Are you version 1.50 or 3.50? - Paul M Johnstone

Knowing what version of speaker software you use is a great way of working out what is the best way of delivering you presentation. 

Did you know that we have lots of ways of speaking and public speaking utilises a different version to our normal speech pattern? 

Whenever you speak to people, one on one, one on two or to groups, we all have a natural pace.  And this is where speaking version 1.50 or 3.50 comes into its own.  Just like the difference of driving a small family car and driving an articulated lorry. 

When you are speaking publicly or presenting you need to do some things just a little bit differently.

Our natural speaking speed is between 130 and 190 words a minute.  But we think at around 350 words a minute! This is your version 3.50.   When you address a group it’s important you select version 1.50.  Which means, to get a better response from your audience you should speak at about 150 words per minute. 

And the reason is simple.  If you have ever tried to speak at the same speed you think, how often have you been tripped up by using too many words?  How often have the thoughts just dried up and you become lost for words?

Speaking to groups and presenting business ideas means you need to engage your audience.  After all if you just stand up and deliver your message without engaging both your brain and your audience, you may as well talk to the wind.

You will get a better response from your audience if you slow down and pause noticeably between sentences.  Slow down your delivery and pause, the keys to getting a better response from the people you want to influence. 

About the Author

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

Think Before You Speak ~ Paul M Johnstone

A few days ago I read a story about a man who cleaned a fan with bleach, it was the one the family used in the living room. Then to his surprise, when he turned on the fan, bleach sprayed all over the room.  The result was white bleach spots on the curtains, upholstery, carpets, in fact everything in the room.  So what was he thinking about when he the fan on, quite clearly not the process.

Sometimes we make mistakes when we present, simply because we aren't thinking. Over the years, I have left my notes and props at home simply because I wasn’t thinking. I failed with the first part of the process, a check list.  More often than not this when I was attending a networking breakfast, too early and my brain was in neutral.  However if you are public speaking your thought process should be fully tuned in. One way to insure your success when you are speaking is to think ahead about what you need for the speaking occasion.  Back to your check list.

A good place to start is by thinking about the people you will meet. Go through in your notes the names of the important people for you should talk to.  Who do you need to speak to with when you arrive. If you are unsure of some people and positions their, check their websites.

Always, always check pronunciation of unusual names , a good tip is call the company and ask how they pronounce it.

Ok simple stuff, how are you going to get there? Train, Car, how? When you’re speaking in-house, check you have the right room specified in your notes. Consider rush hour traffic important for roads like the M6, M1 and M25, do you have to cross a large city? Never book the last flight so if there is a hold up or cancelation, you have a fall back position.  

Think about material that you may have struggled with in your preparation and review it again. It’s a good idea to check you have the latest set of data especially if it has been some time since you spoke on that topic.

Take a moment to think about questions audience members may ask you. Follow the three P’s on that one Plan, Prepare, Practice.  (There will be a blog just on that subject later in the year)  You may check internet sources to see if there is a new piece of research that will support your presentation.

What do you want from your presentation?  What do your audience expect? What take away have you prepared?  If you have any doubts about the first two call the organiser and ask questions.

Remember the process of one thought delivered to one person then one pause.  This allows you all the time you need to process your next thought. And remember Mt Franklin, who gave all speakers the best piece of information ever.  “Be sincere, be brief, be seated”

About the Author

Paul M Johnstone is a Professional Communicator, Speaker, Executive Coach and PowerPoint Guru!  He works with companies, organisations and individuals.  Helping people to speak and present more effectively, and to improve their personal and professional success. 

Paul can be reached at +44 (0)7711 324362 or through either of his websites at http://www.pmjohnstone.co.uk/ or http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/
For quick speaking tips take a look at this Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ParadigmShakers

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

How would you do in the Den

How would you fare in the Den

Here is a quick one I found over Christmas

Please feel free to pass this on to your colleagues

Paul Johnstone©

The kings Speech and The Power of your voice

Lessons from a great movie on Communication

The King’s Speech is a film relevant to anyone who speaks for a living.


Don't we all speak for a living, to colleagues, customers. friends and associates all.   
Don’t miss it. It’s an inspiring communication experience, which may win several academy awards.  However what we have here is a great advertisement for overcoming the fear of public speaking, and a primer on presenting skills.

Without detailing all the characters there are some great phrases and sayings.  The Voice Coach tell the future Kind of England “You must have faith in your voice!”  Which is absolutely true whenever you speak, it’s often the case that the voice is the message.  Developing this inner faith in our own power, ability and confidence is one of the cornerstones to great public speaking. 

Learning to speak is a process and there is great power in this process.  The film demonstrates how powerful techniques like the pause work when delivering a message.  Some of the early pauses were not planned and were a little embarrassing.  But as a stammerer it gave the character time to think, which is useful when you are speaking.

Part of the film focuses on the Coach and the way he breaks down barriers. These were social barriers, emotional and psychological barriers.  Most speaking coaches have techniques to help people overcome their apprehension. The coach in the film is part speaking coach and part speech therapist.  He possessed an unusual mix of skills, but they worked and the king went on to inspire a nation in a time of national crisis. And who could know what would have happened if he had failed, and Germany had won the war, what would the world look like today?

The last part of the King’s success was due to what many people know as faith.  Not specifically religious, although he was a practicing Christian.  You need faith in the actions of those around you, your teacher, your mentor and your supporters.    It is a fact you can be being tutored by the best in the world but if you don’t believe in them……. Just think back to your time in school, there were teaches who inspired you to do well in a subject and those who could at worst turn you away from a subject for life.  So faith in those around you is crucial for your success. 

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 Paradigm Shakers
P.S I always appreciate feed back and comments

Death By PowerPoint more of it to come!

In her Maniactove Blog  "PowerPoint Deaths Climb in 2009: But at Slower Rate "

Laura Bergellis spots some alarming trends.

 You can read it on her Blog at

  http://bit.ly/e7iFPp

There is also a video clip on my Blog from Friday you may enjoy.


Love this or hate it please leave your comments 

 Paul Johnstone is the founder of
The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

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

©Paul Johnstone; The Paradigm Shakers

The 5 Corner Stones of Public Speaking - Part 1 Overcome the fear of public speaking

This is the first in a series of five articles on the benefits and issues of speaking publicly. You will also discover some great tips on how to present and discover things to avoid.  I hope you like them.

No 1 Fear of public speaking

Even TV commercials are now telling us there are only two fears we are born with.  These are the fear of loud noises and the fear of falling.  All other fears, like fear of enclosed spaces, spiders, interviews, public speaking, heights and fear of clowns, are learned

This means we as a species spend time thinking about then deciding on some irrational topic to be frightened of!  And all the time we know these things are irrational.  We all now that most phobias are easy to overcome.  Fear of Public speaking is common and even the best presenters feel nervous.  Nerves are your body’s way of reminding you to take care. A butterfly feeling in your tummy is a good thing.

Glossophobia; or the fear of Public Speaking comes pretty high on the list of phobias.  And there have been several surveys done where Public Speaking comes out top of the list.  It’s often followed by a fear of walking into a room full of strangers.  In fact Andy Lopata coined the phrase ‘And Death came third’ in his book of the same name.  Fear of dying which impacts us much more than talking to people always comes lower down the list than Public Speaking.

You know that the opportunity to speak at a function, wedding, anniversary, business presentation or sales pitch, is good for you.  In fact speaking to groups such as the W I, Local Interest groups, 6th form students or at an open meeting, will elevate you in the eyes of your peers.  Speaking is the quickest way to become recognises as an expert on a topic.  That is worth saying again.  By speaking publicly, you become known as a specialist, and once you are know as a specialist people activly seek you out. 

In business today it is often common place to ask applicants for a post to make a presentation.   I first became aware of this back in the 1980’s and it’s becoming more and more common place. The improvements you can make to your personal life and your business are immense, and all by just talking to people.

So why are so many of us afraid of speaking in public?

The answer is that a lot of people turn away from things they don’t understand!  Often leaving them untried or leaving them to the so called ‘The Experts.’ ’In fact we have learned to turn fear on just like turning on a tap. 

OK we know why people can find some situations a step too far out of their comfort zone. And you must all at sometime done something you were unsure about, we all have.  So the question is how do you do something and appear successful when you are quivering just at the thought of it?

That's a simple question to answer, remember when you started to drive.  Watching your parents it all seemed so easy.  But the first time you sat behind the wheel, how different it all was.  Just think of all the activities you have to perform and then you have to do them in the right order.  Don’t know about you but I crashed the gears, and bumped the kerb as well as kangarooing at the start.  I did these a few times each plus a lot more before I learned to drive. I went through all these poor experiences because I wanted to drive.

I bet that’s the case for the vast majority of people reading this. You persevered and learned to drive because you wanted to.  You are no different to anyone else we all learned to drive.  Look how about the one thing we all learned to do without being 100% conscious about why.  How many of us learned to walk?

Look at it from the other side.   How many of us have stopped doing something because we wanted to?  I stopped smoking at the third attempt, and that time I wanted to I had a reason to. How many of you have succeeded on a diet because you had good reason to loose the weight?

All I am saying is that you can overcome phobias and fears if you want to. That 99% of your ability to overcome the fear of public speaking comes from your preparation.  Remember the saying “You know the harder I practice the luckier I get.”  That’s how to take the first step to overcome your fear.  Not by standing up in front of large groups, No.  Be prepared.  Know your subject, because once you know your subject, the rest falls into place.

Try This Be Yourself!

Many of us have heard public speakers and thought "I could never be that smart, calm, entertaining, polished, Well I’m hear to tell you -you can. 

As we grow and develop in life we gather thousands and thousands of memories, some good some not so good.  The good ones are there to help you.  And you don't have to be brilliant, witty, or perfect to succeed.

Public speaking is not about celebrities turning up with a fixed smile or quick after dinner speech.  That’s not the norm.  Oh and you can make errors, we all do I do.  You can even be deadly serious and get a standing ovation.  Let me tell you there is no feeling in the world like that, and you can experience it and present like a pro.

And perfection is nothing to do with it.  Believe me your audiences don't expect perfection. So far that is the most important key you have learned,  So lets go through it again.  “Your audiences don't expect perfection.”

You can spend hours thinking about that now you know you don’t need to bother with that wasted time.   There was a time when I used to put incredible pressure on myself to deliver a perfect performance. I worked for days to prepare a talk, and stayed up nights worrying about making mistakes.  Blimey when I think back to all the hours and hours I spent, phew what a waste of time!

Take a moment and think what it is you want to achieve with your presentation? Usually you want to pass on information in a way it can be easily understood and your audience enjoys the experience. Deliver to your audience something of value.  That’s it, nothing else. 
Even if you dry up, pass out, get tongue-tied, or say something stupid your audience won't care! As long as they get something of value, they will be happy.

They don't even need to feel good to consider you a success. If you criticize people, or if you stir them up or challenge their beliefes to ultimately benefit them, they might still appreciate you, even though you didn't make them feel good at the time.

Here are some additional ways people overcome phobias or succeed at achieving their goals.

• Hypnotherapy
• Training
• Will Power
• Self Help books and tapes

Lets look at each one:

Hypnotherapy is a great way to overcome phobias and any hypnotherapist will tell you how and why hypnotherapy works on your unconscious mind.  This helps programme or condition your thoughts in such a way that helps you achieve your target.

Will Power; can be the most impressive, but not all of us possess the persistence to succeed. I stopped smoking using will power.  But I had a pretty strong reason to want to stop.

Self Help: Are good and they work, however statistics show that over 50% of people who buy self help books, never read them.  That staggers me.  Why pay money for something, take it home, pop it onto your book case and leave it there, amazing.

Training: Helps because like hypnotherapy there is someone to help you, a real person.  Where it wins for me is this.  You schedule your training and can ask all sorts of question as you go through the training session.

However you decide to work on or improve your presentation skills there is one thing you all have to do – Practice.  In most areas there are lots and lots of speaking opportunities available to you.  Check out local information sheets, magazines, newspapers, libraries and community web sites.  All of these will have events listed so you can pop along and see how others present.  Once you have done that why not volunteer to give a talk yourself!

In the next post you will see how important it is to prepare for your talk or presentation.  How to asses your presentation, what to prepare for and some tips on the best way to prepare.

Love this or hate it please leave your comments

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

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

©Paul Johnstone; The Paradigm Shakers

Death By PowerPoint

One way to loose your audience is to confuse the life out of them. 

Your communications should be clear, to the point and easy for your audience to understand.  Remember the presentation is about the message and not the messenger.

I came across this YouTube piece over a year ago and I keep going back to it when I think I am overcomplicating presentations.

Anyway hope you enjoy this short pices “Death By PowerPoint”

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 Paradigm Shakers

In this and the following Blog I will be discussion why so many people fear public speaking.  Why is his, when the ability to speak in public open so many doors to success.  This can be success in business or success in your personal life.

According to surveys, some of the most common fears are of: ghosts, the existence of evil powers, cockroaches, spiders, snakes, heights, water, enclosed spaces, tunnels and bridges, needles, social rejection, failure, examinations and public speaking.

Glossophobia the scientific name for public speaking is a common source of stress for many people.  Lots of us would like to avoid this problem entirely, but this is hard to do. Whether we work alone or with large numbers of people, eventually we will need to speak in public just to get things done.

In a survey the top three fears were:

Number 3 Death

Number 2 Walking into a room full of strangers

Number 1 Public Speaking.

OK so this survey was conducted in New York, and we all know the supposed neurotic nature of New Yorkers.  But it is pretty well on the mark.

Presenting today is often seen a path to success, to selling opportunities, getting your message across, or being promoted.  And just look at the leaders today who we remember, one thing in common, they are all good presenters, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Duncan Banatine, and many - many more.  And we remember them because they present well.

And if we want to be leaders we will often need to speak to groups, large and small, to be successful.

The truth about public speaking, however, is “It Does Not Have To Be Stressful!“

If you correctly understand why we have this fear, and these are found in the hidden causes of public speaking stress.   All you need to do to succeed to sis keep a few key points in mind.   Then speaking in public will soon become an invigorating, rewarding and satisfying experience for you.

The 7 Keys
Key 1--Speaking in Public should not be Stressful

Look we were only born with two fears, those are fear of falling and fear of loud noise, every other fear we have had to learn.  This is why most of us believe parts of life are inherently stressful and we spend time worrying about it!

So if we have learned to fear, spiders, confined spaces and public speaking, we can learn to like them.  To deal with any type of stress effectively, you first must understand that life itself, including public speaking, is NOT inherently stressful.

Thousands of people have learned to speak in front of groups with little or no stress at all. Many successful people were initially terrified to speak in public.

They would experience shaking knees, their voices would tremble, their thoughts would become jumbled, they would sweat or feel uncomfortable, or they would develop a twitch.  Any of these sound familiar to you?  Yet they learned to eliminate their fear of public speaking completely.

The first thing you need to like speaking in public is a plan, a plan of action to make this goal a reality.

You may now be thinking “It can’t be that easy!” It is believe me.  I'm a great example of someone who conquered the fear of public speaking.  I experienced just about all the fears, sweats, ticks uncontrollable actions you can think of.  It didn’t happen overnight, there were challenges along the way, but I did it.

Key 2—To Succeed Just be Yourself

Many of us have heard public speakers and thought "Wow, I could never be that smart, calm, witty, entertaining, polished, Well I’m hear to tell you -you can.

"Have I got news for you!”

As we grow and develop in life we accumulate thousands and thousands of memories, some good some not so good.  The good ones are there to help you.  And you don't have to be brilliant, witty, or perfect to succeed.

Public speaking is not about celebrities turning up with a witticism or quick after dinner speech.  That’s not the norm.  Oh and you can make errors, we all do I do.  You can even be deadly serious and get a standing ovation.  Let me tell you there is no feeling in the world like that, and you can experience it and present like a pro.

And perfection is nothing to do with it.  Believe me your audiences don't expect perfection. So far that is the most important key you have learned,  So lets go through it again.  “Your audiences don't expect perfection.”

You can spend hours thinking about that now you know you don’t need to bother with that wasted time.   There was a time when I used to put incredible pressure on myself to deliver a perfect performance. I worked for days to prepare a talk, and stayed up nights worrying about making mistakes.  Blimey when I think back to all the hours and hours I spent, phew what a waste of time!

Can you guess what the outcome of all that worrying was?  Anxiety! Kick back, relax and prepare in a more effective way, see Key 3 for more on that.

Take a moment and think what it is you want to achieve with your presentation? Usually you want to pass on information in a way it can be easily understood and your audience enjoys the experience. Deliver to your audience something of value.  That’s it, nothing else.

Even if you dry up, pass out, get tongue-tied, or say something stupid your audience won't care! As long as they get something of value, they will be happy.

They don't even need to feel good to consider you a success. If you criticize people, or if you stir them up to ultimately benefit them, they might still appreciate you, even though you didn't make them feel good at the time.

Key 3—Preparation is vital practice is………………..


Preparation is the key to a great presentation.  Not I said preparation and not practice.  There is a good reason for that.

Whenever I get a booking I do the same thing in the same order.  I ask a series of questions

How do I get there? Can I use public transport? If the answer is yes, I will always use it, as I prefer to arrive calm and early, something that sadly cannot be guaranteed on the roads today.  There is an added benefit, if I need to polish up a quote of go through my presentation I can read my notes one last time.

I then ask who the audience are and what are their expectations?   All you need to know about your audience is why they are there.  When you have those facts you have a great start.  For example if it is an internal briefing several people may be there to learn, others may be there to skive (sad but true) and they are all there because they have been told to. A captive audience!

Or they may be members of an association and you are a guest speaker, which is so different from the previous example.  Either way to deliver value you need to know what is expected.

Some presenters think about what they want to deliver, then get up and deliver.  Others write a full presentation, take time and learn it parrot fashion. I’m not in favour of this method as it can lead to more pressure to master your lines.  That alone can add tons of pressure  and forgetting what comes next.  My preference is to write out longhand what I am going to say.  Then I take the main points and write them in single lines 3 or 4 of them.  This way all I need to remember is which point I am on at any given time.

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 get into the zone and deliver a great presentation.

To summarise: All you might need is to remind yourself of the two or three key points you want to make, along with several good examples and supporting facts and away you go.

If you are asked to speak on a topic you don’t know too well research and notes are your best help. Read what you need to and include the important points.  Bulleted main points are always a great start. And don’t worry if it comes out different to how you practised, that is normal.

Go out and look for opportunities to speak on your subject.   Offer to speak free or for a small fee, enough to cover your expenses. 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 gain confidence. You'll also begin to respect the natural public speaker/communicator within you.



More in the next Blog, see you then.

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 Paradigm Shakers

Public Speaking: Paul Johnstone's Top 10 Ways to Get Free Publicity

You may know Publicity Junkies. Well I bet you have met one.

You see them smiling back at you from colour photos that accompany their profile story in the morning paper. Tune into the radio and there they are again, chatting away on a local talk show. Some time later, they appear on the front of your trade journal. Next they're being interviewed on the 10 o'clock news. While you're buying advertising to deliver your message, they're doing it for free.

How do they do that?  Well for a start they follow the rules.  What Rules, I never knew there were rules!   Media relations are a complex business with its own etiquette, protocol and rules. Her are the top 10 easy to follow rules for getting you in front of the camera or radio mike.

Here are my Top 10 tips for free publicity:

1. Send news releases about new products and services, contests, awards, open houses, speaking engagements to the media, meetings and post them online where consumers can find them.

2. Write "how-to" articles for newspapers, magazines, trade publications and newsletters, and for online article directories, and offer lots of free advice. It helps establish you as an expert.

3. Get onto the speaking circuit. Speaking to community groups and trade associations is a wonderful way to "create the buzz" about your business.

4. Create a website chock full of free advice, articles by and about you, story ideas about your business, and an electronic media kit.

5. Write an ezine. A free electronic newsletter helps you sell your products and services to an international audience and costs almost nothing compared to expensive direct mail campaigns. With permission, you can send the ezine to reporters who cover your industry.

6. Get to know reporters. Offer yourself as someone they can call on for background, commentary and story ideas. Call and ask, "How can I help you?"

7. Start your own TV show on your local cable TV There are lots of local TV companies springing up all over the place and they need content and if you can provide it, hey another shot at the big time.
8. Look for photo opportunities. Local newspapers, TV stations, weekly shoppers, trade publications and other media are always looking for interesting photos. Call the media with ideas, or submit your own photos.

9. Blog, and post comments at other blogs. Bloggers, unlike journalists, love to link to each other, and getting in front of one influential blogger can really create a buzz online.

10. Participate in online discussion groups and offer lots of helpful advice. Reporters hang round here, and if they're impressed with your messages, they might contact you for a story. Use a signature file in your email that explains what you do and how you can help solve people's problems. Link to your web site. Above all, be patient and persistent. The key to savvy media relations understands how to dovetail your wants and needs with those of the media.

Anything is possible once you decide to do it.

For more business tips please download one of my free sales and marketing tips sheets from http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk
Paul Johnstone ©