When Less Is More ~ Paul M Johnstone©

We have all heard it before, well we try to do it.  Often a speaker says too much instead of too little.

Here is an old example.  A little boy went to his mother and asked a question. She said, "Why don't you go ask your dad?" His response: "I don't want to know that much about it."

Often when you communicate, less is better. Say you are using a PowerPoint, p[lease don't put 50 words on a slide. A PowerPoint slide is there to support your presentation, its not supposed to be your presentation. It’s no place to hold every word of your message.

Instead, create simple slides, that contain a few words, then use the slide to support your presentation. . A good reminder is the 30 point rule: nothing in less than 30 point type.  That way everyone can see and read your slides. Otherwise, your PowerPoint gives the whole message in a boring and tedious manner.

I have been showing people how to use PowerPoint for some time now and lots of people try to make their presentation interesting but don’t have the information to make it work. 

And please don't give a lengthy answer to a "yes" or "no" question. When a person asks you a "yes" or "no" question, a "yes" or "no" is the answer! Your audience only wants an explanation where the questions starts, "What do you think..." "How do you feel..." or "How do you...?"

When you are near the end of a twenty-minute presentation and you realize you have another five minutes of excellent material, don't keep talking. Go to your conclusion and sit down. And avoid the temptation to speed up to get it all in.

Your audience will never know what excellent material you had yet to cover and will think you are a well-organized and effective speaker because you finished on time.

And remember the old speaker saying “Be sincere, Be brief and Be seated”

Please feel free to comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. All feedback is great

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 want to speak and present more effectively, to improve their personal and professional success. Paul can be reached at +44 (0)7711 324362or through his website at http://www.pmjohnstone.co.uk/

A quick Guide to Effective Public Speaking~ Paul M Johnstone

Why do so many of us feel awkward when we get up to address a group?  

And I use the word feel on purpose, because we do feel nervous. Is it the fear of public speaking or something else?

So, delivering an effective presentation to a small or large group can be difficult. One of the reasons may be. Because your audience may have access to all sorts of information thought the internet.  

It’s now a fact that audiences expect even more from speakers today. 

In addition, because of celebrity speakers, audiences are looking for entertainment.  They want a presentation delivered with animation, humour, celebrity stories and glitz.

There are lots of books out there, specialising in how to speak in public, but I thought I would write this condensed version for you.  This comes from my 12 years speaking to audiences on a regular basis

Start with a Bang!  

Many years ago I saw a speaker walk onto a dark stage and fire a starting pistol to get our attention.  You may prefer by opening with a contentious statement, a headline grabber, or your own story. 

Audiences are known to pay close attention when a speech begins with, "Last week as I was walking through the town on my lunch break, I witnessed a robbery!..." 

This is a great technique for grabbing your audience’s attention.  You may say something contentious, such as Global Warming is nonsense, or I think sex offenders get a bad press!

However you start your presentation you will get a better reaction, when you grab the attention of the audience from the start.

You have tons of natural energy, so use it!  

Speak with variety in your voice. Slow down for a dramatic point and pick up pace to show excitement. And pause……… This allows your audience to digest what you have just said.   

Don't just stand behind the lectern! OK I know once your hands touch it, the super glue effect kicks in and you find you are welded to it! It’s best to move a step away to make a point. When you are encouraging your audience, take a step toward them. Gesture to show how big or wide or tall or small an object is that you are describing. Whatever your movements, they should have purpose.

If you don’t have a plan you don’t have a speech.

There are lots of people giving lots of advice about the plan and structure for a speech.  Over the years I have tried most and the one that works for me is this.  

Pick up to Five main points from your speech and set them out on cards.  Under these headings use between three to five supporting points. Now you should have three, four or five cards, with up to five points on each card.  The supporting points can be personal examples, definitions, testimony, or statistics. PowerPoint is a great way to support these points These are there to act as a trigger to your delivery.  You now have the plan and running order in place.

A quick design tip ~ Bar Charts are best for comparisons and pie graphs are best for showing distribution of percentages.  I will share more on this in later blogs

How to build a bridge!

You often hear people speaking and you may hear a random fact that just pops out of nowhere. What’s happened is there was no link, or no signpost indicating this was going to happen.  One of the best ways is to build a bridge between the two parts.  

These could be signposts such as "First," "Second," or "Finally." Use an internal summary by simply including the point you just made and telling what you plan to talk about next. "Now that we have talked about structure, let's move on to the use of stories," would be an example. When you have an introduction, two or three main points with support for each, appropriate transitions, and a conclusion, you will have your speech organized in a way that the audience can follow you easily.

Put ‘YOU’ into your speech, at least once.

The ‘you’ factor is so important in a technical presentation. Use personal experience that connects to your speech content, and your audience.  Then they will connect with you.

You want to help the audience link emotionally with what you are talking about, and the personal experience does that. With almost any topic you might choose, you have at least one "war story" to relate to the topic. When you tell the story, simply start at the beginning and move chronologically through the narrative, including answers to the "W" questions: "Who," What, "When," "Why," and "Where."

Grab A Graphic. 

To add interest and understanding to your speech use graphics. A visual aid could be an object, a flip chart, a PowerPoint presentation, overhead projector slides, or a dry erase board. If you are using pictures please use good quality ones.  Nothing makes your presentation look cheap and nasty quicker than cheap images.   

And PowerPoint tip, when adding words to your slide, ALWAYS be sure it is 30 point or BIGGER.  That way everyone in your audience will be able to read it. And its just the way, that the person at the back who can’t read your slide, will be the one with the power over your sale!  

And never allow the visual to become a silent demonstration. Keep talking as you show the visual. You are still the main event and your visual is there to support you. Do what your mum told you to do, don’t turn your back on people when you are talking to them!  

The Experts tell us that  

If you are delivering a persuasive, possibly a technical speech, it helps if you use and include testimony of experts.  It’s best if these experts are known to and respected by the audience.  Add key statistics when possible to show the seriousness of what you are discussing. 

For example, if I were discussing how best to use PowerPoint to support your presentation I would tell you about the educational psychologists who tell us there are 8 principles that help you to take in the information better if it’s presented differently. By using stories, testimony, and statistics in your speech, you add depth to your evidence.

The eyes have it!

Eye contact is the most misunderstood part of public speaking.  You may have been told to slice the room into sectors and look in that sector, then move to the next, and so on.

I wish I could find the person who stared this as I would *******       Well best not go there! The problem is we know that people who look us in the eye are truthful. So people who avoid eye contact with us are? 

Small audiences pose different challenges than large audiences.  But one thing is common.  Both are more likely to engage with you if you can look them in the eye.   Then hold eye contact with one person, speak to them for 4 or 5 seconds and move on to the next person. 

With practice you will start to see a whole different reaction from your audience and the feedback you get will be amazing.  Because you will be doing what 99% of business people don’t do.  That’s talk to your audience.  What they do is talk at their audience. 

Make is a "wow" with something they don’t know

Something in your speech should make your audience think, "Wow!" It could be a story, a dramatic point, an unusual statistic, or an effective visual that helps the audience understand immediately. With a "wow" factor, you then have something to look forward to in the speech that you know will have an impact on your audience. You'll become a more enthusiastic speaker because the "wow" factor will get you as well as your audience pumped for the speech.

Oh and as Benjamin Franklin said of public speaking, “Be sincere, Be brief, Be seated.”

Use a touch of humour but make it appropriate.

No not a stand up, so no panic.    But a great technique is to lightening up a serious speech so that people will find it easier to be interested in your ideas. 

Audiences today want some entertainment in a speech, I believe the word is edutainment!  Humour will help you to be seen as amiable and it is hard for people to disagree if they are smiling at you. 

Yogi Berra said a lot of funny things. "You can observe a lot just by watching" for example. Tell a short embarrassing moment in your life that you might have thought not funny at the time. Now that you can laugh at the experience, you understand the old adage, "Humour is simply tragedy separated by time and space." 

And a couple of No-No’s, don't poke fun at your audience.  It should be you as the object of any shortcoming.  People seeing that you can laugh at yourself, is a good technique.  Don’t swear, use jargon or inappropriate language, phew glad that’s over. 

End with a bang: 

People remember best what you say last. And if you can give them something you know or believe will make a difference.  And a big gesture helps to emphasise the point you are making.  

You might summarize your main points, or you might complete the statement, "What I want you to do as a result of this presentation is...." But beyond that, make your last words a thought to ponder. For example, I might end a speech on becoming a better speaker with "As Cicero said centuries ago, 'The skill to do comes with the doing.'"

Becoming a good speaker comes with practice, oh and practice, and again more practice.  No not at home in front of a mirror, more of that later.  No the best way is to be in front of an audience with a message to deliver

Comments please!  The only way I can improve the quality of my posts is if you folks tell me what you think, so please do.

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

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/

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/

The Clock is ticking and your time is running out - Paul M Johnstone

60 Seconds = Success

When you are networking you often have a 60 second spot.  Here are a few tips to help you get the most from that opportunity.

Something I see people do all to often is try and cram too much information into their 60 seconds, please don’t.  Keep the message simple, it needs to be remembered by your audience.  Just think about the last time you were in a room and someone delivered their slot.  They told you they provided writing services (apologies to all copywriters, PR people and anyone with a multi discipline portfolio).  They start telling you what they can do.  I”I wrote copy fort brochures, and Exhibition stand, and I provide PR, Internal communications  as well as Web content and write on-and –on.” I bet you stop listening.

The accepted way to present you and your business is the same as your marketing,

Niche your marketing message and not your business.

People will always ask do you do this?  Or as you write fro web sites do you write Press Releases?

If you can remember how many words people speak normally is about 120 words per minute, give or take.  To be remembered, the holy grail of the 60 seconds, target 100 words for maximum effect.  Now you can chose your words, pause for effect and you have a much better opportunity to be remembered.

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/

Who an I Today? - By Paul Johnstone

“Do the hardest thing on earth for you. BE YOURSELF.” – Katherine Mansfield

In our fast moving world, add in the technology to see what everyone else is doing. Then take our competitive nature, we are often trying to emulate, copy, or be like someone else. We all have heroes and we all admire certain achievements of others.  But we must not lose sight of the fact that we are unique. 

There is not another person like us anywhere and we have strengths that others might not have. Strengths that we may take for granted and fail to utilize if we are busy trying to be someone else.

It is ok to look at other peoples’ achievements to help develop your beliefs or to give you the courage or motivation to soldier on and achieve. You should, however, stay mindful that you are a miracle creation, we all are. We all have the ability to achieve extraordinary results in chasing our life’s purpose.

So get out there and be the best YOU that you can be. Be yourself and know by doing so you’ll have the power within to achieve whatever it is your heart desires. You can do it!

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 Paradigm Shakers

P.S I always appreciate feed back and comments

If you want to connect with me please join up on Face Book check it out at on.fb.me/hxqADZ Also you will find me on LinkedIn and it would be great if you joined me there http://linkd.in/hFlYP6

Speaking is Important to your business

More and more these days we are told how important public speaking is to your business.  And the benefits you can get if you are better at it. And simple as it may sound there are some easy steps that can help you improve your public speaking skills.

It’s not a top ten it is in-fact just seven keys to unlock the door, and see how we could improve ourselves on each of the points. As always life lessons are very easy and simple to read, but acting on them everyday is the hard part. So much so, that often our first reaction is ‘is that it?’   But most of the time it is that simple! The difference is very few people will put them into action and follow it through.

It amazes me that so many people buy self help and self improvement books and never read them!  So here are the seven keys:

Key 1: Preparation is the key to your success.   The mantra ‘Know the subject’ - is important. To speak you need a command of your topic and to be able to understand your topic.  You don’t have to know everything about the topic before you speak, but enough to answer questions.  If using slides you should know what to say about them and also a little extra so that you are prepared for any eventuality! This will definitely breathe confidence into your presentation. Look stuff happens and things can go wrong during the presentation.  Knowing your stuff helps so if you get flustered you can still continue. Knowing your material is your best weapon against unforeseen circumstances.

Key 2: Understand the audience – this is the expectation part, which is one of the most important aspects in public speaking.  No two audiences are the same and the same humour and phrases will be received differently. Understanding your audience is the basis of designing the speech or presentation. This includes length too. Research suggests that you have the attention of the audience in the first 20 min and the last 20mins. This means if you make it boring in the first 20mins you are sure to lose the audience. Going on for too long or explaining things too much can be insulting at times, so the balance is very important.

Key 3: Rehearse well - “repetition is the mother of skill.” In order to be a good speaker, you need to speak, simple! Public speaking is like any other skill; it requires practice.  Each situation will be different and experience will make you a better speaker.

With the available technology today you can practice so easily, just hook up a digital camera to a TV and try speaking as in public. Or use a web cam it’s that simple.  If that does not do it for you use a mirror.  First it may be awkward as you don’t normally see yourself ‘live’ and it’s not quite the same image you see on a mirror. You will start seeing the good and the bad things you do which you have not realised. You always thought you had a good posture, or you didn’t wave your hands so much, or why do I close my eyes when I say some words?  Take a lesson from sport, as many sportsmen learn much about their mistakes while watching their own videos!

Key 4: Get familiar with the place – new or unfamiliar places makes most of us nervous, this is natural. Going to the hall or room ahead of time will allow you to visualize the room and prepare accordingly. If using A/V equipment, check out where it will be set up and find out if you need extension cords or other additional equipment to suit the room.

If you want to use any material make sure they are in place before you do the presentation. Small things like internet connections, sounds, whiteboard pens can ruin a presentation if you just overlook them or take them for granted.

Key 5: Tell a story – everyone loves a story. - People react well to stories, anecdotes, and real-world examples. You can always draw pull people in with a great story that illustrate your point.    Capturing your audience’s attention with a strong supporting narrative is a winner.  If you can leave the charts and graphs your audience will remember more of what you say, please no more death by power point!

You will benefit greatly if you practice your stories and work on your delivery. The world’s best speakers are also fabulous storytellers. Listen to great speakers as a part of your routine and learn from their pacing, inflection, and ability to deliver a great story. Most speakers will tell you that their signature stories, the ones that sound effortless, took countless hours of practice to perfect them.

Key 6: Build your presence – OK I hear how the heck do I do that?  Help people stay with you when you present and holding their attention is straightforward. Your strongest ally is to have a compelling presence from the platform.  Not shouting or demanding they listen to you, by simpler ways.  Use your strong, commanding voice and a confident, easy manner make a huge difference when presenting to a room full of people. I will share with you some great breathing tips in a blog later this month, so stay tuned!  You will be best served by actively engaging your audience even making a few mistakes than you are to be perfect but meek and boring.

Key 7: Enjoy the occasion – start with a smile because positive energy is infectious. If you are enjoying your time at the front of the room, the audience will want to go along with you. Enjoy the experience, have fun, and take pleasure in the fact that you are sharing something of value with those around you.

Note! And remember the audience wants you to succeed, if for no other reason that you are doing something they don’t want to do.

Finally, if you are serious about public speaking join a group like the Association Of Speakers Clubs  http://www.the-asc.org.uk/  where you are trained for public speaking I still go as often as I can. Check out the courses run by the Paradigm Shakers at http://tinyurl.com/6kbk9zw

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 Paradigm Shakers

P.S I always appreciate feed back and comments

If you want to connect with me please join up on Face Book check it out at on.fb.me/hxqADZ Also you will find me on LinkedIn and it would be great if you joined me there http://linkd.in/hFlYP6

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:

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