Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Your Own Sermon Research Team
Have you ever wished you had an assistant to help you to do research for your sermons, Bible studies, and other talks that you prepare? Have you ever thought to yourself, "If I was pastoring a megachurch, I'd have a full-time assistant to help me find illustrations, statistics, and other helpful material...then I wouldn't get so overwhelmed with all this work I have to do?"
The good news is, that whether you are pastoring a church of 10 or 10,000, you can get the help that you need. If you are willing to lay a little groundwork, and plan your preaching and teaching ahead of time, all the assistance you need is sitting out in your auditorium on Sunday morning.
Here's what you need to do:
1) Announce that you are looking for three or four people who are interested in doing research (especially online). Or you can handpick people who you think would do a good job.
2) Meet with this group of people once every couple of months and give them the topics you will be preaching and teaching on for the next eight weeks or so, along with the Biblical references you will base those talks on. Of course, give them at least a two-week lead.
3) Ask them to search for any material that would help you to illustrate the upcoming messages that you have provided topics/texts for. Ask them to search for interesting stories, fresh statistics, jokes, etc... and to e-mail those to you at least a week prior to your message.
You will be absolutely amazed at the amount of material that you will have at your disposal if you choose the right people to help you with this. And they will be very, very glad to know that they were able to assist you. The first time they hear you use a story that they sent you, you will be able to see the satisfaction on their face.
A couple of things you must remember:
1) You need to remind your research team that you will not be able to use all the material they send you. Let them know that you are going to file any material you can't use and hopefully be able to use it at a later time.
2) Constantly thank them and let them know how much you appreciate the great work they are doing for you. And believe me, once you put this system in place, you will be truly grateful!
Oh, one more thing...once you've tried this out for awhile, drop me a line and let me know how it's going. Or better yet, post a comment on this blog to let everyone else know how helpful this practical suggestion has been to your work of ministry.
In Christ,
Barry
Dr. Barry L. Davis -- The Pastor's Helper -- http://www.pastorshelper.com
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertView the Original article
Break Free From the Fear of Public Speaking
Right up there with death and heights, public speaking is a fear that too many people let affect their lives.
Now, you might not have to make a speech to a room of 100 people, but if you have your own business, then you are probably going to have to make cold calling a part of your marketing strategy. Cold calling, much like public speaking, evokes a sense of dread in many people, but it doesn't have to be this way.
This fear of speaking to a stranger is present in a lot of people because of the scrutiny that they might face. But cold calling doesn't have to be torture and if used in an effective manner, it can generate a larger customer base for your business.
Remember that if you want to be a success, you can't wait for customers to come to you - you have to go after the customers on your own accord.
It can be a huge benefit to you and your business because, as opposed to the impersonal approach with direct mail, this is a type of marketing that forms relationships. It's a way to get personal with your potential customers and to allow them to associate your business with a person - you.
There are a lot of businesses out there, so you need a way to separate yours from the competition. Cold calling can be a great way to do that.
The first step to achieving effective cold calling is to get over your fears of speaking to new people. You need to develop confidence in yourself and what your business has to offer. The best way to do this is to become comfortable with the calls you will be making. Ask a friend to help you practice, so as to get you used to making your pitch to others.
It also helps to be as knowledgeable as possible about your business and what the customer would want from it. Make sure that you can answer every possible question they will throw at you. Before you start making calls, play the role of the customer and think about what you might ask and what you would want to hear.
If you're calling a company, then do your research on it beforehand and find out all you can about the type of business it conducts. Knowledge is power.
Be prepared for your call. You don't have to read a prepared script line for line, but do make sure that you have organized your thoughts in a detailed and efficient manner. Write all these points down so you have them for reference. Also, practice what you will say before you make your first call. Become comfortable with what you're saying.
For a minimal price, you can purchase a voice recorder to use as a means of improving your lines. Sometimes it can really help to hear yourself speak out loud.
Take the time to find out the right person to speak to. You don't want to waste your entire pitch on someone who isn't in charge of decision making at his/her company.
When you have the right person on the phone be confident, but not arrogant - be persistent, but also be courteous and friendly. Let them know how your business can benefit them and that you would like to meet with them to discuss it in more detail.
More so than anything, practice what you plan on saying before you call. The confidence you exude in your speech and your knowledge of both their business and yours will speak volumes.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertView the Original article
Friday, July 23, 2010
Putting Behind You the Fear of Public Speaking
If you are reading this article then it is very likely you familiar with the fear of public speaking: "The day has come!, you were not sleeping well last night and your appetite was quite bad in the last few days (for some of us the opposite is true means - eating compulsively). You still didn't even started your day and already feel sweat in your hands. You smell your own anxiety - a speaking anxiety.
In days like this, you have the feeling that your whole body will betray you. Even your legs are affected. You suddenly become consciousness aware of your stiff steps like you are going to stumbling in the next step... But you are not. Some how you manage to control you gestures, and give a fake smile to the people around like saying "I am feeling great today, and how are you?" Sure.....you pretending liar!
You sit in the auditorium (or classroom, or office's meeting room) and wait for your turn. You even try to listen to others presentation, and you actually hear other's words, and can nod with your head if you agree with them, but nothing of their ideas actually get into your head. You are now locked in the black hole gravity of your public speaking anxiety.
The moment has come. Your stomach ache, and you become fully aware of cold sweat warped upper body. Luckily, our body has an extra power supply raised upon emergency situations, and this is the only thing that currently hold you on your legs when standing in front of your audience. Your throat is getting dry, and it looks to you like you forgot anything you planned to say. You audience is not really notice that (unless for extreme situations) but inside, you feel like an idiot that can't control its intellect and confidence. You are now deep in the realm of self blaming.
Actually, you success quite well and do say what you planned to say, but you can't play with your ideas and make it live and interesting. Sense of time was gone and your autopilot mind brought you to the end of your presentation. You can relax a little bit and answer some questions. After all, free discussion is what you like, not psychological horror movie where you play the main character.....
The truth is that many individuals suffer the same problem as you do and has the fear of public speaking. The funny thing is that while we actually not alone in this, when it happen we are closed in our own bubble.
The good news are that holistic approach is standing now to our help. Years of experience in the fields of brain neurology, psychological treatment, imaginary exposure and relaxation techniques, has led to holistic programs that can help us get out of this fear of public speaking and train us to productivity when speaking in front of other people.
In our modern world many has decided to stay hidden behind network address and forgot the virtue of public speaking. Whether you need it for your job, your career or the most important, self esteem, you now have the choice to overcome the fear of public speaking.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertTry Some Public Speaking Exercises For Practice
You'll get the most out of these exercises if you practice them often, and make a real effort even if they seem trivial. Getting better at even the smallest aspect of public speaking can really give your presentations more impact.
Introduce Someone Else
By putting together a very short "speech" that introduces another speaker, you can repeatedly practice your skills without having to put together a long presentation. Getting comfortable to say a few words about someone else is a good start.
Put a Speech Together Bit By Bit
Practice writing and speaking the individual parts of a speech. Write some openings. Write some closings. Write about one major point. Write a rebuttal of one part of an opponent's argument. Get used to building the different parts of a speech and delivering them.
Read a Famous Speech
You don't need to practice with your own words. Choose an inspiring speech and read it as though it were yours. Not having to worry about the words means you can concentrate on your delivery. This is one exercise that has been around for centuries, as many classical orators used to practice with other people's speeches.
Introduce Yourself
Talking about yourself should be easy since it's a topic you know well. Put together a short presentation about yourself, to introduce you to a group. You could even try this one without any notes. Another variation of this exercise is to promote your business, if you have one.
Using Motivational Quotes
Again, use another person's words to help you put a speech together for practice. Put together a short speech filled with inspirational quotes and comments, and you'll find it a breeze to present.
Tell Some Jokes
Get some of your favorite jokes together, and give a presentation intended to make everyone laugh. Obviously, it's not a serious exercise on a formal topic but just a chance to see how easy it is to lighten the mood when giving a speech. All presentations can use a joke or two.
Brian Clough is the editor of No-Fear-Public-Speaking.com, the complete guide to overcoming fear about public speaking. Get more free public speaking lessons by signing up at his site.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertPublic Speaking and How to Excel in It
Public Speaking is an art, one needs to master it. Public speaking is not, that anything that comes out of your mouth. The great public speaker is one who attracts the public attention throughout his speech. The speaker should be clear with his ideas and should be tactful. To be an effective speaker you should follow these steps
Preparation and Presentation:
Proper preparation and presentation is the key. Mastering the subject is very important. You should have clear ideas and information so that you can deliver the speech frankly and enthusiastically. If you have subject knowledge completely you can speak with confidence.
Know your audience:
A public speaker, must know the target audience and try to match your ideas to their needs. Do homework before making a speech. Put everything in a logical order. Make sure that your speech should be understandable by your audience and give them full satisfaction. They should not feel uncomfortable so make your subject interesting and informative. Try to be calm and comfortable in front of your audience.
When you are about to deliver a speech you will be like an actor.All eyes will be on you so, you become the center of attraction and attention. Your body language will be watched keenly. Hence your Body language and your content should go hand in hand.There should not be an mismatch.
How do you perceive your audience is important? Always seek friendly, enthusiastic, confident, proud but not arrogant. Put your hand on your nerves and relax. Speak clearly and effectively show the emotion and feeling appropriate to your topic. Establish relationship with audience.
At the end of your speech ask your audiences to give their observations, which will widely help you to improve public speaking skills.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertMotivational Guest Speakers - Why Are They Beneficial For Your Employees?
Every adult needs a helping hand from time to time. A little extra support and motivation can go a long way. Companies are acknowledging the benefits of a motivational speaker and hiring them for business meetings, company events, and training is becoming very common. Motivational guest speakers are in high demand by companies due to their ability to inspire employees to improve work habits, skills, and demeanor in the work place. An effective speaker can get a rise out of employees and encourage them to work harder to achieve company goals. Keynote speakers can help companies tackle tough challenges such as increasing productivity and promote good work ethics. Tough projects, long hours, and too much work are all overwhelming for employees. This can bring them down and cause them to give up. Employing a motivational speaker for your next big meeting or gathering can change attitudes and get employees on the right track again.
Changes in company structure and policies are often met with resistance. Putting together a company meeting with an influential speaker can change the mindset of managers and employees. With the right speaker, everyone will be more willing to accept the changes and work together. Other common uses for motivational guest speakers include encouraging team work, increased sales, training seminars, and employee appreciation events. Inspiring speakers are not only good for business but also work great for college students, younger children, rehabilitation centers, and entrepreneur start up companies. Colleges use these speakers to motivate students during high stress periods such as mid-terms and final exams. They can captivate any audience and get the results you are looking for.
A motivational presentation is one of the best ways to uplift employees, students, and other groups to achieve goals and work together. A common problem in the workplace and schools is inability to work as a team. Everyone is more worried about what they are doing and how it looks to teachers and employers. Use these types of speakers to provide a positive influence employees or members of your organization. They can give people the extra little push they need to succeed in the tasks they have been assigned.
Many speakers are well known for their ability to convey an overall message to an audience. Motivational speakers are effective keynote speakers that provide many benefits to employees.
For more information, visit FiveStarSpeakers.com.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertValuable Tips For Selecting Motivational Public Speakers
Everyone has had a bad experience when going to a conference or some other type of speaking event. You get excited about a particular keynote speaker only to find that they are not as knowledgeable as thought or do not provide a high quality presentation. Clothing may seem like a little thing, but it is not. The last thing you want is the audience to show up better dressed than your keynote speaker. This will automatically generate a bad opinion and make the speaker less credible. They should dress and look professional if that is the manner of the presentation. If you are not interviewing motivational public speakers in person, discuss this topic with them to ensure they know how formal your event will be. How a person looks can actually make more of an impression than what they say in today's society. With the right appearance, an audience will be more inclined to believe and listen to the motivational public speakers you have selected.
Discuss the method of delivery with each speaker as you interview as well. Some speakers prefer to use a clip microphone and improper use can be very distracting. A speaker that looks down often will end up yelling in the microphone or breathing heavily. Additional noises can be heard much easier and will distract the audience. If you are concerned that this type of microphone may reduce their ability to hold the audiences attention, discuss the possibility of using another type of microphone during the presentation.
How motivational speakers carry themselves during the interview shows how professional they will be during their speech. Discuss the audience demographic with them including ethnicity, sex, and age. This will better inform them so they can choose only appropriate jokes and comments for the audience. Knowing the audience demographics will help their speech material be more appealing. A professional speaker should be able to discuss their style and experience with the specified demographics during the interview and give you an idea of how effective they will be. You may also view previous presentations to ensure that a speaker does not use yelling as motivation, pace the stage, or strictly speaks from behind the podium. These are all very ineffective and distracting. Speakers with these qualities need to be skipped to ensure an events success.
Many people forget about all the specifics when selecting motivational speakers. When selecting a keynote speaker, consider their general appearance and demeanor during presentations.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertHow to Reduce Filler Words
What does that mean? We are all human and tend to say an occasional uh, or um. However, more than two in two minutes will make you sound less professional and less qualified than you really are.
It was just me. After the panel discussion I turned and asked the people sitting with me if they noticed the excessive use of the word "um." They responded, "notice?" I couldn't concentrate on a word she said. All I heard was "um."
When interviewing, it is critical that you sound confident and professional. You may be asked questions that you are not prepared to answer. Don't fill your answer with excessive "um's" or even worse, be careful of "like" and "you know." These speech patterns may stand in between you and the job.
When people use these little words excessively it makes them sound unsure or insecure about the subject matter. Corporate Speech Solutions uses a barometer of two filler words in two minutes. Greater than that is excessive. The overused word can be "uh, um, like, you know, basically, so, and, even the word and!" If used as a space keeper while you are thinking and, if the word is used greater than two times in two minutes, it is considered a filler word. Don't let this happen to you.
The key to reducing filler words is a relatively easy, four step process. Like anything, it takes practice.
1. Increase your awareness by listening to yourself on tape during a telephone conversation and count the use of uh, um, like or you know. Remember, if greater than two in two minutes you need to work on modifying the habit.
2. Do you notice a pattern? I have noticed with many of my clients they habitually start sentences with "um." Others may use the word "and" as a connector instead of using a period. Still others have a tendency to add "you know?" at the end of a sentence for confirmation to what was said. The important point is to recognize your own personal pattern.
3. Now comes the work. Try to anticipate when you are going to say the word. Once you are aware of your pattern you will notice when you are about to say the overused word.
4. This is your cue to pause. We call it "strategic pausing." Strategic pausing will give you the time to think of what you want to say, say it and move on without inserting the filler word. Strategic pausing does not just give you time to think, it gives impact to your message. Resist the urge to fill the time with a "filler" word and you will automatically sound more impressive.
Practice these techniques every day until the filler words are no longer a part of your working vocabulary. Remember not to use the filler words when leaving voice mail messages. Notice other people using filler words excessively. Does it sound professional? Filler words can dilute the message and make you sound timid. Learning to eliminate your filler words will have a significant impact on your speech and you will automatically sound more professional. This technique works! You will sound more professional in the meeting, on the telephone and especially during an interview.
Still concerned about this problem visit us at http://www.corporatespeechsolutions.com to learn more about our training.
Jayne Latz M.A., CCC-SLP, is President of Corporate Speech Solutions and is a licensed Speech Language Pathologist with over twenty years of experience. She remains active as a consultant for the business community and maintains an affiliation at New York University as well as a consulting Speech -Language Pathologist to Hunter and Brooklyn College. Her professional speech background provides her with the unique skills to aid both individuals and groups in improving their corporate communication skills.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertMotivational Leadership Speakers Point Your Managers in the Right Direction
A great leader is someone who recognizes every employee's strengths and weaknesses. They know how effectively deal with situations and resolve conflicts. Most importantly, they themselves provide motivation to their group. Recognizing conflicts, handling difficult employees, and providing extra incentive every once in a while are all every day responsibilities of leaders. Knowing how to perform these duties the right way is what makes a top notch leader. Motivational leadership speakers can help your leaders with these duties and result in well motivated and lead teams.
Choosing an effective keynote speaker will ensure the company's conference or training seminar is successful. These speakers are the main focus at any event and will provide the most information to company leaders. It is helpful if they have experience and knowledge in leadership training and skills. Remember that the keynote speaker sets the overall tone of the event and relays the most important part of the message. Other speakers will often be needed to cover various leadership topics throughout the event as well. Before choosing your speakers, sit down and determine what the goal and message of your leadership event are. Then decide what topics should be discussed. Choose a main theme or message for the event and select a specific speaker for that message that will be entertaining while stressing its importance. Then list the supporting topics and find speakers that excel in those areas. By doing this, you are making certain that only pertinent and reliable information will be relayed to your leaders.
The selection of speakers for your event is vital and choosing speakers that do not fit the topics can cause the entire purpose to be lost. Ineffective business speakers may lose the audience and leave them baffled with bad information. You want a speaker that will uphold your company values and go over helpful tips that will improve leader's abilities and skills. After determining the goal of your event and the information to be conveyed, take some time researching speakers. There are many speakers available and it can be hard to know if you are choosing the right one. Important considerations for selection include knowledge of the topic, their past leadership experience, and reviews from previous presentations. This information will help you determine which speakers will provide a successful and positive outcome.
Business speakers are the better choice for discussions on leadership. A qualified keynote speaker can help your leaders learn how to properly motivate employees and deal with situations.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertHow to Get Over the Fear of Public Speaking
First of all, you need to know your material well. You need to know it so well that you could get away with not having any notes at all. This will give you confidence especially if you would have otherwise blanked out and got nervous.
Have a passion for the topic that you are speaking about. Many times when not caring about what you are saying, it's very easy to become overly concerned about what others are thinking about. When you really want to present the material, these other thoughts become less important.
Get rid of nervous ticks that you have. These are little things that you do when you are nervous and have anxiety. It might be swaying or an inflection in your voice. These things are distracting to others while you speak with them. If gone, you won't have to worry about these so much.
In other parts of your life you need to let go of having to impress people. Don't worry so much about what others think of you. Much of the anxiety that you have from public speaking has to do with this concept alone. If you care less about what others think, you will do a better job speaking as you won't be distracted by this so much
You need to just do more public speaking in order for the fear to start to go away. It doesn't sound like helpful advice, but it's very true. If you do this more and more, the anxiety and fear lessens and you will do a better job at it.
Herb likes to improve his speaking skills. Please check out his website that contains car seat tray information as well as kids car seat information.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertHaving Great Presentation Skills Are Essential in Today's World
There are several instances in our life when we need to make a presentation. Nobody is exempted. It started when we were kids and we are asked to make a school presentation and it goes all the way until we become employees or owners of our own businesses. Thus, it is our choice on whether we want to make a great presentation or not. The only way by which we can do that is to develop presentation skills.
Nobody is born with presentation skills. Everybody has to learn how to make a presentation. It gets easier with time and with practice you will be able to eventually get the hang of it. Do not get disheartened especially if you do it for the first time and you do not get the response that you wanted to have. Being able to engage the audience requires practice. In fact, this one takes the longest to learn.
The first thing that you should be concerned with is your fear. Calm your fear by engaging your audience. You can engage them through a show of hands or a verbal cue. You can ask them a question. Make your presentation an interactive one. Build rapport because this will help you make an impact. Just make sure that you know the ins and outs of the topic that you are going to present on because you should be able to answer the questions competently. Do not forget to look confident. You need to look like you know what you are talking about so your audience will take you seriously.
Cheryl Forbes writes about presentation skills at her website publicspeakingnow.com.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertThursday, July 22, 2010
Top 5 Tips For Public Speaking to Promote Your Business
People face lots of different challenges across the world nowadays in getting the business messages out into their markets. Some things are easier than others to address. Take public speaking to promote your business for example. Tens of thousands of individuals have trouble with that challenge, and end up with mixed results. Now how are you able to attain the best results, and do better than your competitors?
The correct answer is by using superior knowledge. I have always found that doing almost anything becomes easy for folks who know the way. To obtain good results with public speaking to promote your business, you just need to learn more about how exactly to target, wite, and successfully present your speech.
Read more to improve your speaking know-how.
Listed below are 5 effective tips for public speaking to promote your business through public speaking:
1. Prospects are way more certain to engage your services if they have seen you talk, so tell them about your business during an entertaining speech at a local event.
Let us take a look at the following example. Say you were trying to find a financial advisor. Would you be more inclined to trust somebody you had found in the Thomsom Local Directory, or somebody you had heard talk knowledgeably at the local Business Round Table Group? This is a very wise thing to do because it will build exactly the sort of trust with your audience that any business needs in order to do good business. When you follow these suggestions, you should see you sales and commissions grow.
2. Look into prospects in your neighborhood where you can offer to communicate for nothing.
Professional institutions, net-working groups, local business clubs, research bodies and Clubs of Rotarians are all potential public presenting places. They regularly seek out speakers for their events, symposia and working groups. That is very important because the quality of these events is important, and by choosing wisely you will associate your business with the local leaders of business opinion and start to become part of their network. As well as because you will also be likely to enjoy meeting these people, who will quite likely also give you additional ideas for further developing your company.
3. Also find out about the attendees that will be at your talk. For instance, what industries are they sure to represent? Are they from little or big firms?
What would interest them? What angle should your show take? When it comes to finishing your speech subject, be certain to make it sound alluring and engaging. The main reason for this is that folk regularly judge whether to go to a talk based mostly on just the title so put some major thought into this. Practice is important to coming across in a professional way and reducing nerves. Write your speech out in total but never read it word for word. It's also a great idea because focussing on the title will also help you keep on track and not go off at a tangent during production of the speech..
4. Practice your talk before the day, and have an outline prepared and available for reference during the presentation. Establish in advance with the event organizer how long you've got for your talk. Include timing in your practice run-throughs. This is highly recommended as over-running on time, is both impolite and may also have a negative effect on how you are viewed by your audience.
5. Decide on your talk contents by thinking about what would interest them. What angle should your show take? And this is very important to show your overall competence at a task, and understanding of their needs and interests. An additional reason is that if you talk about a subject which creates no interest in your audience you probably have not understood them well enough to sell to them either.
If you follow these 5 tips carefully you are very likely to have very satisfactory results with public speaking to promote your business. You will probably have great results and all of the advantages, joys and good things that these good results will bring with them. Should you ignore these 5 tips, get ready for much worse results and concurrently lower benefits.
Realize methods to make a great wedding speech by going to this speeches for weddings website at speechesforweddingsreview.com/5-steps-to-producing-a-wedding-speech.html.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertSecrets of Successful Best Man Toasts
Have you ever witnessed those disastrous best man toasts where the person rambles on and on with really no point to it? Almost everyone who has ever attended a number of weddings has seen this happen. Lets face it, no one wants to feel uncomfortable or out of their depth when performing the best man speech, but for some reason many do find their selves in this unfortunate situation. With this in mind, here are a few useful and beneficial key points that the best man must learn before getting up in front of the guests to give his speech.
Plan ahead of time.
Planning ahead of time is one of the most important things to giving a best mans wedding speech. Sit down and write some ideas of what type of events or stories are to be highlighted in the speech. It is a good idea to start this part of the planning a few weeks ahead of time, that way one can relax and think about key points in the speech without having to stress or worry about a time frame. This also prevents having the babble syndrome and just talking endlessly with no real idea of where it is leading.
Practice the speech ahead of time.
Although the day of the event will be different than practicing the speech in front of a friend or a full length mirror, going through the whole speech ahead of time will give you an idea of the timing, how fast to talk and other important factors. Yes, practicing your best man toasts and the speech well before the big day will without doubt give you a big advantage.
Be yourself.
If the best man isn't normally a stand up comic around friends and family, then the best man speech shouldn't have one-line jokes every other sentence. It just simply isn't a reflective nature of who is giving the speech. That doesn't mean that it has to be a formal speech, it just has to be representative of who is giving the speech. If you aren't a funny guy then funny isn't going to come across well in the speech.
Roll with the punches.
Sometimes things don't go as planned. Even the best-laid plans can go crazy. If someone yells something out in the middle of the speech or you remember something half way through that you want to say, then just go for it. Don't get stressed out if something odd comes up in the middle of the speech instead, just run with it and make the best of it.
Keeping these tips in mind can make all the difference and allow the speaker to present quality best man toasts and speeches. A good speech leads to a memorable part of the wedding day that many people will remember for years to come.
You have the great honor of being the best man so the least you can do is learn how to write and perform the best man toasts and speech. You only get one chance to give the speech of your life in front of all those wedding guests so make sure you plan it to the best of your ability.
John Reece is the owner of http://www.BestManToastsSpeeches.com. It is an excellent resource for best man tips and advice. If you need to create the perfect best man toasts and speech then click on Best Man Toasts for more information.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertHow to Create a Stunning Elevator Speech in 3 Easy Steps
Everyone has certain subjects for which they have special interests. Maybe you would like to know more about how to create stunning elevator speech. Many types of other people have a similar interest. You can find tons of information on this topic. This article is intended to assist you further whatever interest you've got in developing stunning elevator speech. Continue reading to discover how in 3 easy steps.
Step one is to know clearly, the most attractive, useful, and interesting things about your business or service. You actually need to do this because you want to vividly express the best aspects of your business. You must avoid giving too much information and making the description too long.
Pay special attention to the amount of time it takes to deliver. This is really important because if it's not done with brevity for whatever reason, then you may run out of time or confuse a person with information overload.
The next step is to write out no less than 5 different versions. What you should avoid here is the tendency to over think simplicity and waste a lot of time. And you also will need to avoid making your pitch sounds like a radio/television plug.
The third step will be get a stopwatch or use the secondhand on a clock and practice, practice, practice. This is very important because you'll want your elevator speech to be within 15-45 seconds max. What's essential to avoid here is ending it as a statement and not a question. After making your intriguing speech, you'll want to end with a question that could begin a conversation or find out what the person you are talking to is thinking.
Go through the exact steps outlined above and you should have little or no difficulties with how you can create a stunning elevator speech rapidly and well, without difficulty. Just keep to the steps in order, for the reasons as explained, while carefully avoiding the traps, problems and potential mistakes mentioned. Then pat yourself on the back! And enjoy the benefits and rewards of having your stunning elevator speech which you earned by your own personal efforts!
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Knowing the Source Of Your Public Speaking Fears and How To Combat It Once And For All!
Anyone who tells you that the ability to give an amazing speech won't change your life... just doesn't know better.
The problem is that most people don't realize that they can actually conquer their fear and get the confidence they need to make amazing, emotional and powerful speeches. Most people have no idea for example that one of the ways to overcome this problem is by using of hypnosis.
There is an old debate in psychology about the "source" of fear and anxiety. Usually the term "fear" is related with a feeling or sensation that can directly be related to some external-source, while the term anxiety refer to the feeling of stress that caches us without the appearance external-source. That is why anxiety was claimed by many psychologist to be irrational.
This is a debate as I say, and many does not agree with the claim that some behavior may occur without a source, that can empirically be revealed. However we will not get deep into this debate.
The fear of public speaking in this term is more tend toward definition of anxiety. Therefore you may also encounter the term "Speaking anxiety" in your searches for this topic.
Well, I heard some story about some office in, some big city in the world, I will tell you where, that used to electrify by hidden electrodes, those over motivate workers that insist to give a presentation, so they become terrified and developed fear of public speaking. This is of course an extreme case that does not reflect the common cases we are talking about here.
Just kidding...
To those of you that label the term "irrational" as something negative and unwanted - please don't. Despite the fact that humanity know to do things like Genetic engineering and sending spaceships to the moon, many of the facts about our psychic life can't be reduce to the rationality of science. An holistic approach in psychology that give place for both rational and irrational is therefore more balanced and as result has better chances for leveraging humanity science.
An interesting aspect of irrational fear - or anxiety, is that it can be overcome by suggestion. It may sound to you little bit ridicules if you haven't thought about it before, but after hearing what I say give it another chance.
You will discover the new matrix of yourself and others. OK then... imagine that your behavior is controlled by kind of internal "program" that generate the same OUTPUT (the symptom - fear of public speaking in this case) when the some present conditions match some primordial condition. In this term some parts of our behavior can be explained in terms similar to hypnotic suggestion. Have you watch a show that someone is hypnotized and then it is instructed to do something for example cry like baby, and he react to that instruction. This is what I am talking about, but much primordial and an integral part of our overall behavior!
Now you may think that I am a loco because what I just actually told you is that you are a kind of puppet operated by some internal, unknown program. Well, my explanation of course is an over simplification, but if you go and check the roots of psychological treatments, up to concurrent and modern approaches, you will find that many approaches are based upon this underlie undercover program that is very frequently also call - unconscious.
You probably heard about therapies that uses the "free association", or analysis of dreams or "slip of the tongue". These are all, in terms of those therapies, an external expression of our "internal program" that make us react on some situation as we were hypnotized. Techniques are different from each other but the very basic assumption of their all is the ability to change the "underlie program" of our external behavior, using some kind of suggestion, or using some kind of a unconscious-mapping technique, to map those external expressions of the unconscious, bring them to conscious (telling them in the session), expose more and more of this internal network of words ideas and concepts,
What If You Could Beat Your Fear Of Public Speaking Once And For All?
Public speaking is the BIGGEST fear in the world! People have actually claimed that they are more afraid of speaking in public than they are of dying!
The fear of speaking in front of a crowd is a VERY common one. Most of the "master" speakers didn't start off that way. Great public speakers had fears of their own to overcome and many of them did it through hypnosis.
Speaking anxiety is not something that you can overcome only by reading eBooks. It requires active practice and hypnosis is considered as one of the most promising methods for achieving great results.
If you serious about solving your fear of public speaking you better ask your self some guiding questions before proceeding:
Wouldn't you like to eliminate the anxiety, worry and panic that accompanies public speaking? Are you serious about overcoming your fear of public speaking and change your life for the better? Because if you are not, hypnosis will not help, and you better turn back to eBooks that at least give you some calming rationalization. Wouldn't you like to define public speaking in a way that will allow you to get a handle on your fears?It means that some basic intention for changing your position toward this fear is required. Wouldn't you like to become a powerful and effective public speaker in the fastest time possible? Indeed we all search for solution, but without strong power to make a change, it may not work as expected. Wouldn't you like to create strategies that will give you the means to create an effective oral presentation? Just thinks of the benefits of this. Wouldn't you like to achieve the confidence and stage presence you need to speak before a roomful of people, a small crowd or even a convention room of thousands? It means, are you planing to make a small step ahead or BIG one?
I bet that if you are reading this article, your answer for most of these questions is lets call it positive! meaning you are willing to make a significant change in your life.
Anyone who tells you that the ability to give an amazing speech won't change your life... just doesn't know better.
Just imagine what can you achieve by solving public speaking anxiety...
...walking into the next meeting and surprising everyone by giving the best presentation of your life!
...acquiring the ability for making more sales, getting more attention and finally receiving that promotion you deserve!
...being able to deliver a speech with power and force... play freely with ideas while presenting and most important, do it without fear!
....Imagine that your confidence is going to grow and how much others will respect you and look up to you!
....Imagine of becoming the best speaker in your company and business!
Overcoming the fear of public speaking, like any other psychological stress or phobia, does not happen instantly. It requires practice and dedication to the process, and hypnosis is one of the approaches for solving that problem.
Some people report that after using hypnosis for solving their fear, they not only been able to speak better with people in public but also stepping out and speaking at functions associated with anxiety and helping other people get over their fears. That certainly a 180 percent turn in some person's life. Check my fear of public speaking.
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Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertThe Microsoft PowerPoint Training You Never Got
What is the worst presentation you have ever been to? If you are like me, it was probably when a misguided presenter turned off the lights and plastered a projection screen with dull, boring Microsoft PowerPoint slides. Was that move supposed to engage me or put me to sleep? Sometimes, I wonder why someone would get in front of a group of people to deliver information in that way. Are they aware of the impact of their choice? Do they know there is a better way of presenting information, even if they still choose to use PowerPoint? What I worry about most though is whether you might also be completely disengaging from people when you are in front of them, without even knowing it!
Many presenters, even highly-trained ones, use Microsoft PowerPoint as a shortcut to building a rigorous presentation. When they post their notes on the slide sloppily, pack slides with dense and unimportant information, or clash colors and patterns, they lose the precious attention of the audience. Here is what is even worse: some presenters use PowerPoint as a way to hide from the front of the room! How can they do that? Simple - they basically let the slide deck do the talking for them instead of using the PowerPoint as a supplement to their work. If this were not enough reason for Microsoft PowerPoint training, there is an even bigger presentation no-no.
Why do people make presentations? Contrary to popular belief, very few (if any) presentations are really put together solely to deliver information. The most effective presentation skills you can develop involve motivating people into action, not teaching them something new. All the learning in the world will make no difference if the audience does not take action in some way to forward a project or a conversation. Although sharing information is a valuable part of the decision-making process, your Microsoft PowerPoint presentation would be missing something if there were no call to action.
As a certified professional business coach for The Round Well Coaching and Business Development, Tmima empowers small business owners to plan and act on successful business development strategies with grace and ease, so they make more money and free their time and energy to do what they really want. She invites you to get more Microsoft PowerPoint training recommendations at The Round Well.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertAttention Speakers Seeking the Christian Market
I'm so grateful that a speaker contacted me yesterday to make an inquiry about speaking in the Christian market. For those of you who are passionate about Christianity and becoming a celebrated speaker in the field, there's much to learn before you have the right to get paid for it.
I have good and bad news for you. First, the good news.
There is good money to be made in the Christian market. You know that, but it hasn't been your experience because you've been speaking for free at your own church, someone else's and haven't really figured out yet how to monetize those presentations. But you're determined to make it work.
Christian Speakers Bureaus are quick to tell you that you need to have the credibility and experience before they will represent you. That means a significant list of churches that have hired you in the past, well-written copy on your website, social media and a good following.
Remember, bureaus want speakers that already have established excellence! And why not? They are paid a percentage of your speaking fee. Why would they spend their time selling an unknown when the sales cycle is considerably less with a well-known figure for whom they are certain will be getting a standing ovation?
If you have the brand and the expertise and the experience, you can get a fee plus expenses, plus the privilege of selling your products.
Here's the bad news...if you are not positioned properly and your marketing outreach isn't well-constructed, thorough and consistent, you'll be below the line of visibility. Your telephone won't ring with invitations to speak. You have to make it ring. And if your phone isn't ringing, speakers' bureaus won't give you the time of day, nor will churches other than your own or your friends and family's own.
To make matters worse, if you do reach out to bureaus before you have your act together, you will de-legitimize yourself and compromise your credibility. Don't embarrass yourself by not being positioned and not taking the time to professionally package your expertise.
It's a privilege to stand before an audience and get their attention. Any audience! So, let's work together to package your expertise so that your marketing efforts reflect your intention to join the ranks of other successful Christian experts who speak.
Mary McKay, speaker marketing specialist, is the founder of the Turnkey Speaker Booking System, where you learn to position your expertise for more paid speaking engagements. To get your F.R.E.E. weekly tips, relevant articles and coaching on positioning and marketing your expertise and attracting more clients, visit http://www.TurnkeySpeaker.com.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertMotivational Speakers List - Providing the Right Information Guarantees the Top Speaker Choices
Websites are a great source for researching specific or local speakers. Many have testimonials and video samples of their work that can assist in critiquing their abilities. Personal and referral websites can be confusing and sometimes unreliable. If you have not worked with the speaker before, their actual reputation is unknown. You can only go off of what others say and these opinions can be very biased. Personal recommendations are great if the source is reliable and used the speaker for the same general purpose and type of topic. Remember that even a good recommendation needs a little bit of investigation. Speakers that worked well for someone you know may not be as fitting for your particular situation.
A bureau is the most beneficial source for finding a business speaker. The cost for their services is normally billed from speaking fees and not to the company requiring their assistance. To obtain the most benefits and convenience from using a speaker bureau, you must be able to offer detailed information on what you want to accomplish with the speaker. This includes information such as the event date and time details, the message, audience demographics, and the desired audience mood and reaction. Other information such as your budget and total presentation time can be very helpful as well. This information will be used to compile a motivational speakers list that contains speakers that are most suited for the audience and purpose of the gathering.
A motivational speakers list is just the beginning of a bureaus thorough selection process. This list will contain the most relevant speakers that meet your budget requirements. It is based upon the information provided during initial talks and interview with the speaker bureau. Improper details can result in a list of inappropriate speakers. Mistakes can be caught during initial talks and organizing to obtain a proper list; however, if they are not noticed the presentation can prove to be very disappointing and ineffective. The bureau may go over the information you have given them many times before compiling this list. They will not want to waste time or risk their reputation by adding speakers to the list that will not work. The speaker list will be the foundation of your decision and is used to research possible speakers. Speakers that survive list reductions are then interviewed for a final decision.
Bureaus are a convenient way to sift through the multitude of business speakers available. A qualified business speaker can be found by being very informative on event requirements.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertWhy Are Motivational Women Speakers Great at Providing Inspiration and Motivation?
Employees are the heart of a business and many corporations rely on them for continued success and growth. Organized company teams are behind every aspect of a company ranging from products offered to development and implementation of new items. Employees must have sufficient skills and be suitably motivated for a company to run as it should. Morale decreases when projects get complicated and employees have too much to do. Determining the causes for these morale drops can help management find ways to turn the situation around and restore employee confidence. Inspirational speakers are a common solution to this workplace problem and can be a positive influence on employees.
An inspirational speaker can be used during various company meetings and events to raise confidence and encourage employees to continue working hard on projects and other tasks. These presentations can also increase each individual's self-confidence. Employees who have a positive atmosphere and great working conditions will put out maximum effort to achieve company objectives. They will fully use their skills and devote more time and attention to each individual project.
Inspirational speakers must become acquainted with employees and the company hiring them. An inspirational speaker will be more effective if they can see or learn about the varying workplace cultures, habits, and employee relationships that exist. Working conditions often contribute to conflicts in the workplace and other morale issues. When a speaker can gain a thorough understanding of how your business and employees function, they can take into account specific issues being dealt with and create a motivational speech that resolves current conflicts.
If your employees are in need of some serious motivation, motivational women speakers are a great choice. Many studies have been done based on how a woman speaker communicates and relates to an audience. Some of these studies have shown that employees and managers respond well to motivational women speakers. Women speakers have helped many people change how they view life in general and the way they deal with setbacks and obstacles.
Both men and women have the ability to be great speakers. Women can be more appealing in certain scenarios because of how they present the information. Many women can be found on popular speaker bureau lists. These women have been very successful in helping large companies regroup and transform their internal operations. Women are said to be more sentimental and aware of what is going on with their listeners. This allows them to react to emotions and not just facial expressions and vocal cues. Employees are comfortable and more likely to take in the information being presented by women speakers.
Not all women speakers are going to be able to immediately relate to their audience and in many cases male speakers are just as productive. Take the time to research all speakers and find one that has knowledge and experience that can be helpful to your employees. Base your decision on overall needs and the speaker's ability. If a woman speaker fits best, then book them for your company. Otherwise choose a more reliable speaker who will be able to help your employees be productive once again.
Women make great inspirational speakers because they naturally react to emotions in a caring and heartfelt manner. This is a necessary for an individual to be a great inspirational speaker.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertMotivational Speaker Bureaus - An Easy and Convenient Way to Find Reputable Speakers
Larger corporations and groups use motivational speaker bureaus because of the many benefits they provide. It can be difficult to devote employees to the task of finding keynote speakers for events because this process often very time consuming. A bureau can take care of this process for you. They work with all types of speakers and are experienced in finding a speaker that fits the message that needs to be conveyed. Bureaus reduce the overall time required by your company to find the best speakers. They use criteria you have provided to gather a list of possible speakers and then send you the information to review. After you have chosen a few speakers that fit your exact requirements, the bureau will schedule in-person interviews or conference calls that allow you to discuss your needs with the speaker directly. Once you have selected the speakers needed, they will book the speakers and take care of all travel and financial arrangements.
Motivational speaker bureaus make the process of selecting and booking keynote speakers trouble free. Most bureaus receive their payment from the speaker's fee and do not require you to pay out of pocket for their services. Compensation is only received when you book a speaker they have suggested. This can save you quite an amount of time and money and that is why many businesses choose to deal with speaker bureaus for their speaking needs. The process basically serves as a business partnership where they do the research and work for your company. Their main goal is to find the best suited speaker for the event. Not only can they assist in finding speakers, but they also have the ability to help with content organization, personality qualities, and the manner in which the content is presented. Meeting the events needs and your defined budget are the main objectives of any bureau.
The bureau you have chosen to work with will have a large list of speakers to choose from. These speakers include celebrities, field experts, and local business experts. Speakers that are not represented can be booked through the bureau as well. You can be assured that all speakers represented by the bureau are professional, experts in their particular topic, and speak well. They are interviewed before being added to the roster and have been seen in person or by video to ensure quality.
A bureau will ask many questions upfront to gain a better understanding of the events objectives. They will also need information about your company and any goals that are desired. This information is used to conclude what type of speaker appropriately fits these requirements while falling within your current budget. Any topic can be covered including low company morale, company growth, downsizing, and decreased sales. A list will be provided of the top speaking candidates for selection. Tapes and videos can be used for further evaluation of particular speakers. Once you have limited your choices to a couple of speakers, the bureau will check their availability and book them for the event. If you have an important event coming up, bureaus are worth your time and can provide a very pleasant experience.
Searching for keynote speakers may call for more time and effort than is available. A speaker bureau reduces the amount of time spent when searching for a reliable motivational speaker.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertPopular Motivational Speakers Are Chosen Over Less Known Speakers Because They Are Dependable
The most important factor in choosing keynote speakers is their ability to reach an audience. Without previous speaking experience, it can be difficult for an organization or group to know if a speaker is reliable and can generate a desirable outcome. For this main reason, many people seek out popular motivational speakers for their events as a way to guarantee success. While only selecting the most known speakers can cause missed opportunities, the risk of having a bad speaker is much worse. A bad speaker may not being to hold the audiences attention and speak properly about the topic at hand. Inexperienced motivational speakers may have a hard time reading the audience and adjusting their content to the desired message. This can make the whole event a wasted cause and leave you frustrated. The wrong speaker can also lead to lost jobs when employees are put in charge of organizing a very important event.
Popular motivational speakers are safe. They can be researched easily and most have sources available that allow you to see work they have done. Experience is important for all fields. A recently graduated college student in most cases cannot be the leader of a company the day after graduation. Instead it may take many years of dedication and proven work experience to be appointed to higher positions within a company. Speaking is no different. A speaker with less experience is not as reliable and there are too many unknowns. They must take less appealing presentations to build a reputation. Popular speakers have been doing this for years and over time they become well known for the quality of work they provide.
Some more popular speakers are not as affective and are perceived as quality speakers due to their knowledge and experience in a presentation topic. The most knowledgeable person in a subject is not always the best speaker. You must be selective even when choosing between very well known motivational speakers. Do not rely on reputation alone to choose keynote speakers. Their capability of relaying knowledgeable and accurate information to a particular audience demographic is very important. The format they used to deliver the information will also play a role in your decision. Some events call for a more humorous and entertaining speaker while others need a more detailed oriented and informative approach. Read reviews and testimonials on the speakers you are contemplating. These items can provide great insight on how well a speaker discussed the subject matter and the impact they had on the audience. If possible, view video footage of some of their speeches for a better idea of their demeanor, appearance, and presentation skills.
The services of more popular speakers are higher in price but are worth every penny when the fitting speaker is chosen. Many high profile companies prefer to pay the additional cost for the security of their event. Take your time determining if a speaker is right for your topic and be sure to research past presentations and client experiences. More precise research increases your chances of finding a qualified high-profile speaker that can truly be an asset to your company or organization.
Quite a variety of motivational speakers are available for presentations. Companies tend to choose popular keynote speakers as a way to draw in an audience and obtain positive results.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertWhen is Choosing a Woman Motivational Speaker by Gender Appropriate?
The impact of gender when it comes to speaking has always been a debatable topic. Are women or men more proficient speakers? In general the answer is no. Topic being discussed and the manner it needs to be delivered determine if a specific gender of inspirational speaker will work better. There are many benefits and disadvantage to choosing a speaker based on gender. Some genders are just more knowledgeable on specific topics and this knowledge makes them more fitting for the presentation. For example, a presentation on hormone changes in pregnant women for the benefit of a general audience would be more appropriate for a woman because they can relate to members of the audience. The topic and listener demographics determine what inspirational speakers will work best.
A woman motivational speaker can also work well in environment where men are normally the expert. They must be an expert in the subject so they can speak on a level that is understood and respected. You wouldn't want to hire a woman motivational speaker for a technical convention that focuses on new trends unless she was technical savvy and had the necessary experience. Audience members would know that she is not a reliable source of information. An over confident male speaker may not be as motivating is specific situations as well. If they spend the whole time boasting about their accomplishments and not focusing on the topic to be discussed, the audience will become irritated and not take in valuable information. These types of inspirational speakers also have the attitude that everyone should be attempting large challenges to be successful and have a great life. They do not always fit when listeners are the average working man or woman who has to juggle kids, work, bills, and daily life in a limited amount of time. These audience members don't want to hear about how they need to be doing more. What they need is a sympathetic speaker that understands exactly where they are coming from. Audiences like this respond better to men and women that are family oriented.
An inspirational speaker needs to be able to impress the audience in a matter that does not offend them. Working moms and family oriented audience members are not impressed by the speakers amazing and unfeasible accomplishments. They would rather hear about how the speaker has come out of their struggles to better provide for their family. Many women hear this boasting at home anyway and would prefer not to hear it at a seminar or other event. Men are the same way and if a woman speaker spends the entire presentation using a nagging manner, they are going to very little interest in the inspirational idea being pitched. This is why taking time to think about the audience and how the information should be conveyed is so very important. A great speaker can bomb on a presentation if they do not fit the purpose and cannot relate. Take this information into consideration before hiring your next speaker. You may find that the wrong gender is being used causing the point to be lost in the speakers style and demeanor.
Specific genders of inspirational speakers are sometime more appropriate. Even the most successful inspirational speaker will be less productive if they do not appeal to their audience.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertMotivational Youth Speakers Are Used by Schools to Help Children Facing Difficult Challenges
Motivational speakers are often believed to only be the best if they are celebrities, politicians, or well known in sports. Although some young children do pay more attention to these types of speakers, they are not necessarily the best motivational youth speakers. Studies have shown that children at risk for committing crime do better with an inspirational speaker that has went through the same troubles they are experiencing. Higher profile speakers may have had a rough life, but their extravagant style and demeanor make it seem less likely. Their current environment makes them relate less to children and adolescents. The overall message will be better understood if the speaker has a not so perfect background. A speaker that has had to deal with specific challenges in reaching their current success can be just as effective.
Motivational youth speakers are great for school events and there are many to choose from. Principals and school leadership directors receive dozens of brochures and letters regarding inspiring speakers. Many claim that they can make a difference in lives of children and help them get away from bad influences and crime. Determining which speakers provide the results they promise can be very hard. Even if they are an effective speaker, they must be able to hold the students attention. An inspirational speaker that cannot gain and keep the student bodies attention will not be able to properly address the important topics facing children today.
Educators have begun to seek out inspirational speakers to help troubled students and the entire student body. They have realized that children and adolescents are the group that can benefit the most from this type of speaker's advice. Children in schools and various groups face so many problems including alienation, drugs, and violence. These challenges were not as prevalent years ago and are now a growing concern amongst school officials and parents. An inspiring speaker cannot eradicate these problems but can assist children by changing how they see themselves. These speakers teach children how to deal with situations that arise in and outside of school. Inspirational speakers improve self worth in individuals and this makes it easier for them to take on challenges.
Building a trusting relationship with younger audience members can be difficult. They rarely have sympathy and it take a speaker with patience and understanding to often get the message out to the audience. Education providers look for a speaker who has had real personal life experiences that coincide with what the younger audience might be struggling through. A speaker's ability to empathize with children can be helpful when creating a presentation for these various age groups. They accomplish more if they can relate and maintain their interest. The Internet is a great place to find inspiring speakers. A speaker bureau is another option for finding quality speakers. It is important to stress that the speaker is for children and not a corporate or other environment. Recommendations from other schools can be very helpful as well. These sources will help you determine if a presenter is worth your time and will offer students the inspiration they so desperately need.
Inspirational speakers are very suitable for children who need positive reinforcement. An inspirational speaker that can easily relate to children will work best for school events.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertOvercoming Fear of Public Speaking by Finding External Archimedean Point
Is this story sounding familiar to you?
"As a kid, I was labeled an 'introvert' by my school friends. No need to say I hate that word! I was timid and I was anxious in the company of many friends. I behaved rather odd at formal functions, and I was rather unpopular at parties. This is the reason why for the first half of my life, I didn't hang out much at clubs...."
Is the reason you are reading this articles is that you are now an adult, and beside the fact that your age changed, the bottom line, with regarding to to your social anxiety is still the same?
Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired of your fear of public speaking? Are you planing to do something for changing your stage fear? Because if not, just hit the BACK button. Be warn, this article is not trivial to understand and requires more then one reading.
Still here? Good persistency is a virtue!
As you know each one of us has its own style and willingness to try different approaches for solving various problems. We will refer to overcoming the fear of public speaking, but I am sure that by the end of this article, you may find my words worth for other areas too.
Take action!
Reading more and more tips for reducing stress will certainly make you more knowledgeable, but will not bring you a long term solution. When dealing with unexplained fears and anxiety, collecting more and more knowledge, can help for calming the symptoms for the short term, but not to solve them.
What is required is to perform some internal "switch" in your mind, and this is usually available via guided activity, where someone with external perspective, and probably more experience - help you to "map" the problem, and untie those nexuses that block you from achieving a productive behavior.
What I mean by "mapping" a symptom, in this case the fear of public speaking, is to bring into awareness the ingredients that compose the symptom and the linking between those ingredients. Those links are the forces of gravity that shape your internal "space-time" - call it personality.
Mapping include the exposure of both: hidden preconditions and external expressions. You possibly know about your inner self few of the things you will reveal again during the process, or maybe you don't, the important fact is that you have difficulty to weave, those "internals" into the "legitimate public expression" of yours - what you call reality. You work hard to suppress some of the forces and that work finally act against you! instead of helping you to be more productive.
By external expressions on the other end I mean all those symptoms you encounter when your fear of public speaking is in action. In addition environmental conditions, and expressions of your body, such as mimic, pitch of your voice, and even that "black spot" somewhere you are making so much effort to hide, while standing in front of other people.
So mapping means exposing a network of relations between all the internal and external aspects of the behavior you put under investigation. Exploring the gravities of your internal cosmos - if you want to think of it more visually.
All those words may sound to you very psychological, but this process of mapping ingredients of our behavior, is not limited to the subject of public speaking anxiety. It happens daily in various events that involve some interaction with "other" person. This "other" or "others" are not necessarily present physically. Virtual "other" may act the same.
The image or idea, we hold of this "other" is what really important because it provide us with kind of "mirror" to echo and feed us back with our words thoughts and behavioral expressions. Now we actually reveal is where the importance of the "guide" (trainer, coacher, therapist).
Again, this is not necessarily someone who physically present with us in the same room! It is that fact that we did some step to construct an external point of view as part of our journey toward a solution.
Can you do it alone?
If you are acting to solve your speaking anxiety problem by your own (which is a good sign for itself since it signal a motivation and responsibility) you are echoed by your own introspective thoughts. It means you rarely produce the so required difference -the gap between two alternatives, external to each other.
For a difference to occur, some external "other" must exist. Else, you do not produce a change in your "position" toward your problem, which is the most crucial for making that switch.
To re-map the ingredients, that is the secret key. And it is very difficult to achieve alone, only by collecting information, without the presence of some external "other".
When you are guided by some "other", you can actually map your behavior and then when relationships between ingredients are expressed (not necessarily - consciously) doing the re-mapping become available, change gravity between those "bodies" that construct your mental life and that my friend means - a true change!
Your Goal - engage with some "other" for "working" toward a change
I will soon refer you to some programs you can check. Whether to purchase or not that is your own decision.
All I am saying for ending this article is that the act of "paying" for treatment, or training, or coaching (call it whatever you like) is highly significant in terms of making the crucial step for engaging with external "other".
The function of "willing to pay" for solution, is the function of deciding to take responsibility for a commitment to "work" on your problem by binding to external "other".
A little secret - if someone is a compulsive buyer "of solutions" for unexplained problem, then the act of "making the purchase" is part of the symptom, and can not be refer as engagement to work via some "other". On the contrary, we refer it as resistance to change.
Because of that there are smart therapist that when identify this, they do not let the patient pay for the first session. Instead they will ask him to think for the "next session" about a reasonable price. In that case, the fact that this patient come to the next session (and in some cases, set the "price") is the act that signify for engagement to work.
This is your goal! No matter what method you will finally choose:
Do the step for breaking your inner world (Your Wall - Pinky) by connecting with external "other" and not just external "information".
That is a huge Difference!
I hope I didn't took you too deep in this "mirroring" and "echoing" talks. What really important in this article is to understand that, first step for solving fears, stress, anxiety or anything that can be defined in terms of psychological behavior, must start by first establishing some "Archimedean point" that will allow you to map your symptoms against an external perspective (the mirror effect). This can be a course or an holistic training program, or hypnosis or other. Select the most suitable for your style. You must agree first, in front yourself, to do that kind of "work"!
We could never know so much as we can today, using the Internet. Yet, when things come to changing mentality, "not knowing" is where cure actually occur. In the "difference between" things and not the point of the "thing". Re-map yourself. Call me loco
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertMotivational Speakers' Websites Are Very Helpful When Beginning Your Quest For the Best Speaker
Supplying the motivation to your employees is essential in business today. An unmotivated or stressed employee can be very ineffective and cost your company money. Leaders need to be taught how to recognize each employee's abilities and provide feedback that shows their value and worth to the company. Motivation creates a better work environment and helps facilitate effective team work. When each employee knows they have something to offer, they are more willing to strive to reach company goals and work hard to achieve success. An effective keynote speaker can provide assistance in motivating all levels of employees and also provide motivational training to higher level managers.
Seminars are the best way to get employees motivated and increase productivity, sales, and morale. A companies worth is determined by the success of their employees. If an employee does not excel, then the company will take a hit as well. Assets and equipment used to be the basis for a companies worth, and now that view has changed drastically. Companies invest more time in their employees for better performance and job satisfaction. Employees improve because motivation changes how they see their situation at work and at home. When employees feel valued, they value their job and the company they work for much more. Hiring the right motivational speaker can do wonders for your employees and your business.
How do you find the most effective keynote speaker for your employees? Budget can be tight within a company and one of the easiest ways to save money when hiring speakers is to look in your local area. Local speakers do not require travel costs and will not need to charge additional fees for traveling to the location. If you cannot find a quality speaker locally, you may have to pay out some additional money to obtain an effective speaker. Referrals are a great way to get inside information on their presentation ability. A high quality speaker will be well known for their knowledge in specific areas.
Motivational speakers websites are an excellent source for finding referrals and information on various speakers. If you are in a more urban area, you should be able to find sites that critique and refer speakers within your area. These websites often have testimonials from other clients that have hired them for motivational and other types of presentations. Not all motivational speakers websites will be completely unbiased and customers can report bad experiences due to many reasons. Be critical of reviews and do not judge individual speakers websites based on content only. Many websites used by speakers are plain and give a general idea of the services they offer. Additional information can be obtained by discussing the details with the speaker or the bureau representing them.
A motivational speaker will adapt their presentation to your needs after the details have been laid out. After you have found a few speakers to choose from, ask them either through their website or in person about their specific services. Your employee's job satisfaction and well being should be a top priority. These factors help determine the amount of success a company has and motivational speaking can help.
Reviews and testimonials found on speaking websites are one of the easiest ways to find a keynote speaker. They can provide insight on the skills and reputation of a motivational speaker.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertExplicit Qualities to Look For When Seeking the Best Motivational Speakers
For a speaker to be valuable in business, they must be knowledgeable on the specific topic being addressed. Their speech needs to be given from the heart so it draws the audience in and makes them want to make changes and strive to do better. Companies today are not just looking for an average speaker but instead want the absolute best they can find. The best motivational speakers do more than educate their audiences. They actually tap into the each audience member and find a special connection that helps them better relate. The main goal of a motivating speaker is to use their words to facilitate some sort of action. Companies who hire a keynote speaker are looking for a specific outcome. A speaker must be able to create this outcome in order to be considered great in their field.
A great motivational speaker can compel audience members to make changes by increasing their morale and suggesting ways for improvement. They use emotions and individual thoughts to persuade the audience to go along with an idea or perform an action. Of course a keynote speaker is not a mind reader or a hypnotist. They simply have practiced reading audience member's expressions and reaction to actually connect with them on a whole new level and present the information in a way that is attractive. The more a speaker enjoys being around and discussing topics with individuals, the better they will perform and connect to an audience. Companies look for someone who has a great personality and meshes well with many types of people.
The most talented speakers are often referred to as business entertainers and can really benefit businesses and groups in need of motivation and uplifting ideas. A charismatic and friendly personality is one of the many qualities you should look for in a speaker. They should be optimistic and create a very confident environment. Great speakers are able to combine humor and relevance to their presentation while only using information relevant to the subject matter. Listening is as important as speaking when motivation is the goal of a speech. Looking for these qualities in a speaker guarantees that their presentation will be rewarding for everyone who attends. As a business, this is the result you want when putting together seminars and other events. Settling for anything less than the absolute best speaker lead to upsetting results most companies cannot afford.
A great keynote speaker possesses qualities that cannot be easily found. These qualities assist a motivational speaker in capturing the audience and getting the reaction companies want.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expertHow to Motivate As a Speaker in Tough Times
After hearing that, I needed a stiff drink.
Actually, his viewpoint wasn't surprising. And he quickly understood when I suggested that his real purpose was something quite different. His job as a speaker, I told him, was meeting the needs of his listeners and achieving lasting influence.
In tough economic times like the present, the distinction between conveying information and activating audiences is more important than ever. Merely informing audiences becomes a serious error when they are depending upon your leadership to help them in times of trouble.
Many people approach public speaking with this belief that their primary task is to deliver information. That is never the case. Information, like all speech content, is only one tool a speaker uses to achieve his or her purpose. Let's look a little more closely at how this natural tension of purpose vs. information plays out, and why your task is naturally much more of the former, and much less of the latter.
It's Your Emotional Impact That Lasts
Audiences will remember their emotional response to you long after the information you deliver has faded from memory. The retention skills of audiences are notoriously shaky, and within, say, a week, your listeners will remember as little as 10% of the "critical" data you presented to them.
Yet if you touched them emotionally, they may remember you for a lifetime. Consider these examples:
Getting Over the Fear-of-Speaking Hump
Maria Vizzi knew she was in trouble. Again. Two years ago, Ms. Vizzi, then a sales representative for a Web site for insurance agents, was about to begin a speech to a group of risk managers at a conference when her body revolted. ''My throat began to tighten up,'' said Ms. Vizzi of Manhattan. ''My palms began to sweat. And my face and neck turned so red that I wished I'd worn a full-body sari.''
A million thoughts raced through her head, she recalled: ''Will my New York accent be too strong? Will my mind go blank?''
She somehow survived the attack of nerves, but it was the final straw in a 12-year battle against stage fright. Ms. Vizzi enrolled in a Dale Carnegie Training public speaking course, and although she says she still sometimes wears a scarf to cover up her reddening neck, she is becoming much more relaxed in front of groups. She has volunteered to coach new students in the Dale Carnegie program and is considering an offer to speak to 200 people at an industry conference this summer.
Ms. Vizzi's bashfulness is no isolated case of the heebie-jeebies. Workplace specialists say the fear of public speaking is one of the most common career-stoppers in America. Forty percent of Americans are terrified at the thought of talking to an audience, according to a recent survey by the Gallup Organization. The only thing they dreaded more, they said, were snakes.
Membership at Toastmasters International, a service club where executives can hone their public speaking skills in an informal setting, has increased to 180,000 from 140,000 over the last decade. ''The ability to communicate in front of a group is becoming increasingly important,'' said Jo Anna McWilliams, president of Toastmasters.
One reason is that in this era of electronic communication, more companies are placing a higher premium on face-to-face interaction. ''When companies finally do get their people all together in one room, they expect to receive a compelling message,'' Ms. McWilliams said. ''You can't just sit in front of a podium and be a talking head anymore. You've got to deliver something meaningful.''
Those with lofty ambitions can forget about getting to the top if they cannot put on a good public performance. ''Being a poor speaker is the principal reason people don't make it into the executive ranks,'' said Alan Greenwald, a partner at T. Bresner & Associates, a Grandview, N.Y., company that helps executives hone their communications skills. ''Increasingly, C.E.O.'s and boards want their executives to be able to convey the company's message powerfully.''
Ms. Vizzi can vouch for that. ''As I move up in my job, it's becoming more and more important that I be more than competent in public speaking,'' she said.
If Kristin Gabriel is any indication, just about anybody can be helped. Early in her career, she was supposed to give an informal talk at a company sales conference in Atlanta -- but the words just would not come out. ''I was completely tongue-tied,'' she said. ''And my knees were knocking so hard under the table that they were hitting my co-worker.''
Her superiors had to apologize to the group, blaming her youth and lack of experience. ''It was mortifying,'' she said.
Since then, Ms. Gabriel, who is now co-principal of ecom Communications, a marketing communications concern in Los Angeles, has received training from two coaches and has acquired an arsenal of speaking tricks. Her favorite? ''Right before I'm to go on, I go into a private room and begin pounding on a table as hard as I can,'' she said. ''The physical exertion helps distract me from my fear.''
For Jim Jennings, the key to quelling the jitters is creative visualization. ''I did all the usual stuff, like pretending that everyone was in their underwear, but nothing worked,'' said Mr. Jennings, who was appointed in September as commissioner of the National Lacrosse League and now has to make several speeches a week. Finally, his coach suggested that he fire himself up by visualizing a sporting event.
Last month, he tried the tactic at a news conference -- and it worked. It was daunting enough to have to face 150 reporters, he says, but it was downright unnerving to know he would be followed by Jayson Williams, a former New Jersey Nets basketball player and owner of a New Jersey lacrosse franchise. ''He's such a great speaker, so it was really intimidating to go before him,'' Mr. Jennings said. As his stomach began to do somersaults, Mr. Jennings shut his eyes and pictured the most thrilling lacrosse game he had seen last year. ''I kept thinking of the excitement of the game, and that got me psyched up,'' he said.
A little handholding does wonders for some people. Peggy Klaus, a communications consultant in Berkeley, Calif., recently received a call from a desperate chief executive on his car phone. ''He begged to see me immediately,'' Ms. Klaus said. He told her that on his way to a speaking engagement that morning he had prayed he would be in a car accident.
''I asked him, 'How big an accident?' '' she said. ''And he responded, 'Big enough that I'd have to go to the emergency room and wouldn't have to give my speech.' ''
After she worked with him and videotaped him in action, Ms. Klaus says, he calmed down. ''A lot of people are really afraid of looking and sounding stupid,'' she said. ''When they realize that they don't sound like an idiot, they feel better.''
That is what happened to Craig Miller, the chief executive of the MA&A Group, a technology consulting firm in Atlanta. Mr. Miller was recently videotaped as part of a public speaking course and was relieved to find out that his distress was not visible on the tape. ''I thought for sure people would be able to tell that I was shaking, but you couldn't tell,'' he said. ''It was enlightening for me.''
Photo: Maria Vizzi is much more relaxed in front of groups after taking a Dale Carnegie class. (Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times) Chart: ''Faking It'' Tips for appearing at ease. Recall the last thing that made you laugh. You will smile and seem relaxed. Take deep breaths to put more oxygen into your bloodstream. You will be less sweaty and your pulse won't pound. Focus on a friendly face in the audience. You will feel as though you are having a conversation rather than giving a speech, and will sound more natural. (Source: T. Bresner & Associates)
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The President Whose Words Once Soared
WASHINGTON — As the most gifted orator of his generation, President Obama finds speechmaking perhaps his most potent political tool. It propelled him to national prominence in 2004 and to the White House in 2008. And whenever he needs to calm economic fears or revive stalled health care legislation, he takes to the lectern.
RelatedTimes Topic:Barack ObamaBut the limits of rhetoric were on display last week when the president could not rescue two foundering candidates in governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia. Has Mr. Obama lost his oratorical touch? Is the magic finally beginning to fade? Does the White House rely too heavily on his skills on the stump to advance his priorities?
It may be too soon to reach such conclusions. The Democrats who lost last week, after all, had fatal flaws all their own. But the results do suggest that Mr. Obama’s addresses these days may not resonate quite the way they did. Speeches that once set pulses racing now feel more familiar. And if that remains the case heading into next year, it could make it more difficult for the Democrats’ own Great Communicator to promote his program and carry along allies in crucial midterm elections.
“Really inspirational speeches like the Iowa caucus victory speech set expectations for Obama’s rhetoric that would have been difficult to meet, and he hasn’t met them,” said Michael J. Gerson, who was President George W. Bush’s chief speechwriter. “He’s had one really large explanatory task, which is trying to motivate people on health care reform, and the polls have gone the other way. He will now have another very difficult task, to explain his Afghan policy, whatever it is, to a country that’s deeply skeptical.”
Speechmaking as a president often presents a sharper challenge than it does on the campaign trail. The audience is different, the desired goals are different, the platform is different. Selling another candidate, as Mr. Obama tried to do for Jon Corzine in New Jersey and Creigh Deeds in Virginia, is invariably harder than selling yourself. And pushing policies requires more explanation than inspiration.
“The difference now is it’s much more difficult to have to explain complicated policies consistently day in and day out,” said Josh Gottheimer, a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton who now teaches the history of presidential speechwriting and is working on a book on the subject. “The stakeholders have changed. Congress matters a lot more. When you’re on the campaign trail, they don’t matter as much.”
Unlike Mr. Bush, who recognized his limitations as a public speaker, Mr. Obama and his team have enormous faith in his capacity for communicating with the American people. When he was considering a bailout for the auto industry and advisers warned of a popular backlash, he expressed confidence that he could explain it to the public. After Mr. Obama gave his speech in Cairo reaching out to the Muslim world, some aides argued that the address itself was responsible for Iranians taking to the streets of Tehran to protest a disputed election.
But David Axelrod, the president’s senior adviser, said the White House is realistic. “No one ever believed that the power of communicating was in and of itself enough,” he said. “It’s important to communicate what you’re doing and why. But without the what and the why, the communicating is of little value.”
“I think it continues to be valuable,” he added. “But ultimately we’re going to be judged not on the power of the oratory but the record. Everybody here understands that.”
Presidential speeches used to be much rarer than they are today, reserved more for strategic moments. These days, in a hyperactive media environment, presidents talk publicly two or three times a day. Harry S. Truman spoke in public 88 times in a typical year, according to “POTUS Speaks,” the memoir of Michael Waldman, who was Mr. Clinton’s chief speechwriter. By contrast, Ronald Reagan made 320 public remarks in a typical year and Mr. Clinton, 550.
With the help of six speechwriters led by Jon Favreau, Mr. Obama is on pace to match Mr. Clinton and likely exceed him, according to White House officials. On any given day, Mr. Obama may address the Tribal Nations Conference and also tape a video speech to grassroots volunteers, to name a couple of examples from a single day last week.
“When you do four or five speeches a day, not any single speech is going to be the biggest speech he ever does,” said one White House official who requested anonymity to speak more candidly. “In a media environment like this, the attention span is rather short so it may seem like the magic isn’t there. But there are still moments when he rises to the occasion when he needs to.”
Mr. Obama’s aides point to several such moments this year — his first address to a joint session of Congress as he was advocating a large spending package to stimulate the economy, his speech at Georgetown University laying out his vision of a “new foundation” for a post-recession nation, his Cairo speech, his commencement address at Notre Dame where he tried to bridge the divide over abortion and his September return to Congress to argue for his health care plan.
While Mr. Gerson contends that months of Obama speeches have not erased deep public concerns with his health care plan, Geoff Garin, a Democratic strategist, called the address to Congress “the best policy address by a president since Lyndon Johnson talked about the Voting Rights Act in 1965.” Following an August dominated by attacks on the health care plan, Mr. Garin said Mr. Obama “was able to lift a debate that had got stuck in the mud up to a much higher place and let Obama and supporters of health care reform retake the high ground.”
But the risk for any president is that at some point the public begins to tune out. “President Bush in 2007 actually gave some pretty good speeches about Iraq and nobody was paying attention anymore and so it just didn’t matter,” Mr. Garin said. “People still pay attention to President Obama. But did anybody hear his speech about education reform in Wisconsin the other day? Of course not.”
A version of this article appeared in print on November 8, 2009, on page WK1 of the New York edition.Sign In to E-Mail PrintReprintsTimes Reader 2.0: Daily delivery of The Times - straight to your computer. Subscribe for just $4.62 a week.
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