What I Really Meant to Say
5 Resolutions to Help You BE the Audience You Want to Have
Do you believe in “what goes around comes around” or karma? If so, why not resolve to be the type of audience member you would love to enjoy when you’re making a speech or a presentation? This is one of those New Year’s resolutions you will be able to keep!
Agree to live by these 5 simple resolutions and see how well behaved your next audience is as a result. What goes around comes around!
- Get settled before the speaker begins. Turn off your cell, put away your coat and purse, have your pen out, etc.
- Prepare yourself to receive information. Open your mind and be receptive to learning new information or hearing it in a new way.
- Smile warmly at the speaker. No matter how experienced the speaker is, a friendly face is always welcomed.
- Refuse to carry on side conversations. If someone tries to whisper to you, motion for them to stop—it’s that simple. Unless something or someone is on fire, there is no reason to have a side conversation when someone is making a presentation. Another person initiating the rude conversation is no excuse—you can choose not to participate. That not only helps the speaker, but hopefully the guilty party will think twice before doing that in the future. Those around you will also be grateful to be rid of the distraction!
- Respond openly to the speaker—laugh aloud, applaud strongly, raise your hand when asked. Be an active participant and you’ll have an audience full of them when you speak!
Whether the speaker is giving the best presentation you’ve ever seen, or one you can’t imagine ever sitting through again, please give him or her the same respect you hope to be shown when you take the stage. Remember, what goes around comes around.
What do you do when someone starts a side conversation during a speech when you’re trying to listen, or even presenting? Click here to share your pet peeves or positive stories of audience participation.
Make a Production of Your Introduction
How often are you asked to give a keynote speech? Now, how often are you given the opportunity to introduce a speaker, thank someone for their hard work or present an award? You’re more likely to be asked to give short presentations like these and it’s up to you to make the most of them—to make them compelling and memorable.
Partner Like Pitbull & Build Your Business
Are you already marketing your product or service, asking for referrals, speaking at organizations, going to every networking event you can fit into your schedule, and still thinking, “What can I do to get more clients?” It’s a quandary many find themselves in, especially during this economically challenging time.
Speak UP to Build UP Your Business, Pt III
As we’ve discussed over the past two months, instant credibility and maximum exposure are two of the benefits you gain from public speaking. The final benefit we’ll explore will help make the most of your time while rapidly growing your business. Effectively getting your message out will enable you to do just that.
Speak UP to Build UP Your Business, Pt II
There are three significant benefits that come from good, let alone great, public speaking. Last month, we covered the credibility factor that is bestowed on those who are compelling and confident speakers.
By embracing public speaking you will also gain incredible amounts of VISIBILITY. How can you stand out in a networking group of 100? How can you stand out at a charitable event of 500 people? How can you stand out at any event? Of course, we know many negative ways you can stand out but we’re talking about positive here! You can stand out by SPEAKING UP. It’s the person who leads a meeting, introduces a keynote speaker, gives a keynote speech, facilitates a planning session, or conducts a seminar who stands out from the thousands of others who provide the same service or product.
Speak UP to Build UP Your Business
Even though public speaking is always listed as one of the top fears people have, most people have a secret—or not so secret—desire to be an accomplished public speaker. They wish they weren’t scared, they try to figure out a way to overcome the anxiety and they continue to avoid any speaking situation while kicking themselves for not being able to “perform.”
Tell Me A Story
Storytelling is the secret weapon of outstanding public speakers. Using a well-told, interesting story that is connected to your subject ensures the audience will remember your message. What the exceptional speakers understand is that opening your speech with a story what makes you stand out because so few people do this and those who do rarely do it correctly and effectively.
What's Your Intention?
During this first month of our new year there has been a lot of talk about beginnings—new beginnings, exciting beginnings, resolving to do things differently, deciding to live with intention, etc. I realized this same newness, excitement and intention can be incorporated when we write and deliver our speeches. The opening of a speech needs to have the freshness of a brand new year.
Avoid the Q & A Trap
A brilliantly crafted and dynamically delivered speech can be ruined by the dreaded question and answer period. There is a surefire way to prevent that—hold the Q&A before you close your speech. Just make sure you have a prepared closing, one that is powerful, positive and memorable.
Are You Hopelessly Addicted to PowerPoint?
12-step programs have saved and enhanced thousands and thousands of lives. There are programs for every addiction imaginable and there is definitely a need for a PowerPoint (PP) Anonymous program. Is PP dependency life threatening like other addictions? No, absolutely not. However, it can murder a presentation and keep the audience in pain and misery. We don’t want that!
Creating Your Mind Map
“I’ve never seen that before!”
“That’s great—can you show me how to use it?”
These were some of the comments and questions I received while facilitating my most recent Impactful Speaking group after casually mentioning that I use a mind map as a speech writing tool. It was then I realized not everyone is aware of or uses mind maps. Since they have reinvented the way I gather my thoughts and totally eliminated the paralysis I used to experience when needing to write a speech, you may also find this method helpful.
Interested in becoming a Certified World Class Speaking Coach? 
Your performance last night was nothing short of spectacular. it was obvious that you weren't just reading from a script but speaking from your heart.
Follow Amy on: