Public speaking

A few weeks ago it was my son's birthday and to celebrate, we rented the video game Guitar Hero. For those who don't know this great game, here is a quick description.

Have you been watching "American Idol" this year? I decided to take a peak at it for the first time since the show went on the air, after hearing over and over again that this was "the best crop ever."

In previous newsletters you saw that in order to get your point across more effectively, you need to use stories or examples. But what constitutes a good story or example?

During a recent discussion with one of the members of the list, he made me realize something I rarely think of while preparing my newsletters. I have been focusing a lot on preparation and practice before giving a presentation. But as he told me, sometimes you can't practice because you're asked at the last minute to give a speech that someone else has prepared.

He's making a list and checking twice.

That's a line from the classic Christmas carol, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town." And today I learned about the value of such a list.

Often, when you need to make a speech, it is to ask something of your audience. Sometimes you want to ask for their time, sometimes their money, sometimes you want information.

Focusing solely on content is not sufficient to keep the audience engaged. You can distinguish yourself from the majority of other speakers by avoiding the same common mistakes.

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I recently observed a speaker's behaviour as he was delivering his speech. His content was impeccable and his delivery was good. However, he had an annoying habit which got to me after a while. As he was speaking, he was constantly moving from left to right, for no apparent reason.

Few things can affect the effectiveness of your speech like unwanted distractions do. Unwanted distractions should not be confused with unexpected distractions.