This information was written by Alan Stevens, and originally appeared in “The MediaCoach”, his free weekly ezine, available at www.mediacoach.co.uk.

I Could Never Be a Speaker

I beg to differ. Everyone has the capacity to be a good speaker. I have worked with hundreds of nervous presenters, and never had a failure yet.

The single most important aspect of professional presenting is to understand your audience. Far too many speakers prepare and deliver their words of wisdom without giving a thought to what the audience want to hear. The professional speaker always starts by finding out as much as possible about the audience, their reasons for being present, and their motivating factors. This can be done by talking to the meeting organizer, but is better dealt with by talking directly to prospective audience members themselves.

Once a speaker understands their audience, it is then time to decide on the key message to be delivered. Another common error is to try to impart too much information. It is essential that the core message of any speech can be summarized in one sentence of around twenty words. Discouraging as this may seem, if an audience member is asked the day after hearing a speech “What was the speech about?”, and they can remember the core message, the speech will have been a great success.

Thirdly, speakers need to remember that they are not just deliverers of information. There is a story from Ancient Greece about a speaking contest between two great orators. At the end of the first speech, the audience rose and cheered the speaker, calling out “What a great speech”. At the end of the second speech, the audience rose and shouted “Let’s march on Sparta!”. The hallmark of a truly great and professional speech is not changing a person’s point of view, but changing their behavior.

Lastly, speakers need to consider the way in which they present. There are no absolute rights and wrongs here, but experts agree that there are some things you should never do, such as:

• Start badly
• Fail to understand equipment
• Put too much on each slide
• Patronize the audience
• Use bad graphics
• Turn their back on the audience
• Speak inaudibly
• Use jargon
• Run out of time
• End poorly

In summary, you need to prepare, practice and perform properly. You can do it!

Toastmasters announced an impressive lineup of speakers for its 2015 International Convention, to be held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas Aug. 12-15. Thought leaders with backgrounds in mentoring, entrepreneurship, entertainment, law, comedy, accounting and more will share their insights and expertise. Attendance at this annual event is expected to exceed 2,000 people.

“We’re excited about the diverse group of dynamic and inspiring speakers at this year’s convention,” says Mohammed Murad, Toastmasters 2014-15 International President. “Each presenter is highly regarded and proves by their own examples how important leadership and communication skills are to achieving success.”

Patricia Fripp will deliver the keynote presentation during the Opening Ceremonies on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Fripp is an award-winning keynote speaker, business presentation expert, sales trainer and in-demand speech coach to executives and celebrity speakers. Meetings & Conventions magazine named her “One of the 10 most electrifying speakers in North America.” She delivers high-energy, high-content and dramatically memorable presentations.

World-renowned economics professor and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus will be honored as the recipient of Toastmasters’ 2015 Golden Gavel award. The prestigious award is presented annually to an individual distinguished in the fields of communication and leadership. Yunus joins an illustrious list of Golden Gavel honorees that includes Walter Cronkite, Anthony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Robin Sharma and John C. Maxwell.

Other expert presenters include:

Judy Carter, Author of The Comedy Bible – a bestselling book on how to turn problems into punch lines. As a child with a speech impediment, Carter found a way to turn being laughed at into a standup career. She has performed on over 100 TV shows and was nominated for Atlantic City Entertainer of the Year.

Tim Gard will present Laughter Becomes You, where he will teach the audience how they can use humor in their presentation to connect to any audience. Tim has spoken at more than 2,000 events worldwide from Texas to Tasmania and was selected by Meeting Planners Magazine as one of the “best speakers ever seen or heard on the main stage.”

Darren LaCroix, 2001 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking. Darren travels the world demystifying the process of creating powerful presentations. With his inspirational story “from Chump to Champ,” he shows people that anything is possible if you are willing to learn and have the right mentor.

Dana LaMon, 1992 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking. Blinded at four years old, LaMon is a retired judge and has been a professional speaker and author since 1991. He has spoken to audiences from Asia to South Africa, including more than 35 U.S. states.

Alex Malley, Alex’s bestselling book, The Naked CEO, was borne out of the success of his popular mentoring community (thenakedceo.com), and combines his candid, real-life stories with practical career and life guidance. He is the CEO of CPA Australia, as well as a TV host and blogger for The Huffington Post. Malley was recently was invited to join an exclusive group of global leaders to become a LinkedIn influencer, where he shares his leadership and career insights via regular blog posts.

Marilyn Tam, Formerly CEO of Aveda, president of Reebok and vice president of Nike, Marilyn is a speaker, author, and founder and executive director of Us Foundation. Inc. magazine ranks her as one of the top 100 leadership speakers in the world. Her life is an inspiring example of what can be achieved when following one’s dreams. She grew up as an abused and neglected child in Hong Kong, and left home as a teen to come to the United States alone. By following her life mission, she achieved international business and humanitarian success.

To learn more about the 2015 International Convention, Aug. 12-15, and obtain a complete schedule of events, including the Opening Ceremonies, Education Sessions and the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking, visit the event webiste. The public is welcome to attend.

Mickie Kennedy founded eReleases PR back in 1998 when he saw how hard it was for independent startups and businesses to achieve really quality PR. For more, download some of Mickie’s free ebooks and whitepapers.

HARO: A Speaker’s Secret Weapon, by Mickie Kennedy

First of all, congratulations on being one of those people who don’t melt into a quivering pool of fear in a corner when speaking in public. Even though I’m a veteran PR guy, public speaking has never been my thing — I rate speaking in front of a large group of people as being just slightly more frightening than death.

As a public speaker, you know already that what you have to say brings value into people’s daily life. In order to build your business, you have already done the usual networking, chamber of commerce, local rotary type of events and now you want to go further.

So while I may not be the best at standing up at a podium and exuding confidence and inspiration, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve when it comes to getting attention and leads to flow my way. My favorite, the easiest one? The FREE service called HARO (or Help A Reporter Out).

HARO is a service set up to connect reporters with sources, whether it’s getting a quote, gaining expertise on a subject, or just soliciting opinions. As a source, you sign up to receive three emails daily from lists of reporters who have requests. If you have any knowledge about a request, send the reporter an email. Your answer creates a greater awareness of you as an authority on the subject. It also gives the reporter the opportunity to follow-up with you if a similar story comes along.

The tips for writing a great response to a request are similar to what you already practice as a public speaker:

1. Title/Subject Line

You already know that having an imaginative or insightful title to your talk can create interest in what you have to say. The same holds true for subject lines in your responses, make sure that they catch the reporter’s eye.

2. Expand, Don’t Fill

Reporters are busy people and they don’t have time to read fluff, so keep your response well-written, but brief. You will lose the reporter the same way you would lose an audience if you keep adding words.

3. Don’t Expect Experts

If the request involves complex theories or uses industry-specific jargon, explain it simply. You wouldn’t expect your audience to be experts, so treat the reporter with the same respect.

4. Tell Them About You

As a public speaker, you usually share a brief bio in your introduction. For the request, include your bio at the end with a link to your website and your contact information.

By using HARO correctly and persistently, you can build your brand and your authority on the subject which will lead to future speaking opportunities. Be sure to follow HARO’s rules and don’t spam, share or be rude to the reporters. That’s a good way to get banned from the service.

Has HARO worked for you as a public speaker? Let us know in the comments.

With wedding season approaching, happy couples from around the world are preparing to walk down the aisle and begin their lives together. Wedding season also marks the time when friends and family will be asked to give a toast to celebrate the occasion. For many, it may be the first time they are being asked to speak publicly, and, although it may be in front of friends and family, it can be an intimidating experience.

Toastmasters International, the global organization devoted to communication and leadership skills development, offers these five tips for delivering a memorable wedding toast:

1. Be prepared. Know your material and try to avoid reading. Include an opening, a body and a conclusion.
2. Identify yourself. Open with a brief explanation of your relationship to the couple before beginning the toast.
3. Use humor and creativity. Entertaining stories and anecdotes are appreciated by the audience, but avoid telling potentially embarrassing stories or using offensive language.
4. Get personal. A toast should be original, heartfelt and customized for the occasion.
5. Stand; lift your glass and say, “I’d like to propose a toast.” Pause to allow guests to shift their attention toward you and give them time to lift their glasses. Be sure to lower your glass to about waist height.

“It’s important that the person delivering the wedding toast is confident, poised and moderately brief,” says Mohammed Murad, Toastmasters 2014-15 International President. “The most memorable messages come from the heart, are light-hearted and focus on wishing the couple well on their joyful journey together.”

Click here to watch a Maid of Honor using the five tips above as she delivers her wedding toast. In addition to toasting advice, Toastmasters offers many public speaking tips. To practice your toasts or speeches, find a Toastmasters club near you by visiting www.toastmasters.org/findaclub.

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The Silicon Valley Speechwriters Roundtable hosted Patricia Fripp for a webinar on ‘Speech Coaching to Simplify Your Job & Electrify Your Executives’. A full video recording of the event is available.

Please ignore the terrible delay on my video which makes it seem as if I’m heavily medicated – there is no delay on Ms. Fripp’s video whatsoever. You’ll hear her describe:

• How she first became involved in professional speaking
• How she works 1:1 with executives to prep them for an important speech
• What it takes to launch a freelance speechwriting business
• What speechwriters can learn from Hollywood scriptwriters
• How to deal with executives who are boring onstage

and much more…

The afternoon speaker at Saturday’s Northern California NSA Chapter meeting was our own chapter member from Eureka in the far north of California (and National NSA Board member) Jessica Pettitt, CSP.

Jessica’s program challenged us to consider what differentiates us from other speakers or trainers in our niche. After speaking for fifteen years and stirring up tough conversations for audiences on college campuses, Jessica has learned a lot about who she isn’t willing to be and who she accidentally is.

She delivered a highly interactive, high energy, humorous afternoon session where no question was off limits.

This culminated in an exercise to help us know what makes us unique as speakers by embracing our points of distinction.

Embrace Your Points of Distinction

Jessica distributed index cards and asked us to write down points that differentiate us as professional speakers. She then read out these statements (anonymously) asking if the audience could guess, based on the text, who it described. There were precious few of us who could be easily identified. Many in the room claimed their uniqueness lay in such commonplace features as:

• “I’m entertaining” (isn’t everyone?)
• “I don’t tell a story, I make it come alive” (not a marked point of distinction if you are presenting at a storytellers conference, maybe in the corporate world)
• “High energy speaker!” (table stakes)
• “Background in journalism” (all too common, given the job market in that profession)
• “Combines speaking with hands on professional services” (much laughter)
• “Free and easy smile” (you don’t say)
• “Integrate humor with my speeches” (even those who are not trying to be funny can be hysterical to some)
• “Compassionate” (too low a bar)

It was only a few who were instantly recognizable to fellow chapter members. The lesson is obvious. As Karen Jacobsen directed in her morning session, we need to be able to describe the outcomes to our clients in one sentence. Jessica highlighted the importance of making sure that sentence contained something unique that would cause a meeting planner to want to book us.

To hear a brief extract from Jessica’s presentation, where she talks about the importance of working on what makes us truly unique, click on the podcast icon below.

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No member of the National Speakers Association speaks to as many people on a daily basis as does Karen Jacobsen. Her voice is one of the options on over 100 million GPS systems and 300 million smartphones. She’s the one we hear when lose our way and the GPS tells us it is ‘recalculating’.

On Saturday she spoke to members of the NSA Northern California Chapter.

Oh Say Can You See?

Karen, a professional singer-songwriter raised in Australia and now a native of New York, began her presentation with a stunning rendition of the American national anthem — she’s sung The Star Spangled Banner in baseball stadiums across the country. She then gave the motivational speech she delivers to corporate clients, listing five ‘GPS Girl’ life-lessons, interspersed with her own songs:

• Is your inner GPS telling you that you are off your route?
• Are you willing to change direction?
• Have you clarified your destination?
• Are you ready to embrace the steering wheel?
• Accelerate!

Her speaker demo reel shows some of what we enjoyed:

Directions for Speaker Success

Following this showcase presentation, Karen shifted gears (so to speak) and shared her insights into success in the speaking business. She helped us navigate a list of 44 directions for speaker success in business, well-being, speech delivery and quality of life. They included recommendations on everything from being sure to stay hydrated (crucial for all speakers, not just singers), eating a diet of living foods, avoiding toxins, daily meditation practice and exercise to keeping an uncluttered office, participating in a mastermind group and working with a business coach. She emphasized these are a destination to aim for, not something we achieve immediately.

Taking Care of Business

Here’s the GPS Girl’s list of business goals:

1. I can describe the outcomes for my clients in one sentence.
2. I have a three minute Speaker Video I am proud of.
3. My website is updated regularly and clearly represents my brand.
4. I am using professional photographs taken in the past 12 months.
5. My business cards are on excellent high quality stock.
6. My social media strategy works for me and my online and offline presence are consistent.
7. I use Quickbooks (or an equivalent), my accounting is up-to-date and taxes are paid.
8. I know I look well-groomed and feel confident walking into any room.
9. I make daily phone calls as part of my marketing strategy.
10. I save at least 10% of my income.
11. I am earning my target revenue.

These are valuable goals for any freelancer, entrepreneur or small business owner, not just those in the speaking profession.

To hear a short extract from Karen’s presentation, discussing the first two of these business goals, click on the podcast icon below.

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This Saturday, February 28 & Sunday, March 1, 2015 award-winning keynote speaker and speech coach Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE hosts a weekend of intense learning that can transform your speaking. Fripp will host World Champions of Public Speaking Mark Brown, Ed Tate, Darren LaCroix and other world-class professional speakers.

If you are too busy to travel to Las Vegas this weekend–or just allergic to slot machines and poker tables–you can take advantage of an opportunity to attend virtually by registering for streaming media access to the event. For under $200 you’ll have access to the program materials for a full year.

The Crimson King

As an added bonus Patricia’s brother, renowned guitarist Robert Fripp will deliver his unique message. As much as Robert Fripp is internationally-known for his brilliance with the guitar, he is a superb and entertaining speaker. Robert is equally comfortable discussing the history of religion with a country vicar as he is discussing world economics with world leaders.

Agenda

These two days feature presentations focused on building speaking skills and the business side of public speaking. Topics include:

• Cultivating successful disciplines and habits to prepare for a speech
• Box-Office hit storytelling
• Delivering interactive speeches for audience engagement
• The locker room speech: How leaders can inspire action
• The making of million-dollar story
• …and much more

Follow the event on Twitter with the hashtag #LadyChamps15.

The world’s largest speech competition has launched with more than 30,000 contestants in 126 countries vying for the title of World Champion of Public Speaking. The Toastmasters International Speech Contest begins with participants practicing and giving their presentations in local clubs as they polish their oratory skills while advancing to area, division and district levels. The competition culminates with the World Championship of Public Speaking on Aug. 15 in Las Vegas.

Speak Now…

A panel of experienced Toastmasters judges evaluates nine contestants from different parts of the world, all of whom have advanced to the finals following a year-long process of elimination through club, area, district and semifinal competitions.

Criteria used in judging includes speech content, organization, voice quality and gestures.

“The speech contest is one of the highlights of the Toastmasters experience,” says Toastmasters International President Mohammed Murad. “Speakers from all over the world compete in the contest. Win or lose, contestants benefit from taking their public speaking skills to the next level.“

What’s said in Las Vegas…

Ninety-one district semifinalists will compete during the Toastmasters 2015 International Convention held Aug. 12 – 15, in Las Vegas, at Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino. Finalists will make it to the final round on Aug. 15, where the winner is crowned the Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking.

To be eligible for the competition, participants must be age 18 or older, and present a five-to seven-minute speech in English on any topic. Judging criteria include speech content, originality, organization, gestures, style and timing.

“The speech contest represents the end of a great journey for contestants,” says Dananjaya Hettiarachchi from Columbo, Sri Lanka, who is Toastmasters’ 2014 World Champion of Public Speaking. “To begin at the club-level and proceed through the area, division and district contests takes a lot of confidence, practice and, most importantly, self-determination.”

Take a look at Hettiarachchi’s inning speech from the 2014 World Championship:

Lady and the Champs

Later this month you can catch up with past winners including 1995 World Champion Mark Brown and 2001 World Champion Darren LaCroix who will be conducting a public speaking workshop with National Speakers Association past-president Patricia Fripp Feb 28 – Mar 1 in, where else, but Las Vegas!

“The job is not doing the speech. It is getting the speech” – Shep Hyken

The National President of the NSA, Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE spoke to members of the NSA Northern California Chapter on Saturday. Shep is a customer service expert, professional speaker and author who works with companies who want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees.

His talk to the 80+ Chapter members and guests was a compendium of best practices he’s gathered over the 32 years he’s been a professional speaker. He shared the tips and techniques that he has used to build his own successful speaking business. His ideas ranged from the value of writing articles that will establish you as an expert in your field to how blogging, books, a website and social media are all part of a coordinated program to build momentum in the market.

Among the points I noted:

Shep’s talk covered many more topics including the secrets of low-cost book publishing in hard cover; scripting your calls to prospective clients when using the phone to build your business; generating passive income from products, and more.

To hear Shep in action, click on the podcast icon below. These two brief extracts of the his talk cover the ways he cultivates the ideal client and as his incredible 5-day social media publishing schedule that is a key part of his active marketing.

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