Author: Craig Strachan

In the Company of Leaders – free ebooks

On the the keynote sessions at the recent Toastmasters Convention was presented by Bob Hooey -  "The Ideas Man". His speech was entitied "The Power of One – you can do and will make a difference" – a very relevent topic to leaders in Toastmasters.

He gave us all a copy of one of his books – "The Power of One". He has also made several books and articles available for free on his website. This includes several full length books on leadership, management and self-development.

I highly recommend some of the downloads – so visit http://www.inthecompanyofleaders.com/TM.htm to grab some of the articles.

15 common mistakes speakers make

This list is from a brain-storming session we held at the recent World Champions Edge summit in Calgary.

  1. No message
  2. To many messages
  3. Ignoring your audience
  4. No pausing
  5. “Chicken soup” stories (using other common stores and not using your own stories)
  6. Making yourself the hero
  7. Stepping on the laugh
  8. Explaining why, not how
  9. Not being yourself
  10. Making assumptions (about your audience)
  11. Being too serious
  12. Forcing (irrelevent) humour into your speech
  13. Repetitive gestures
  14. Winging your speech
  15. Not customizing your message to your audience

Are you wasteful with words?

I heard an interview on the radio this morning in which the interviewee said

?It is obvious that our advertisement offended some people, however sales clearly went up?.

This got me thinking about how often we use superfluous and meaningless words in both our speaking and our writing.

  • It is obvious that?
  • You will see that?
  • You know?
  • And so on and so forth?
  • Each and every single one of you?

Then you can combine the superfluous words ? ?you can obviously see that?

The problem is that they very seldom add value to what you are saying, and they are not always true. In the above case, is it really that obvious? Then there are the obvious filler words ? umm, ahh?clearly you can see how little value they add. If you need space to think when speaking ? just pause and take a breath. It also gives the audience time to catch up.

We tend to use the same filler words in our speeches; they become crutches. This can become very distracting for the audience. To find out how good (or bad) you are, record your next presentation and listen to it afterwards. Even better, transcribe your speech, and you will very quickly become aware of what you are saying.

One of the words that I recently found myself using is ?stuff?. It is a not-descriptive word ? it does not portray any meaning. So now I ask myself the questions ?what stuff?, and I try to find a more meaningful word.

What are your crutch words?

Do you set your audience on fire?

Terry Pratchett, author of the Discworld series, wrote in his novel Jingo

Give a man a fire and he is warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he is warm for life.

One of the problems with motivational speaking is that they are akin to giving a man fire ? the effect of the speech only lasts as long as the fire. But what happens when your speech sets a man on fire? Then the change becomes lasting. Being given fire is good ? it makes you feel nice. Being set on fire can be painful, but the changes are long-lasting.

Mark Brown, the 1996 WCPS, says that in his speeches he tries to touch the head to make you think, to touch the heart to make you feel, and the hands to make you act. I think that Mark sets people on fire.

Here are some of the differences that the audience will feel:

Given Fire
Feel good (but no action)
Motivated (but to do what?)
I (the speaker) achieved in life, so can you (yes, but how?)

Set on Fire
Action plan (today, tomorrow and next week!)
Open up possibility ? new ways of thinking
Challenge paradigms
Feel uncomfortable, challenged

When you speak, do you give your audiences fire, or do you set them on fire?

Do you tell your own stories?

This is something that I have heard so many speakers talk about, but I have only recently found out how powerful it really is.

I recently completed the Toastmasters humourously speaking advanced manual. This manual requires you to use humorous stories and jokes in your speeches. Almost every time, I got a better response from using my own stories, than I found by using a joke that I found, or from somebody else?s stories (not just for humour, but for making a point in general).

A story is a bit like a new word, once you first hear it, everybody seems to be using it (think the starfish on the beach story). Even though it may be a great story, it gets boring very quickly.

There are several reasons for this:

Your own stories or jokes

  • Have a personal meaning to you
  • Are easy to remember
  • Are original
  • Have a message that you can convey in a unique manner
  • Keep the audiences interest

Other people?s stories or jokes

  • Have been heard before (possibly many times)
  • Are not original
  • Tell somebody else?s message
  • Lose the audience

One of the best ways to use your own stories is to keep a story file. Whenever anything interesting happens, or something strikes you as interesting, make a note of it in your story file. It can be as simple as a word document. Here is an example (that did happen to me).

Story

  • Recently, I was cycling up a steep hill (next to the Cape Point Nature Reserve)
  • I got tired and was about to stop when I saw a pack of baboons
  • I raced up the hill faster than I have ever done before

Points

  • You can do anything with the right motivation
  • No matter how tired you are, you always can always find that extra energy

Now, when you are looking for a story to illustrate a point, it is a simple case to look through your story file. A story file is also a great place to look for ideas when you are getting stuck on a speech.

I also use my digital recorder to jot down ideas and stories when I think of them, and then add them to my story file later.

The 10 Truths of Public Speaking

In a recent post, I spoke about the 10 myths of public speaking. Here is the corollary – the 10 truths of public speaking.

1) You can never be over-prepared. The better prepared, and the more you practise, the better you presentation will be.

2) The slides are not the presentation. If you create your presentation and then your slides (if necessary), your slides will support your presentation, rather than be a substitute for it.

3) It is about what the audience can receive. If you focus on meeting the needs of your audience, rather than on impressing them with how much you know, you will have retain their interest.

4) Timing is important. Good timing keeps the meeting on time, it allows for you to say everything that you wanted to say, and it keeps the audience happy. Remember that most audiences start tuning out for the last few minutes of a presentation, no matter how long or short it is.

5) Preparing an effective speech takes time. The more that you prepare, the better your presentation.

6) Only use notes to jog your memory. Use notes (preferably q-cards) if necessary, but only to remind you of your key points. This allows for you to keep your focus on the audience, and not on your presentation.

7) You might need a microphone. A microphone ensures that you will be heard by everybody, and it allows for you to play with your vocal variety. Unless it is a very small room or group, you will probably need a micrphone.

8) Structure is important. A well structured speech keeps the audiences interest. It prevents them from getting lost and confused.

9) You would rather give a speech than die. Gun or microphone – which is it?

10) Try not to alienate anybody in your audience. I say try, because it is almost impossible not to offend somebody at some stage, but don’t deliberately do so.

… and a bonus

11) You can become a good speaker. Follow the tips above, join Toastmasters and you WILL become a good speaker!

3 Tips for Effective Negotiation

This is from a workshop presented by Derek Pead

What is the issue at stake – find out what the issue is (not what the issue appears to be – but the actual underlying issue)

What is your interest – understand why the issue is relevant to you and to the other party

What is your position – know where you stand regarding the issue, and where the other party stands

Knowing these three things will get you a long way towards effective negotiation.

The 7 P’s of a great story

Here is a great outline to follow when creating a story. This list comes from a storytelling workshop presented by Dorian Haarhoff at the Toastmasters Conference in Port Elizabeth.

  • People
  • Place
  • Problem
  • Pleasant
  • Plan
  • Process
  • Product

Take Little Red Riding Hood for example:

  • People   – Red Riding Hood, her grandmother, the woodcutter and the wicked wolf
  • Place   – a forest
  • Pleasant – Red Riding Hood going to visit her grandmother
  • Problem  – the wolf eats and then masquerades as grandmother
  • Plan   – chop off the wolf?s head
  • Process  – saved by the woodcutter
  • Product  – we all live happily ever after

Remember, facts tell, and stories sell ? so go out and write some great stories.

8 tips from Mark Brown

MarkbrownHere are eight thoughts that Mark left us with when he was at our Toastmasters Conference last May.

  • What do you want the audience to think differently about when they leave the room?
  • It is not about being sensational, it is about being sincere.
  • It is not what you can offer, it is what does the audience want.
  • Stories do not need to be mind-blowing, they just need a point.
  • Everybody has stories.
  • Be aware of others – listen to them, learn their names.
  • Be humble – you are speaking for others.
  • Be descriptive.

Follow these ideas, and you will present a great speech!

ps: If you ever have the opportunity to hear Mark Brown speak, please do – he has a great message (and a pretty amazing voice as well!)

10 Myths of Public Speaking

1) I can wing my presentation. No you can’t – the audience will know if you are prepared or not.

2) Creating a few slides is a substitute for preparation. The slides are there to enhance a presentation, not substitute for it. Creating the slides are only part of the presentation. In fact, most presentations may even be better without any slides at all.

3) It’s all about what I know, not what I can give the audience. It is all about the audience – what is in it for them? If you create an audience focused, as opposed to a speaker focused presentation, it will be far more effective.

4) Who cares about timing? Well, a lot of people actually – especially the audience and meeting planner. If you are constantly over time, you will annoy a lot of people, reduce the effectiveness of your message, and reduce your chance of future bookings.

5) It doesn’t take long to prepare a speech. Some speakers may be able to prepare quickly, but you cannot prepare your entire presentation the evening before, or even worse – on the way to the presentation. And if you really have to, please don’t tell anybody – it does not look professional. I have heard speakers say "When I was preparing my speech on the way to the venue this evening…"

6) I can write out my entire speech, and just read it back. If you are reading your speech word for word, it will sound read, you will be unable to focus on your audience, and you will loose lose your audience.

7) I don’t need a microphone. For an audience larger than 50, you need a microphone – no matter how booming your voice.

8) Structure isn’t important. Lack of structure = lack of preparation.

9) I’d rather die than give a speech. Go ahead then. Can anybody find where this "statistic" comes from? Would you really rather die than give a speech?

10) I can make jokes at the expense of the audience. Only if you want to alienate your audience.

… and a bonus

11) You have to be born a good speaker. So, do you have to be born with a microphone in your mouth? Sure, many people are born great speakers, but many more become great speakers through persistence, preparation and practice. Ask any Toastmaster!