Archive for May, 2010
Communications expert TJ Walker gives tips on how to give a memorial day speech.
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Communications expert TJ Walker looks at how the Obama Administration has handled the BP crisis .
Here are some general rules you need to follow when using technology with a presentation:
Assume the worst.
Communications expert TJ Walker gives tech advice to trainers and speakers on what video cameras to use.
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:
Communications expert TJ Walker looks at Ann Curry’s speech blunder at Wheaton College
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.
Communications expert TJ Walker looks at the pr crisis facing Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.
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 [...]
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:
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 [...]
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 [...]
Communications Expert TJ Walker discusses how Lance Armstrong should handle being accused of using performance enhancing drugs.
Communications expert TJ Walker looks at how Rep. Mark Souder made an awful final press statement when he resigned.
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 [...]
Communications expert TJ Walker looks at Bristol Palin as a paid professional speaker.
The beginning of a presentation is a touchy time. On the one hand, you are feeling nervous and might not be quite sure of yourself yet. On the other hand, the audience is nervous for a different reason: they are worried that you might be about to bore them to death and perhaps they should [...]
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