on Jan 11 in Uncategorized
With the start of the New Year and the resolutions we vow to keep, there is one change that can improve your life – both professionally and personally – simply by discovering your ‘real’ voice. Easy to accomplish and guaranteed to get better with age, your ‘real’ voice is deeper in pitch, warmer in quality and will sound more mature than your habitual voice.
You have a better voice inside but you were probably unaware of that fact. Because most people are powering their sound by means of the voice box, throat, mouth and nose, those same people don’t realize that those four resonating cavities cannot do justice to their sound. In truth we have 5 resonators. The one that is missing in this picture is the largest of your resonators, your chest cavity.
Lazy or shallow breathing is the reason that your voice is being ‘shortchanged’ because it does not allow for a richer, resonant sound nor for the power that is possible when your chest cavity become your primary sounding board. In addition, your chest cavity is the greatest amplifier of those five resonators; thus, you will be able to increase your volume without shouting. In all the years of raising my two sons, I never yelled at them – I projected. What this means is that when I increase my volume, it doesn’t hurt my throat or my listeners’ ears!
One of the many benefits of good voice training is that you will find your voice improving as you get older. If you are over 40, you have probably discovered that nothing on your body is getting better with age; however, the voice that has had training will continue to improve because undue pressure has been taken off the vocal folds (cords) and throat. Of course, your voice box and larynx are still working. They just aren’t working nearly as hard. That is indeed a blessing because vocal abuse is much less likely to occur.
If you are presently suffering with chronic hoarseness, persistent sore throats, or even loss of voice by the end of the day and you are not sick, then vocal abuse is probably the culprit. Finding your ‘real’ voice will eliminate that problem.
Another benefit of voice training is that you will reduce the amount of stress in your life because you will be breathing with the support of your diaphragm. In doing so, you will be eliminating more of the toxins in your body which shallow or lazy breathing is unable to do. In fact, shallow breathing actually increases these toxins which, in turn, increase your stress.
Learn to breathe properly and you will discover the best means of controlling nervousness in public speaking that exists! Of all of the advice given by professional speakers, it is amazing to me how few understand this last concept. Breathlessness on the podium is a great detriment. Learn to breathe with support and that problem is resolved as well!
Why not make 2010 the year you discover your ‘real’ voice as well as a host of other benefits that have nothing to do with your voice or presentation skills?
The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. Visit Voice Dynamic and watch Nancy as she describes The Power of Your Speaking Voice.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/public-speaking-articles/a-new-voice-for-2010-could-be-your-best-new-years-resolution-1695336.html
on Jan 10 in Uncategorized
Think of it like this: your fee credibility is as important as putting on your clothes before going to a speaking engagement. Having questionable integrity when it comes to your fee, will leave you open for attack from many different angles (as would giving a speech nude). Without question, all hiring events should receive identical fee bills, as long as they are getting identical presentations. Overcharging or undercharging an event will do nothing but get you in trouble with the speaker’s bureaus and ruin your good name.
Having a product in your package allows you to negotiate your fee a great deal more than otherwise. For example, if someone asks you to speak and tells you that their budget can only afford to pay $7000.00, but your fee is $8,500.00; you must rework the situation. Mention that your fee includes 100 copies of your book, but you will take them out of the deal. I have pulled books out of the deal and have still been allowed to sell them at the back of the room at many engagements. This is a legitimate way to maintain your fee credibility without shorting yourself or the hiring event. Remember that not playing fair will only hurt you in the long run. Above all else: make it work so that you keep your good name, and the job.
Get 30 days of public speaking training for only $5.00!
Tom Antion provides entertaining speeches and educational seminars. He is the ultimate entrepreneur, having owned many businesses BEFORE graduating college. Tom is the author of the best selling presentation skills book “Wake ‘em Up Business Presentations” and “Click: The Ultimate Guide to Electronic Marketing.” It is important to Tom that his knowledge be not only absorbed, but enjoyed. This is why he delivers his speeches laced with great humor and hysterical jokes. Tom has addressed more than 87 different industries and is thoroughly committed to his client’s needs.
Tom Antion is a internationally recognized public speaker and
Internet marketer with over 2700 paid presentations to his credit.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/public-speaking-articles/public-speaking-fee-credibility-is-a-must-1686401.html
on Jan 10 in Uncategorized
When choosing keywords, you’ll want to stay away from using general terms like “speaker,” for example. This will only leave you competing with stereo speakers for a top ten spot in a search engine like Google. Don’t discard the word from your list altogether, but don’t make it number one either.
Think about what services you offer. Let’s say you are a customer service speaker in Los Angeles. Some key phrases for you to use might be “customer service speaker” or “customer service trainer.” The best key phrase to use would be “customer service speaker Los Angeles,” the more specific the better. Your audience is trying to locate you, why not give them the easiest possible way to find you?
Somewhere, someone is sitting at their desk right now saying “But Tom, I speak all over the world, this technique will limit my business to strictly Los Angeles!” Wrong. Here are some more keyword phrases to help get you started: “customer service speaker San Francisco” “customer service speaker New York”. So what if you don’t live or speak in these places? We are playing the search engine game here, so when someone finds one of these pages, the top could read “Special Discount to Programs in the Las Vegas Area” (or something like that.) You’ll at least get a shot at the business even though some of the people typing in these phrases aren’t looking for you at least your name is out there.
*Note: If you want the job and they won’t pay travel expenses, use some of those frequent flyer miles you have been saving up. It just might seal the deal.
Get 30 days of public speaking training for only $5.00!
Tom Antion provides entertaining speeches and educational seminars. He is the ultimate entrepreneur, having owned many businesses BEFORE graduating college. Tom is the author of the best selling presentation skills book “Wake ‘em Up Business Presentations” and “Click: The Ultimate Guide to Electronic Marketing.”
Tom Antion is a internationally recognized public speaker and
Internet marketer with over 2700 paid presentations to his credit.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/public-speaking-articles/choosing-a-hot-keyword-advice-for-aspiring-public-speakers-1687181.html
on Jan 09 in Uncategorized
I’ll cut to the chase. To make your video look right, you have to wear makeup. Sorry guys, be macho if you want, but when you have a five o’clock shadow after you just shaved, don’t say I didn’t warn you. The harsh lights used in studios penetrate several layers of skin that would appear a lot healthier if you had just put on some powder. It gets worse… baldness seems to be highlighted by cameras for some reason, get over it and put on some makeup. Don’t forget your nose and forehead, and always reapply during a break; you’ll thank me later.
While we’re on the vanity of things; clothes. Don’t wear gaudy prints, black, red or white. When you review your video, you want to see yourself rather than your outfit.
OK, now that that is out of the way, onto cameras. You’ll want preferably three cameras to ensure you have captured your speech and your audience from all angles. In order for your video to be of the best possible quality you’ll want to use Beta Cam, mini DV, or at the absolute worst, SVHS or HI8. Also, to have your video look great you should use professional operators and a director if they are using multi-cameras and a control room.
Lighting is the most important element when planning a video production. I have videos that were shot on poor quality cameras, but look great thanks to the right lighting.
If the organization is doing the editing, be right there in the suite as they do it. Ultimately, no matter what you have bartered, this is your finished copy and you should have a say in what is cut and what is not.
Lastly, scatter microphones throughout the audience. This will allow you to hear real reactions without the filters of lapel microphones.
Learn to market your speaker services on the Internet!
Tom Antion is a internationally recognized public speaker and
Internet marketer with over 2700 paid presentations to his credit.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/public-speaking-articles/how-to-get-your-video-production-right-the-first-time-1687228.html
on Jan 09 in Uncategorized
I owe the completion and success of my book to a big cardboard box that saw me through the entire process. I found this box and filled it with any and all information I could find on my topic ‘advanced presentation skills for speakers and business presenters.’ I printed out articles I had written, listened to tapes and read every single book on presentation skills that has ever been published. I have a huge library filled with these books, which are a great thing to have. I took notes and pulled out the best information from each text, finding a way to work it into my own. This is not plagiarism. Some information is too important not to use, so you reword it and use it as substantial background information, giving credit in your bibliography.
When my box was full, I had a huge mess of papers filled with quotes on speaking, great techniques I had jotted down at other presentations, and even cartoons. I grabbed a pile of manila folders and slowly sorted through the rubble, putting items of similar interest together. At the end of the day, I had about 14 folders that represented my book chapters. I hadn’t written a word, but I was organized.
I told myself I would write as much of my book as I could by myself and I did. When I had done all I could, I hired an editor who worked word magic and made my book a grammatical success. Then I designed the cover, well, designed is the wrong word. I brainstormed, came up with an idea, and then bartered presentation skills training to get it done. Lastly, I hired a professional copywriter who wrote something up for the back cover, and that is how my book came to be.
Another benefit of having a book is that you can sell those blank pages that make up dead space in the back of your book. I sold and traded this ad space, putting some of the money I spent back in my pocket.
Learn to market your speaker services on the Internet!
Tom Antion is a internationally recognized public speaker and
Internet marketer with over 2700 paid presentations to his credit.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/public-speaking-articles/public-speaking-finish-your-book-already-1687237.html
on Jan 08 in Uncategorized
Don’t knock it; “Keep It Simple, Stupid” is a great rule to live by. Nobody likes a website to “yell” at them, with blaring colors and flashing lights. Too many buttons will turn customers off. I had this problem with my homepage at http://www.antion.com. A colleague of mine, who makes a lot of money, pointed out the cluttered look of my site. I had worked so closely on every detail of the page; that I couldn’t see it for what it was anymore.
I set out to simplify my site, first by removing the banners and combining my navigational buttons. The goal was a clean looking homepage, so possible customers would not get frustrated or confused and click away.
I also eliminated many of the choices on my site, narrowing it down to two groups for my main clientele, “Need a Speaker” or “Be a Speaker.” The concept here is to make it simple for my customers to locate what it is they are looking for. Reducing the choices on my site will save customers from having to wade through all of my stuff. This would do nothing more than waste their time and reflect poorly on me and my ability to help them.
Tom Antion provides entertaining speeches and educational seminars. He is the ultimate entrepreneur, having owned many businesses BEFORE graduating college. Tom is the author of the best selling presentation skills book “Wake ‘em Up Business Presentations” and “Click: The Ultimate Guide to Electronic Marketing.” It is important to Tom that his knowledge be not only absorbed, but enjoyed. This is why he delivers his speeches laced with great humor and hysterical jokes. Tom has addressed more than 87 different industries and is thoroughly committed to his client’s needs.
Tom Antion is a internationally recognized public speaker and
Internet marketer with over 2700 paid presentations to his credit.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/public-speaking-articles/keep-it-simple-stupid-the-beauty-of-a-clean-cut-website-1687239.html
on Jan 08 in Uncategorized
There is nothing wrong with making your own website if you are looking to save some money. Be prepared however, for your finished product to resemble an after school project; cutesy, homemade touches and all. It is pretty hard to make your own website and have it look professional; but, there is an easier way that will leave you with fewer headaches in the long run.
You must first do some web research. Click around and find websites that have the look you are going for. Make some notes and jot down what it is you do and do not want representing you. You should also start thinking of some keywords that will help people find you if they were to type them into a search engine.
After you have a rough idea of what you would like your site to look like, you should contact a professional who will take care of all the hassles that come with making a webpage. I recommend contacting Global Presence in Tucson, Arizona, [http://www.saeler.com;] they do great work and pay special attention to detail.
Your website will be created so that you can make changes when and if you see fit. To do this, you should purchase a web authoring program, and learn how to properly navigate the system to make revisions on your site. After the site is up, you only need to know how to do 4 things in order to keep your site up to date.
1. Be able to add a new page, complete with all of the navigation buttons from previous pages.
2. Have the ability to add text.
3. Be able to add a graphic.
4. Know how to make a hyperlink.
These are 4 easy steps that will be repeated numerous times throughout your website’s existence.
Not everyone uses the same browser, so your webpage may look very different from one computer to the next. To get a quick look at how your site may appear on other browsers, go to http://www.anybrowser.com/. When choosing a font, use something standard like Times New Roman; one that virtually every computer has. A good resource to help guide you through all of your website problems is Robin Williams’ (no, not that Robin Williams) book, The Non Designers Web Book.
*Remember to keep your site simple, so that customers don’t get confused by all the buttons, and click away.
Get 30 days of public speaking training for only $5.00!
Tom Antion is a internationally recognized public speaker and
Internet marketer with over 2700 paid presentations to his credit.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/public-speaking-articles/public-speaking-how-to-make-a-website-minus-the-headaches-1687244.html
on Jan 08 in Uncategorized
You are probably wondering how you decide where to put the humor you have so carefully selected to use in your presentation. You weren’t wondering? Well, I’m going to tell you anyway.
First of all, starting with a funny story or joke is expected and trite. You may want to postpone your story until the audience is resolved that you will be bestowing a rare case of sleeping sickness on them and then you surprise them with the humor. Don’t be afraid to do the unexpected. Humor is one of the attention getting devices that can take your audience to the peaks of intensity.
To get started in figuring the placement of your humor, first find out or decide how much time you are expected to talk. Divide this time into equal segments. If the percentage of humor is to be low, you might make a humorous comment each six to eight minutes. If the percentage of humor is very high, you might be making a humorous comment every minute. Going through this process tells you roughly how much humor or other attention gaining devices you need to accomplish your goals.
I’m assuming at this point that all the humor you have selected is relevant to your audience and your topic. If it is not, throw it out now and search for something to replace it that is relevant to your program.
Next, you should be ready to place the humor in your program. Don’t make the mistake of forcing humor and other material to fit. It makes no difference if one segment goes several minutes longer than another or if you don’t hit the funny bone exactly every six to eight minutes. Just use that time length as a guideline. All you have to do now is decide if you want humor in your opening and/or closing.
Finally, the third aspect of timing has to do with ‘planned spontaneity.’ This term seems like an oxymoron, or contradiction in terms, doesn’t it? (see Oxymoron article) When it comes to professional presentations, preparation will be a big factor in your ultimate success.
Prepared remarks that appear spontaneous deserve a mention when talking about timing. During the course of a presentation, windows of opportunity for witty remarks open and close. They are usually related to ‘expected/unexpected’ happenings during the presentation, or questions from the audience. Let’s say you are writing on the flipchart and your marker runs out of ink. Your window of opportunity is now open. You might jump through the window and say, ‘I guess I’ve come to the dry part of my presentation’ Window slams shut. Everything is fine. You look like a quick wit and a pretty cool NO ZZZZZs presenter.
What if you waited until you searched out a new marker to say the same line? The window had already slammed shut 30 seconds ago and now you are trying to jump through. You lose. The spontaneity is gone and so is the impact (except for smashing your head into the glass). What do you have to do to be sure you will be ready when a window opens?
Many problems can be anticipated. If you are using a slide projector, the bulb might blow. You may be interrupted by a loud noise. Your microphone might squeal, etc. Prepare comments in advance so you can recall them immediately when needed. If you let too much time pass between the incident and your comment, you’re better off foregoing the comment. It’s too late to make it funny.
Questions (see Funny Question and Answer Sessions article) from the audience can be treated the same way. If you’ve been presenting your material long enough, you can probably anticipate most of the questions that come up. Prepare a witty answer to each question and use it when the question arises. Then go on and give your serious answer. Be careful when using this technique your witty answer doesn’t make the person asking the question feel stupid.
Attention Speakers: Learn to make $5500 or more everytime you speak!
Tom Antion is a internationally recognized public speaker and
Internet marketer with over 2700 paid presentations to his credit.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/public-speaking-articles/public-speaking-humor-placement-1682420.html
on Jan 08 in Uncategorized
One of the most pervasive principles in the construction of humorous situations is the Rule of Three. You will see it used over and over because it is simple. It is powerful and it works (see I just used it there in a non-funny situation). Most of the time in humor the Rule of Three is used in the following fashion: The first comment names the topic, the second sets a pattern, and the third unexpectedly switches the pattern which is funny. Here’s a few examples from brochures advertising my seminars:
In the ‘How to Get There’; section
* From Washington, D.C. take Rt. 50 . . .
* From Baltimore, MD take Rt. 95 . . .
* From Bangkok, Thailand board Asian Air . . .
* By Metro take the Red line . . .
* By Car take New York Ave. . . .
* By Steamship take the Chesapeake Bay
While in front of a group I might point to an audience member and say You can make a difference in your company. [Pointing to the next person] You can make a difference in your department. [Pointing to third fun person] You can [pause] Well not everyone can do this.
The Rule of Three is also used in constructing
bits (see bits article).
Three jokes or one-liners on one topic is enough to create a rise in the audience, but not enough to tire them about that subject. Don’t forget that the Rule of Three is good in non-funny situations too. Even honest Abe Lincoln used it twice in the powerful, but short, Gettysburg Address: ‘We cannot dedicate. We cannot consecrate. We cannot hallow this ground’; ‘and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.’
Get 30 days of public speaking training for only $5.00!
Tom Antion provides entertaining speeches and educational seminars. He is the ultimate entrepreneur, having owned many businesses BEFORE graduating college. Tom is the author of the best selling presentation skills book “Wake ‘em Up Business Presentations” and “Click: The Ultimate Guide to Electronic Marketing.” It is important to Tom that his knowledge be not only absorbed, but enjoyed. This is why he delivers his speeches laced with great humor and hysterical jokes. Tom has addressed more than 87 different industries and is thoroughly committed to his clients’ needs.
Tom Antion is a internationally recognized public speaker and
Internet marketer with over 2700 paid presentations to his credit.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/public-speaking-articles/public-speaking-rule-of-three-1682429.html
on Jan 07 in Uncategorized
It is interesting to note the diverse opinions when it comes to marking your speech with pauses and smiley faces and underlining particular words for emphasis. My questions to you follow. Do you want to give a speech that is akin to delivering a script as if you were acting on a stage? Or, do you want to deliver your speech as if you were having a conversation in your living room?
Your answer will determine whether you should mark script or not. While I am not an advocate of the former method, if this is what you would prefer, then by all means, mark your script and deliver in that fashion.
If, on the other hand, you would rather deliver your speech as if you were having a conversation in your living room, then do not mark your script.
Were I teaching you how to deliver a dynamic speech or presentation, my advice would be the latter – to treat your audience as if you were speaking to a group of people in your home. My reasoning is that you will be much more natural, much more relaxed, and much more focused on communicating with your audience than performing for them.
It is important to recognize that public speaking is the art of communicating with an audience. The important word in the above description is with. Were the definition to include the word for instead of with, then indeed your delivery would be ‘scripted’ because you would be giving a performance.
By marking your script, you then place your delivery into a preset form of actions which may or may not work with your audience. Maybe you are saying a humorous line and you have placed a smiley face at that spot. What happens, however, if your audience doesn’t find those particular words humorous? You are standing there smiling; they are not. You have just placed yourself in a very awkward position that could have been avoided. By allowing your audience to decide how they will react to you, you then can react to them naturally and normally, not one determined by the markings on your script.
If you would allow your delivery as well as the reaction of your audience to determine how you proceed, to determine when you smile, or whether you should emphasize a particular word or not, you will be much more warmly received because you will be talking from your heart and not just from your head. Talking from the heart is the best means of public speaking. Delivering a rote, scripted performance is not.
The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. To see how voice training can improve your life, both professionally and personally, Click Here.
Visit The Voice Lady’s blog and watch a brief video as she describes Dynamic Public Speaking.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/public-speaking-articles/to-mark-your-script-or-not-that-is-the-question-in-public-speaking-1677641.html
