Know your Audience, Public Speaking ~ Paul M Johnstone

Whenever I get a booking to speak, I always ask the following questions of the meeting organiser.  This is because the more I about the audience, the better I can tailor my speech.  Once you know their profile you are half way there.  This is a great way of preparing for your presentation and helps overcome the fear of public speaking that is those who are still a little nervous.

Here are the questions I currently ask: You may of course have your own parameters that are important for you.

The first set are about the venue and will give you a much better idea of what to expect.

• Where is the venue?
• Is there parking?
• Do I have preparation time at the venue? (changing space etcetera)
• IS the venue lager enough to require the use of a microphone? 
• Can you visit the venue beforehand?
• Are there any known issues with the venue? (poor sight lines, iffy acoustics, uncomfortable seating)

The next questions relate to the event itself.

• What sort of event is it? (Seminar, exhibition, Training day, Networking event, After Dinner, discovery day, team building etcetera)
• What topic do you want?
• How many people are expected?
• What are their responsibilities?
• Why Are they coming?
• Are their partners invited?
• How much of the event is business and how much social?
• What is the average age?
• And what are the age ranges?
• Are there any non English speakers attending?
• If so what's the percentage?
• What is the male/female ratio?

Here are a couple of questions are about where in the programme you will be.  You will be surprised that the position and timing of your slot can make a huge difference on your audiences reaction to your presentation. If you get the graveyard slot, that's the one straight after lunch, you will need to prepare for your audience who are still digesting their food and may not have the highest levels of concentration!

• What slot do I have?(if you get the graveyard slot you need to know in advance)

•  And who am I following and what is their topic?

• Who is on after I speak, and what is their topic? (You might get a great audience profile, but be doomed to failure because of the program schedule)

I started to formulate these questions when I was in the corporate world, where missing anything in your presentation could be a lot more damaging to your career than just about anything else.

On accepting the engagement, these questions are repeated on the pre-program questionnaire. This may seem like overkill but you are being rewarded for your efforts, you want to be remembered as a quality speaker who delivers professionally and does what it says on the tin.  That way you are more likely to get repeat work and recommendations from your audience for other jobs.

You will want as many levels of verification as you can get, so that
I know what I am getting into. Some people use a scoring chat which may well help you.  I prefer to listen to the answers and where appropriate ask supplementary questions in order to form my opinion. However I always have a set of criteria I look for which is event dependant. 

You’ll discover over time which events and topics that work for you.  Assessing possible work is not a science it’s an art.  You will quickly get used to what to listen out for and which events work for you. 

I would love to hear from you and I am interested in your comments.  So please leave your remarks once you have read this blog, Thank You

About the Author

Paul M Johnstone is a Professional Communicator, Speaker, Executive Mentor and PowerPoint Guru! He works with companies, charities and individuals, helping them improve their communication skills and deliver successful presentations. 

Paul can be reached at +44 (0)7711 324362or through his website at http://www.pmjohnstone.co.uk/ he can also be reached at http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk

Overcome the fear of public speaking, the science - Paul M Johnstone

The Guest Blogger this week is Dr Lynda Shaw a neuropsychologist sharing with us the science behind the fear of public speaking

Thursday 4^th: George just pushed the food around his plate.  In a few minutes he was going to be introduced to stand and speak in front of 50 people.  He could hardly swallow his saliva let alone lunch.

“Ladies and Gentleman, it gives me great pleasure to introduce George of Dragon limited.”

The words sounded miles away, drowned out by his pounding heart, but he stood and walked heavily to the podium with beads of sweat glistening his top lip and shaking hands, regretting the day he agreed to do this.

It could have been different. Our unconscious, automatic emotional brain acts faster than our rational, conscious factual brain.  No amount of logical thinking can arrest the fear of all eyes watching George, judging his performance, waiting for him to make a mistake leading to humiliation.

Crazy isn’t it?  Audiences want to like the speaker.  They want to be entertained and informed, but our emotional brain taps into old mistaken beliefs and sends cortisol, the stress hormone through the roof. 

Which means it’s jolly hard to remember what we want to say.  And to top it all cortisol suppresses all those wonderful neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine so that we can’t sleep, eat, think clearly and we become overly anxious.

Top Tip To Tame The Unconscious – make up a mantra such as “I’m a great public speaker, I’m interesting, they love me and I’m having fun.”  Say it and mean it many, many times.  Remember perfection is an illusion – go out there and enjoy, the audience will be in the palm of your hand.

Saturday 6^th George just had time to eat dessert before he was announced.

 

Lynda Shaw With a PhD in neuropsychology and extensive business experience, Lynda is uniquely placed to offer companies a whole new perspective on communication and the ageing workforce.  Professional speaker, seminars, private consultations and author.   

Lynda can be reached via her website www.drlyndashaw.com

You may have questions and commnets please post them as I am keen for feedback on this blog having the view that all feedback is good feedback 

Paul M Johnstone is a Professional Communicator, Speaker, Executive Coach and PowerPoint Guru! He works with companies, charities and individuals, helping them improve their communication skills and deliver successful presentations.  Paul can be reached at +44 (0)7711 324362or through his website at http://www.pmjohnstone.co.uk/ and http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk

©Paul M Johnstone

Grabbing your audiences attention - Paul M Johnstone

Start with a bang!

A regular series of tips and techniques on Public speaking, presentation skills and presenting with PowerPoint, all of them are easy to master.  Sharing with you tips on overcoming the fear of public speaking which allow you to present with ease.  Let me know your views on these tips on connecting with your audience.

A friend of mine, a motivational speaker, uses their climb of Everest, as the theme of teambuilding.  Now climbing Everest you would think would be about high winds, Ice traverses and all pulling together. 

Well you would be wrong and one of the reasons is the statistics shown during the opening the opening sequence.  This is that 75% and 1 in 100. 

These refer to the 75% failure rate of climbers on Everest. 

The other 1 in a 100 is the number of deaths on Everest!

Which is I am sure you’ll agree an arresting start.  And it does more than put Everest into perspective, it takes the audience to a low place.  Not what they are expecting from a motivational speaker.

But it has the effect of allowing the speech to work to a series of peaks. 

Back in the late 70’s there was a sales motivational speaker, who’s name I forget, no doubt someone will be able to help me out!  He used to come onto a dark stage wearing a white suit. 

But with all the house lights down no one could see him.  His speech started when he fired a starting pistol.  Now that grabbed everyone’s attention.  And his speech was called close that sale.

Now these two examples are not easy to copy.  But think about your own talk.  I bet there us something in there you can highlight at the beginning.   Here are a few I have heard:

The Business coach who says at the start “You will never look at another set of accounts in the same way again”  A simple statement but gets his audiences attention straight away.

The Debt recovery specialist, who says “You have not lost money, it’s juts someone else is  using it at the moment, but you will get it back, when you follow these simple techniques”!

The PR speaker who starts every speech and pitch with “I can make you famous”

These three examples are simple and appropriate to the presentation.  With just a little preparation you will be starting your presentations with a BANG!

Keep checking back for more detailed insight into these three goals in the coming weeks

Comments and feedback pleas! Feel free to comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. You guys keep me on track and help me improve.

About the Author

Paul M Johnstone is a Professional Communicator, Speaker, Executive Coach and PowerPoint Guru!  He works with companies, organisations and individuals, helping them improve their communication skills.  Paul helps people want to speak and present more effectively, to improve their personal and professional success. He can be reached at +44 (0)7711 324362or through his website at http://www.pmjohnstone.co.uk/

©Paul M Johnstone

Touching the arm of your prospects ~ Paul M Johnstone

A lot of people have difficulty when it comes to speaking to groups, Get in touch if you want to improve  public speaking and presenting can be a tremendous help to your business or your career. 

During my research for this post I came across a book I first read back in 2007. where I  saw this and thought it had been written for this blog.  

These words are based on the original be Phillip Khan-Panni.  Please check out this for an idea what you can say in a very short time frame.

These words are based on the original be Phillip Khan-Panni.  Please check out this for an idea what you can say in a very short time frame.

"I left home early to meet with you today. 

As I walked towards my car, I met an attractive blond in a red dress. 

She touched my arm and asked “Where are you off to?”   

I said I was speaking at the Stowmarket chamber networking breakfast where I had to deliver a message in 60 seconds. 

Because, as a speaker I have to do it and show others how deliver in a set time. 

She said but don’t all networkers always cram too much in too little 60 seconds - so no one ever remembers what they said? We laughed and I wondered if you agree with that?"

That vignette can be read aloud in 30 seconds.  Even such a short tale tells the reader so much.  It involves you because you believe I knew the attractive woman.  

By touching my arm she moved out of your imagination into your context.  There was a theme you could follow, the need I used was for criticism and I wanted an outcome.  All that in 30 seconds!

All that in 30 seconds of apparently casual conversation.  So how does that translate to your 60 seconds or however long you have?

So many people deliver a 60 seconds in a flat mater of fact way, no wonder we don’t remember what we said.  

The answer is we concentrate on what we believe is important and forget what the audience want.  They are always looking for the WIIFM.  The “What’s In It For Me” is the only thing the audience are looking for.

Work out what your audience want from you and, give it to them.  Keep experimenting because you will see from your audience’s reaction when its working.

 I have developed an easy to use system so you can deliver killer presentations every time, called On The Money© 

To find out more jst get in touch and I will send you an informative  document on how it works.

Comments and feedback pleas! Feel free to comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. You guys keep me on track and help me improve.

About the Author

Paul M Johnstone is a Professional Communicator, Speaker, Executive Coach and PowerPoint Guru!  He works with companies, organisations and individuals, helping them improve their communication skills.  Paul helps people want to speak and present more effectively, to improve their personal and professional success. He can be reached at +44 (0)7711 324362or through his website at http://www.pmjohnstone.co.uk/

©Paul M Johnstone

The eye’s have it- Or do they? Paul M Johnstone

At a police and local authority seminar recently, where the topic was police and business crime.  The local MP decided it would be a right and proper place to promote the direct election of police commissioners.  This got him a less than warm welcome from the audience.

What made it worse for him was the way he used his eyes when speaking to us.  At no time when he was selling his idea did he look any of the audience in the eye.  He looked at their faces, out of the window (a lot) and looked for inspiration on the floor.  But not once did he look anyone in the eye.

In a western society we associate looking someone in the eye with truth, veracity, honesty.  When you don’t look your audience in their eyes you loose so much as a presenter or speaker.  You have to work so much harder to win the audience over a second time. It’s best if you don’t fall into that trap to start with.  There are some great techniques to insure you achieve this first time round.

Firstly one I call ‘Lock Jaw’.  Lock Jaw is where you lock your jaw unless you are making eye contact with a member of your audience.  A simple thing to do once you have practiced it – you become good an you will see people actively reacting to your connection.

Second: Your body language tells the audience a lot about you.  The politician I mentioned earlier folded his arms every time he was about to use the phrase ‘elected police commissioner’.  This was almost always followed by time spent looking at the floor or out of the window.

Third: When you find yourself in-front of an audience you don’t know, smile.  This simple, natural act of smiling breaks barriers, and helps people who don’t know each other connect.  Look as humans we are friendly towards each other. A smile is a great way to introduce yourself to people who don’t know you.

Follow these three steps every time you present and you will not end up like the MP who looked and sounded false. 

If you’d like to improve your public speaking and presentation skills – get in touch! Feel free to comment if this tip has helped you, share your own ideas or ask a public speaking question Paul will try to help!

Comments and feedback pleas! Feel free to comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. You guys keep me on track and help me improve.

About the Author

Paul M Johnstone is a Professional Communicator, Speaker, Executive Coach and PowerPoint Guru!  He works with companies, organisations and individuals, helping them improve their communication skills.  Paul helps people want to speak and present more effectively, to improve their personal and professional success. He can be reached at +44 (0)7711 324362or through his website at http://www.pmjohnstone.co.uk/

©Paul M Johnstone

Comedy, and falling down Person Holes! - Paul M Johnstone

Professor Stanley Unwin the comedian, who is best known for making up a language that you can understand but sounds rubbish.  This in his case is the centre of his humour, rubbish that sounds funny. 

In real life though, malaprops are usually delivered by people who don't even realise they are doing it.  And have no idea of the difference between their condiments of the season and other fox paws.   

An old friend of mine who works in a Government department, OK one of the Home Office departments, told me about a meeting the attended.  The manager a bit of a straight laced humourless chap was loosing the audience.

The humourless manager stood at the lectern in an effort to bring the meeting back on track and said, "I fear our discussions are tangenital to the issues at hand."

At that my friend looked around at the other attendees who were all fighting back laughter. She had to excuse herself from the meeting to keep from laughing out loud, a career halter in the Civil Service. 

A flexible presenter who was truly in touch would have 

1) Realised their mistake quickly,

2) Laughed at themselves, and

3) Used that unplanned comic relief to get everyone's attention so that she could regain control of the meeting. 

Someone really experienced would make the mistake on purpose.

Over the years of writing speeches I’ve learned, that many times the mistakes are much funnier than the planned presentation.  These days I plan mistakes when appropriate.  This has a great affect on your audience frequently opening up the presentation. 

The next time you experience a tangential experience use it to your advantage.  Relax your audience, smooth your way through the situation and you will have delivered a more memorable presentation.  Well Done.

If you’d like to improve your public speaking and presentation skills – get in touch! Feel free to comment if this tip has helped you, share your own ideas or ask a public speaking question Paul will try to help!

www.paulmjohnstone.co.uk

and

www.paradigmshakers.co.uk

 Paul M Johnstone

Catch up with you again soon!

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

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

©Paul Johnstone

The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint I think? - Paul M Johnstone

I suffer from something called Lack of Audience Engagement Disorder (LAED) but don’t worry, you cannot get it from reading my blog. The symptoms include loss of attention, low boredom threshold and the ability to multi-task (write a to do list or sort pout the shopping for the way home) during dull  presentations. 

There are many medical theories about its cause: too much salt, caffeine, or alcohol in one’s diet, too much stress, and allergies. But by far the biggest contributor is Boring, inappropriate presentation delivered by presenters too keen on them being the centre of attention, not the audience.  And now there is a cure, so I’m told.

To prevent an epidemic of LAED  in audiences, I am promoting something called the 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint. 

It’s quite simple: a PowerPoint presentation should have ten slides, last no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty points. While I’m in the audience I want to be informed not bored and entertained as well as informed. Following these simple rules will help us get to this wonderful state of achievement.

Ten slides. Ten is the optimal number of slides in a PowerPoint presentation because a normal human being cannot comprehend more than ten concepts in a meeting—and I believe I’m quite normal.  By using more than ten slides to explain your idea, proposition, business, you  are squarely in LAED territory The ten topics that a venture capitalist cares about are:

1. Opening
2. Present your Problem as a Solution
3. Define your Model
4. Underlying magic/technology
5. Marketing and sales
6. Competition
7. Team
8. Projections and milestones (if you must)
9. Status and timeline
10. Summary and call to action

Hey, you don’t have to use 10 slides if you can get away with less great, do it.

Twenty minutes. You should give your ten slides in twenty minutes. You may have an hour time slot, but technology often takes thirty to forty minutes to overcome. Even if setup goes perfectly, people will arrive late and have to leave early. In a perfect world, you give your pitch in twenty minutes, and you have forty minutes left for discussion. When designing your presentation design in questions.  This does two things A) it involves your audience and B) you can tease out any limiting beliefs your audience may have.

Thirty-point font: The majority of the presentations that I see have text in a unbelievably small font. They cram as much text as possible into the slide, then the presenter reads it, just like a bed time story. Believe me. I can read faster then you can read it to me……... The result is that you and the audience are out of synch.

Using 30 point or larger ensures everyone in your audience can read your slide.  Cause it’s odds on the one you need to impress is at the back and they’ve forgotten their glasses.  If you think 30 point or larger is strange try this simple equation for defining the font you should use.   Find out the age of the oldest person in your audience and divide it by two. That’s your optimal font size.

With presentations if may help if you think that PowerPoint is there to be a visual aid.  That is there to support your presentation not be the presentation. So please observe the 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint. If nothing else, the next time someone in your audience complains of LAED, you’ll know what caused the problem. 

Catch up with you again soon!

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

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

©Paul Johnstone

If you can't Be yourself? Why not be someone else? Paul M Johnstone

OK you're giving a live, important presentation to a large audience. For the sake of argument this is not something you do on a regular basis, or something you relish.

You might be a little nervous about your presentation, so you turn to friends or the internet for some public speaking advice. As you do, you'll undoubtedly hear or read this strange bit of folkloric wisdom:

Just Be Yourself! Act Natural!

The problem with this advice is that you'll find yourself in a completely unnatural environment – Hey you are alone in front of a large group of people, lights shining in your face, a mike wire dangling from your lapel, a huge visual displays behind you.  THIS IS NOT NORMAL So how do you go about being "natural" in what is an unnatural environment?

Now what if your "natural, normal" self is shy, nervous, or introverted? How does that help?

Telling a nervous speaker to "act naturally" on stage, just sets them up for a fall. Rather than trying to "act naturally", or be normal whatever that is.  Why not try one of these three more specific courses of action?

1. You can make the environment seem more natural.  

Nothing takes the nerves out of a presentation like a real, live, full dress rehearsal. Get lots of practice! Physically walk on the stage. Feel the lights on your face, the audio pack on your belt, the video remote in your hand.

Once you've experienced your surroundings, the stage environment is going to seem more natural.  What you are doing is preparing your brain for the real thing.  Once it has seen a situation it’s at ease and less of an opportunity to feel nervous.

2. If you're going to be yourself, be your best. 

There's really no point in being yourself if you're naturally shy and retiring. Getting up on stage without professional help mat do you more harm than good.  Find a professional speech writer, and speaking coach to help you and deliver of your best.  The other benefit is they will help you overcome your natural fears, the ones we all have when we start out.  Some of the most famous speakers started out being frightened of speaking in public.

As Red Adair said “If you thing hiring a professional is expensive, wait till you try an amateur!”

3. You can be someone else. 

OK, that’s not feasible is it?  But you can funnel the spirit and passion of someone you admire into your presentation.   Think about projecting their personality when you speak. This actually takes your speech out of the realm of "presentation" and into the arena of a "performance."  You may know it by another name, acting!   No doubt you may have heard that audiences find a good performance highly entertaining and an enriching experience.

Once you know who you are and are comfortable with the stage, you may do this naturally. You might do even better to act appropriately for the audience and the situation.

Anyway, what exactly does it mean to "be yourself?"

Catch up with you again soon!

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

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

Do you know your Reds from your Blues? Paul M Johnstone

COOL COLOR COMMENTARY

Flip Chart Colour

=> Black, blue and green inks have the greatest visibility. 

=> Blue is the most pleasing color to look at with red coming in second (note: pleasing to look at and visibility are not the same) 

=> Do not do the whole chart in red ink. 

=> Avoid purple, brown, pink and yellow inks. 

=> Permanent markers give the most vivid color but dry out faster if you leave the cap off. They also frequently bleed thru to the next page. Forget trying to get the ink out of your clothes. 

=> Water colors are less vivid and squeak when you write. Ink will wash out of clothing. 

Use Color Thoughtfully 

=> Use bright colors for small graphics to make them stand out. 

=> Use subtle colors for large graphics so they don't overwhelm. 

Use Color Psychologically 

According to Greg Bandy in Multimedia Presentation Design for the Uninitiated certain colors evoke certain emotions. 

=> RED = Brutal, Dangerous, Hot, Stop! 

=> DARK BLUE = Stable, Trustworthy, Calm 

=> LIGHT BLUE = Cool, Refreshing 

=> GRAY = Integrity, Neutral, Mature 

=> PURPLE = Regal, Mysterious 

=> GREEN = Organic, Healthy, New life, Go Money 

=> ORANGE / YELLOW = Sunny, Bright, Warm 

=> WHITE (if I make the example white you couldn't see it) = Pure, Hopeful, Clean 

=> BLACK = Serious, Heavy, Profitable, Death Since "death" is a pretty heavy way to end this section, I will give you a reference to find out more about outstanding visual design.

Catch up with you again soon!

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

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

How to Deal With a Hostile Audience - Paul m Johnstone

Here are some tips for dealing with the occasional detractor you may encounter. Your main objective is to remain calm so you are in control of the situation. What’s more the rest of your audience will then be on your side.

---

1. Listen carefully to the question & repeat it aloud - Make sure you understood the question correctly & that your audience knows the question to which you are responding.  Sometmes it helps to restste the question so you are clear what you are answering

2. Answer directly. Look directly at the person asking the question- Give simple answers to simple questions. If the question demands a lengthy reply, agree to discuss it later with anyone interested, but summarise there and then.

3. Refer to your Speech- Whenever possible, tie your answer to a point in your speech. A good tip is to view these questions as a way to reinforce & clarify your presentation.

4. Anticipate areas of questioning- Prepare factual support material in three or four areas in which you anticipate questions.

5. Be friendly, always keep your temper- A cool presentation creates an aura of confidence. When the questioner is hostile respond as if they were a friend. Any attempt to "put down" your questioner with sarcasm will immediately draw the audience's sympathy to the questioner.  It can also stir up the questioner for more difficult questions.

6. Always tell the truth - If you try to bend the truth, or tell a little white lie, you almost always will be caught. Play it straight, even if your position is momentarily weakened.

7. Treat two questions from the same person as two separate questions. Best tip hear is don't try to double gess your questioner, answer each question deliberatly and calmly.

8. Don't place your hands on your hips or point at the audience - These are scolding poses and give you the appearance of preaching.

9. Keep things moving - There is a rhythm to a good question-and-answer exchange. They volley back & forth in a brisk manner. Keep your answers brief and to the point with many members of the audience participating.

10. Conclude smartly - Be prepared with some appropriate closing remarks. End with a summary statement that wraps up the essential message you want them to remember.

Catch up with you again soon!

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

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

© Paul M Johnstone

Overcome Your Fear Of Public Speaking - Paul M Johnstone

Standing in front of an audience can be a daunting task, let alone to stand and talk in front of them simultaneously, in English. Giving a speech to a group of people who are well aware of the fact that you are going to talk requires a lot more than guts and will. It needs preparation and flexibility, too.

Based on several publications I have read, and people I have taught I have compiled a list down 10 steps (out of so many) that I believe can and will help you overcome the fear of speaking in public.

1. Prepare your points!

No matter how good you are in terms of talking, you will need to prepare your speech. Get your points right, have some facts to support them and make sure you know everything there is to know about the topic, backwards and forwards.

2. Prepare, Prepare then Practice!

You need to know what you are talking about.  In most cases you will be speaking about something you are involved in or passionate about, and that’s great.  The knowledge you have about your subject will work for you.  Once you are happy with your content and knowledge, then and only then should you practice.  A mirror and a recorder help here.  If you know your stuff you should only need pointers or section headings.  Let your knowledge and passion shine through and don’t be constrained by trying to learn a script.

3. Arrive on time, early is best!

Come early and get the mood right. Check the room and its size so you can tell how loud you should or shouldn't be. Get on the stage and move around it. Make sure you feel comfortable there.

4. Look confident and be confident!

Bring forth your self-confidence. If you think you are not confident enough, then take your time to have it. Do not rush as your confidence will slowly grow by time.  And here is the best part, Your audience have absolutly NO IDEA you are nervous!

5. Make eye contact!

It is never a good presentation if there is no eye contact. Take time to look at all the people in the room.  Look at your audience!

6. Find a friend in the room!

If eye contact makes you feel threatened in some ways, choose a target. Find someone among the crowd who presents you with warmth and possessiveness, look at him or her and gradually put your eyes on everyone else. Repeat the steps.

7. Don't forget to smile!

One of the best tips I can give you is to smile at your audience before you say a word.  As smiles bring you happiness, give them back! Make sure the audience know that you are happy to be there. It is never wrong to smile at times even when the topic you are presenting is serious. Choose and take your time to smile.

8. Take a pause and breathe!

Do not rush your speech! Take some pauses in-between long sentences and breathe slowly. There is a phrase in speaking circles, when you need to make your point count “Pause till it hurts” allow your audience time to take in what you have just said.  The more you rush, the more you will panic and probably lose confidence. So don't do it.

9. Use your natural tone and modulation!

Adjust you intonations and make sure they vary from slow and steady to fast and firm. Change them accordingly so that your speech won't be monotonous.

10. It's okay to be nervous!

Whenever you feel nervous, just know that you're being normal.  Nerves are your body’s way of telling you this is important.   Everybody will experience stage fright, and that includes the experts and those with more experience. The difference is how you handle it. Take it and play along with it. It's okay!

So, what are you waiting for? You know the steps, now speak!

Catch up with you again soon!

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

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