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 In the last issue, I spoke about not starting to speak until your
mind is in gear. An exercise we do in the seminars is a good way
to practice getting focused before speaking. Some of you will remember being in front of your classmates
and choosing a card that had a word such as "shoe," or "clock".
Your task was to ignore the class, get into your own focus zone,
and come up with an experience in your life (something that
happened more than 2 years ago) and tell that story. There was
no time limit on your coming up with the story. While it's not the same as doing it in front of an audience, you
can practice this on your own. It's a really neat family activity
which will help both you and your kids (grandkids, nephews,
nieces). Just choose generic words that are part of everyday life.
And take your time focusing and finding your experience.
Making up stories defeats the purpose of the exercise. You can also practice by yourself. Just choose as your word the
first ordinary object your eyes land on. It gives you the chance to
practice focusing when just moments before you weren't. Every skill you strengthen will make you just that much better
the next time you have the opportunity to speak. Larry Bennett, Smart & Final, Marketing Manager: "Shortly after taking your class I had to speak in front of
everyone in the company--a LARGE audience, including senior
executives--and with no slides. Before taking your class, I would
have died if I'd had to do that. But it actually went just fine. "The morning before I was to give that speech my immediate
boss and the senior VP called me into his office. They wanted to
see a copy of my speech, the overhead PPT's and presentation.
You should have seen their faces when I told them I had nothing
to show them. They knew that the company president, chairman
of the board, and other senior execs were attending and all they
could do was trust me. "It wasn't until about three years later I was rereading the
performance review from that year. The woman who was my
boss at that time mentioned that speech in my review and that I
hadn't used notes or PowerPoint. All of this again was because
of you." Question: “How do you keep panel members' presentations on time?” Answer: That can be sticky if you have little control over the meeting or
over the panel members. Try to stop the problem while you're in the planning stages.
When the speakers are announced, or shortly thereafter, outline
the ground rules. Give them a (personal) benefit for staying
within (or under) the given time frame, and also the mechanism
by which you're going to help them do so. Identify the signal you'll give when they're almost out of time
(giving enough time for them to gracefully wrap up), as well as
what you will do when they're finished. A flashing light, a hand
signal, a colored card, can be your signal. The final action will
be something more overt. Tell them that in the interest of
getting everyone out on time, or of giving enough time for
questions, that you'll physically interrupt in some way: stand up,
ask a question, something that can't be missed but that's not
embarrassing. If you do this in the planning stage, as well as just before the
meeting, and use some argument such as, "Don't you hate it
when meetings run over?" Or, "I imagine you've been
uncomfortable at some time when a speaker didn't stay within
the time frame, so we want to make sure that doesn't happen to
this audience." Or, "We've had speakers in the past that had a
problem keeping track of their time so we didn't have time for
questions, so we've found a way to avoid that." You can also offer to time their presentations for
them prior to the meeting as a benefit you're offering them. All these messages need to be delivered in a friendly,
straightforward, no nonsense way, so they're clear you mean
what you say. Friendly, and with a sense of love for the audience
and the speakers in not wasting anyone's time. Them that's going, get on the wagon. Them that ain't, get out of
the way. —The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., quoting a Georgia
preacher A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he
describes another's. —Jean Paul Richter Truth is shorter than fiction. —Danny Thomas Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth. —
John F. Kennedy Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow. —
Norman Vincent Peale In an age short on craftsmanship and long on shoddiness,
anything done well--laying bricks, playing games, or even
writing press releases--should be admired. —George Will A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and
then quietly strangled. —Sir Barnett Cocks We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we
give. —Winston Churchill How long should a speech be? As long as it's good. As soon as
it stops being good, it should end. —Soundings Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock
long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake
somebody up. —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow You can't plant a seed and pick the fruit the next morning. --
Jesse Jackson Think gifts. Someone you know is going to be giving more
presentations soon. Give them a practical gift that will make those
presentations easier and more effective. Learn more or
Order Online. Book Audiotape or CD ROM Booklets by Barbara Rocha: Speeches on Tape: Video Learn more **How to Overcome the Stress of Public Speaking We have two public seminars each year: May and October/November. If
you have several people who could use this training, contact us
regarding an in-house seminar. As a refresher, workshop graduates (from any of our 3-day
workshops) may attend for half price at any time. People tell us
they get as much or more out of the workshop the second time
around. Visit our seminars section for details or call (888) 800-2001 For more information, contact: Barbara Rocha and Associates PO Box 60521, Pasadena, California 91116 (626) 792-8075 or toll free at (888) 800-2001 |
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