Thanks for all of the great entries!  It was tough to pick a winner this month. There were many good questions and some of them were technical in nature and others were a revelation of the fear that many people possess. Our two winners seemed to really have some serious fear when in front of large groups so I had to award the prizes to them because of their honesty. Perhaps winning a contest will give them a reason to smile the next time they are about to present in front of a group and that will help loosen them up a bit. I think some of the answers that all of those with questions had can be found in the advice given by others or in my response below.

Wow! There was some awesome advice given out in this contest. If you are hoping to improve your speaking ability and confidence I would read all of these entries more than a few times and let them sink in. Nice work to everyone who shared, and thank you. Now, on to the winners!

Question #1 – What is your #1 question on how to be a better public speaker/presenter?

First Place and winner of an Expect Success book is Susan Alsted (#19)

Question #1 – What is your #1 question on how to be a better public speaker/presenter? Even though I have the knowledge of the subject, my mouth is so tensed up and before I know it, I freeze. I listen to others, I get tips and each time & try new ways, and it always seems the same outcome. A 20 min presentation takes me 2 mins and I am done. Small groups are a breeze but the large groups I simple fail at.

Question #2 – What advice would you give to someone that was nervous about giving a presentation to a large group of people? Just simply say “No thank-you” but I will be there to listen and encourage you. ;o)

Second Place and winner of a Freedom Personal Development Water Bottle is Gina Gulliford (#27)

How do you keep your nerves under wraps while speaking? Sometimes I’m shaking so much I can hardly stammer the words out of my mouth. Thank you for the answer.

Some of my favorite responses for question 1:

11. Question #1 – What always goes through my mind: “How will this change the audience’s life for the better?” If I cannot come up with a good answer, what’s the point of the speech?
15. Question #1: (response) How can I inject humor into my presentations without it seeming forced or a cheap gimmick to get audience attention?
18. How do I get rid of the physical nervous characteristics?
19. Even though I have the knowledge of the subject, my mouth is so tensed up and before I know it, I freeze. I listen to others, I get tips and each time & try new ways, and it always seems the same outcome. A 20 min presentation takes me 2 mins and I am done. Small groups are a breeze but the large groups I simple fail at.
21. When asked to prepare to speak in front of a group of people who I do not share their passion for that particular cause. . . what should my focus be on?
25. #1 – how do I develop the skill that will help me speak in front of an audience to an impromptu question whether it if for a 2-3 minute response or a 10-15 minute overview of something.
26. How can you make sure the speaker is not just droning on in that put to sleep monotone that drives the listener nuts?
27. How do you keep your nerves under wraps while speaking? Sometimes I’m shaking so much I can hardly stammer the words out of my mouth.
34. What events in your life (outside of public speaking), have led you to be a better public speaker? For instance, was there an event that made you love being in the spotlight? Was there an event that helped you overcome fear? Was there an event that made you extremely confident? What steps (outside of public speaking) could one take to become a more competent public speaker?

Question #2 – What advice would you give to someone that was nervous about giving a presentation to a large group of people?

First Place and winner of an Expect Success book is Jennifer Rogers (#35)

Tips for gaining greater comfort in giving presentations:

1. Prepare your general speaking points and practice your presentation out loud in front of a mirror. You can even videotape yourself.
2. You can use index cards but only write key points on them; or use your room files from the Memory workshop to trigger key topics.
3. It’s helpful to know your audience – add items of importance or interest to them to customize your presentation.
4. Get some audience participation early on (example – show of hands on a question). It can calm your nerves.
5. Wear an outfit you’re comfartable & confident in.
6. Visit the venue beforehand & mentally run through the presentation there, if poosible. Plan ahead for success!

Second Place and winner of a Freedom Personal Development Water Bottle is Brett Heffern (#37)

Question #2: “What advice would I give?” What are the most critical points to tell someone who might be nervous about getting up to speak in front of a group of people? Well…

- First and foremost, take some some really deep breaths before getting getting up to speak. This will help the speaker be more aware of their rythym.

- Secondly, keep in mind you’re not talking to your audience bur rather with your audience. Don’t think of a memorized speech that you have to remember word for word but an exciting, inner-active discussion with your audience. Include the audience by asking questions, throwing out ideas, etc.

- Third, make sure your speech has a point – and stick with it!

- Finlly, just have fun. If you mess-up on a word just keep going! The audience isn’t going to remember why you fumbled but rather how well you recovered.

Brett

Jennifer Rogers (#35) was our First Place winner for question 2. Jennifer’s tips were well organized, right on, AND she is about the only person who mentioned using Memory Training! Come on people!  The number one fear in the country is public speaking and the #1 reason for that is because people are afraid they are going to forget what they are “supposed” to say. Using Memory Training has changed people’s careers when they use it consistently to deliver speeches.
Jennifer also mentioned videotaping yourself. Video taping yourself is so much more valuable than practicing in front of a mirror. I do realize that a camera is much more expensive than a mirror, but with access to phones with video ability, and webcams you don’t need something super expensive. Here’s why that is better than a mirror. When you worry about constantly correcting yourself WHILE you are speaking then your focus is shifting back to yourself screwing up. Filming yourself allows you to focus on “how” you are delivering the words with emotion, inflection and you let it all go without stopping or worrying that your delivery was perfect. Then when you watch the film you can allow yourself to take notice of the things you would like to change.
2nd Place goes to Brett Heffern. Some big breaths before you start is great advice and keeping in mind that the crowd is normally very forgiving is great to keep in mind. I have found it to be true by watching other speakers and speaking myself that the crowd generally accepts that everyone will slip up from time to time but the ability to recover and keep going or laugh at yourself is how you can win their hearts.

Some of my favorite responses to question 2:
10. Know your audience, the presentation has to be on target so you must know the target.
Know your material, don’t just memorize it…internalize it.
Make sure you give the audience not just information but a big piece of yourself.
Practice in from of someone your trust and whose opinion you value for feed back
Most importantly…HAVE FUN!!!
11. Question #2 – Remember that the audience doesn’t know what you’re going to say. If you goof, keep going. They may not even notice. Remember, if you’re nervous, your focus is backwards – the speech is all about THEM, not you.
35. 1. Prepare your general speaking points and practice your presentation out loud in front of a mirror. You can even videotape yourself.
2. You can use index cards but only write key points on them; or use your room files from the Memory workshop to trigger key topics.
3. It’s helpful to know your audience – add items of importance or interest to them to customize your presentation.
4. Get some audience participation early on (example – show of hands on a question). It can calm your nerves.
5. Wear an outfit you’re comfortable & confident in.
6. Visit the venue beforehand & mentally run through the presentation there, if possible. Plan ahead for success!

37. – First and foremost, take some really deep breaths before getting up to speak. This will help the speaker be more aware of their rhythm.
- Secondly, keep in mind you’re not talking to your audience bur rather with your audience. Don’t think of a memorized speech that you have to remember word for word but an exciting, inner-active discussion with your audience. Include the audience by asking questions, throwing out ideas, etc.
- Third, make sure your speech has a point – and stick with it!
- Finally, just have fun. If you mess-up on a word just keep going! The audience isn’t going to remember why you fumbled but rather how well you recovered.
43. When you are preparing to go up to the podium and you’re nervous and shaky, take a moment and remind yourself that it’s not about you. You’re nervous because you are focused on yourself doing a good job, but it’s not about you. It’s about those in the audience. They are the ones that want to learn and grow from your message. Remember that it’s about them and not you.

I did want to address two of the questions specifically from up the contest. “How can I inject humor?” and “How do you invoke emotion in an audience?” It is important to realize that “trying” to be funny rarely works. You have to be yourself in front of the group. Which is one reason that I think some people are afraid of speaking. Because the thought goes “what if I am myself and they don’t like me?” but that thinking only leads us down dark paths and more fear. Realize that people love genuineness and sincerity. If you are naturally funny that will come across in your speech and if you don’t feel naturally funny, then don’t try to add a bunch of someone else’s “jokes” to your presentation. They will bomb. I learned that one the hard way myself. In the beginning of my career, Roger sat me down and explained that I was funny but NOT when I was using other people’s jokes. It hurt to hear it, but it helped me create my own style.
And the only way to invoke emotion in an audience is by having emotion within yourself. When you have genuine emotion and passion inside yourself that will shine through and you don’t need any technique to show it. Just lay it all out for the world to see and understand that not everyone will share it with you but the majority will feel it and be moved in some way themselves.

Thank you to everyone that entered the contest.  Watch for the next contest on our blog tomorrow

Be Free!

Tom Weber
Instructor