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APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE IN NEW WAYS
One of the quickest ways to increase the income from your home business is to develop new products or services which relate to the products you are already selling. This works for two reasons: first, you have the opportunity to sell the new products...
Getting Good Value Personal Loans
Over recent years, personal loans have become a popular solution for many consumers looking to raise finance for a variety of purposes. You can get personal loans for all sorts of things, from debt consolidation to holidays, cars and other...
Highs and Lows of a Net Business
In our recent survey to readers of my ezine, The Joy Letter, I was asked to provide a timeline of the ups and downs in building my motivational website, ( www.howmuchjoy.com ). Ah … where to begin? There have been definite highs and lows...
Increasing Event Attendance
Increasing event attendance is generally the biggest challenge facing meeting and event planners. Many people think that if they plan a fantastic event, people will just come. This does not happen, not on its own. In fact, this can be confusing...
There's No Place Like Home...Except for Victims of Mortgage Fraud
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME ...
EXCEPT FOR VICTIMS OF REAL ESTATE FRAUD
DETROIT, MI - Dec 14 - During this joyous holiday season, when
most Americans are gathering with family and friends, many
others are coping with the impact of real...
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ALL Presenting is Persuasive
All Presenting is Persuasive
After stumbling a bit, most presenters are able to name the
purpose of any presentation they might give. However, most
really stumble when asked if their presentations are meant to
persuade anyone of anything.
The answer, 99% of the time, is YES. And yet most presenters
don't realize it. As a result, the world is full of
"information-only" presentations that do NOT achieve the
presenters' or the audience's expectations or needs. Information
in itself does not lead people to understand, believe, or act.
Information alone is a "data-dump," not a presentation.
Think about it. Why give a presentation at all if you are not
attempting to change the audience's behaviors or attitudes?
Persuasion versus Coercion
"Thaw with her gentle persuasion is more powerful than Thor with
his hammer. The one melts, the other breaks into pieces." Henry
David Thoreau
The term "persuasion" can turn presenters off. Many
subconsciously equate it with coercion. And in fact both do
share the same continuum of strategies that seek compliance from
the listener. Yet persuasion, when done well, answers the
audience's questions, address its concerns, and fulfills its
needs...while achieving the presenter's goals.
Persuasion is nonadversarial in nature. Because it does not
command, negotiate, or coerce, those who are persuaded almost
always feel comfortable and satisfied with the outcomes. Why do
they feel satisfied? Because the speaker has done her homework.
She KNOWS what the audience needs and cares about. The
presentation moves out of being a data dump and into the realm
of dialogue, even if no formal "Q & A" takes place.
Credibility as Persuasion
"Character may almost be called the most effective means of
persuasion." Aristotle
Persuasion is more than strategy or technique. Your credibility
factor underlies all persuasion. All the charisma in the world
falls flat if the audience doesn't perceive you as being
credible.
Empirical research (McCroskey, Holdrige & Toomb, 1974) describes
five dimensions that must be evident in order for a speaker to
be credible:
* Competence: the degree to which you are perceived to be an
expert.
* Character: the degree to which you are perceived as a
reliable, essentially trustworthy message source.
* Composure: the degree to which you are perceived as being able
to maintain emotional control.
* Extroversion: the degree to which you are perceived as bold,
outgoing, and dynamic.
* Sociability: the degree to which the audience perceives you as
someone with whom they could be friends.
Remember that the effectiveness of your presentation is really
about building a relationship with the audience. These five
dimensions of credibility are far more effective tools than
PowerPoint or any other technology. People are "buying" (or
not
buying) you.
What's in it for Them?
Jerry Weissman, in his book "Presenting to Win: The Art of
Telling Your Story" calls persuasion audience advocacy. By that,
he means the ability to view yourself, your company, your story,
and your presentation through your audience's eyes. You must be
able to answer the question "What's in it for them?" at every
juncture of your presentation.
If you want to move the uninformed, dubious, or resistant
audience to understand, believe, and act, (and what speaker
doesn't?) you must:
1. Know your audience. Do your homework. Find out what your
audience cares about, what it wants to know, what its concerns
are.
2. Link every piece of information to your audience's needs.
Here's a helpful test.
1. First, determine your next presentation's purpose. Write it
down. Reflect on it. Change it if necessary.
2. Then, compose the first draft of your presentation. Focus on
the purpose as you write.
3. Go through your presentation. Every time you provide a piece
of data, STOP. Then ask and answer these questions:
"This is important to them because..." (answer it!)
"So what?" (explain how it benefits the audience.)
4. When you discover information for which you cannot answer
these questions, ask yourself: Does this data help the audience
understand, believe, or act? Remove the data if it does not.
You're On!
Once you've gotten through the test and integrated the answers
into your presentation, be ready to put on your Audience
Advocacy hat once again. Select at least three of the phrases
below and insert them into your presentation at the appropriate
times:
"This is important to you because..."
"What does this mean to you?"
"Why am I telling you this?"
"Who cares? ("You should care, because...")
"So what?" ("Here's what!")
You are Credible; You Meet Your Audience's Needs
Develop and practice the five dimensions of credibility. They
are an innate and natural part of you. A higher awareness of
them will increase your effectiveness as a speaker. Remember to
"see, taste, and hear" your presentation as if you are a member
of your own audience. And always ask yourself: What's in it for
them?
Far from being coercive, you are proving yourself to be
powerfully aligned with your audience. Your message will
benefit, motivate and move them!
Sign up for Guila's free e-newsletter, full of valuable
techniques for effective public speaking, at www.guilamuir.com.
About the author:
Guila Muir pumps up your presentation skills! Helping people to
present dynamically since 1989, Guila provides tools, tips, and
techniques to master any speaking situation. Sign up for her
free e-newsletter, full of strategies to improve your
presentation skills, at www.guilamuir.com.
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| Allyn and Bacon Public Speaking Website |
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| www.toastmasters.org |
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| www.school-for-champions.com |
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| Public Speaking Home Page |
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| Public speaking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
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| en.wikipedia.org |
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| UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT MARTIN COUNSELING AND CAREER SERVICES |
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| www.utm.edu |
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| Painless Public Speaking |
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| Public Speaking from Uncommon Knowledge |
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| www.uncommon-knowledge.co.uk |
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| Public Speaking Tips by Uncommon Knowledge |
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| www.uncommon-knowledge.co.uk |
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| Public Speaking Skills from Mind Tools - Speaking Tips & Techniques |
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| www.mindtools.com |
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| Public Speaking Information |
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| Basic Public Speaking, 2nd Edition - The Teachers and Students ... |
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| public speaking tips - presentation skills tips, public speaking tips |
| presentation skills & public speaking monthly tips by Lenny Laskowski, Professional Speaker. |
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| Public Speaking - The Art of Speech Making |
| Public Speaking - Hints and tips on Public Speaking Skills, dealing with public speaking nerves and anxiety, public speaking skills and public speaking ... |
| www.impactfactory.com |
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| Advanced Public Speaking Institute |
| Public speaking articles, seminars, and educational materials. |
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