Guide to

Public Speaking

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 Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC SPEAKING -------------------------------------------------4

Key to Excellent Presentation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4
Preparation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4
Rehearse --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4
Entry-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
Posturing--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
Audience--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
Relax ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
Ending------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6

Key to Public Speaking ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7

Realize 90% of Nervousness Doesn't Even Show---------------------------------------------------------------- 7
Public Speaking is not Essentially Stressful ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 7
You Don't have to be Perfect ! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7
Be a human! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8
Don’t Avoid Eye-Contact ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8
Know the Room, know the audience, and know the material--------------------------------------------------- 9
Don't Apologize.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9
Don’t become negative “you” based ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9
Avoid Rushing Monotone Voice ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9
Add some enthusiasm to your talk --------------------------------------------------------------------------------10
Limit your talk to a few key points. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------10
Tell Stories.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10
When in doubt, speak from the heart------------------------------------------------------------------------------10

PREPARING A SPEECH --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12

Preparation -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12

Prepare Mentally ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12

Prepare Logistically ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12

Prepare Physically -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------13

Know your Audience------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------13
Get and Keep their Attention---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------13
Respect----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------13
Know your Purpose -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------13
Know what you want them to think about the speech later ----------------------------------------------------14
Beef it Up-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------14
Say it All Loud-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------14
Don’t Sit Down Too Much -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------14
Learn to Lead your Audience --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------15
Smooth Transitions are Necessity ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------15

Practice: Key to Confidence and Success ------------------------------------------------------------------------17

Working With Humor ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------19

Working With Movement--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------19

Working With Voice And Speech ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------20

Working With Delivery-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------20

LEARNING GOOD SHOWMANSHIP------------------------------------------------------ 22

Impact your audience quickly---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------22

Keep your Audience Fresh-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------23

ABOUT TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL------------------------------------------ 24

Toastmasters and Leadership ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------24

Company Benefits -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------24

Community Benefits---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------24
 Introduction to Public Speaking
Public speaking is a common source of stress for everyone. Many of us would like to avoid this
problem entirely, but this is hard to do. Whether we work alone or with large numbers of people,
eventually we will need to speak in public to get certain tasks accomplished. And if we want to be
leaders or achieve anything meaningful in our lives, we will often need to speak to groups, large
and small, to be successful.

The truth about public speaking, however, is IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE STRESSFUL! If you
correctly understand the hidden causes of public speaking stress, and if you keep just a few key
principles in mind, speaking in public will soon become an invigorating and satisfying experience
for you.

Speaking in public is often cited as the number one fear of adults. The Book of Lists places the
fear of death in fifth place while public speaking ranks first. Jerry Seinfeld said, "That would mean
at a funeral, people are five times more likely to want to be in the casket than giving the eulogy."

That’s funny. But it’s true. I have seen “Life statues” or “Elvis’s shaking legs” during a public
speaking session. THEY JUST FREEZE WHEN THEY REACH THE PODIUM.

Not to worry, this guide will help you in moving ahead to be an excellent public speaker.

Key to Excellent Presentation

Let's look at some techniques to deal with the anxiety and give an excellent presentation. Richard
M. Highsmith has an excellent technique and it is known as P.R.E.P.A.R.E.

Preparation
The foundation of a good speech is built on the 6 "W's" of effective journalism. You must
determine:

• Who is your audience?

• What are your key points?
• When are you speaking; how long?
• Where is the speech; physical surroundings?
• Why should the audience listen to you?
• How are you going to present?

In an effective speech your audience will only remember 3 to 4 main ideas. Decide on the
essential ideas vital for their understanding your topic. These are your key points. Make a brief
outline with supporting details, quotes and graphics.

Rehearse
Practice is essential. Try delivering your talk without using any notes and check your timing
during this rehearsal. If you have to use notes, then just jot down your key points. Don't attempt to
memorize the entire speech word for word. Mark Twain said, "It usually takes more than three
weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech." That is the effect you are working toward - a
conversational, impromptu style, but with thorough knowledge of the material.
Entry
Launching your presentation is as important as the takeoff of an airplane. If the liftoff fails, the rest
of the trip becomes irrelevant. Determine how you are going to start your speech and commit the
first several lines to memory. An excellent beginning includes telling the audience why they want
to listen. What is the benefit to them?

If you are particularly nervous, look for a sympathetic face and talk to that person for several
moments. Do not begin with an apology… "I didn't have much time to prepare this talk." Or "I'm
not really very good at giving speeches." Starting with a negative makes the audience
uncomfortable. Remember you feel more anxious than you look. Convert your nervous energy
into enthusiasm and launch your speech positively.

Posturing
Your body is a tool. Learn to use it effectively. Find your center of balance. Your feet should be
firmly planted about shoulder width apart. Hold your shoulders back and chin up. Stand calmly,
being careful not to fidget or sway. Let your hands rest by your sides.

Make your movements purposeful. If you make a gesture with your hands, let them return to the
resting position by your side. Don't wander around the room. If you want to go to a different
location - go there and then stop. Speak to one person at a time and maintain eye contact.

Your voice has volume, tone and pace. Realize you will speak faster and at a higher pitch than
you did when you were rehearsing. Be aware of this tendency. Speak loudly enough so everyone
in the room can hear you, but not so loudly the people in the front rows are covering their ears.

Audience
Know your audience. Don't be like William Safire who said, "Is sloppiness in speech caused by
ignorance or apathy? I don't know and I don't care." What does your audience know about the
topic? Try and anticipate their questions. During the presentation, seek reactions, questions and
concerns. This makes you appear accessible and allows you to move through the topic with your
audience following along closely.

If possible greet audience members as they arrive. Ask why they came or about their interests in
the topic. Adjust your presentation plans to better meet their needs. Finally keep in mind the
audience is not your enemy - they want you to succeed. Nobody came to watch you flail or fail.
Engage people and make them partners in your successful talk.

Relax
Remember the physical reactions you experience in front of a group are normal. When
confronted with a stimulating situation the body resorts to the "fight" or "flight" response. Your
pulse increases. Adrenaline releases into your bloodstream. Your body prepares for a physical
response but you have to stay put!

Sometimes your mind generates negative thoughts. Michael Pritchard said, "Fear is that little
darkroom where negatives are developed." Deal with the fear by building a solid foundation
(know your topic!) and feeling confident in your message. Take a few deep breaths. Mild exercise
or stretching can disperse some of the anxious energy.

Remember to smile. It is one of the best way to relieve tension for yourself and the audience.
Ending
Like the touchdown of an airplane, your presentation must be landed correctly. Begin the end by
summarizing your key points. Next ask for audience questions and clarify any remaining issues.
Then make your closing statement, which should encourage some action. What do you want the
audience to do? Memorizing the last few lines ensures a strong close. Finally smile and nod your
head.

If the thought of speaking in public makes you anxious, you probably will be. However if you
P.R.E.P.A.R.E., the level of your anxiety will be lower and you will deliver a better, more effective
speech. Who knows, you may find you like giving the eulogy better than being in the casket!
Key to Public Speaking
Public Speaking can be quite a fun experience. I found it fun and I LOVE to take every
opportunity to speak.

I will highlight some key principles to successful public speaking. You need to realize these keys
because they will help you win 50% of the battle.

Realize 90% of Nervousness Doesn't Even Show

The audience usually can't see the butterflies, or shaky hands, or sweaty palms. The problem
occurs when we start thinking about these symptoms rather than focusing on the audience and
our topic. By human nature, most people are focused on themselves not on you. Focus on them
and two things will happen: 1) they will like you more, and 2) much of the nervousness that you
feel will go away.

Public Speaking is not Essentially Stressful

Most of us have been taught to believe that life as a whole is very stressful!

To deal with any type of stress effectively, you first must understand that life itself, including
public speaking, is NOT essentially stressful. Thousands of human beings have learned to speak
in front of groups with no stress at all. Many of these people were initially frightened to speak in
public. Their knees would shake, their voices would tremble, their thoughts would become
jumbled. Yet they learned to eliminate their fear of public speaking completely.

You are no more or less human than they are. If they can conquer the fear of public speaking, so
can you! It just takes the right guiding principles, the right understanding, and the right plan of
action to make this goal a reality.

You Don't have to be Perfect !

Many of us have observed public speakers and thought to ourselves "Wow, I could never be that
smart, calm, witty, entertaining, polished . . . or whatever." Well, I've got news for you-- you don't
have to be brilliant, witty, or perfect to succeed. That is not what public speaking is all about. I
know it may look that way, but it's not. You can be average. You can be below average. You can
make mistakes, get tongue-tied, or forget whole segments of your talk. You can even tell no jokes
at all and still be successful.

It all depends on how you, and your audience, define "success." Believe me, your audience
doesn't expect perfection. I highlight, bold and underline to stress this point. I used to think
most audiences did, but I was wrong! Before I discovered this, I used to put incredible pressure
on myself to deliver a perfect performance. I worked for days to prepare a talk. I stayed up nights
worrying about making mistakes. I spent hours and hours rehearsing what I was going to say.
And you know what? All this did was make me even more anxious! The more perfect I tried to be,
the worse I did! It was all very disheartening.

The essence of public speaking is this: give your audience something of value. That's all there is
to it. If people in your audience walk away with something (anything) of value, they will consider
you a success. If they walk away feeling better about themselves, feeling better about some job
they have to do, they will consider you a success. If they walk away feeling happy or entertained,
they will consider their time with you worthwhile.

Even if you pass out, get tongue-tied, or say something stupid during your talk . . . they won't
care! As long as they get something of value, they will be thankful.

They don't even need to feel good to consider you a success. If you criticize people, or if you stir
them up to ultimately benefit them, they might still appreciate you, even though you didn't make
them feel good at the time.

Be a human!

Many people think that professional public speakers are supermen with hypnotic ability to charm
the audience. Not true. You don’t have to do that. Just be yourself. In fact, the audience expects
to see a human speaking rather than a superman bending metals.

I’ll never forget how my wife gave her medical presentation that is not perfect: During her speech,
she recited the presentation well enough. At one point, she FORGOT HER SPEECH! Here’s the
nice part, she scanned the audience for a while, gave a sigh, and took out her notes and skim for
a second. Then she said “Ah, I see…” and proceeded with the speech and ended the
presentation.

Guess what happened? She received top prize for her presentation! The feedback was that the
research was well done and she was a GOOD SPEAKER!

This is one prime example of being real. She acknowledged that she forgot her speech: That’s
human. She took step to resolve it: That’s human. She carried on without trembling: That’s
human. We humans identify applaud individuals who fall and stand up again.

Don’t Avoid Eye-Contact.

Nerves create a need to hide. So what do we do? We don’t look at anyone. We look down or look
away. If we can’t see them, they can’t see us, right? We’re hidden in front of a crowd of people.

Since that won’t work, the old “look just over the tops of their heads” advice pops into mind.

You’ve heard it before. “If looking people in the eyes makes you more nervous just look at the
tops of their heads. Let your eyes roam at forehead or hair high through the room. The audience
members will think you are looking at them.”

No they won’t.

Look directly into people’s eyes with kindness. If anyone smiles when you look at him or her smile
back. Create rapport through your visual contact. Doing so will show that you are speaking to that
person.

I always give this advice and it seems to work. Identify 3 persons in the audience whom you want
to speak to: One on your left, one in front of you and one on your right. Deliver your speech to
these 3 persons by looking into their eyes. Look at them for about 4-5 seconds and “switch target”
to the next person. This will create the feeling that you are looking into their eyes.

Know the Room, know the audience, and know the material.
Be familiar with the place in which you will speak. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area
and practice using the microphone and any visual aids. If possible, greet some of the audience as
they arrive. It is easier for you to speak to a group of friends than a group of strangers.

Lastly, YOU MUST PRACTICE YOUR SPEECH. No other preparation will work if you don’t know
your own material.

Don't Apologize.
Never start a presentation with an apology. How many times have you heard a presenter
begin by saying 'I am sorry I have a cold, or I am nervous? If you have a cold, the sniffles do a
fine job of making that apparent. Or, if there are no outward signs, who really needs to know you
don't feel well? Many people use such statements as a way of requesting leniency from the
audience. Apologies like this announce to the audience, 'the presentation you are about to
receive is less than you deserve, but please don't blame me."

If you mention your nervousness or apologize for any problems you think you have with your
speech, you may be calling the audience's attention to something they hadn't noticed. Keep
silent.

Don’t become negative “you” based.

This is another bad move. Anxiety makes us impersonal. It tends to make it sound like me against
you. “Here’s what YOU need to do.” “YOU wouldn’t have these problems in YOUR company if
YOU…”

Try to avoid such words.

Use “we” for anything that’s condemning or hard. “We need to improve in three areas if this
quarter is going to be profitable.” Use “you” for anything that is encouraging and building. “It’s
great to have all of you on this team. It’s because of you that the company has reached this level
of success.”

Avoid Rushing Monotone Voice.

Few things make an audience feel unimportant like a fast paced monotone speech. First, they
want to receive life-changing information. That’s tough to get when pitch doesn’t change.

Second, the people lose focus because they start to feel sorry for the speaker.

You can easily avoid monotone messages. Before saying a word think about the value of your
message. Think about the aspects that create passionate feelings. Think about speaking clearly
with compassion. Smile. Tell yourself a joke. Take a huge confidence breath.
Use eye-contact, positively say “you,” and flow with the message. If you do, you’ll hear, “I felt like
you were speaking specifically to me.” That’s one of the best compliments you can get. And it
proves that you’re speak TO not AT the audience.

Add some enthusiasm to your talk.

Your audience will never be more excited about your talk than you are, so give them some
energy, and they will give it back to you. Walk about a half step faster. Smile. Let your gestures
and voice emphasis come naturally. Don't over do it, but give more energy than what you
normally would.

Limit your talk to a few key points.

Narrow down your topic to either one key point for a short talk, or thee key point for a longer talk
(a talk longer than 30-minutes.) Ask yourself, "If my audience only remembered one thing from
my talk, what would be most important thing for them to remember?" The reason this is so
important is that the human mind likes to think of only one thing at a time. For instance, think of
the Statue of Liberty. What do you see? You probably see a picture in your mind of the statue.
Now think of a pink elephant. Again, you probably see a picture in your mind, but the important
question is…where did the statue go? Your mind can only truly focus on one thing at a time. As
you add additional points, each previous point will become diluted. The more points your
presentation has, the less focus the audience will have on each individual point. Once you have
your key points, then create your PowerPoint slides. That will keep you from having hundreds of
PowerPoint slides.

Tell Stories.

Don't tell little white lies, but do tell anecdotes and personal experiences. Stories build rapport
with your audience, and they give you more credibility. Your audience will remember your stories
a lot longer than they will remember your talking points.

When in doubt, speak from the heart

Let your audience see the real you, and you will have a great speaking performance. Remember:
The audience wants to see a human being. ☺

The audience could be more insecure than you!

This is an interesting point: The audience could be more insecure than you! Audience has the
same stress and pressure as they have to understand your speech because:

1) They want to benefit from your speech

2) They want to prepare their report
3) They darn scared that you will ask them questions!
4) They don’t want to fall asleep!
And many other reasons. So never think that you are going into a firing squad because they may
think that you are the firer!

With this knowledge in hand, here’s another important point:

When you are speaking, YOU ARE IN CHARGE!

The means that even if the President of USA is seated in the room, he is to KEEP QUIET
because YOU are at the podium. He is to keep quite and listens to YOU. If he wants to ask
question, he has to ask YOU for permission to speak.

It may sound a bit blizzard. Yes, I do want to bring out this point because many people failed to
understand the rights they have as a speaker. This right as a speaker arises from a standard
speech protocol that is been developed over the years.

Once you understand this right as a speaker, you’ll on your way to be an excellent speaker.
 Preparing a Speech
"Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't; the other half have
nothing to say and keep saying it." ☺

From the outset, you should know that how to write a speech depends on how good you want it to
be, and how much time you want to put into it. I'll put the most important things first so that you
can just go as far as you want, and stop when you run out of time. Remember to leave time to
practice the speech three or four times. If you can record the second or third and listen to it, so
much the better.

Preparation
Real speech preparation means digging something out of yourself. You have to gather facts and
arrange your thoughts. As you collect the ideas, you have to nurture your ideas and think about a
unique way to express them in an organized manner.

A speech needs time to grow. Prepare for weeks, sleep on it, dream about it and let your ideas
sink into your subconscious. Ask yourself questions, write down your thoughts, and keep adding
new ideas. As you prepare every speech ask yourself the following questions.

You're waiting your turn to make a speech, when suddenly you realize that your stomach is doing
strange things and your mind is rapidly going blank. How do you handle this critical time period?

Anyone can give a speech. Not everyone can give an effective speech. I'm going to tell you how
to get put content in, make it clear, and make an impact on your audience...how to write a speech
people will remember. To give an effective speech the following things need to be considered.

Prepare Mentally
Start by understanding that you'll spend a lot more time preparing than you will speaking.

As a general rule, invest three hours of preparation for a half hour speech, a six to one ratio.
When you've become a highly experienced speaker, you may be able to cut preparation time
considerably in some cases, but until then, don't skimp.

Part of your preparation will be to memorize your opening and closing -- three or four sentences
each. Even if you cover your key points from notes, knowing your opening and closing by heart
lets you start and end fluently, connecting with your audience when you are most nervous. Use a
tape recorder or videotape yourself. This will help you to get an accurate picture of how you
speak.

Prepare Logistically
Go to the room where you'll be speaking as early as possible so you can get comfortable in the
environment. Make sure you have the right location (school, hotel, room & time). Make sure you
know how to get to where you are speaking. Ask how large an audience you will be speaking to.
Make sure you bring all your visual aids and plenty of handouts. Arrive early so you can check out
where you will be speaking and make any last minute adjustments. If you will be speaking from a
stage, go early in the morning when no one is there and make friends with the stage. Then,
during your presentation, you can concentrate on your audience, not your environment.

Prepare Physically
Know your Audience

Know your audience and what you want them to know. Understand the demographics of your
audience (i.e. profession, standards of dress, education level). Prepare your presentation to meet
their needs. People tend to remember only 3 or 4 points from a presentation. What are the main
points you want your audience to walk away with? To help your audience remember those points:
* Tell them what you will tell them; * Tell them; and * Then tell that what you told them.

If you forget this, everything falls apart. You can't tell dirty jokes to a Christian women's group.
You've seen the commercial where the best man gives the wedding toast and goes on and on
about how much of a player the groom was? Remember who's there and what they want to hear.
What do they like and dislike? What kind of humor do they like? If they're a mixed audience, you
have to be more mainstream in your language and manner. This is the most important part of
how to write a speech.

Get and Keep their Attention

Different people have different learning styles. Some learn by simply listening, some need to see
it, and some learn best by experiencing it. If appropriate, try to fit all aspects into the presentation.
Visual aides are a great way to keep your audience's attention. No matter what your medium
(projector, flip chart, power point), it is important to remember a few rules about visual aides: *
Allow for some white space, don't fill the entire paper or slide with details or pictures; * Use
alternating colors for easier reading; and * Visual aides support the presentation; do not use them
as the entire presentation - be prepared to add commentary to the visual aides.

Respect

Show respect to the audience and they will show it to you. The audience wants you to do well and
the smallest amount of respect will win over even the toughest critics. Similar to one-on-one
conversations, showing respect to people can make all the difference in the communication. Here
are some ways to demonstrate respect for your audience: * Eye contact - maintain eye contact
with the audience. Slowly move from person to person and occasionally hold the contact for a few
seconds. * Honesty - when you don't know the answer, admit it, offer to find out, and get back to
the person. * Save face - if you must disagree with an audience member, do so in a manner that
allows the person to save face. * Self-correction - if an audience member is not paying attention,
encourage self-correction, by walking closer to them as you speak. The 'distracter" will notice
your proximity and stop the distraction.

Know your Purpose

Your purpose determines everything else. Visualize a straight line from you through your
audience to the purpose. If you want to persuade them, you have to take them from where they
are to the place of persuasion. If you want to inform, you have to take their brains from where
they are, to where they'll know your information. Knowing them, and taking them there is what it's
all about.

Know what you want them to think about the speech later

This is another part of your purpose, essential to how to write a speech. If you want them to say,
"you really showed compassion in that speech!" then you have to do whatever you can to
demonstrate compassion. If more than anything you want them to remember a certain fact, then
do everything you can in the speech to implant it in their brain - shock them, plead with them,
amuse them, but make sure they focus on that fact.

Don’t be Nervous

It's totally natural to be nervous. Try this acting technique. Find a private spot, and wave your
hands in the air. Relax your jaw, and shake your head from side to side. Then shake your legs
one at a time. Physically shake the tension out of your body.

The only time it's about you is if one of your goals is to impress them, build your credibility, etc.
Other than that, forget your fear, your self consciousness, etc. Let those things go in the service
of your audience and your purpose.

Organize your Ideas into an Outline

Make sure each idea follows the other logically. Ask yourself if your audience needs to know
anything to understand any part of it. Ask yourself if any part needs more fleshing out.

Beef it Up

Use examples for difficult to understand points or concepts. Find some jokes. If no one laughs at
the first one, be careful, though. You might lose credibility if they think you're an idiot. You can
also find great quotes online, even search on whatever topic you're writing your speech about.

Say it All Loud

Is anything missing? How does it sound? Change the words and phrases that sound unnatural
when spoken.

Don’t Sit Down Too Much

Try not to sit down too much while you're waiting to speak. If you're scheduled to go one an hour
into the program, try to sit in the back of the room so that you can stand up occasionally. It is hard
to jump up and be dynamic when you've been relaxed in a chair for hour. (Comedian Robin
Williams is well known for doing "jumping jacks" before going on stage to raise his energy level.)
Sitting in the back also gives you easy access to the bathroom and drinking fountain. There's
nothing worse than being stuck down front and being distracted by urgent bodily sensations.

Learn to Lead your Audience

Most public speaking books will tell you to be a polished speaker you have to tie all your
information together so it flows smoothly. You must lead your audience and alert them that
slightly different, but related information is coming. This is called transition or segue (pronounced
seg-way).

Smooth Transitions are Necessity

Come with me to the amusement park. Look around a little bit and tell me where the excitement
is. Of course, it's over on the roller coaster where transitions are sharp. They are sharp and
exciting even though you can see them coming. The excitement isn't over at the kiddie choo choo
train (notwithstanding, the excitement you might feel watching your little munchkin on there for the
very first time) where turns and motion are mild so the little ones don't get too upset. The
excitement is also at the bumper cars where you can get blind-sided because cars are coming at
you from all directions. The excitement isn't at the baby boat ride where a 2cm wave would flip
your little bundle of joy out of the boat.

OK. when speaking in public I'll admit, some thought should be given to transition, especially with
older, more traditional audiences, and when you have a very high content presentation. But you
don't have to be a trite, snoozer by saying things like, . . . speaking of bananas. I'm now going to
talk about bananas. You could, however, do a segue like that and then make fun of yourself for
doing it by saying something like, Don't you think that transition was really smooth? Transitions
are one of the places where you could plan to use some humor. This works well with technical
audiences because they won't feel you are wasting their time. Since, in their minds, you are
REQUIRED to do a transition anyway, it's OK if it's funny.

Segues aren't important at all for 85 percent or higher humor content presenters or stand-up
comics. You can just speak away and as long as they are laughing, no one much cares about
transitions. If you are not in this category, then you can begin paying a little attention to bridging
the gaps between your points and topics. Just don't be trite and don't think you have to say
something to make the transition.

You can make transitions by changing stage position, pausing, using visual aids, giving out a
handout, picking up a prop or sharply varying the sound you make come out of the public address
system. Do anything that breaks the pattern of what you were doing in the previous segment and
introduces what you plan to do.

For verbal transitions, one-liners, anecdotes, and questions work well. Also, people seem to like
and need recaps, so I am in favor of saying things like, To recap this section . . .

When speaking in public, whatever you do, think in terms of roller coasters and bumper cars so
you keep your audience excited and alert all the time.

Today's audiences have very short attention spans. They are stimulation junkies with limited
interest levels. Their television habits have coined a new term--channel surfing. With the advent
of remote control no one watches anything that stands still enough to bore. Click, switch, fast
forward, record and mute give them power over the medium. Sub-standard content, boring
material or inane commercials are no longer endured. Your audience will forgive you of almost
anything except being boring. This is especially true for association executives.

Since as professional speakers we perform live, this is the same frame of mind we confront when
we stand before our audiences. We are no longer competing with yesterday's general session
speaker--we are now competing with the likes of Jay Leno, David Letterman and MTV.
Developing a presentation that is stimulating, spirited and in motion is a necessity. That is why I
suggest the following tools that will add "zing" to your material and presentation for your next
association meeting.
 Practice:
Key to Confidence and Success
The key to successful public speaking is practice. Practice what it is you want to feel more
confident about and eventually, the confidence will show itself. That makes sense if we're talking
about a skill like playing the piano. With enough practice, you naturally begin to get good at it and
then you feel more confident. But what about tougher things like public speaking or meeting new
people? How do you practice something that you're terrified to do in the first place?

Keep doing it until you get really good at it. It doesn't have to necessarily be your career, but that
would be fun for you if it was. Practice often and with complete joy. Lose yourself in it. That's part
of overcoming self-confidence issues is forgetting to think about you. Swim laps at the pool until
you forget to care how you look. Get lost in something other than analyzing yourself. Fall in love
with some hobby that takes your mind away from what others might think of you. Just keep
practicing something you love until you get really good at it. It's your hobby and your love, so
don't make any judgments over whether or not it's stupid to like doing whatever it is that you like
doing. Just get on with it.

Once you've learned something that well, you can begin stretching beyond your comfort zone and
trying other things like public speaking. Okay so that might not happen right away, but once
you've really mastered something, then you can always remind yourself that you are capable of
success and you are capable of learning something new. Once you know that you can practice
and learn new things, and then the fear of new things isn't nearly so immobilizing. You can step
beyond your fears knowing that with enough practice you can master almost anything you set
your mind to. At that point, you won't actually have a self-esteem problem anymore.

The point is that by playing around with something you love until you are very good at it, you will
gain self-esteem and that is going to make it possible for you to hold your head high and to
bravely step into other more frightening areas of life. Start out by practicing at something you love
until you're good at it, then move on to the other things that don't sound like much fun at all. You'll
really know deep down that there's nothing to be afraid of. It all comes down to whether or not
you believe that you are capable of learning something new. That's all. Self-confident people
reassure themselves when walking into unknown territory by saying, "Well, I'll just have to wing it
until I learn how to do it right. I'm sure I'll figure it out soon enough." That comes from
experiencing the positive effects of having practiced and learned something new. So go learn
something new -- start with something fun.

Many people recommend that you practice in front of a mirror. You may be surprised to if I say
“NO”. The reason is that practicing in front of a mirror will get you used to seeing yourself and
not the people. I recommend that you practice in a room with 3-4 chairs spread out from left to
right. Take the chairs as a person and deliver your speech as though you are speaking to each of
them. Have a video camera to take your entire speech. In that way, you can REALLY see
yourself in action. This is the best way to improve your speech.

Deliver your speech in front of your family members. This is also a good way to “boost” your
confidence and it is a good way to test your speech to see if they understand you or not.

You may have heard Thomas Edison once said, “I didn’t fail a thousand times, I just know a
thousand ways to fail”. You may deliver a speech that is not well-done. It’s OK. Try again. People
applaud to humans who get up from failure. At least you dare to try public speaking while the rest
prefer to die than to speak. ☺

Later in this ebook, you will learn about this organization called Toastmasters. This is an
organization where you can join and practice your public speaking skills. Toastmasters Club has
a group of excellent support group dedicated to help each other to improve their skills.
 Working With Humor

There are basic principles of humor which can enliven your talk. Perhaps the most important one
is to avoid telling generic "funny stories," but rather find and build more humor within the context
of your own stories. Jokes may get a laugh, but a humorous personal story pertinent to your talk
will freshen up your anecdote and will be memorable for your audience. You can build rapport
with your members by telling stories on yourself as they apply to your subject. Come up with an
experience which was embarrassing for you if the point you are making can be tied into an
awkward moment which caught you off guard and is humorous in the retelling. Study your
material, discover a vignette which is relevant to a segment of your speech, insert it as a
humorous example in your talk, and cap it with a punch line - this is the essence of comedy.

Make fun of situations or yourself, but never the audience. Jokes often help a presentation,
but even one bad joke can hurt a presentation beyond repair. Sometimes the less humor used
the more impact it has on the presentation when it is delivered.

When using humor, keep in mind these rules:

• This is a business setting and the jokes must be clean and non-offensive
• Have some connection between the joke and your topic
• The only safe bunt of a joke is the speaker; never alienate the audience with insults

It is also fun to introduce an entertaining "character" to your story. Then, as you present the
anecdote, learn to affect the role of that character on stage by shifting your position, changing
your head movement or facial expression -- amazingly the audience can "see" the story and
appreciate it more. It takes practice - rehearsing in front of a mirror, trying new material out on
friends, and discarding it when the story falls flat. But, when you put comedy into your material
and make your audience laugh, you will keep their attention and add to their enjoyment.

Working With Movement

Make the most of your movement. I appreciate the value of high energy and enthusiasm. Many of
my presentations speeches both strategies. At times however, too much high-energy and
movement can be distracting, actually taking away from your message. Appropriate use of
movement is the key. Simple hand gestures may be all you need to make a point. On the other
hand, sometimes it may take running around the room. Your movement is most effective when it
helps the audience connect to your subject.

Effective role playing and character portrayal depends heavily on the use of "body language". On
the platform it is an essential part of your message and can help you enhance the words you use
to create pictures in the minds of your audiences. First, avoid repetitive use of the same
movements or gestures. It's a difficult exercise, but it's important to practice a variety of
movements and to control the same repeated gestures with your hands. Try practicing a speech
by clasping your hands behind your back to avoid meaningless, repetitive arm and hand
gestures. It will be tough at first to concentrate on your talk without using your hands, but it will
help stop superficial flailing and gesturing. Remember, if you lose track of your gestures, it
doesn't mean your audience will. So learn to use gestures which you have complete control to
avoid using them too often or too broadly.
The same applies to facial expressions and movement of your position on the platform. To
emphasize a shift in your speech content, move to the left or right of the lectern. If you have a
strong point to make, use that moment to take a step or two forward to emphasize that issue.
Movement rehearsal is essential to ensure your gestures are relevant and not superficial or
redundant. It is important not to overdo the same gestures or stand inert before your audience.
Movement keeps your presence fresh. Even with top notch subject matter, superfluous or
repetitive movements can be discordant, just as no gestures can render your presentation boring.

Working With Voice And Speech

Humor and movement strengthen speeches . Your voice and the inflections of your speech are
truly vital. The way you pronounce words can weaken your presentation. An example is saying
"axchually" in place of "actually" or "perfekly" in place of "perfectly."

Use your voice to make your point. Seems obvious, use your voice when you are speaking. Well,
here are some specific tips on HOW to use it: * Speak up! - Nothing takes away from a great
presentation more than having audience members acting like a commercial for Miracle Ear,
'What'd he say!?" Have someone stand in the back of the room and signal if you need to be
louder. * No fillers - similar to foods, the best presentations have no fillers. That is, no 'um's, uh's"
to fill the space between when you think of something and when you actually say it. Silence
between statements allows your audience to process what you said. * Switch it up - to emphasize
a point, speak louder or even speak softer; the change in volume will get the audience's attention.

Even if you have good diction and speak clearly and correctly, you have many natural enemies
on the platform. Noisy air conditioning systems, faulty microphones, banquet staff clattering
dishes, association members whispering and moving in and out of the room, all of these distract
your audience. As an association executive your job is to make the best possible impression on
your members. You need to sound intelligent, powerful, polished, articulate and confident. In
today's competitive market these qualities are not optional, they are essential. A technique for
being more profound is to use short, simple declarative sentences and to cut out useless words.
You can be more articulate if you make a special effort to pronounce the final sound in a word
and use its energy to carry over to the following word. "Pay special attention to the final "t" and
"ng."

Working With Delivery

One of the most exciting elements of presentations I have learned is the art of not using my voice.

Pausing at exactly the right moment in your speech is often more effective than anything you
could do with your voice or body movements.

In short, I always love to apply the power of silence. Many people are darn scared of silence and
go on babbling their speech. In fact, the more they speak, the more they are scared. However,
when you slow down or even pause in silence, you can actually stay more composed.

A symphony orchestra becomes a lot more "listenable" because of the variety of sound--
sometimes soft, sometimes loud, sometimes still. Learn to pause more often. As you know your
material very well, you may have a tendency to talk too fast. Your audience may be hearing your
information for the first time, so it is important to slow down and give them the opportunity to
catch every word.
When you deliver a joke, it is also wise to use pause to let the joke “settle” in the audience minds.

The faster you speak, the more you have to open up your material with pauses. If you do not, you
limit your audience's ability to absorb your stories and ideas. Using pauses and silences to
punctuate your material will draw in your audience. After making a point or delivering a punch
line, accentuate it by standing still and shifting only your eyes. The impact will be much greater.

Another key element to the delivery of a speech is how you use your energy levels. Studies have
proven that the first and last 30 seconds of a presentation make the most impact on the audience.
Don't be afraid to grab your audience. But develop pacing and variety in your delivery energy. If
you come on with a gang-busters opening and then drop to a steady low energy level, your
presentation will seem flat. If you stay high energy for the entire program, you may risk losing
your believability. Adopt variety and pacing in your delivery and your audience will remain alert.
 Learning Good Showmanship
Show business is all about pizzazz, fireworks etc. Regardless of the catchy moniker you attach to
it, it’s about excitement. It’s designed to make the performer look good and the audience feel
good. Above all, it’s the antithesis of boredom. Not only does it make the entertainer more
entertaining, it also makes the viewers more entertained.

This show-business sparkle, though, doesn’t just happen. It’s purposely generated. I learned a
few of the tricks of the performing trade early in my career. As a fledgling comedy writer, I had the
opportunity to watch Sammy Davis Jr. perform his nightclub act in Atlantic City, two shows a night
for two consecutive weeks. Sammy was an extraordinarily natural showman, who was
tremendously at ease on stage.

After each performance I listened to the comments of the patrons as they left the nightclub. The
idea I heard voiced most often was, “Boy, that Sammy Davis is quick. He can really ad-lib.”

And it was true. Sammy Davis could ad-lib. In fact, he would ad-lib the same joke at the same
point in his act, night after night.

That’s showmanship – to have an act so well-written and so well-rehearsed that it appears to

come right off the top of the performer’s head.

“Do you know why the great performers appear so talented ?

It’s because they don’t do anything that makes them appear untalented”

There are many tricks that performers use to add glitter to their shows. Speakers can learn from
these legendary entertainers in order to sneak a little spice into their own presentations. Here are
a few of them:

Impact your audience quickly

You’ve brought some excitement to the presentation with your entrance; now capitalize on it.
Deliver to your listeners, as quickly as you can, what your electrifying entrance has promised.

Right at the start, let them know that they’re going to want to hear what you have to say. I saw a
friend of mine who brought a bouquet of flowers on the stage and he acknowledged our applause
and delivered his speech with the flowers in his hand. This keeps us in suspense but in the end
he used the flowers to illustrate his point of “Try not to hold on to things that is in your hand”. It’s
brilliant.

You can impact your audience with suspense, comedy, a shout (yes, it works too) or even
silence. Use it well in your speech and you will impact and impress them.

David Letterman recently entertained some of the troops serving in Iraq. He got their attention
immediately with this opening line: “Is there anyone here from out of town?”
Keep your Audience Fresh
Performers know that pacing is an important part of the act. When is the right time for a ballad;
when is an up-tempo tune needed? Audiences tire, they get bored, and they get distracted. It’s
the performer’s job to keep them interested and intrigued. It’s the entertainer who must keep them
entertained. It’s also the speaker who must keep them listening.

Every person stayed to hear those last few gags. They responded with more enthusiasm. Hope
had revitalized them with a show-business gimmick.

As a speaker, you too can find ways to refresh the audience. Use stories, dialogs, jokes,
questions and even audience participation to give variety to your speech.

Sometimes an amusing anecdote will revitalize an audience. Perhaps a story that’s told as if it’s a
departure from the presentation will intrigue the listeners. Anything that changes the pattern or
tempo can refocus the listeners.

Prepare A Library Of Ad-libs

Ad-libs are spontaneous words, applied in situations where you do not expect. I recommend that
you run through your speech and identify possible situations that will happen and prepare words
to counter those situations.

For example, I prepare an ad-lib in an event where my joke falls flat. When I deliver a joke and no
one laughs, I will say “Thank you for the silent laughter”. It will bring out a laugh and it gets you
out of the situation.
 About Toastmasters International
Toastmasters International is a non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors elected
by the membership. The first Toastmasters club was established on October 22, 1924, in Santa
Ana, California, by Dr. Ralph C. Smedley, who conceived and developed the idea of helping
others to speak more effectively. More clubs were formed, and Toastmasters International was
incorporated under California law on December 19, 1932.

Toastmasters International's business and services are administered by its World Headquarters,
located in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. It employs no paid promoters or instructors. It has
no salaried staff except the Executive Director and World Headquarters staff, who provide
services to the clubs and Districts.

Toastmasters and Leadership

Leadership cannot be learned in a day. It takes practice. In Toastmasters members build
leadership skills by organizing and conducting meetings and motivating others to help them. Club
leadership roles and a leadership development program also offer opportunities to learn and
practice. Just as Toastmasters members learn to speak simply by speaking, they learn leadership
by leading.

Company Benefits
A company's success also depends on communication. Employees face an endless exchange of
ideas, messages, and information as they deal with one another and with customers day after
day. How well they communicate can determine whether a company quickly grows into an
industry leader or joins thousands of other businesses mired in mediocrity.

Toastmasters produces results. Around the world more than three million men and women of all
ages and occupations have benefited from Toastmasters training, and more than one thousand
corporations, community groups, universities, associations, and government agencies now use
Toastmasters training.

Community Benefits
Toastmasters has helped many members in their community service activities. Using the
speaking and leadership skills developed in Toastmasters, people have become more active in
business, churches, and service and charity organizations. Toastmasters members are able to
organize activities, conduct meetings, and speak in public as their organization's representative.
Some even become active in local, state or national government.

You can find out more information about Toastmaster in this website: http://www.toastmasters.org

Visit the website, look around what they have to offer. Go to this link called “Find a club” and in
this page you will be able to make a search for a toastmasters club that is near your home. Trust
me, there are most than 10,000 toastmasters club in over 90 countries and you should find one.