Public speaking, media training, presentation training, crisis communications
Archive for May, 2010
Memorial Day Speech Tips
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 31, 2010
Communications expert TJ Walker gives tips on how to give a memorial day speech.
How Do I Reduce or Eliminate Nervous Tics Like “Uh” and “Um” in My Speaking?
Posted by TJ Walker in Fear of Speaking on May 31, 2010
Everyone says the occasional “um” and “uh,” so don’t beat yourself up if you do. Bill O’Reilly and Martha Stewart both say “um” and “uh” all the time, and they both make tens of millions of dollars a year just by speaking. So, let’s put your problem in perspective. Bill and Martha are still successful because they have messages that audiences find interesting. Your biggest problem is always making sure you have something interesting to say, not whether you have too many ums and uhs.
However, all things considered, the fewer ums and uhs you have cluttering your speech, the better. The first thing you have to do is actually determine if you have the problem. In my experience, executives and salespeople who think they have a problem with too many ums and uhs rarely do; and those who think they don’t have a problem are the ones who often do.
What Do I Do if I Encounter Technical Difficulties during My Presentation?
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 30, 2010
The first thing you want to do when you encounter a technical problem while presenting is not to look or sound panicked. I realize that asking you to do this seems hard, since it’s the time when you are most panicked. However, I am actually telling you it’s okay to feel panicked—just don’t tell or show anyone. For example, one day I was giving a PowerPoint presentation and I had forgotten to plug my computer in to charge the battery. Since this was an all-day training presentation, the computer went dead in the middle of one of my presentations.
I could have blurted out, “Oh my God, I’m a fool! I forgot to plug in my power cord!”
What Do I Do if My Presentation Is Running Short or Long?
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 29, 2010
Running Short
Running short is usually not a problem. Sure, if you have been paid $50,000 to give a keynote speech in front of 5,000 people and you are supposed to speak for an hour and are done after 10 minutes, then you have a problem on your hands. But I’m assuming—since you simply want to give a pretty good presentation—that you aren’t in the professional speaking business. Great! That takes all the pressure off.
It’s highly unlikely that, if you’ve been allotted 30 minutes and finish after 20, anyone in your audience is going to be upset with you; in fact, you are likely to be proclaimed a hero! If you have covered your main points and done so in a memorable way, then sit down. Don’t worry about running a little short.
President Obama attacked for weak response to BP Crisis
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 28, 2010
Communications expert TJ Walker looks at how the Obama Administration has handled the BP crisis .
What Should I Do if Something Breaks or Malfunctions during My Presentation?
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 28, 2010
Here are some general rules you need to follow when using technology with a presentation:
Assume the worst.
Practice using the technology in advance. That includes the laptop, microphone, projector, speaker, microphone, laser, and anything that you are going to use in front of people.
Practice in the same environment as you will be giving your final presentation; that is, if you are presenting to 400 people in a conference hall using a big projector, then practice in that hall or one that is similar. Don’t simply practice on your laptop in a hotel room because it’s easy to do anything with your laptop in a hotel room, and this will give you a false sense of confidence.
Video Camera Tech Tips for Speakers, Trainers, and Meeting Planners
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 27, 2010
Communications expert TJ Walker gives tech advice to trainers and speakers on what video cameras to use.
Is the Traditional “Saving Questions for the End” Method Really the Best Option or Just the Most Commonly Used?
Posted by TJ Walker in Public Speaking Skills on May 27, 2010
So, you are probably asking yourself, why is it so common for people to hold all questions until the end of a presentation? Two reasons:
1. If someone is addressing a large audience of 100 or even thousands of people, it is too unwieldy to take questions throughout. I assume that the vast majority of the time, you are speaking to small audiences, so this does not apply to you.
2. People hold questions until the end because they are scared. This is a reason, but it’s not a good reason.
If you take questions throughout your presentation, you will score lots of points with your audience and seem better than most presenters. You will be making some favorable deposits in the credit department. This means that if you do mess up in part of your speech, or are less than riveting in other parts, you will have some goodwill stored up. The result is that even if you have some gaps and stumbles in parts of your presentation, the strengths of being engaging will outweigh those, and your overall presentation performance will be judged as pretty good.
NBC’s Ann Curry Apologizes for Speech Fumble
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 26, 2010
Communications expert TJ Walker looks at Ann Curry’s speech blunder at Wheaton College
Should I Use a Microphone?
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 26, 2010
There are only two reasons to ever use technology when giving a presentation:
1. It makes it easier for your audience to understand or remember your key points.
2. It makes it easier to accomplish your goal of making your audience understand and remember your key points.
Please note your relative order of importance: you come second to the audience. Why is it important to point this out? Because quite often inexperienced and average speakers will say things like, “I don’t need a microphone.” Well, obviously, the speaker never needs a microphone to speak. But some of your audience members may need you to talk into a microphone that is then amplified into a speaker if they are going to hear you. Unless you are talking to two people sitting right in front of you, you can never be certain if people need you to use a microphone or not.
Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, Caught in Bribe Scandal
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 25, 2010
Communications expert TJ Walker looks at the pr crisis facing Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.
Your appearance: Is There Anything to Be Careful to Avoid?
Posted by TJ Walker in Public Speaking Skills on May 25, 2010
It is true that there are a lot more pitfalls for women giving a presentation when it comes to their appearance. Like it or not, it is a reality that a man can spend two minutes shaving, 30 seconds combing his hair (if he has any), and then throw on a classically tailored suit and shirt that he’s had for seven years, and he is good to go. No audience will think twice about his appearance. But since there are infinitely more fashion choices for women—everything from clothes to jewelry to makeup—there are more judgments your audience, both women and men, will make.
Here are a few mistakes that often get female presenters into trouble:
Your appearance: What Key Rules Should I Follow?
Posted by TJ Walker in Presentation Skills Training, Public Speaking Skills on May 24, 2010
Of course, you want to give some thought to your appearance when you are preparing to give a presentation. There are two main factors to think about:
1. Is my appearance consistent with the message I am trying to convey?
2. Is there anything I’m wearing that could distract my audience from focusing on my message?
In terms of the first point, if you are a financial manager who’s attempting to get a major foundation to invest $100 million with you, then you obviously want to wear an extremely expensive and conservative suit, perhaps blue. You want to look established, not flashy, and as if you are already successful and don’t need their money. However, if you are an artist who is trying to convey your own brand of quirky creativity, then wearing a blue business suit would be the worst thing you could wear. What you wear needs to communicate who you are and what you are about as much as your words do.
How and to Whom Can I Rehearse?
Posted by TJ Walker in Public Speaking Skills on May 23, 2010
After you have recorded your speech, watch it. I know you don’t want to do this, but it really is essential if you want to give a pretty good speech and avoid giving a pretty awful speech. If you watch a video of your speech and you feel it’s pretty awful, chances are that you’re right—it is awful! That’s okay, just try again (on video) and do less of the stuff you don’t like and do more of the stuff you do like. Just keep on doing this until you can watch a speech of yourself and conclude that it’s pretty good. You don’t have to make it fantastic or perfect—just pretty good. This might require just one recording, or it might require four. Regardless, this is a quick and easy process. People who make awful, boring speeches never rehearse on video. They might think about it; they might even contemplate it for hours; but they never actually record themselves because they are too chicken. It’s okay to be scared, but preferably, you should be more scared of giving a lousy speech.
The number one rule for giving a pretty good speech is to rehearse on video at least once, and then watch and critique yourself.
Should I Use Hand Movements?
Posted by TJ Walker in Presentation Skills Training on May 22, 2010
You certainly don’t want to be seen as fidgeting in front of a crowd; but the opposite of fidgeting is not to be frozen. Instead, you want to move in the way you normally do when you are talking to a friend you like. Your face, hands, shoulders, torso, and even your eyebrows move. The good news is that you don’t have to go to acting school for any of this. You just have to move they way you normally do.
I truly believe that if we could transfer the billions of hours wasted each year by people obsessing over what to do with their hands during a presentation, then we could solve both the world hunger and energy crises. For the most part, worrying about what to do with your hands is a waste of time.
How Lance Armstrong Should Handle Being Accused of Doping
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 22, 2010
Communications Expert TJ Walker discusses how Lance Armstrong should handle being accused of using performance enhancing drugs.
Rep. Mark Souder Resigns from Congress
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 21, 2010
Communications expert TJ Walker looks at how Rep. Mark Souder made an awful final press statement when he resigned.
Should I Rehearse? How Far in Advance?
Posted by TJ Walker in Presentation Skills Training, Public Speaking Skills on May 21, 2010
The best way to rehearse is to start as far in advance as possible. But since you just need your speech to be pretty good—not world class—I will cut you some slack. Don’t bother rehearsing until the day before the speech is due. And you don’t have to practice in front of a mirror (that will only make you paranoid about your nose or your hair). Instead, all you need to do is rehearse once in front of a tiny video camera, either a cell phone camera or webcam.
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This article was taken from my new book “How to Give a Pretty Good Presentation” |
I Hate My Voice
Posted by TJ Walker in Analysis, celebrities, Presentation Skills Training, Video, Voice on May 21, 2010
TJ Walker shares some secrets about why you might not like they way your voice sounds, and how you can get more comfortable with it.
Is Bristol Palin worth $30k a speech???
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 20, 2010
Communications expert TJ Walker looks at Bristol Palin as a paid professional speaker.
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