Speak With E's Part 1
“Educate, Energize, Entertain, and provide an experience for your
audience”
1. The most important objective of any speaker is to appear
credible and knowledgeable about the subject.
2. Embrace your audience. Remember, it is about them, not you.
Are you going to challenge them to think or behave differently,
or perhaps confirm or explain something they already feel?
3. Speak to your audience as if you were having a conversation
with them. Don’t lecture the audience. Be inclusive. Say “us,”
not “you”.
4. People learn by three means; the visual (what they can see),
the auditory (what they can hear), and the kinesthetic (what they
can touch and feel). Try to include all three in your speech.
5. Be competent. Concentrate on your audience and customize your
remarks to show that you know what is important to them.
6. Have the right amount of information. The talk should have
substance and show your knowledge of the client’s business.
People pay attention to what impacts them directly.
7. Develop rapport with the audience. Do your research to find
out what really interests them. Interview a few of the attendees
several weeks before your speech.
8. Be sensitive to the audience. Do not use ethnic stories or
off-color remarks. “Politics and religion should be avoided
unless you are a member of the clergy.”
9. Prepare your own introduction. Keep it short and relevant to
your
audience’s interests. You can use some humor too.
10. The opening is the most important part of your presentation.
Use strong openings, such as an inspiring story, a startling
comment, a quotation, a challenging question, opposing ideas, or
a funny experience.
11. First impressions are crucial. Match the energy level of your
audience. Rev ‘em up a bit. Be sure to sustain the energy
throughout your presentation.
12. Engage your audience in the first 30 seconds with a
controversial provocative question, such as, “How many of you
have enough money?”
13. Share a story that relates to solid content. It is always
best to tell your own story to make your point, because whether
you are a kid or an adult, everyone loves to hear a personal
story. Screenwriter Robert McKee says, “Stories are the currency
of human contact. “Strive to be a great raconteur and tell a good
story, but don’t overuse your story. Keep it short.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sandra Schrift 13 year speaker bureau owner and now career
coach to emerging and veteran public speakers who want to
"grow" a profitable speaking business. I also work with
business professionals and organizations who want to
master their presentations.
To find out HOW TO MAKE IT AS A PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER, go to
http://www.schrift.com/success_resources.htm
Join my free bi-weekly Monday Morning Mindfulness ezine
http://www.schrift.com/monday.htm
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