter Expert.

Paradigm SHakers - Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Check out other free speaking tips:

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

P.S I always appreciate feed back and comments and new followers!

©Paul Johnstone

Humour sells and it sells you - Paul Johnstone

 A funny thing happened to me on ............

Humour can help you get the sales presentation in the first place. It will also help you stay upbeat in the face of rejection, overcome inevitable problems that arise during a presentation, break down sales resistance, and create loyal customers who will buy again.

Here is a story of a friend of mine and how humour helped him.

One of the ways professional speakers get business is never to do free demonstrations for potential buyers. Alan, my colleague was presenting for an advertising company in London. After the presentation, a lady came approached Allan and invited him to call her. She then went on to tell Alan his information would be perfect for the employees at her government department. 

So Alan called three times that week and did not get a return call. Called three times the next week and did not get a return call. And on to the third week, no return calls.   Finally, Alan decided to sent her a humorous fax.

Guess What?  She called back within the hour.  And as a result Alan got a large contract for a years work  When asked why she replied to he fax, her reply, She said my fax really made her laugh in the midst of all the pressure she was under and that's why she called.

You might be wondering how Alan could call someone 12 times in a month and not be considered a pest. In the first place, she specifically invited him to call. That means she's  going to be call the rest of her life until she tells me to stop.

In the second place, Alan knew she was a fun person because he saw her enjoying the presentation where they first met.

So use humour words and phrase like I know you've got a six-foot stack of paperwork on your desk or I'll bet people are pitching tents in the line outside your office door.

Basically use humour as an aid to your selling, try different things.  You could sing on a prospect's voicemail, send funny post cards, E-mail, sent memorable mailers, a packet of grass seed to help them grow their business, doughnuts for their much needed coffee break, chewing gum in fact anything that will make you stand out. 

Use humorous notes. And they are more likely to remember you when they want something you do.   An interesting fun reminder will help you get the call when they have a need.  The othere point about humour is think how you feel when someone hase shared a joke with you or made you smile?  It's good for business.

Paul Johnstone is a Speaker, Trainer and Paradigm Shaker. Founder of The Paradigm Shakers and a Subject Matter Expert.

Paradigm SHakers - Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Check out the free speaking tip:

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

P.S I always appreciate feed back and comments and new followers!

©Paul Johnstone

How to Conquer Public Speaking Fear- Part 5

Welcome to the final part in this report on Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking

Public speaking is a common source of stress for most people. 

So how do we overcome this irrational fear? 

In this final section of overcoming the fear of public speaking you’ll learn about over practicing and why the audience want you to succeed. 

We’ll review the previous four sections and give you some of the hidden causes of Glossophobia (the fear of public speaking)

Key 9--The More You Practice, the Worse You Get

Preparation falls into two areas, one marked good and the other marked bad.   Lets start with the bad one first.  This is something I used to do when I started out networking.  I had 60 seconds to fill every week and I took advice and wrote my 60 seconds every week.  Then I tried to learn them off by heart, spending hours rehearsing my speech.  Getting tongue tied and the moment I stood up I forgot what I had spent hours trying to remember.   

You are not trained actors so why try and learn your lines?  And because you are not trained to memorise scripts you get it wrong.  So stop trying.  

Now to the good preparation:  Usually I read a lot about my subject, or the subject I am speaking about.  This is not in the days before I present, I do it weeks in advance so the general information has time to sink in.  That’s all you need.

Understand your subject, and you can speak about your subject.

Many people believe you can over prepare your presentation.  All that does is send you back into the bad old habits – you know the ones we are working with you to eliminate.   

Much of what we have shared over the past four instalments can reappear.  You can end up focusing on the wrong part of your presentation, trying to get everyone to like you, memorising it line by line and packing too much into your allotted time. 

I’m sure there is a law about the more you worry over something the more likely it is to happen.  

On the other hand, if you know your subject well, or if you've spoken about it many times before, you may only need a few minutes to prepare sufficiently. 

The main point here is that you know your subject.  As a subject matter expert you should know all about printing if you are a printer. You’ll know all about plants if you are a gardener, or all about video cameras if you are a videographer.  All you might need is to remind yourself of the three key points you want to make, along with some good examples and supporting facts and: Lights, Camera Action – You’re ready for the spotlight

Now I spend enough time working on the topic especially when it’s one that is associated with what I do, teaching people to speak, so I know and understand as much as I can.  What I never do is Practice, practice and practice the speech.  

As we have covered earlier it is detrimental more often than it is beneficial. Also if you are word perfect through constant practice, and you are not a trained actor.  You forget where to place the emphasise and it can all get a bit monotone and dull.   

Over preparation usually means you either don't know your subject or you do, but you don’t have confident in your ability to talk about it in public. 

If you don’t know your subject you’ll need to do some research.  If its your lack of confidence you need to learn to let your  natural ability to speak come through.   The only way to do this is to put yourself in the spotlight, and do it.  Remember what we said earlier in this series.  Once you have learned how to present properly, every opportunity you get top speak in public you get better.

Go out and grab every opportunity you can to speak.  Speak on your subject in public, to small groups to colleagues. Offer to speak free, just to get the experience.  If you have something of value to tell others, keep getting in front of people and deliver it. In no time at all, you'll get all the confidence you ever dreamed of.

Key 10--Your Audience Wants You to Succeed

The last Key to remember is that your audience wants you to succeed. 

They do it’s not a myth people really want you to succeed. 

This is mainly due to the fact your audience has a fear of public speaking, and they admire you for getting up there and doing it. They know the risks they believe you are taking every time you present yourself in public. They feel for you. They will be on your side, no matter what happens.

What does this mean for you the speaker?  Well most audiences are in forgiving mode all the time. While a slip of the tongue might feel like a catastrophe to you, most of the time it goes completely unnoticed by your audience.  

Because they want you to succeed, their judgement of you will be much kinder and far more lenient than yours will ever be. Remember to remind yourself of this point, every time you think you've  not done well.

You know one of the great things about learning to speak in public.  Once you have mastered the skill, every time you have an opportunity to speak in public, you just get better.  So keep at it and you will soon be seen as the expert people want to pay to listen to, Enjoy the journey.

Review Of the Hidden Causes Of Public Speaking Stress

Here I have listed for you in one place all the hidden causes of stress in speaking in public.  

A.   Thinking that public speaking is inherently stressful (it's not).

B.   Believing you have to be brilliant to succeed (you don't).

C.  Packing too much information or having too many points in a presentation.(please don’t)

D.  Presenting the wrong purpose (give before you receive).

E.   Trying to please all the people all the time(get real – you can’t).

F.    Trying to be someone else rather than simply being yourself (the first part is hard the second real simple).

G.  Forgetting humility.( do what it says on the tin)

H.  Having fear of negative outcomes (they almost never happen - when they do, turn them to your advantage).

I.     Focusing on others behaviour (if you can’t control in why focus on it?).

J.     Over practicing (work on your own confidence and trust in your own ability to succeed).

K.  Believing your audience are your harshest critic.(they never are)

By eliminating these hidden causes you another step closer to banishing the fear of public speaking

And here once more are the headlines for the 10 keys that will unlock your door to becoming a presenter and public speaker.

Review of the 10 Keys Please Keep Them In Mind

Key 1--Speaking in Public is not Inherently Stressful

Key 2--You don’t have to be perfect to Succeed

Key 3--All You Need are the Main Points

Key 4—Have a Purpose a real purpose

Key 5—You succeed when you’re not a Public Speaker!

Key 6--Humility and Humour Go a Long Way

Key 7--Nothing Bad Can Ever Happen!

Key 8—Tips on managing your Audience

Key 9--The More You Practice, the Worse You get

Key 10--Your Audience Wants You to Succeed

Review of 10 Keys - Keep these in Mind

That's all there is to it. Just look for these eleven hidden causes and keep the ten corresponding principles in mind.

Of course, you will need to practice. It's extremely easy to forget the ten keys. So keep reviewing them.   

What is the best way to practice? Go out and speak in public. Join a local Speakers Club, http://www.the-asc.org.uk/  Or try a Toastmasters Group http://www.toastmasters.org/.  I have a preference tor the association of speakers clubs format, and the fact they are based in the UK, but there may not be one near you.

You can visit my own web site  www.PMJohnstone.co.uk where you can access my public speaking tips which are delivered to your in-box every working day. 

Just keep seizing the speaking opportunities and in no time at all, your skill, confidence, and natural ability will shine through.

Please take a look at  www.paradigmshakers.co.uk for a newsletter on business tips which has a large section on presenting and public speaking.  

Finally, if you get up in front of a group and find this stressful, it only means you forgot what public speaking is all about. At that time go back and review this series.  Check out where you went wrong or what you didn't remember. Then armed with the knowledge people want you to succeed, go back out and speak again.  As people we all learn by our mistakes and I made lots without this information so you should be far better prepared than I ever was.  It may take a while , but the long-term rewards will be impressive.

I hope you have enjoyed this series of tips and techniques for overcoming the fear of public speaking.  Please feel free to comment on this blog.  If you have any questions please mail them to me at

Paul Johnstone is a Speaker, Trainer and Paradigm Shaker. Founder of The Paradigm Shakers and a Subject Matter Expert.

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

Check out the free speaking tips at The Paradigm Shakers

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

P.S I always appreciate feed back and comments and new followers!

©Paul Johnstone

How to Conquer Public Speaking Fear Part 4

Welcome to to part 4 of this special Report on Overcoming the fear of public speaking. 

Public speaking is a common source of stress for most people.

So how do we overcome this irrational fear?

In part 4 of this series on overcoming the fear of public speaking Fact: - Public speaking is a common source of stress for most people.

So how do we overcome this irrational fear?

In this section you will learn how nothing bad ever happens to speakers and how you can easily handle any comments from your audience 

Key 7--Nothing "Bad" Can Ever Happen!

One thing that adds to the fear of public speaking is the dread people have that something awful, terrible, or publicly humiliating will happen to them.

What if I pass out from nervous exhaustion? What if I forget everything I intended to say and am left standing there, totally speechless? What if the audience hates me and begins throwing things at me?

What if they all get up and leave after the first ten minutes? What if they snipe at me with harsh questions or comments once I'm done? What if someone in the audience tries to turn the group against me?

Even when they do, it's useful to have a strategy in mind that has them turn out perfect. Sound difficult? It's not really.

These could be embarrassing if they occurred. Fortunately, most of them don't happen.  This is an irrational fear of failure, and believe me you won’t fail.

I've found that most of the "negative" things that happen when I'm speaking can be handled by keeping this one simple, but powerful, principle in mind: 

everything that happens can be used to my advantage.

If people get up and start to head for the door, I can stop what I'm doing and ask for feedback. Was there something about my topic, my style, or my manner of presentation that was offensive to them? Were they simply in the wrong room at the start and didn't know it? Did someone misinform them about the presentation topic?

No matter what they tell me, by stopping to deal with this situation, honestly and humbly, will often score points with my remaining audience. It also will give me the opportunity to learn how I am affecting people, so I can make any corrections that might be needed.

Even if everyone walked out and refused to give me a reason, I could ultimately find ways to benefit from this experience. At the very least, I could use it as the opening for my next presentation. "You know, I gave this same presentation the other day and everyone in the audience walked out in the first ten minutes. That's my current record, so I guess we'll just have to see what happens today."

The same principle is used for dealing with hecklers or people who ask harsh questions. If you assume that nothing truly bad can ever happen when you're speaking, you'll be amazed how well you can relate to such events and how often you can indeed use them to your advantage.

And once you've successfully used this principle many times, your anxiety about public speaking will have almost disappeared. You'll know it will be virtually impossible for anything "bad" to happen to you,  And you will be armed with the knowledge you’ll be able to handle whatever comes your way. That is a very comforting thought.

Key 8--Some quick tips on Managing Your Audience

To succeed as a public speaker, you don't have to control the behaviour of your audience. There are certain things you do need to control--your own thoughts, your preparation, arrangements for audio-visual aids, how the room is laid out--but one thing you don't have to control is your audience. They will do whatever they do, and whatever they do will usually be "perfect."

If people are fidgety or restless, don't try to control this. If someone is talking to a neighbour, or reading the newspaper, or falling asleep, leave them alone. If people look like they aren't paying attention, refrain from chastising them. Unless someone is being intentionally disruptive, there is very little you need to control.

Thinking you need to change or control other people is a hidden cause of stress in many areas of life. This is just as true for relating to a group as it is for relating to your friends, spouse, children, or other acquaintances.

The fifth and final part of this series on Overcoming the fear of public speaking will be published in the next day or two. So check back for the last part of this report on overcoming the fear of public speaking. You can get this sent to your RSS reader by subscribing to this blog.

Paul Johnstone is a Speaker, Trainer and Paradigm Shaker. Founder of The Paradigm Shakers and a Subject Matter Expert.

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

Check out the free speaking tips at The Paradigm Shakers

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

P.S I always appreciate feed back and comments and new followers!

©Paul Johnstone

How to Conquer Public Speaking Fear Part 3

I believe it was Franklin D Roosevelt President of the USA who said of public speaking. Be Sincere: Be Brief: Be Seated. Sound advice especially when you are starting out.  Especially be sincere.

Your irrational fear of public speaking and presenting can be overcome and we are now at the half way point in this series. ‘Overcoming The Fear of Public Speaking’.

In this section you will learn all how to look at what you do from the audiences point of view.  You’ll also understand why and how to use humour and the power of humility.  

Key 5 - You succeed when you're not a Public Speaker!

Ok that looks a contradictory staement but it's not - It's about perception.  Are you a speaker?  I suggest you should ask this.  This is because one of the best way to succeed as a public speaker is not to consider yourself a public speaker.

Do you agree with that?  

You may have set or, hold unrealistic views of what successful public speakers do.

You may assume that to be successful, you have to bring certain idealistic qualities you just don’t have.

As a consequence, you may struggle to emulate those personal characteristics of other speakers.  And all the time you believe (wrongly ) these characteristics are responsible for their success.

In other words, you try to be someone you’re not! You try to be a public speaker or a presenter whatever that image means to you.

The truth about public speaking is that most successful speakers got that way by doing the opposite! They didn't try to be somebody else. They just gave themselves permission to be themselves.  And they did that in front of other people. And much to their surprise, they discovered how much fun they could have doing something most other people dread.

The secret, then, to their success is that they didn't try to become public speakers!

You can give yourself permission to do the very same thing. No matter what type of person we are, or what skills and talents you possess, you can stand up in front of others and be yourself.

Once you are comfortable being yourself you will be far more likely to love to speak in public. Why? Because it's one of the few times you give yourself permission to fully be yourself in the presence of others.

You can be bold, compassionate, silly, informative, helpful, and witty.  In-fact anything you want to be.  As long as you’re delivering with purpose and from the heart you can de pretty much what you want anything else that feels natural in the moment.  You can also experiment and see what works best with audiences.  A great truism in life is “we all learn from our mistakes”

As a result, you’ll make much better contact with your audience.  You won't fall into the trap of droning on and on about some uninteresting subject. You’ll feel alive, energized, fully invested in everything you say and do.

When you really get good at being yourself in front of others, you can even stand up in front of a group of people without any idea how you're going to get across your three main points.

And you know what when you get practiced at this? People in the audience often come up to you afterward and say, "you were great, I wish I had the confidence to give public talks like you."

That's the wrong way to think. Don't try to give talks the way I do, or the way anyone else does. Just go out there, armed with your knowledge and a three key points, and be yourself. Everything else will usually work out. It might take a few times to nail it. But after a while, you'll settle into your own successful ways of delivering that will be all yours and no one else's.

Key 6--Humility and Humour Go a Long Way

While most will eventually find their style, certain techniques can be used by almost everyone. The top two are humility and humour.  Both can go a long way to making your presentations more enjoyable and entertaining for your audience.

Humour is well understood by most of us, so little needs to be said about it here. If being humorous feels comfortable for you, or if it fits your speaking situation, go for it. It usually works, even if you don't do it perfectly.  However a word of caution, check it’s appropriate to your audience.

Over to humility which can take some time to fully understand.  By humility, I mean standing up in front of others and sharing some of your own human frailties, weaknesses, and mistakes. If you are comfortable with that, then you should use it as it will win audiences over.

We all have weaknesses, you know, and when you stand up in front of others and show that you're not afraid to admit yours.  Some can be turned into humour and others show you care. It’s then you create a safe, intimate climate where others can acknowledge their personal shortcomings as well.

Being humble in front of others makes you more credible, more believable, and paradoxically more respected. People can connect with you more easily.  

When you show humility, you become "one of them" instead of a remote expert on stage. No longer are you head and shoulders above them (which you really aren't). It also sets a tone of honesty and self-acceptance, which people often recognize in themselves.

Don't try to do this, however, if it's not authentic for you. True humility is easily distinguished from the pretence of acting humble. If you pretend, your audience will perceive this and lose respect for you. I can never remember who said “when you can fake sincerity you’ve got it made.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Try that and an audience will see straight trough you.

Trying to fake humility will harm you.  There is a naff saying “Fake it till you make it.” which similar and fraught with danger.  Because what you are saying is Lie till you get it right. And that is no way to proceed.

Often, humour and humility can be combined very effectively. Telling humorous stories about yourself, or using your own personal failings to demonstrate some point you are trying to make, can be both entertaining and illuminating.

For example, if you get nervous when you stand up to speak in front of a group, or if you suddenly feel nervous during the middle of your presentation, don't hide this fact from your audience, they can tell anyway. Be real--and humble--by acknowledging your fear openly and honestly. Ask your audience for forgiveness while you take a few moments to collect yourself.

When this happened to me, I used to stop and look at the audience and tell them.  “I’m sorry folks I feel really nervous this evening I hope you will be gentle with me?”

Or, you can start your presentation with a humorous story that produces the same effect. For example, I've seen speakers begin their presentation s by using an old schoolboy line. "What lies at the bottom of the ocean and shakes all over?" Answer: a nervous wreck! It can be endearing sand helps relieve speaking anxiety.

The fourth part of this series on Overcoming the fear of public speaking will be published in the next day or two. So check back for the forth piece in this series on overcoming the fear of public speaking. You can get this sent to your RSS reader by subscribing to this blog.

Paul Johnstone is a Speaker, Trainer and Paradigm Shaker. Founder of The Paradigm Shakers and a Subject Matter Expert.

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

Check out the free speaking tips at The Paradigm Shakers

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

P.S I always appreciate feed back and comments and new followers!

©Paul Johnstone

Great Speaking Tips - Paul Johnstone

Great Speaking Tips

I saw this story and my first reaction was how wonderful. 

Here is a school child showing how it should be done.  There is no need to have any fear of public speaking.

http://bit.ly/exM2aj

Enjoy the story 

Paul Johnstone is a Speaker, Trainer and Paradigm Shaker. Founder of The Paradigm Shakers and a Subject Matter Expert.

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

Check out the free speaking tips at The Paradigm Shakers

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

P.S I always appreciate feed back and comments and new followers!

©Paul Johnstone