January 2011 Newsletter
Communication Skills Tips from My Winter Vacation.
This winter vacation, my family spent two days in Sedona, Az., two days at the Grand Canyon, and two days in Las Vegas. Every stop taught us something about communication.
Lesson 1. Money motivates. When I walked through the casino at our hotel in Las Vegas, I speculated that I could pay for the entire trip with a lucky streak. Filled with hope, I put a five dollar bill in the slot machine. My money was gone so fast that I was certain the machine had malfunctioned. “No darling,” said the women with the oxygen tubes in her nose sitting next to me. “You just lost it all.”
Thus ended my gambling career. But I was the exception. The casinos were packed 24/7. Money motivates. If you want people to buy into your idea, tell them how it will grow revenues, reduce costs or otherwise make them rich.
Lesson 2. Inspiration also motivates. The main attraction in Sedona isn’t the gorgeous desert scenery. It’s the New Age “vortices” in the area. A couple in our bed and breakfast traveled from Japan to experience the energy and inspiration from one particular vortex.
So if you can’t show your listeners how your idea will make them rich, show how it will bring personal fulfillment and connection with the universe.
Garrison Keillor on Public Speaking: Don't Read Notes. Just "Trust Yourself."
When radio personality and writer Garrison Keillor delivers his weekly 15-minute monologue “News from Lake Wobegone”, he speaks without notes.
How does he do it? He says it’s a combination of trusting himself and always knowing where his message is headed.
When interviewed recently about how he speaks note-free, he said, “I think if you have an ending in mind, if you have a beginning and an ending in mind, you’re pretty much there.”
Keillor has been the host of the popular radio program “A Prairie Home Companion” since 1974. His note-free monologues are delivered to 4 million weekly listeners.
Speaking to a reporter at "Worthwhile” magazine, Keillor explained “As long as you start here and you’re going to go there, you really find some interesting ways of getting there. If I blank, which I do often, I can always find something back there in my memory to kind of tide me over. You learn this art of circular talking and holding pattern and just go around in circles. Then you remember where you’re going to go.”
“No No's” To Avoid at the Beginning of Your Speech.
You’re standing in front of a group of fifty people. Your heart is pounding. Your palms are sweating. You’re about to begin your big presentation. What you say next can put you on the path to success or set you off on a downward spiral that will make you and your audience miserable.
How can you ensure that you don’t start off badly?
At Speechworks, we tell our clients a few don’ts:
- Don’t apologize.
- Don’t tell a joke.
- Don’t beat around the bush.
Don’t Apologize
“Ladies and gentlemen, I want to start by telling you that I’m not really a very good speaker. And I’m really nervous. So I hope that you’ll bear with me.”
That’s the absolute worst way to begin.
Three Things Needed to be an Effective Speaker.
Many presentation skills books and workshops will give you dozens of “tips” to help you be a better presenter. You can get advice on how to hold your hands, how to make your voice more interesting, how to tell a story, how to stand, how to walk, etc.
But all those tips can obscure the more important point, which is that presenting is about “connection, not perfection.” We think there are only three things you need to focus on.
Learn to Speak Like Winston Churchill.
“If Churchill had a speechwriter in 1940, Britain would be speaking German today.”
When Churchill scholar James C. Humes, wrote those words, he meant that by writing his own speeches, Churchill became more emotionally invested than if the words were written for him.
At Speechworks, we couldn’t agree more. The key to giving a great speech is delivering it with passion. It’s hard to do that when you’re just mouthing someone else’s words. That’s why our workshops don’t just focus on how to deliver a presentation. We also teach how to create great messages.