Public speaking, media training, presentation training, crisis communications
Archive for May, 2010
How Do I Kick Off a Speech? A Joke? A Personal Story? Help!
Posted by TJ Walker in Presentation Skills Training, Story Telling on May 20, 2010
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 have brought more reading material, called in sick, or located some cyanide tablets. Everyone—including you—is on edge!
So that’s why people like to start off a presentation with a joke. The only problem is that it’s hard to by funny. My advice? Don’t bother. After all, you aren’t trying to get booked at the local Comedy Cellar on Saturday night; so don’t give yourself all the pressure of trying to be funny on demand. You aren’t a trained seal!
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal Caught Telling Lies
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 19, 2010
Communications expert TJ Walker looks at Attorney General Richard Blumenthal problems with telling lies about his war record.
What’s Another Good Way to Keep My Presenting Skills from Becoming Awful?
Posted by TJ Walker in Public Speaking Skills on May 19, 2010
Use them as frequently as possible. I know that you don’t love to give speeches—and you aren’t a preacher who’s putting speaking skills to use every Sunday morning—but try not to let them rot away from underuse. After all, how good will your golf game become if you play golf only once every five years? Probably not very good. However, if you play golf once every three weeks, you’ll at least know, more or less, how you will do next time you are on the links. I’m not suggesting you spend every free night giving speeches at the local toastmasters club, but you could look for some opportunity to speak out once every three or four weeks. It could simply be giving a toast in front of six friends at a birthday party, or asking a question at a school board meeting. It might even just mean that you volunteer to say the pledge of allegiance at school convocation. Every time you speak in front of more than a person or two, it helps your body and mouth condition itself to surviving the nerves and tensions associated with giving presentations.
Imagine how difficult it would be to stand up and walk across the room if you sit in a chair for a whole year without getting up once. Your legs would be wobbly and weak. The same is true for giving presentations; if you wait a year in between them, you will also be wobbly and weak. You might not be an Olympic-class runner now, but you can most likely walk across the room easily because you practice walking every day. I’m not saying you have to give a presentation every single day, but the less time in between presentations—any presentations—the better.
Obama honors the memory of Daniel Pearl-Freedom of the press
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 18, 2010
TJ Walker offers his analysis on what it means for reporters now that President Obama signed into law the Daniel Pearl Freedom of Press Act.
How Do I Identify Key Points to Reinforce in a Presentation?
Posted by TJ Walker in Presentation Skills Training on May 18, 2010
Ask. That’s the simplest way. You don’t have to ask every single person who will be in your audience or spend 100 hours calling people for two months. But you could call one future audience member and ask what he is most interested in, after you provide a menu of your possible messages.
But let’s say that won’t work because you are giving a presentation to two high-powered investors with whom it took plenty of work just to get the meeting. You can’t very well now ask for another half-hour picking either investor’s brain before the meeting. In that case, try to find a friend or colleague who has a similar financial perspective and worldview who could give you something close to the perspective of your eventual audience members.
Richard Blumenthal’s Public Speaking Blunder
Posted by TJ Walker in Government & Politics, Media Training, Politics, Presentation Skills Training, Professional Speakers, Uncategorized on May 18, 2010
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal committed the #1 public speaking blunder you can make: telling lies and misleading his audience. By saying things like “when we returned from Vietnam…” he was creating a deliberately distorted view of reality to further his own political self-interest.
No one expects him to be completely forthright and say “look I would have sold my soul to the devil to stay out of Vietnam and I played every trick in the book and used every connection I could to get a phony baloney National Guard job to save my butt!” But he didn’t have to lie either.
Bonding with Your Audience – JFK
Posted by TJ Walker in Government & Politics, Great Lectures, Politics, Professional Speakers, Video on May 17, 2010
To be a great communicator like John F Kennedy, you need to identify a commonality with your audience – especially if you’re in a different culture and country.
What Should I Do if My Mind Goes Blank Halfway through My Presentation?
Posted by TJ Walker in Fear of Speaking on May 17, 2010
It is inevitable that you will get nervous and your mind will go blank from time to time when you give presentations. However, it’s not inevitable that you’ll have a bad reaction to your mind going blank, start to panic, tell people your mind has gone blank, faint, or run out of the room crying like a little baby!
None of these things will happen to you because you are going to cheat (in an ethical manner, of course). If you follow the techniques I have advocated, then you will never give a presentation without having an outline telling you where you are going at all times. The outline will be in big bold letters, and with no more than three or four words on each line. It will be simple, clear, and easy to follow.
When and How Should I Use a Microphone?
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 16, 2010
I actually take my own wireless microphone with me wherever I go to speak; and I recommend that all professional speakers do so. But you don’t have to. Let’s keep things simple. My recommendation is to simply use a microphone anytime you are in a room that has one or someone offers one to you. Of course, if you are in a room that holds 500 people but you are speaking to only five people, then you don’t want to be far away from the people on a stage just to get close to a microphone. In that case, you would just get as close as possible to the five people and speak.
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This article was taken from my new book “How to Give a Pretty Good Presentation” |
How Can I Make Notes and Use Them Properly?
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 15, 2010
I recommend that you work off of a single page of notes when you speak. Use a simple outline, one with bullet points instead of full sentences. Each bullet point should have no more than three or four words attached to it, just enough to jog your memory on what you want to say on that point. Make your words in really big font so that you don’t have to bend over to read them, pick up the paper, or put on your glasses. Put every key point, number, fact, and story title that is absolutely essential on your paper; but only the stuff that is completely necessary. If you can’t fit it all on one page while using large type, then you have a problem.
The key factor here is to spend most of your time looking at your audience while you present. You’ll occasionally have to look down at your notes to figure out what to say next, but you shouldn’t have enough text to keep your head buried for very long.
Happy 5th Birthday YouTube!
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 14, 2010
Communications expert TJ Walker looks at the significance of YouTube’s 5th Birthday.
What Is the Best Way to Handle Nerves?
Posted by TJ Walker in Fear of Speaking on May 14, 2010
It makes sense to be nervous before giving a presentation. After all, most people give boring presentations; why should you be better than most? Okay, I know that sounds depressing, but I’m just being realistic. It actually is quite rational to be nervous before a presentation. But the main reason that most people get these kinds of jitters is a fear of the unknown. If you haven’t actually seen yourself give your presentation, then you don’t know what you are presenting to the outside world. After all, a presentation is not what is on a PowerPoint slide or a chart; it’s you standing or sitting in front of people and talking. If you haven’t seen yourself on video giving your talk, then the rough draft of your presentation is the one you give to your final, intended audience. And since rough drafts are—by definition—rough, it makes sense to be nervous if you are going to wing it in front of people.
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This article was taken from my new book “How to Give a Pretty Good Presentation“ |
Scott Walker and Brown Bag Politics
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 13, 2010
Communications expert TJ Walker looks at the communication skills of Scott Walker, a leading candidate for governor of Wisconsin.
Telling Personal Stories vs. Just the Facts
Posted by TJ Walker in Story Telling on May 13, 2010
It is true that different audiences will tell you they like different styles as far as facts versus concepts versus stories. Ignore them. You do, however, want to tailor your messages to your audience; so by all means, do some research and find out what messages your audience is interested in, what questions they need answers to, and what problems they have that you might be able to solve. Then give them a presentation that is focused on a handful of messages that are important to them and to you, a story for each, and the most essential relevant facts. I know you’ve heard that one size doesn’t fit all, but in this case, it really does. Messages may differ from audience to audience, but the best way to tailor your speech to an audience really does not change.
Don’t be fooled when people tell you their audience is different because everyone has advanced degrees or are “industry insiders.” Yes, their audience is different because every audience is different; but audiences never differ in the way people think they do. It’s just that certain messages will bore them or interest them in various ways. But audiences are more alike than they are different; and the number one way in which most audiences are alike is that they are easily bored to death by a presenter who tries to “just stick to the facts” and leaves out all of the examples, stories, and vignettes. Read the rest of this entry »
David Cameron, the next great communicator?
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 12, 2010
Will David Cameron reach the lofty speaking heights as such notable Prime Ministers like Blair and Churchill ?
TJ Walker offers his analysis.
Should I Tailor the Speech for the Type of Audience?
Posted by TJ Walker in Presentation Skills Training, Public Speaking Skills on May 12, 2010
If you simply want to give a pretty good presentation, don’t waste time trying to figure out how to tailor your speech to your audience in terms of stories versus facts. Audiences around the world are all the same: they want stories that involve relevant ideas and facts that affect them. If all you do is present the facts, ma’am, there is an excellent chance your speech will come up short—and be incredibly boring and instantly forgotten.
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This article was taken from my new book “How to Give a Pretty Good Presentation“ |
Going After Elena Kagan Media Training Advice
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 11, 2010
TJ Walker comments on opposition to Elena Kagan and makes a prediction based on her communication strategy.
President Obama Speaks out against excessive tech entertainment
Posted by TJ Walker in Uncategorized on May 11, 2010
Communications expert TJ Walker looks at President Barack Obama’s speech on social media
How Do I Deal with Prespeech Jitters?
Posted by TJ Walker in Fear of Speaking on May 11, 2010
If I were coaching you to become a world-class, spellbinding orator, I would advise you to rehearse for days and days, and watch dozens of video rehearsals. But I want to make your life easier and save you time, so all you have to do is rehearse on video until you’ve seen yourself give a pretty good presentation. It doesn’t have to be perfect; you don’t have to generate a standing ovation, and you don’t have to reduce your ums and uhs to zero. You just have to be pretty good compared to all of the other people to whom your bosses and colleagues compare you.
How do you know if you are pretty good? Just watch the video of yourself practicing. If you think you are pretty good, then you probably are. Great! Now you are good to go. But if you think you are incredibly boring, monotone, and tedious or confusing, then you are also probably right. So practice your presentation again on video. This time, do less of the stuff you don’t like and more of the stuff you do like. Now, review the video again.
Should It Be Formal or Informal?
Posted by TJ Walker in Keynote Speaking, Public Speaking Skills, Workplace on May 10, 2010
The easiest way to create a boring presentation is to try to be “formal.” This typically means you have removed any and all humor, feeling, examples, stories, and interesting vignettes from your presentation. Why on earth would you want to do that?
You do want your presentation to be “informal” in the sense that you are as interesting and fun and as unpompous as you are when speaking to a friend at a comfortable restaurant. While the topic you’re covering may be serious—say, financing of your company’s new factory—the way you talk can be as informal and friendly as if you were talking about baseball or “Dancing with the Stars” with a friend over dinner.
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