Category Archives: public speaking

learn by looking … closely

Leave a reply

Want to really Speak with Confidence?

One way to quickly improve your speaking skills is by listening and watching yourself and others.  Go on to U-tube and you’ll find some amazing tutorials.  You’ll find people who are at the top of their game and their advice is invaluable.  Go one step better and start videoing yourself, learn to let your personal, conversational style of presenting, of talking to camera develop.  Only by seeing yourself on camera will you really understanding how to improve.  Share the videos with an honest colleague or friend, learn to take advice from others and watch yourself improve.  If you’re serious about developing your personal Conversational Style, then click read more and to check out our workshops.  If the notion of developing your public speaking and leadership skills on a regular basis appeals to you, then consider organisations like Toastmasters where you can learn in a supportive environment.  Contrary to popular belief, Toastmasters gives you far more than public speaking skills.  Visit a local club or two and see for yourself. 

 

are you worth listening to?

Leave a reply

Yadidagh, didagh, dagh…..

How many times have you sat listening to an expert yet….. been bored rigid?  Even been on the brink of nodding off? You know the speaker knows their stuff but boy, you’d wonder if they’ve ever seen themselves on video or played back a recording of their talk.  Yet, we know that Confident Communicators Inspire!  They motivate.  They fire us up and feed our insatiable appetite for learning even more.  The best leave us wanting more… every time!  Wanting more Knowledge.  More of their books.  More of them.  Which makes you realise, in the sales process, people buy because of you.  You are that special ingredient, which is why developing your own conversational style that allows your personality to come through is so important.

PRACTICE MAKES BETTER……..If people give their time, their attention, even their money, then there is a responsibility and respect that needs to be given……WINGING IT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH ! We owe it to ourselves and to anyone who is generous enough to listen, to do the best we can.  The question is do you? 

To become a more effective speaker, consider joining us for a practical workshop
 

 

 

Introverts make great Speakers too

Leave a reply

If you thought only extroverts make great Speakers, think again.  Introverts make great speakers because they master the skill of speaking in public and know how to capture the attention of their audience. Check out Susan Cain on TED Talks and you’ll see what I mean. TED TALKS are a great way to learn how to hone your speaking skills, as well as filling those moments when the person you’re waiting for is running late!

Described as a quiet revolutionary, Susan Cain’s book  ‘The Power of Introverts’  will change your perception of Extraverts/Intraverts.   Well written, well researched.  Well worth buying and taking the time to read. Just listening to her talk, you’ll see how captivating a well structured and prepared a well researched speech can be, especially when the subject is something the writer feels so close to.  Listen to her talk by clicking on the link below.

http://www.ted.com/speakers/susan_cain.html

http://www.ted.com/

janie-saysthink of giving a speech as a conversation……talking is performing and you can do it too…

 

Developing your own Conversational Style

Leave a reply

Going weak at the knees….

Fear dominated my early life. As a child, I was terrified. Terrified of lots of things.  Some silly.  Some not so stupid.  One very real fear was of being asked to say a prayer at a seder supper as I  unlike my cousins, I didn’t speak hebrew. In school, I knew I wasn’t the brightest and avoided any possibility of being picked out for anything at all and so the habit of being fearful continued through most of my adult life of choosing to play second fiddle, never wanting to be in the spotlight.  I felt I wasn’t intelligent enough, certainly not funny enough and I believed that no-one would find what I had to say of interest anyway.  The very notion of  exposing myself to possible ridicule filled me with horror on a regular basis. Fear you’ll have gathered is something I really understand.

If the thought of speaking in public terrifies you and your knees turn jelly, it is in your power to change how you feel. There are some easily learnt techniques that can help you speak in public, with confidence and take the stress out of those business situations where you know you’ve simply got to deliver.  Developing your own style is one of the most important steps to presenting well and to think of your style as a type of conversation can help.  Once you’ve done so, then it’s a case of modifying your CONVERSATIONAL STYLE to suit the situation.  Easier said than done, right?  Take the first step and think of how you talk to different members of your family.  Talking with a brother or sister, for example, will probably be more informal than perhaps talking to an Aunt or Uncle.  In business, it’s much the same.  There will be people with whom you adopt a less familiar or formal tone.  We’re all human and the more you can learn to relax and communicate with ease, the greater, more varied and most important of all, the more personalised your ‘conversational style’ will become. Wobbly knees will be a distant memory and all you’ll feel is the excitement and pleasure of speaking with confidence.

janie-says Confident Communicators have the ability to Inspire and Motivate

‘Darling, nobody knows’

Leave a reply

Put on the Spot !

When I was out the other night, I was asked to comment on a particular situation.  Afterwards, I was complimented on how calm I seemed, especially as this was a topic that I was unfamiliar with and held little interest for me!  My first instinct was not to comment, make an excuse and quickly avoid the issue altogether.  Whenever I find myself in such situations, I remember the words of a very confident friend who helped me greatly in my early years and can still hear her voice today. When I said how nervous I felt if asked my opinion,  that my knees would shake and my mouth would go dry, she replied in her deep, husky voice  ‘but darling, darling, nobody knows.  Nobody but you can ever know how very fearful you are’.  Having a background in opera and drama, she knew only too well how fear can take over and would prime herself every single time she went on stage.  Now I’m not proposing you put on an award winning performance every time you get an attack of nerves.  What I am saying is that PRACTICE MAKES BETTER ! The more you associate speaking well with a good feeling, the better it gets and you can fool your sub-conscious mind into helping you achieve a greater level of satisfaction and success each and every time you speak.  Give the illusion of ‘Nerves of Steel’ and relegate ‘Legs like Jelly’ to history with a few easily learned techniques from a ‘Self Smarter’ workshop.

janie-saysYou need the adrenalin of nerves to keep you on top of your performance.  When feeling anxious,   remember the words of my friend….. ‘Darling, darling, nobody knows. Just take a deep breath and go for it !

 

The Power of Fear

Leave a reply

Fear can paralyse and yet simultaneously  excite us. Just why do we fear so many different things that in the majority of instances NEVER come to pass. Susan Jeffers said “Feel the Fear and do it anyway”, the poet Rainer Maria Rilke said “Follow your Fear”. Still we hesitate and rather than risk failure or the experience of learning  that the opportunity of failure provides, we hold back. Is it fear of having too much and perhaps at some level not feeling worthy of success?

The following was written by MARIANNE WILLIAMSON (though  often attributed to  Nelson Mandela). “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?”. Actually, who are you not to be?”.   Marianne  continues “… playing small does not serve the world.  There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you”.  Then says “.. as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same”.

Self doubt and procrastination stop us achieving our potential.  In taking control, we become more powerful and as we do, we can inspire others in using the positive power of fear to its best advantage. To enhance your communication skills, contact by clicking here

 

Salt, Oil & Sea Air

Leave a reply

Reading a recipe the other day reminded me of the skills we use in effective delivery of a speech.  The Salt standing for the bite-sized nuggets of information we want to impart and people to remember. The Oil is the flow of your speech, which relies on good planning and structure. Finally the Sea Air.  Walking by the sea gives me inspiration, clears the head and provides the perfect place for practice.  Practice makes  better.  The more you prepare, the more you practice, the better your speech will be.  Outside of coaching for a specific purpose, an excellent, cost effective way to improve your speaking skills is to join your local Toastmasters Group, where you can improve your communication skills at your own pace in an informal, friendly and supportive environment.

janie-saysMake the most of your day and remember Practice makes  better!