Archive for November, 2007

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Let Your Body Breath

Friday, November 30th, 2007

Many of us spend too much time hunched over a computer or desk all day; I know I do. The result is that we start to develop a bent, hunched over posture. This can have a negative impact on our ability to speak. If you are hunched over AND you are nervous as you are about to begin a speech, the result is that your voice and energy level will sound weak when you begin a public speech.

You may remember your mother chastising you to “stand up straight.” That’s easy to do for about 10 seconds, but then how do you remember to continue doing it?

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Post Debate Analysis

Thursday, November 29th, 2007

Post Debate Discussion to Air on the Speaking Channel following the debate.

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2007

Watch the Presidential debate and participate in a post debate analysis of the Republican Candidates.

Get the latest TJ Walker video tutorials at the Speaking Channel homepage, or add to your arsenal of speaking tips and tools at the Media Training Worldwide Store
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Reach Out to Reporters

Thursday, November 29th, 2007

I am a big believer that if you prepare your message properly, if you exercise great discipline in answering questions and you deliver perfectly crafted sound bites through out your interview, it does not matter one wit whether the reporter grilling you is smart, stupid, lazy, hard-working, friendly or hostile. If you really do what you need to do and focus on your part of the game, it is virtually irrelevant what sort of reporter you end up with. You will come out ahead.

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Audience Expectations

Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

A boring speech forty years ago would most likely be a boring speech today. But a great speech forty years ago might also be a boring speech today. Audiences change. Their attitudes about what makes a good speech can evolve over time.

Much has been written and said about how eloquent John F. Kennedy was giving his inaugural address in 1961. Yet if George Bush gave the exact same Kennedy did, Bush would be attacked as pompous, archaic, overly formalistic, and grandiose (and this isn’t just because reporters don’t like Bush).

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Skeletons In the Closet

Monday, November 26th, 2007

What do you do if you have a criminal or misdemeanor conviction on your record, even if it was a decade ago? There are many business executive and people in public life who live in constant fear of a reporter asking a question about a past legal problem. If you don’t have a plan, this fear can eat away at your confidence. Some people even use these fears to avoid positive media opportunities all together.

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In the Blink of an Eye

Wednesday, November 21st, 2007

When you stand up to speak you only have a split second, two to be exact, before your audience makes permanent opinions of you. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book, “Blink,” he documents a study of college students who were asked to rate their college professors teaching skills after viewing a video segment of each teacher for only 2 seconds. (That’s right, a mere two seconds, NOT 2 minutes) Then, the students were asked to rate each professor again; only this time it was after having been taught by the professor for an entire instructor.

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When Smart People Use Dumb Words

Tuesday, November 20th, 2007

“Essentially”

“Ultimately”

“Going Forward”

“As it were”

“If you will”

“I’d like to tell you”

“I am here today to say”

What is the one thing all of these words have in common? They are useless tools for speakers, that’s what.

Too often, speakers clutter up their presentations with these verbal parasites. The one thing that all of these words or phrases have in common is that they don’t add any meaning to your presentations.

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Tips For Teleconferencing

Monday, November 19th, 2007

Teleconferencing can be a great way to reach hundreds of people all over the globe without having to leaving your home or office. But if you are the only presenter during a teleconference, there are several guidelines you need to follow to ensure success.

  1. Stand, don’t sit while speaking. Your breathing, energy and volume will be much better if you stand.
  2. You can’t take visual cues from your audience, therefore you can’t count on natural dialogue happening in your teleconference the way it would in a normal small group presentation.
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Conserve Your Voice

Friday, November 16th, 2007

There may be times in your career when you have to do a lot more public speaking than you are used to. Perhaps you are doing a road show around the country preparing for an initial public offering. Or maybe you have to explain a new initiative to workers at 40 plants around the world.

If you are speaking to a large group, say 500 people or more at a time, you can count on someone providing you with a microphone and speakers, so that you can be heard without yelling. If you are talking to only one or two people at a time, no amplification is needed; you can use your normal speaking voice.

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Shut Up!

Thursday, November 15th, 2007

For most 10-20 minute business presentations, you don’t have much time, so every moment counts. But at some point in your career, you may be asked to lead a seminar that is three hours in length or even longer. You can not prepare the same way as you do a normal speech. It’s not that giving a three hour seminar is 9 times harder than giving a 20 minute speech. Each type of presentation is a different beast.

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