Resources for the Public Speaker!

38 Ways to Win an Argument! From Arthur Schopenhauer's "The Art of Controversy!"

Reprinted from "Arumentation" (The Teaching Company)
Used by permission.

P.S. The version of the essay that follows was translated into English in 1896 by T. Bailey Saunders for The Art of Controversy, and Other Posthumous Papers (London: Sonnenschein/New York: Macmillan, 1896). We've done some minor editing to make it easier to read.

1. Carry your opponent's proposition beyond its natural limits; exaggerate it. The more general your opponent's statement becomes, the more objections you can find against it. The more restricted and narrow your own propositions remain, the easier they are to defend.
2. Use different meanings of your opponent's words to refute his argument.

Example: Person A says, "You do not understand the mysteries of Kant's philosophy." Person B replies, "Oh, if it's mysteries you're talking about, I'll have nothing to do with them."

3. Ignore your opponent's proposition, which was intended to refer to some particular thing. Rather, understand it in some quite different sense, and then refute it. Attack something different than what was asserted.

4. Hide your conclusion from your opponent until the end. Mingle your premises here and there in your talk. Get your opponent to agree to them in no definite order. By this circuitous route you conceal your goal until you have reached all the admissions necessary to reach your goal.

5. Use your opponent's beliefs against him. If your opponent refuses to accept your premises, use his own premises to your advantage.
Example: If the opponent is a member of an organization or a religious sect to which you do not belong, you may employ the declared opinions of this group against the opponent.

6. Confuse the issue by changing your opponent's words or what he or she seeks to prove.
Example: Call something by a different name: "good repute" instead of "honor," "virtue" instead of "virginity," "red-blooded" instead of "vertebrates."

7. State your proposition and show the truth of it by asking the opponent many questions. By asking many wide-reaching questions at once, you may hide what you want to get admitted. Then you quickly propound the argument resulting from the opponent's admissions.

8. Make your opponent angry. An angry person is less capable of using judgment or perceiving where his or her advantage lies.

9. Use your opponent's answers to your questions to reach different or even opposite conclusions.

10. If your opponent answers all your questions negatively and refuses to grant you any points, ask him or her to concede the opposite of your premises. This may confuse the opponent as to which point you actually seek him to concede.

11. If the opponent grants you the truth of some of your premises, refrain from asking him or her to agree to your conclusion. Later, introduce your conclusion as a settled and admitted fact. Your opponent and others in attendance may come to believe that your conclusion was admitted.

12. If the argument turns upon general ideas with no particular names, you must use language or a metaphor that is favorable to your proposition.

Example: What an impartial person would call "public worship" or a "system of religion" is described by an adherent as "piety" or "godliness" and by an opponent as "bigotry" or "superstition." In other words, inset what you intend to prove into the definition of the idea.

13. To make your opponent accept a proposition, you must give him an opposite, counter-proposition as well. If the contrast is glaring, the opponent will accept your proposition to avoid being paradoxical.
Example: If you want him to admit that a boy must do everything that his father tells him to do, ask him, "whether in all things we must obey or disobey our parents." Or, if a thing is said to occur "often," ask whether you are to understand "often" to mean few or many times, the opponent will say "many." It is as though you were to put gray next to black and call it white, or gray next to white and call it black.

14. Try to bluff your opponent. If he or she has answered several of your questions without the answers turning out in favor of your conclusion, advance your conclusion triumphantly, even if it does not follow. If your opponent is shy or stupid, and you yourself possess a great deal of impudence and a good voice, the technique may succeed.

15. If you wish to advance a proposition that is difficult to prove, put it aside for the moment. Instead, submit for your opponent's acceptance or rejection some true proposition, as though you wished to draw your proof from it. Should the opponent reject it because he suspects a trick, you can obtain your triumph by showing how absurd the opponent is to reject an obviously true proposition. Should the opponent accept it, you now have reason on your side for the moment. You can either try to prove your original proposition, as in #14, or maintain that your original proposition is proved by what your opponent accepted. For this an extreme degree of impudence is required, but experience shows cases of it succeeding.

16. When your opponent puts forth a proposition, find it inconsistent with his or her other statements, beliefs, actions or lack of action.
Example: Should your opponent defend suicide, you may at once exclaim, "Why don't you hang yourself?" Should the opponent maintain that his city is an unpleasant place to live, you may say, "Why don't you leave on the first plane?"

17. If your opponent presses you with a counter-proof, you will often be able to save yourself by advancing some subtle distinction. Try to find a second meaning or an ambiguous sense for your opponent's idea.

18. If your opponent has taken up a line of argument that will end in your defeat, you must not allow him to carry it to its conclusion. Interrupt the dispute, break it off altogether, or lead the opponent to a different subject.

19. Should your opponent expressly challenge you to produce any objection to some definite point in his argument, and you have nothing to say, try to make the argument less specific.
Example: If you are asked why a particular hypothesis cannot be accepted, you may speak of the fallibility of human knowledge, and give various illustrations of it.

20. If your opponent has admitted to all or most of your premises, do not ask him or her directly to accept your conclusion. Rather, draw the conclusion yourself as if it too had been admitted.

21. When your opponent uses an argument that is superficial and you see the falsehood, you can refute it by setting forth its superficial character. But it is better to meet the opponent with a counter-argument that is just as superficial, and so dispose of him. For it is with victory that you are concerned, not with truth.
Example: If the opponent appeals to prejudice or emotion, or attacks you personally, return the attack in the same manner.

22. If your opponent asks you to admit something from which the point in dispute will immediately follow, you must refuse to do so, declaring that it begs the question.

23. Contradiction and contention irritate a person into exaggerating his statements. By contradicting your opponent you may drive him into extending the statement beyond its natural limit. When you then contradict the exaggerated form of it, you look as though you had refuted the original statement. Contrarily, if your opponent tries to extend your own statement further than you intended, redefine your statement's limits and say, "That is what I said, no more."

24. State a false syllogism. Your opponent makes a proposition, and by false inference and distortion of his ideas you force from the proposition other propositions that are not intended and that appear absurd. It then appears that your opponent's proposition gave rise to these inconsistencies, and so it appears to be indirectly refuted.

25. If your opponent is making a generalization, find an instance to the contrary. Only one valid contradiction is needed to overthrow the opponent's proposition.
Example: "All ruminants are horned," is a generalization that may be upset by the single instance of the camel.

26. A brilliant move is to turn the tables and use your opponent's arguments against himself.
Example: Your opponent declares, "So and so is a child, you must make an allowance for him." You retort, "Just because he is a child, I must correct him; otherwise he will persist in his bad habits."

27. Should your opponent surprise you by becoming particularly angry at an argument, you must urge it with all the more zeal. No only will this make your opponent angry, but it will appear that you have put your finger on the weak side of his case, and your opponent is more open to attack on this point than you expected.

28. When the audience consists of individuals (or a person) who are not experts on a subject, you make an invalid objection to your opponent who seems to be defeated in the eyes of the audience. This strategy is particularly effective if your objection makes your opponent look ridiculous or if the audience laughs. If your opponent must make a long, winded and complicated explanation to correct you, the audience will not be disposed to listen to him.

29. If you find that you are being beaten, you can create a diversion-that is, you can suddenly begin to talk of something else, as though it had a bearing on the matter in dispute. This may be done without presumption that the diversion has some general bearing on the matter.

30. Make an appeal to authority rather than reason. If your opponent respects an authority or an expert, quote that authority to further your case. If needed, quote what the authority said in some other sense or circumstance. Authorities that your opponent fails to understand are those which he generally admires the most. You may also, should it be necessary, not only twist your authorities, but actually falsify them, or quote something that you have entirely invented yourself.

31. If you know that you have no reply to the arguments that your opponent advances, you by a fine stroke of irony declare yourself to be an incompetent judge.
Example: "What you say passes my poor powers of comprehension; it may well be all very true, but I can't understand it, and I refrain from any expression of opinion on it." In this way you insinuate to the audience, with whom you are in good repute, that what your opponent says is nonsense. This technique may be used only when you are quite sure that the audience thinks much better of you than your opponent.

32. A quick way of getting rid of an opponent's assertion, or of throwing suspicion on it, is by putting it into some odious category.
Example: You can say, "That is fascism" or "atheism" or "superstition." In making an objection of this kind you take for granted:
1. That the assertion or question is identical with, or at least contained in, the category cited; and
2. The system referred to has been entirely refuted.

33. You admit your opponent's premises but deny the conclusion.
Example: "That's all very well in theory, but it won't work in practice."

34. When you state a question or an argument, and your opponent gives you no direct answer, or evades it with a counter-question, or tries to change the subject, it is sure sign you have touched a weak spot, sometimes without intending to do so. You have, as it were, reduced your opponent to silence. You must, therefore, urge the point all the more, and not let your opponent evade it, even when you do not know where the weakness that you have hit upon really lies.

35. Instead of working on an opponent's intellect or the rigor of his arguments, work on his motive. If you succeed in making your opponent's opinion-should it prove true-seem distinctly prejudicial to his own interest, he will drop it immediately.
Example: A clergyman is defending some philosophical dogma. You show him that his proposition contradicts a fundamental doctrine of his church. He will abandon the argument.

36. You may also puzzle and bewilder your opponent by mere bombast. If your opponent is weak or does not wish to appear as if he has no idea what you are talking about, you can easily impose upon him some argument that sounds very deep or learned, or that sounds indisputable.

37. Should your opponent be in the right but, luckily for you, choose a faulty proof, you can easily refute it and then claim that you have refuted the whole position. This is the way in which bad advocates lose good cases. If no accurate proof occurs to your opponent, you have won the day.

38. Become personal, insulting and rude as soon as you perceive that your opponent has the upper hand. In becoming personal you leave the subject altogether, and turn your attack on the person by remarks of an offensive and spiteful character. This is a very popular technique, because it takes so little skill to put it into effect.

Dealing with Troublesome Seminar Attendees

© 2010 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Note: To use this article, you must include George Bien's full name and link to http://www.xtremespeaking.com

I'm often asked the following questions: "Do I ever get hecklers or trouble-makers in my talks or seminars? And if so, how do I handle them?"

I feel blessed that I haven’t had a real trouble-maker or major problem person in my seminars for longer than I can remember. I’ve happily been attracting people of great quality and character. Occasionally, there are a few who really need more therapy than training, but a display of compassion and a little "tough love" usually takes care of any issues. Yet something happened a few years ago at a Conference that was quite the contrary.

I was excited about giving my talk on “Celebrating Opportunity”, yet the equipment problems and a disruptive table in the back of the room were enough to dampen any speaker’s sparkle. The wireless microphone had a popping and buzzing sound, so I had to use a hand-held, wired one, with a short cord no less. To top things off, a table in the back of the room was getting more attention than my speech, due to the loud conversation of one of the attendees. Normally, I would have simply walked up to the table and do my best to win over the talker by engaging in the conversion, but the short mike cable didn’t allow for much mobility. I tried a “dramatic momentary silence”, but that only opened the door for the person’s even louder conversation. In hopes of disarming the talker, I was about to bring the obviously needed attention to the table by acknowledging its “wonderful celebrity”, when a sudden hush took over the room and the attention was back on my talk. It was smooth sailing from that moment on, and I enjoyed delivering the message in a passionate and fun way. I found out the next day that a conference attendee actually walked up to the table (out of my view) and scolded the loud-mouth perpetrator. She said to the loud-talking woman, “We paid to come here and hear George speak. You are a presenter at this conference. You should know better!” Pretty strong words, don’t you agree? There’s no need to tell you who the “attention-seeking-talker” was. I’ll just say this, “She must have needed more attention than she was getting!” How sad.

In this case, I don’t deserve the credit for defusing the disruptive individual. The talker was put in her place by a conference attendee - an even better scenario.

There are basically four types of people that you will have in an audience. The concept of four temperaments is centuries old, and can be traced back over 5,000 years to the traditions of the Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations. Dr. Carl Jung described four behavioral styles-the Intuitor, Thinker, Feeler, and Sensor.

In their book, "The Platinum Rule: Discover the Four Basic Business Personalities and How They Can Lead You to Success", Dr. Tony Alessandra and Dr. Michael J. O'Connor, discuss four basic business personalities, the "Dominant Director", the "Interacting Socializer", the "Steady Relater" and the "Cautious Thinker".

Another popular business model is that of the "Emotive", the "Director", the "Reflective" and the "Supportive". More proof that there's really "nothing new under the sun". Let's use this model for its simplicity.

“Emotives”, as the name implies, are people who are emotionally-driven. They are "people-people", who are usually well-liked and are fun to be around. They don’t like details, and can see the "big picture". They are process-oriented and enjoy interaction. They are extroverts who smile and gesture enthusiastically, and like getting attention.

“Directors” deal specifically with facts. These people are process-oriented, and are very good at separating business from personal relationships. Their gestures are forceful. They take command, and often come across as being aggressive, insistent and pushy. They might say something like, "We'll do it with you, without you, or through you, but we'll get it done"!

“Reflectives” are precise, calculating, exact, methodical and scientific. They do a lot of study and research and are very detail oriented. They often get bogged down with specifics. If they have a weak point, it would be “Analysis-Paralysis.” Their work often defines who they are. Be careful with "Reflectives". If you tactlessly insult their work, it’s like killing their children!

Finally, “Supportives” are light-hearted, well-liked, laid back, and may not speak a lot in seminars, workshops, meetings or gatherings. They are superb listeners, and like to know the ground rules and policies, and take great pleasure in having things spelled out.

As long as your seminar, workshop or talk reaches each of the above personalities, you’ll most likely do a great job. For example, to reach all four of these types in your program, you could say something like, “This is what we are going to cover in the next two hours . . . . . . . . . . I know that it’s important to have the facts, so here are the important points . . . . . . . . . . Now let’s look at the big picture, so I can fine tune each segment in detail . . . . . . . . . . I will then put its usage in your hands with a few exercises . . . . . . . . . . ", etc.
Let me now address problem attendees. As I mentioned above, it’s been years since I had a really challenging situation in a workshop or talk (I was once actually physically attacked by a seminar attendee) but as the old saying goes, “Never say never!” And sure enough, that Conference I mentioned is a reminder that helps keep me on my toes.

First of all, understand that attacks are opportunities to see what heights our development, as speakers/presenters, has reached. The personification of presenting is when we are able to turn the repartee into a win-win situation. When you are doing your welcome and introductory portion of your presentation, consider creating a specific spot (area of the room) for answering questions. This will help you to more easily maintain control if an attack comes. If you are faced with an attack, the first thing is to try to preserve the presentation location. So if you see an attack coming, do your best to move away from the presentation location. A good idea would be to tell your group, in the beginning of your seminar, to raise their hands when they want to ask a question or make a statement. This way you can see the question coming and, if necessary, move away from the presentation location. If the attack happens when you are in the presentation location and you cannot get out of the area, then stay there. Just remember that the negativity was anchored to that location, so when the exchange is over, consider moving to a fresh, new location for the continuation of your delivery.

It’s difficult not to take an attack personally, so do your best to mentally distance yourself, dissociate (go into third person/position), to decrease the intensity of your internal feelings. If you haven’t attained enough flexibility to switch back and forth between the five basic perceptual positions, practice the skill of dissociating ahead of time. When the aggressor is talking do your best to be still and tranquil, look intelligent, and breathe deeply. If the group senses that you, as the presenter, are calm and in control, they are more apt to also be calm and in control. Remember: It’s typically not the content of the attack that is disturbing but the delivery of the attack, and especially the group’s reaction to the delivery. Does the group perceive the attacker as inappropriate and different from them or are they siding with him/her? Your job is to protect the group and yourself. Remember, it's YOUR room!

There are a number of basic things that you can do with the irritants. The “Excessive Talker” is a common one. He/she talks nonstop to you or someone else and ignores what you’re saying while talking with you. Get this kind of person involved a quickly as possible. You can occasionally ask for his/her view about the topic, and quickly move on. Ask for opinion occasionally and never prolong it. You can also cut them off in the interest of time, and suggest that they follow up with you during a break. If all else fails, stop talking and stare at them. As I said above, it's YOUR room!

The “Co-dependent”, is very needy and dependent, does not participate and displays low self-confidence and self-esteem. Do what you can to help open this person up. Occasionally, ask him/her easy questions (which you are certain that they can answer without difficulty). Repeat the questioning every so often to keep them involved.

Then there's the “Egomaniac”, one of the most annoying in any group. This is a wretched, pathetic individual who constantly challenges and contradicts what you are saying and offers opinions that differ from yours every opportunity he/she gets. Call on this dismal individual early in your seminar/workshop. They desperately, and frantically, need the attention. Acknowledge that they made a good point yet make it clear that others may differ. One more time, “It’s YOUR room!!!” If they continue to be disruptive you might need to have them escorted out!

Then you have the arrogant, self-important, “Pretentious Irritant” who arrives late, appears restless and irritated, looks busy, enjoys interruptions and often tunes out. Wow! Don't you wish that these types would just stay home? Tactfully talk to him/her during a break and ask for their help. Do your best to involve this "joker" in a task that requires their help and their follow-up as soon as they come back in the room after lunch, dinner and breaks.

Then there’s the “Unvarying Complainer” or “Grouch” who focuses on the negative, complains repeatedly and habitually, and expresses displeasure about everything. Remain patient and tactful with this nuisance. Take the initiative first. If feasible, recognize, address and handle possible problems such as, room temperature, breaks, lunch, etc., before they get a chance to find them.

And here’s one of my favorites, NOT! Mr./Ms. “Know-It-All”. This person emphasizes his/her position of power, authority and influence, by telling everyone how significant he/she is. “Know-It-Alls” need to have the last word on every matter, and may even confront you. Use care with this pathetic, feeble soul. He/she evidently has extremely low self-esteem, so acknowledge his/her status and position, and express gratitude to them for attending. Find opportunities to ask them to share their opinions and/or experiences.

The above will give you a jump-start on dealing with situations that all speakers/presenters dread, but may experience some time in their careers. I've personally survived some scary moments, and close calls, during my first years of presenting. So according to Friedrich Nietzsche's famous quote, since they didn't kill me, I've certainly become stronger. And so can YOU!

5 Golden Tips To Help Overcome Stage Fright!

© 2010 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Note: To use this article, you must include George Bien's full name and link to http://www.xtremespeaking.com

Trembling lips…sweaty hands…a mouth that is as dry as a bone…if this is how you feel whenever you are on a stage in front of an audience, you clearly suffer from stage fright, a heightened state of anxiety or fear, that can manifest itself in just about any public setting.

But does it really have to be that way? No! In fact, the first thing that you need to convince yourself about, is the fact that you are not the only one in the world, suffering from stage fright. Many well known and renowned orators also started off with butterflies fluttering about in their stomachs, when they first started addressing large audiences. Over time, as they found themselves more often in situations where they had to address ever growing numbers of people in an audience, that too from very diverse backgrounds and settings, they gradually overcame all these fears and emerged as champion orators.

So, do you think you have it in you to be that champion orator, whom you have set yourself up to emulate? Do you think you could leave audiences spell bound by your words, each time you addressed them? Of course! Simply follow the tips as enlisted below, and prepare to shed yourself permanently of any kind of stage fright that you may currently be symptomatic of.

Prepare!
A simple, one-word tip, yet very, very powerful in its implication. Remember that if you are to deliver the goods effectively while addressing a public gathering, without any kind of stage fright manifesting itself, you must prepare well on the subject matter that you are going to talk about. This is particularly true when you expect the session to be an interactive one, with audiences likely to pose questions to you. If you find yourself at a loss of words on the theme of your speech, it is very likely that other forms of stage fright will also emerge, worsening the situation for you. Therefore, it is imperative that you prepare very well, whenever you are scheduled to make a speech or address a public gathering.

Well Begun Is Half Done!
Remember to begin your speech on a high note. If you ooze confidence right at the outset, chances are good that you will maintain that momentum, right through and also keep your audience captivated. Beginning on a high note has numerous advantages, as it improves your own self-confidence, as well as augments the confidence that the audience perceives you to be having. And a confident speaker is one which any audience, anywhere is likely to lap up very well.

Focus
This is an absolutely vital aspect of the entire public speaking endeavor; you must focus your attention completely on the audience, as well as the subject matter that you are talking about. Digressing too much on to inconsequential matters will fritter away the attention of your audience fairly quickly. The focus that we are talking about here, also holds good for the time you are preparing for your speech; distractions will only affect the quality of your content adversely, and in fact, chances would be good that you might include a factually incorrect statement into your speech. Therefore, make sure that you focus completely on the job at hand, in your pursuit of becoming a champion orator.

Eye Contact
Depending on the size of your audience, this is an absolutely crucial aspect. If the size of your audience is relatively small, and you are able to clearly see all those whom you are addressing, with the vice versa also being true, it is important that you maintain eye contact with your audience. This will keep it engaged with all that you have to say, and will also give audience members, the feeling that you really care for them, and would like them to benefit maximally from your speech.
But what if the audience number is reasonably large, to the extent that you can barely see them, leave alone see their eyes? What if you are presenting your speech in the dark? Obviously, eye contact would be a difficult proposition, in such a setting. Yet, even in such a scenario, you would be advised to give the impression of maintaining eye contact with them…look in the direction of their eyes, speak with a feeling that you are speaking directly to their hearts and minds and souls, with their eyes being the windows to all of the aforementioned. You can be rest assured that not only would you have captured the attention of your audience, you would in all probability have left them spellbound, with any signs of stage fright safely tucked away into oblivion.

Keep it Light-Hearted
However technical or complex the subject matter of your speech may be, it is advisable that you keep the proceedings light-hearted. An occasional joke or wisecrack will certainly not do anyone, any harm, and will in fact boost your own confidence considerably. Also keep in mind the fact that, the more complex the subject matter on which you are speaking, lesser will be the attention span of your audience, unless you are addressing a very elite group of people who have a very close association with what you are talking about.
With these 5 golden tips, stage fright should definitely be a thing of the past for you. That said, do not expect instant results. Rather works towards imbibing the given suggestions. Also make sure that you practice speaking in public as often as possible. Start with smaller groups and then move on to bigger ones. Sooner or later, you would surely find yourself completely rid of the stage fright that had been afflicting you.

Exude Confidence On Stage, Even If You Are Petrified From Within!

© 2010 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Note: To use this article, you must include George Bien's full name and link to http://www.xtremespeaking.com

There is no denying the fact that confidence is absolutely key to the process of effective public speaking. Brilliant and well researched content can also end up falling flat on its face, without the desired effect on the audience, if you do not exude confidence.
But how do you emanate this confidence, if you know you are getting goose bumps from within? Is there some tantric magic involved? Well, absolutely not. All it takes is some practice and adherence to some of the tips and guidelines as mentioned below.

Fake It!
What? Fake my confidence? Sure! Your attempt to falsify a sense of self-confidence to the audience will have such a rub-off on your performance, that you will actually exude confidence! Therefore, it is important that even if you feel jittery and nervous from within, you do not let that feeling manifest itself in your speech.

Adequate Preparation
No amount of falsification of a feeling of confidence can make up for adequate preparation for your speech. You must prepare very well, if you are to feel confident while addressing your audience. The newer you are to public speaking, as well as the topic on which you are going to speak, the more time you should be investing to prepare.
There have been many instances, where even the most learned of individuals, with years of experience in say, teaching diverse disciplines, simply fall flat on their faces when it comes to addressing public gatherings, simply because they have never been in such a situation, and not prepared for the same.

Preparation in this context has multiple dimensions to it. On one hand, you have preparation on the subject matter itself, and on the other, equally important hand, you have preparation for the very act of delivering the speech and addressing a public gathering.
Towards this end, do not hesitate to have your friends and family sit together as an audience in front of you, whereby you deliver your speech just the way you would to a real audience. Let them be your critics and point out moments in your speech where you were seemingly losing out on confidence.

Over time, as you practice this routine more and more, and also have diverse flavors of experience in addressing public gatherings, the overall preparation time will continue to reduce. Familiarity and expertise with the subject matter also has an important role to play in the time it takes you to prepare; the higher you score on the aforementioned aspects, the lesser time you will need to allocate towards preparation.

Rid Yourself Of Any Self-Consciousness
The key to exuding confidence on stage is to rid oneself of any self-consciousness that might be clawing you from within. Don’t worry about how you look, how you feel or how your audience perceives you. They are just as human, just as imperfect as you are. Mistakes, if any, can as much be made by you, as can be made by them. Remember that they are sitting in the audience to hear you talk about the subject matter in question and not to do a dissection of your personality. So, shed yourself of any inhibitions or self-consciousness, if you are to deliver your speech confidently.

Move Around!
Staying glued to your position, while you are making your speech, can adversely affect the confidence that you radiate while delivering the same. Of course, there might be situations where any movement on stage might be deemed difficult such as when you have a microphone which you are speaking into. But if you are addressing a medium-sized gathering, say within the confines of a conference room in an office setting, you need not remain stuck in your position. Feel free to move about, as it definitely has a positive rub-off on your overall confidence.

Smile At Your Audience
You would be surprised at the quantum of difference that this mighty curve on your face can make, to straighten out any bouts of diffidence that you might be feeling from within. Smiling at your audience also reassures them about the positive affect that your speech will have on them. This positivity in turn rubs off on your own confidence, thus ensuring a smooth delivery of your speech.

Prepare For The Unexpected
Remember that there are a whole multitude of aspects that can go awry while addressing a public gathering; the P.A. system could fail, speakers before you could end up doing a very shoddy job to the extent that expectations from you would be very high; the audience could be inattentive; there could be intense cross-questioning…the possibilities are simply endless. Therefore, in order to not lose your buoyancy, it is imperative that you keep the possibility of things going askew, in mind, and adequately prepare for them. In fact, there could even be situations where you would simply not be in a position to prepare for those eventualities, and that is where your presence of mind would truly come handy.

Again, it is crucial that you do not lose your nerves and remain calm under all circumstances. Suppose, the subject matter is somewhat controversial, and you have a heady audience baying for your blood. Even in such a scenario, it is essential that you do not lose your cool and remain calm. Else, there is every possibility that you will end up losing your confidence and making mistakes that were truly uncalled for.

Follow the aforementioned guidelines and there is little chance that you will not radiate confidence while delivering a public speech.

Your Body Language Surely Gives You Away!

© 2010 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Note: To use this article, you must include George Bien's full name and link to http://www.xtremespeaking.com

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that, “What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say”.

He really couldn’t have summed up the very idea and concept of body language better. However loud and clear we may say what we are trying to say, ultimately our body language gives us away, in terms of the facts, the reality behind the (possible) deception.
So, does that imply that we can never put on a pretence of self assuredness and self-confidence, whenever we are out to deliver a speech or address an audience? Thankfully, no it does not entail that. If confidence can be purportedly showcased, so can be the appropriate body language, which will convince your audience in just the manner you would like it to be convinced.
But for that, you need to understand a few finer aspects of body language, which is what this article will guide you on.

Eye Contact
This is one of the foremost aspects of body language, especially in the context of public speaking. The appropriate amount of eye contact that you are able to maintain while addressing a public gathering, will definitely determine to a very large extent, the success that you meet in your endeavor. When we say appropriate, remember that eye contact is also an aspect that is immensely affected by cultural nuances; overdoing it in some cultures and contexts can actually ruin the supposedly positive affect that you had assumed it would have. Therefore, make sure you do your home work, and then go about your pursuit of maintaining the right kind of eye contact, whenever you are out to address a public gathering.

Posture
Posture is also very important when you are speaking to public. Maintaining the right posture is critical as there is a slew of negative associations usually made with the wrong kind of postures. This becomes particularly true when the gathering you are addressing is formal, and the subject matter being discussed is serious, and definitely not something trivial. For instance, if as a high level official of your company, you have been asked to address all new employees about company policies, it is definitely a very serious task that you have been entrusted with, and therefore, you must maintain the right posture. Keep in mind the fact that these new joiners would quite likely have impressionable minds, and would look to emulate higher level individuals like you. Therefore, in your own interest as well as that of your company, make sure that you maintain the right posture. This includes not slouching, and standing upright. In case you are sitting while speaking, even then you should maintain an upright stance.

Hand Gestures
Whenever we speak, we invariably make a whole lot of hand gestures, a lot of which we aren’t even consciously aware of. Spontaneously, our hands begin to move and attempt to synchronize with the emotions that we are attempting to convey. In this context, it is advised that you remain in your own volition, instead of getting conscious about the hand movements that you make. You can be assured that practically everyone out there makes these movements, with the difference being only the degree to which they make the same.

Over time though, you should actually make a conscious attempt to minimize hand movements and gestures. To understand this aspect, observe well known speakers such as Les Brown, the next time they are addressing a public gathering. You will see that they do not make too many hand movements.

This is because, their speech alone has the power to express all the emotions and thoughts that they intend to emote. They know that simply their words have the ability to make the desired impact, and they do not need to emphasize or stress the same, using body language, in particular gestures of their hands
.
Maintaining Optimum Distance
In the context of public speaking, it is also important that you maintain optimum distance from your audience. This is particularly true of closed-door settings such as office conference rooms where often you have a lot of people crammed into a relatively smaller space. Neither should you stand too close to them while speaking (you could be perceived as being too pushy or “in your face”, nor should you be standing too far away as that might give the impression that you are aloof and don’t really care about your audience. Therefore, make sure that you keep optimum distance with your audience.

Having The Ears To Listen
OK, ears aren’t really a body part that you move around, but having said that, the way you use them also has an important role to play, when it comes to public speaking. For instance, it should be rather obvious to you that with one mouth and two ears that you have naturally been endowed with, you must be using as much or perhaps more of the latter than your mouth. Agreed that you are the one who is speaking and therefore, you do need to vocalize yourself, yet when we say “listen in” to your audience, we are going much beyond just implying that you physically listen to them, but rather have a “ear”, metaphorically speaking, for what they would like to hear you speak. In other words, you must be keyed in to what is relevant to them, and speak on those very aspects. If for instance your audience has been facing hardships of varied kinds, you must speak on how you would work towards resolving those hardships. And this can only happen when you are tuned in to their needs and requirements.

Thus, as you can clearly see, body language can play a very vital role in effective public speaking.

Effective Public Speaking, The Key To Leadership

© 2010 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Note: To use this article, you must include George Bien's full name and link to http://www.xtremespeaking.com

Martin Luther King, the infamous Adolf Hitler, as well as the architect of India’s freedom struggle against the British, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, all had a common thread running through them, besides the fact that they were exceptional leaders – their oratorical skills were truly par excellence.

Seeing their track record and the immense success that they have met in their professional lives as leaders, it becomes quite clear that effective public speaking is one of the primary tenets of being considered a strong and effective leader.
In fact if we reflect back on one of the most important facets of an effectual leader, it is invariably the facet of persuasion, that is the ability to convince people in general of their ideologies and principles.

Martin Luther King was very effective in pushing the civil rights movement, through, in the United States. His campaigns against racial segregation and racial discrimination, using intuitive means such as civil disobedience, were the primary drivers behind he being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. For all these initiatives of his to see the light of day, King used effective public speaking to the maxim. In fact, even today, Martin Luther King is widely regarded as one of the best orators that America has ever seen in its history.
Adolf Hitler on the other hand, used effective public speaking to brainwash the German public about his convoluted ideas concerning a “Jewish conspiracy” that was out to destroy the German race, which is why that community had to annihilated. As farfetched as his thoughts and ideas may have seemed, it was his brilliant oratory skills that convinced the German people at large, about the accuracy of his beliefs, to the extent that they more or less blindly followed his instructions on all that was deemed “necessary” to be done, to bring to fruition, “the final solution” regarding the Jews.

Gandhi came on to the forefront when India was desperately looking to free itself from the shackles of the British. While the latter were vehemently pursuing their conniving policy of divide and rule – which a lot of the rulers of the erstwhile princely states of India were falling for, Gandhi singlehandedly worked towards uniting the country, and bringing all its people on a common pedestal that was against the British. Using some unique and unheard of approaches such as Satyagraha (Insistence on truth) and Ahimsa (Non violence), Gandhi managed to bring an empire that had controlled the country for more than 300 years on to its knees. Finally, they were compelled to leave the country and grant India its independence, in 1947. Through this quest, Gandhi’s speeches played a very important role in bringing a nation which had people from so many diverse backgrounds and religions, together – towards one, ubiquitous goal – FREEDOM!
From all the above examples, it becomes amply clear that effective public speaking can make all the difference between a successful and unsuccessful leader. However robust your ideologies and principles may be on paper, you need to be able to express them verbally in such a manner that the audience at large is convinced about them. Further, you must remember that when we say “audience” in this context, we imply much more than just the physical audience that is actually present while you are delivering your speech; thanks to the explosive growth in multimedia that is being witnessed presently, your speech would be seen and heard by people from all across the country, as well as the rest of the world. Therefore, it becomes all the more important that you come across as an effective orator, to people from diverse sections of society and cultures.

The key to the effectiveness that we mention and constantly reiterate above, is confidence – you must radiate confidence while speaking, at all times. And this confidence must be reflected in all your actions, including the very important aspect of body language. It is powerful delivery made in a confident manner, accompanied by just the right body language, that together determine oratorical success, and thus effective leadership.

Effective public speaking – as indeed effective leadership, also comes with being keyed in on the issues that people would like to hear you talk about. You need to be topical and address problems that people are facing at the present moment, in order to be considered effective. For instance, practically every speech that Gandhi gave, spoke about the way the Indian people were suffering at the hands of the British, and how they had to be made to leave the country, without using violent means. People identified with his speeches, simply because they were themselves suffering, day in and day out, at the hands of the British. They knew that a resilient future lay in front of them, only after the British had left the country. Even though the British actively pursued violent means to keep the Indians in check, it was Gandhi’s charisma that convinced the larger populace of the effectiveness of his unique, non-violent means, which ultimately proved true as well as effective in ridding the country of its foreign rulers.

Thus, with all of the aforementioned examples, it becomes adequately clear that effective leadership mandates very strong oratory skills. Remember that as a leader, you will constantly find yourself in a situation where you have to address people from all walks of society, and being able to skillfully speak to them, would either make or mar your long-term leadership potential and capability.

Sure You Can Speak. But Are You Good Enough to Command a Fee?

© 2010 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Note: To use this article, you must include George Bien's full name and link to http://www.xtremespeaking.com

We love to talk. Period. It is in our human nature to interact and to converse with one another, sharing our thoughts, our opinions, our ideas and more... Yet, put us on a stage, on a pedestal, and suddenly we become dumbfounded, as though somebody had come and put invisible scotch tape on our mouths. Hands start to shiver and mouths run dry. The loquaciousness which was so characteristic of us all this while, suddenly vanishes into thin air.

Pray, why does this happen? Why is it that public speaking is the forte of only a mighty few? And even among those, the ability to command a fee for public speaking is a privilege of a fewer still. Do they possess some magical gift or a divine spirit?
Thankfully, that is not the case. They are normal human beings, just like you and me, who have somehow banished all inhibitions and fears with regard to public speaking, to such an extent that they are considered to be champions of this domain.

So, can you also reach that level of public speaking, where you too are able to command a fee for being asked to address a public gathering? Sure. Just follow some of the guidelines as enlisted below, and you should well be on your way towards being recognized as a public speaker par excellence, and also be able to charge a reasonable fee for the same.

Say What Your Audience Wants To Hear
A lot of public speakers make the mistake of talking in diametrically opposite directions (figuratively speaking) to what their audience wants to hear. Let’s assume you are the guest of honor at a college function that has been organized to felicitate champion baseball players of the year. Now, if you begin to wax eloquent about your own professional achievements in life, or go into minute details about your family, on this occasion, you are definitely not talking about the things that your audience would like to hear. Instead, you could talk about the accomplishments of the college, as well as perhaps talk about the awardees of the evening – which everyone in the audience would be happy to hear and know about.

Thus, the key word is context. You must always keep the aspect of context in mind, while speaking in public. Similarly, an audience which has been facing economic or other hardships, requires a public speaker to give them hope, not to sound humorous. Humor is excellent – in fact we will talk about that in another point, but remember to keep the contextual element in mind. Humor out of context can be quite disastrous.

Keep It Brief
A lot of successful public speaking failures ;) are individuals who go on and on and on and on and on… DON’T DO THAT! Remember that we humans have a limited attention span, and in the contemporary fast-paced days of today, where time is of absolute essence, and there are multiple distracters at play all the time, you just have to try and keep things brief.

While there really is no hard and fast rule, the broad opinion is that 20 minutes is, in a lot of cases, good enough to put your point across. Again, please note that this is not a figure etched in stone, and the situation at hand can determine both a much shorter, as well as a much longer time span for you to speak.

In fact, again, context would play a very important role in terms of the duration for which you speak. For instance, let us suppose you are giving a memorial speech at the funeral of one of your family members or colleagues. On such a solemn occasion, it is really very appropriate that you keep things brief. When emotions all around are not quite positive, it would really be inappropriate for you to go on speaking for a very long time.
On the other hand, suppose you are addressing shareholders at your company’s annual general meeting. Obviously, the shareholders want to know all that your company is planning to achieve (in addition to hearing all that it has actually achieved) in order to maximize their own benefits and privileges as shareholders. In such a scenario, if you need to go into extensive details, and take up significant time in doing so, it would not be considered an act of verbosity on your part.

Keep The Humor Element Intact
Humor is often key to commanding attention – and thus commanding a fee as well. A lot of public speakers make the fundamental mistake of keeping things just too drab and boring, wherein the attention of the audience is simply lost.

Public speaking is as much about the content itself, as it is about how you present it. As an analogy, consider two of the 4 Ps of marketing – Product and Packaging. While the subject matter and the speech itself are your products, the way in which you present is your packaging. And, without the latter, your product – your speech, will simply cease to have the desired effect.

In summation, there are a few key aspects that differentiate the wheat from the chaff, when it comes to public speaking. As a person desirous of making a career out of public speaking, to the extent that one is able to command a fee for being asked to speak in public, it is advised that you try to incorporate these aspects into your public persona, as soon as possible.

Don’t expect instant results – these things invariably take time, but as you improve with each performance, you would have mastered the art of public speaking effectively, to the extent that you would be able to fruitfully monetize the same as well.

Exude Entrancing Charm and Charisma!

© 2010 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Note: To use this article, you must include George Bien's full name and link to http://www.xtremespeaking.com

While public speaking has a lot to do with the ability to speak correctly, and refer to the appropriate subject matter and content, it also has a lot to do with exuding a certain charm and charisma, which is truly entrancing. That is the reason there are some public speakers that simply stand out from the rest, and command our attention, while others, even though they seemingly remain correct on all basic dimensions, fail to make that one big impression that would make all the difference – which is speaking straight to the hearts of the audience.

It reminds us of what Nelson Mandela once said: "If you talk to a man in your language, you speak to his mind. But if you talk to him in his language, you speak to his heart." Charismatic speakers always speak to the hearts of their audience. They have an active pulse on what their audience would like to hear, and that is why they refrain from speaking on things their audience may dislike. This is particularly true of self-help and business coaches, as well as spiritual gurus. Keep in mind the fact that these people cannot even hope to progress in their profession, without the aforementioned charisma. Their words alone have to have the power, which can eventually sway their audience in the direction in which they would like them to move.

So, does it imply that these individuals are con men? Are they out to fool us? No, at least not necessarily. Remember that just as there are good and bad apples, there are always the wily and deceptive lot, who are out to fool people and make unscrupulous gains by manipulating the emotions of people.

At the same time, there are a lot many – and a lot more – good apples, good people, than the bad ones. They are genuinely out to help others attain the goals that they have sought out for themselves. Towards this endeavor, the latter legitimately need the assistance of the aforementioned coaches and gurus, and that is why they seek their support.

The charisma that we mentioned helps magnify and bring to the fore, the support that we were talking about. Without this charisma, even the most honest and genuine of attempts to lend a hand to those in need of assistance, often fails to make the desired impression.
In a business context, you can compare the aforementioned charisma to marketing. Can you equate marketing to cheating? In all probability not. Marketing is simply about highlighting the benefits of various products, and also making sure that there is the much needed visibility and awareness around that product. It is this top-of-the-mind recall that can determine frequent purchases by potential customers, of the product in question. In the same way, a charismatic speaker manages to enthuse his or her audience to such an extent that it simply cannot have enough of that person. Things get to a stage where the audience equates charismatic public speaking with the imagery of that person. Attempts are often made to even emulate the person, as he or she manages to attain a levitated state of existence, seemingly on a higher pedestal from the norm.

So, if being charismatic can be such a coveted state of existence, especially for public speakers operating in specific domains, why is it that only a handful manage to attain this heightened state of charisma in their public speaking while the majority somehow fall behind? What is it that these individuals possess? Read on…

Originality
Originality is one of the primary characteristics that these charismatic speakers possess. They do not imitate or copy others. They have their own unique, intuitive style of speaking and approaching the whole process of addressing public gatherings. It is this very originality that manages to ingrain the personalities of these individuals into the minds of the common public, deeply. If it weren’t for the originality, they would be just like all other people, and have nothing special for which they would be revered. Therefore, if you are looking to have an image of a charismatic public speaker, make sure that you are original in your style and approach. And remember that original does not mean weird. It only means different, but in a positive way, as you do not want to be ridiculed.

Conviction
Charismatic speakers always have conviction in what they say, and how they go about addressing public gatherings. Their tone, their content, their mannerisms, their body language – all evoke conviction, i.e. there is a very strong element of believability in all that they do.
They don’t need to say things like, “You must believe me…”, “I am being honest when I say…” etc. because their audience already believes what they are saying. Without that conviction, they would probably not have the aforementioned audience in the very first place – it comes to hear them speak, simply because they have been pre-tuned to believe that all that they would hear would be true.

Matching Body Language With Your Speech
Never underestimate your audience, and neither doubt their intelligence. Always remember that every move, every little gesture that you make, is being noticed by them. Therefore, make sure that your body language and your speech are in perfect sync. If the twain happen to tell two completely different stories, then it is quite likely that you will not have the charismatic appeal that you so vehemently desire.
These are just a few of the aspects that go onto making a difference towards a charismatic and a plain-Jane speaker – we are quite confident as to which side of the fence you would like to be on, so therefore, make sure you take the necessary steps towards that end.

Use Your Body to Support Your Words!

© 2010 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Note: To use this article, you must include George Bien's full name and link to http://www.xtremespeaking.com

In this article, we remind you about the absolute importance of syncing your body language and movements, with your speech.
A lot of people simply fail to understand and appreciate the fact that when they speak, their audience is not only listening to them intently (assuming of course that the speakers are captivating enough to command such attention!), but is in fact making a note of each and every move that they make.

Does it require a scientific background and theoretical knowledge of body language and its nuances? No, it does not. Over time, most of us develop the uncanny knack of gauging what the other person is really trying to say or imply, simply from the body language that the person in question is conveying. It does not require deep or intense understanding of the principle of body language. That said, it would do you as a public speaker, a great deal of good, if you did know about the finer nuances of body language. Just as body language can be gauged by the audience, it can also be manipulated by the speaker. Do not assume that we are alluring towards faking or cheating the audience. Instead, what we are hinting at, is to understand the finer gradations of body language so that you can use it appropriately and effectively towards making maximum impact with your audience.

Make A Note Of Mannerisms That You May Have
When it comes to body language, a lot of us are not even aware of the signals that we give out, or the gesticulations that we make. This is particularly relevant to some of us who have been noted to have some peculiar and rather queer mechanisms. For instance, a lot of people have the rather annoying habit of twiddling with their pens while speaking. Some might constantly play with their hair, while others repeatedly take their glasses on and off.

So are these mannerisms best avoided altogether? Well, not necessarily. If your speech has the intense riveting power that you think (or hope!) it really does, there is every chance that your audience might not even notice these oddities that you sub-consciously allow yourself to indulge in. At the same time, while reminding ourselves of the rather short span of attention that most individuals in contemporary times seem to have, you can be assured that these mannerisms of yours serve as catalysts for the audience’s distraction. For instance, if your speech is getting way too long and the audience is actually getting bored, then there is every chance that it would be on the lookout for faults in your speech delivery; towards this end, your queer mechanisms end up getting noticed and you might just end up being labeled as a poor public speaker.

Hand Movements Can Actually Work Towards Your Advantage
Hand movements, while speaking are invariably involuntary and often out of our complete control. They just come naturally to us and we simply cannot do anything about them. Do not consider hand movements to be something negative; instead capitalize on these movements to sway your audience the way you would like it to.

Take the case of making a presentation to an audience whereby you have a PowerPoint file running in the background, being projected through an overhead projector. Fundamental principles of such presentations demand that you do not specifically read out from them, and instead have all the aspects that you need to speak about, clear in your mind. In such a scenario, as you move from one slide to another, it is perfectly alright to gesticulate towards the screen regarding a particular point that you are talking about. The audience only becomes that much certain that you are very well familiar with the PowerPoint file that you have prepared, and therefore, even without looking towards it, you know when there is what – corresponding to the information that you are verbally presenting.

That said, it is advisable not to make too many hand gestures. As one moves through the corporate ranks, a commonly witnessed observation is that words alone are pretty much sufficient. And this holds true for a lot of professions and situations. Take the case of banging the fist against the podium that you are speaking on, to denote emphasis and definitiveness. While in some cases that might warrant justification on the grounds that you are very firm on the subject that you are speaking about, in a lot of cases that is truly unnecessary and uncalled for. Your words alone would be sufficient to convey the stress on the particular point in question, that you are trying to get across to the audience. Remember that the more professional (and less emotional) the setting, the more should be your attempt to avoid making too many gestures and hand movements.

This point will be amply clear to you with an example. Take the case of Hitler, who all said and done, was a highly effective public speaker, however wrong his ends were. He often gesticulated heavily, simply because his speeches were full of emotions, where he expected the German public to sway in the directions he wanted them to. Through his speeches, Hitler fervently called out to the common German people to idolize with his convoluted ideology. Now, in such a scenario, his intense hand movements and body language were completely justified, considering the ends he was hoping to achieve.

On the other hand, when you are in a corporate setting, your speeches are (at least ideally) not driven by emotions. Therefore, your stance is expected to be very matter-of-fact, and your gait is expected to be staid and calm. Too many hand and body movements will only go against you, and also possibly tarnish the image of the company that you represent.

In summation, you can clearly see how hand movements and body gestures can affect (both positively or negatively) the impact of your speech, while speaking in public.

The 3 Cardinal Sins Of Public Speaking – Know These So That You Do Not End Up Committing Hara-kiri In Public

© 2010 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Note: To use this article, you must include George Bien's full name and link to http://www.xtremespeaking.com

A lot of articles – and a lot of people, will tell you about the things to do while speaking in public. But how many tell you about the things NOT to do? If your answer is not too many, then read on below as we try to enlighten you on some of the aspects that you should try to avoid, while speaking in public.

Being Monotonous
In order to be considered an effective public speaker, the first cardinal sin that you MUST avoid is being monotonous. Your goal as a public speaker is to inform, to educate and to enlighten the public, and not to bore it. Drab content, overused clichés, a monotone style of delivery – all of these vehemently contribute towards making your speech as dull, boring and tedious as could possibly be.
The attention of your audience is as good as disappeared, and all that they would be looking at is not you, but their watches – for the time that YOU will FINALLY do the disappearing act!

Monotony in public speaking takes on various dimensions and hues, which is why you need to be wary of all of them. For instance, even with brilliant content that you have painstakingly prepared, you can be irritatingly monotonous if you end up reading all of the content word-by-word from your notes, that too in a volume and pitch of tone that is absolutely consistent from start to end.
Overcoming this cardinal sin requires that you vary various aspects of your speech such as the expressions that you use, the volume that you speak in, the pace at which you speak, the frequency with which you give pauses in your speech, as well as the places in your speech, that you emphasize.

As an analogy, let us assume that apple pie is your all time favorite dish. But would you be happy eating the same apple pie – made exactly the same way – everyday, for every meal? Quite likely, you wouldn’t. Same is the case with effective public speaking; you have to bring in multi-dimensional variety for it to be truly considered effective.

Self-Indulgence
This is yet another cardinal sin that a lot of public speakers end up making, all too often.
Let us first try to understand the very concept of self-indulgence from the point of view of public speaking. Public speakers who coddle in self-indulgence are essentially individuals who consider their own personal opinions to be of much greater significance than that of the audience. In fact, they often seem to forget entirely that they are actually addressing an audience. It is akin to an ‘I, Me & Myself’ show all the way!

Self-indulgence manifests itself in various ways. The most obvious way is when the speaker only talks about himself or herself, and his or her achievements. That said, there are many other subtle ways in which speakers also indulge in themselves. For instance, going on speaking incessantly, when the broad expectation is that speeches be kept brief, is also an indication of self-indulgence. Similarly, speaking out of context – talking on chalks when the subject matter is cheese, is also a subtle way of basking in the assumed glory of decadence.

The solutions to avoiding this cardinal sin, lie in having an active pulse on what your audience wants to hear – for as long as they would like to hear, and giving them just that. Broadly, keep in mind the fact that it is a mutually dependent relationship that you share with the audience – just as the audience wouldn’t be there if you weren’t speaking, you wouldn’t be speaking (unless you prefer addressing empty chairs) if the audience weren’t there.

Negligence
This is probably the most “destructive” cardinal sin that you could ever indulge in, as a public speaker – one which can permanently tarnish your reputation in the domain. It essentially refers to lack of preparedness. However good you may be in the art of speaking in public, remember that every such session requires at least a bit of preparation. You need to have the subject matter in place, as well as have a keen sense of the kind of audience that you would be addressing. Inappropriately speaking up or down to audiences also speaks of negligence on your part. For instance, if you are addressing a gathering of scholars and academicians, you should not be getting into too many basics of the subject matter in question, when you know that the aforementioned entities are experts in the domain. Similarly, neither should you talk at an incomprehensible level to say amateurs or students of the profession, who don’t know much about the subject matter.

Negligence also refers to obvious lack of preparedness, when in the midst of your speech, you admit that you have forgotten what you wanted to say. Further, getting fundamental facts wrong would be an absolute recipe for disaster. There have been cases where genders and qualifications of individuals have been totally messed up, with the result that the speaker ends up being booed by the audience. Don’t let such situations arise by preparing adequately for your speech.

For instance, when speaking in a multicultural environment, especially in an alien country, make sure you cross-check and then again double check the genders of those whom you would be mentioning in your speech. Similarly, keep in mind various other cultural nuances, and also try to get the pronunciations right. Otherwise, you may well end up being the laughing stock of the audience.
Thus, as you can clearly see, public speaking has some fundamental cardinal sins that you must consciously try to avoid at all costs. By being particularly careful about them, you can be sure of a well entrenched journey into the magical sphere of speaking in public.

Speeches And Presentations Are Not The Same Thing – Understanding And Appreciating The Differences Between Speaking and Presenting

A lot of public speakers make the fundamentally wrong assumption that speaking and presenting are pretty much the same thing, while in reality the twain are quite different. Agreed that they may not be as dissimilar as chalk and cheese, and in fact there are subtle similarities between the two, yet when it comes to performing either of the two roles, whether of speaking or that of presenting, it is advisable that one understands and appreciates the difference between the two, which can help immensely in adopting the right approach for each.
Before we get into the differences, perhaps we could look at some of the similarities.

The foremost and striking similarity between both presenting and speaking is the similar set of skill sets and techniques that are required. For instance, you will flop in both, if you do not prepare adequately. On similar lines, connecting with the audience, and establishing a rapport with the same is just as important while speaking, as it is while making a presentation. That said, there are actually quite a few differences between the two, which we will now highlight, one by one.

Degree of Formality
Broadly, speeches tend to be much more formal in nature than presentations. This is in spite of the fact that presentations may well be made in very formal settings. The reason for this difference is essentially the way speeches are structured, in a sort of a “one-way traffic” mechanism, where the speaker goes on speaking unrelentingly. A presentation on the other hand often tends to take the shape of a dialogue, with the presenter constantly interacting with the audience.

It is this interaction that invariably sets off a spark of informality, with touches of humor often thrown in, to keep the atmosphere light. Speeches on the other hand, are often structured in such a way that the speaker goes on speaking from start to finish; the audience may either not get a chance at all to interact with the speaker, or may be able to do so, only at the end of the speech. In many cases, this opportunity does not even come at the end of the speech, but rather at the end of the entire session, by which time, much of the audience has lost the enthusiasm for dialogue, along with the possibility that it has actually forgotten what the speaker said. It is for these reasons that presentations may well be considered a better mechanism for speaker-audience interaction, especially when there is an active desire to let the two interact freely with one another.

Who Is In The Foreground?
In a speech, the speaker is pretty much the be all and end all, as far as the objects in the horizon of the audience are concerned. Thus, an effective speaker would be in a position to have the attention of the audience completely riveted towards him or her.
A presenter on the other hand, especially in today’s PowerPoint “infested” age is often left in the background, with the presentation itself being in the foreground, often both literally as well as figuratively, from the point of view of the audience. This aspect is often magnified by the way the presenter structures and presents the presentation, often relying too much on the PowerPoint slides than on the way the information is to be presented to the audience. In fact, many presenters make the mistake of assuming that the PowerPoint slides are the primary component of their presentation, forgetting the fact that it is actually they themselves who determine the success or failure of a presentation. That is in fact the reason why a lot of these presenters end up going into the background, with the presentation itself being in the foreground. In the case of a speech, where there really isn’t any such mechanism, the speaker has to hold his or her ground, in the foreground, and deliver the prepared speech.

Visual Imagery
What some may consider to be a boon for PowerPoint presenters – the rich visual imagery that their slides contain, can also be a bane for the same, as it takes away the ability of the audience to form images of its own. As an analogy, compare the experience of reading a book with that of watching a film. While both can eventually deliver an equally enthralling and invigorating experience, sometimes a book scores, in terms of the personalized imagery that it allows us to form in our minds. On the other hand, while watching a film, there is practically no scope for visual imagery as the images are already there to see, in front of us. Similarly, the power of a speaker delivering a speech lies in the fact that he or she provides us the liberty to form our own images. When Hitler went about promoting his Nazi propaganda, or when Mandela spoke about the apartheid-free existence that he had envisioned for South Africa, the audience were free to visualize the kind of country that they thought they would have, when these visions would see the light of day.

Of course, drawing a proper normative conclusion on the above is extremely difficult. One cannot say with certainty, as to which one is better than the other. In fact, it is advised not to even consider the normative difference between the two, and rather, focus only on the differential itself, in an objective and non-judgmental manner. Thus, as you can clearly see, there are subtle differences between presenting and speaking. How best you make the most of these differences, will in turn determine the success of your presentation/speech.

Sure You Can Talk, But Can You Talk Well Enough To Sell?

If you refer back to the article in this series where we discussed the ability to speak well enough to the extent of actually being able to command a fee for one’s speech, you will be able to relate very well to this article, where we draw a corollary perspective on not just being able to speak well, but actually being able to speak well enough to sell. So, are we alluding towards one of the various ways of becoming an effective sales representative? Probably yes, but not only. In today’s fiercely competitive world, the traditional definition and connotation of a struggling sales person, going door-to-door, trying to convince people to buy the products he or she is peddling, no longer holds good.

Instead, we are looking at a scenario where all of us, in some way or the other, need to have that ability to sell. Suppose you are in a well entrenched corporate job; even then you need to be able to sell yourself effectively, so that you remain in consideration for the promotion that you have been hoping to get (though in the tough economic days of today, probably you need to sell yourself just as well, even to simply ensure that you manage to retain your job!).

It is also a sign of the times that we are in, where there are multiple distracters at play. At any given point in time, each of these is looking to catch our attention. With attention spans falling drastically, it is the ability of the party that is trying to grab our attention to sell itself effectively to us, which will ultimately determine whether we pay any heed to it or not. Given the background perspective, let us now dive straight in, to the aspects that you should keep in mind, and polish yourself on, in order to have the ability to sell through your speech.

Powerful And Authoritative Introduction
Being able to sell well through one’s speech, mandates that you are able to open your speech effectively. The key aspect here would be the ability to grasp attention, which is truly riveting, yet manages to retain its positive charm. Those whom you are trying to sell yourself to, must be receptive to your words. They must be impressed enough, so as to actually have the desire to hear you through your entire speech, otherwise the chances of being able to make a sale would be grim. This is something that is likely to come to you with practice. And the more you do it, the more effective you are likely to get, with the passage of time.

Knowledge
Just as important is the knowledge of what you are selling, under the circumstances in which you are doing so. This reminds me of what happened to one of my dear friends, a couple of weeks back. He had gone to his boss to ask for a raise, considering the excellent sales that had been witnessed in the areas assigned to him (he is an insurance salesman). He was completely unaware of the fact that the division of the company he was working in, had been bought out by a rival company, and that sales in areas hitherto managed by him, would henceforth be looked into, by individuals from that other company. Eventually, instead of being promoted or given a raise, he was in fact laid off, as the company was actively looking to cut costs at all corners, one of the ways for it to do so, was retrenching employees, and hiving off select businesses and divisions.

This is a classic case of trying to sell (in this case, my friend himself), in complete oblivion of the situation around us. Don’t do that!
If you are selling a product through your speech, it is advisable that you have thorough knowledge of every aspect of that product. While preparing yourself for your sales pitch/speech, put yourself in the shoes of the customers. Try to envisage the kind of questions that they are likely to pose, and make sure that you have answers to all such questions.

Be Result-Oriented
However strong your sales pitch or speech may be, it is quite likely to fall flat on its face, if the buyer you are potentially trying to sell to, is not clear about the benefits that he or she is likely to gain, by obtaining what you have on offer.
Suppose you are a medical professional, and are trying to sell yourself to those in the neighborhood so that anytime they face any medical emergency or have a medical requirement, they could come to you. Mind you, this is when there are a number of other medical practitioners in the area already. Now obviously, all prospective patients would be very keen to know as to why they should come to you and not go to any of the other medical professionals in the area. Are you better qualified? Do you charge less fees? Are you available round-the-clock?

Whatever be the case, the reason(s) for which customers (in the above example, patients) should take up what you have to offer should be very clear in your mind. Remember that in any situation where there is competition, this question is very likely to be posed to you. Also keep in mind the fact that your responses should eventually get ingrained in the minds of people to such an extent that over time, they do not even need to ask; they simply know about the compelling reasons for which you make the perfect choice, and that they do not need to look any further.

Thus as you can clearly see, when it comes to public speaking with the intent of selling, there are a whole host of additional dimensions that you need to be aware of and excel in, further to public speaking with only the intent of making a speech to address a gathering.