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Author:
Sandra Schrift

Did you know that great speakers are often nervous with butterflies in their stomach before giving a presentation? And there are many actors/actresses who can not speak to live audiences without cue cards. My 13 years as a professional speakers bureau owner allowed me to hear several thousand speakers give their presentations. Here are a few tips I learned from them.
1. You want to be nervous. Get your butterflies to fly in formation. Some tension brings about a great speech. You usually don’t look as nervous as you feel. Be prepared, be relaxed. Practice, practice, practice. Use visualization techniques. One speaker suggests that you curl your toes and get rid of your adrenalin. Get out of your head and in to your heart. Reduce nervousness with self talk.
Your mantra might be - “I am a relaxed, confident speaker.”
2. Great presentations are well organized.
Opening – You have 60seconds to get their attention. So start with a great question, quote or short story. Tell ‘em what you will tell them.
Body – Tell ‘em. This is where you tell your 3-4 points supported by your stories.
Closing –Tell ‘em what you told them. Give them a call to action. What is one idea they can use immediately? in seven days? in one month?
There are basically two kinds of presentations – Informative (to know) Persuasive (to do)
Be sure you know what you want your audience to do as a result of your presentation.
Ask. . . What do they need to know to do this? What do they need to feel to do this?
Then provide 3-4 points in the body of your message and provide transitions between the points.
3. Great speeches have great stories. Sprinkle them throughout your presentation. We delineate our thoughts visually and your audience needs to “see” what they “hear.”
4. Technology is just a tool. Do not be a master of ceremonies to your PowerPoint. It is not the presentation.
Here are some guidelines to follow:
Necessity - is this visual aid going to enhance the audience’s understanding Clarity – to help people understand Simplicity – PowerPoint with words – no more than five words per line and five lines per slide. Color – color enhances the slide – but only use a few (we’re not talking about your kid’s 300 Crayola box of crayons) Visibility – keep it large and clear
5. Your voice is the source of power. FDR, Martin Luther King, Churchill used the power of their voice. Remember people need to see what they hear. Slow down, add a pause, whisper . . .use your voice to change tones, be loud or soft as needed.
6. Use your eyes – to make contact with audience. Focus on one person at a time and all the other people will feel as if you are talking to them also. This will help you to connect with people and make them feel you are there for them.
7. Interact – provide your audience with short role plays or partnering exercises. This gives them an opportunity to practice what you are telling them to do. Give them an opportunity to tell someone about their challenge and get some feedback as to how to resolve it. Then they can walk out the door at the end of the program ready to think or act differently. This is what every great speaker wants!
8. Join a fre*e Teleclass to learn how to speak like a pro on June 30, 2004 from 8-9 p.m. (EST) http://www.schrift.com/teleclasses/index.htm
© 2004 by Sandra Schrift. All rights reserved
Publishing Guidelines: You are welcome to publish this article in its entirety, electronically, or in print fre*e of charge, as long as you include my full signature file for ezines, and my Web site address (http://www.schrift.com) in hyperlink for other sites. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to sandra@schrift.com. Thank you.

Sandra Schrift 13 year speaker bureau owner and now career coach to emerging and veteran public speakers who want to "grow" a profitable speaking business. I also work with business professionals and organizations who want to master their presentations. To find out How to Become a Highly Paid Professional Speaker, go to http://www.schrift.com/ProfessionalSpeaker/ Join my free bi-weekly Monday Morning Mindfulness ezine http://www.schrift.com/monday.htm

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A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Professional Speaker... Everything You've Ever Learned about Public Speaking Is Wrong Many myths about public speaking have been passed along from person to person over the years, and the one thing that is consistent about these myths is that the people who pass them along are still nervous about speaking. After facilitating over 200 public speaking classes and never having a single person fail to significantly reduce his/her fear of speaking, I had a dramatic realization. Just about everything I was taught about public speaking while I was in school and from well meaning peers and coworkers – WAS WRONG! Below are the top three myths that we have identified, and some simple tips that will help you reduce your fear or nervousness. Myth #1: If you write out a talk and memorize it, you’ll be more comfortable. This is the fastest, easiest way to make your presentation boring and canned and to make you more nervous. When you memorize a talk word-for-word, any slight hick-up or distraction can throw you off track. That can increase your nervousness. Instead, write out just a few key points and practice giving stories or examples to back up each point. Myth #2: More facts/details will better clarify your topic. Most of us believe that a little is good, more is better, and a whole bunch is just right in public speaking. If I can give you 10 reasons why my topic is true, then that is obviously better than two or three reasons, right? Well in public speaking, the more points we offer, the more confused our audience can become. A good rule of thumb is five or less. So, after you decide on your topic, narrow down the key points that support your topic to around five key points or fewer. If your talk requires more than five points, then it would be best to divide the presentation into two different talks. Myth #3: Nervous habits make you a poor...