How do I get over those brutal first seconds of a presentation?
When you put a little structure into your opening remarks, you’ll find anxiety diminishing and confidence soaring! Whether you are being introduced or you are introducing yourself, there are two main components to develop and rehearse:
1) Pre-opening formalities – including thank you, your greeting and an optional, gracious throwaway line.
2) Attention grabbing opening statement – for example, a story, commanding fact, or provocative question.
As part of the pre-opening process, if you are being introduced, as a guest speaker or invited vendor, say something first like: “Thank you for that great introduction, (name of person).” Make sure you know how to pronounce the person’s name correctly, and write it out phonetically if necessary.
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See Juan Diego Calle’s Great Performance!
Juan Diego Calle, CEO of .CO Internet SAS, had a fast approaching speaking engagement in Cartagena in front of 1,100 people. We helped him get ready and he rocked the house! You can find out more information about his company and see other interviews at his website.
More recently, .CO and Juan aired their first SuperBowl commercial with domain name registrar GoDaddy. Actress Joan Collins is the new GoDaddy .CO celebrity star, announced in traditionally sexy, ingriguing way, during the spot.
And last week, Juan addressed the .NXT conference in California, again with rave reviews. Way to go!
See below for the video of Juan speaking at the ICANN conference in Cartagena.
Hit Home Runs When You Speak with the Right ‘H’ Words
by Anne B. Freedman, CEO, Speakout, Inc.
Whenever you open your mouth, you have the option of having a hellish or a heavenly outcome. The goal of this blog is to help you avoid strike-outs and instead, hit your points home!
First, we'll explore four “h” words that can doom you to failure as a speaker, leader or team member. Then, I’ll introduce you to four positive “h” words that can guide you to the success you’re seeking when you need to convince or captivate others – whether a group or one-on-one.
What are the four “h” words that can doom you to failure as a speaker, leader or team member?
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Why Listen to You? To Me? From Your Executive Speaking Coach
As a teen, I was shy, quite pear-shaped, had acne and was also very curious. Playing the clarinet had been my passion since elementary school, but joining the high school band required being more than 60 minutes early every day. Those near-dawn hours have never been my best or favorite time of the day.
Do you know your passions? Do you know what makes you “come alive” as a communicator? Do you realize when you’re “forcing yourself” to do or say something? When you need to speak one-on-one or to a group, can you tap into the positive, special energy you posses, on demand?
By sophomore year, the clarinet was long gone and my instrument of choice was the typewriter (grandmother of today’s Word and computer in case the term is unfamiliar). I had joined the school paper as a reporter and never looked back. Although still socially awkward, the role of student journalist enabled me to ask other students and faculty questions to write articles. It was a life-changing opportunity for me.
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Get More ‘Gold’ Whenever You Speak Using Powerful ‘G’ Words
When you speak in a business situation, you expect someone to listen. But you probably want more from the conversation, right?
Whether you’re management or staff, your purpose is usually to convince another person to do something you are asking. Think:
- meet a deadline,
- okay a raise,
- buy your product,
- stay late,
- accept your proposal.
To make that happen, at your service, free of charge, meet the three grandest most powerful “G” words.
First, the most powerful “g” word of them all is what motivates most people to action, although few like to admit it:
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How to Banish Those “F” Words When Speaking!
While many people tell me they are not afraid of public speaking, others often confide that once a group goes past five or six in a conference room, they immediately start experiencing a high level of anxiety.
One community leader admitted she’d
“rather eat glass than speak in public.”
Why the frequent stress associated with this task?
Quite simply, it’s the “f” words that are often associated with speaking out of your comfort zone. That is, we allow fear and other similar “f” words to take over our thinking. Here are some:
failure, flopping, looking foolish or fat, f^*# up, losing friends, fidgety audience, frightening off fans, flipping out, forgetting what you intended to say, fending off critics, finding fault, frantic, fantasizing, frivolous, or folding under pressure.
