This is the first in a seven-part series of articles on presentation skills designed for persons who don't make or supplement

their living from professional speaking. Part 1 of 7: YOU can be a public speaker Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 Wouldn't it be great to be able to stand in front of an audience of hundreds of people and hold them in complete captivation? Wouldn't you love to be a Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, or Patricia Fripp for just a day...particularly the day you're scheduled to speak before your company's executives or a local civic group?! Wouldn't it be nice to go into a presentation convinced that they're going to love you, to hear their applause, to overhear comments afterwards such as "He was excellent," or "I really got a lot out of her program?" Well, you can. No, we can't all be a Tony Robbins, Terry Paulson, Lilly Walters, or Joe Calloway...but, fortunately, we don't have to be. You can do quite well just being yourself. If you're like most people, you may be wondering why you should even bother. After all, speaking before a group can be terrifying at first-studies consistently show that public speaking is the #1 fear of most people. The answer to that is easy: Your career may depend on it! Unquestionably, you can dramatically improve your career opportunities by being a competent public speaker. As former sales consultant, speaker and author Wilson Harrel once said, "Nothing I have learned about sales psychology, killer closes, or whatever has increased my effectiveness in selling as much as the fundamental steps I learned for preparing and delivering a speech." If you work in sales, can you make 50-100 (or more) cold calls per day? You can if you speak before a group! Earl Nightingale was a firm believer in the power of the spoken and written word...his research led him to believe that a key component to corporate success, and a consistent trait among executives, was the ability to communicate to others and to lead through persuasion and reason. So, if you want to greatly enhance your job performance and career opportunities, you must practice and hone your skills in the area of public speaking. Fortunately, most great speakers are made, not born...and you can be one of them. In this series of articles, I'll be presenting tips, tools, and techniques that can dramatically improve your presentation skills. Some of this information is based upon my seminar and forthcoming book: "Presentation Skills for the 'Unprofessional' Speaker." If you think you'd be interested in the full presentation skills course and would like more information on how to purchase the book or schedule the seminar, just send me an email. Now, on with the show!

This is the second in a seven-part series of articles on presentation skills designed for persons who don't make or supplement their living from professional speaking. Part 2 of 7: Four components of an effective presentation Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 According to Joan Detz, author of How to Write & Give a Speech, "A good speech is the single most effective marketing and public relations tool any organization can have." Whether you work in sales or management, are self-employed, or work in a large corporation, nothing is more fundamentally important to your career success (and that of your organization) than your ability to communicate effectively. By being able to make effective, informative and entertaining presentations, you

can significantly enhance your career development, whether that career is in sales or climbing the corporate ladder. Unfortunately, of the estimated 8 BILLION presentations given annually in the U.S. alone, most are "tornado" presentations. Just what are "tornado" presentations? Simple...like real tornadoes, they're a concentrated gust of wind that sucks! And, like real tornadoes, most aren't planned...they just happen. Making an effective presentation involves four key components:

The Situation-determining the purpose, occasion, and environment in which your presentation will be made. The Audience-identifying (and creating where necessary) the needs and expectations of your audience, then exceeding those expectations (usually to their surprise). The Speaker-understanding, controlling and conquering your fears and developing a unique presentation style. The Presentation-planning, preparing and delivering a dynamite presentation.

Let's tackle each of these components, one at a time, starting with The Situation

This is the third in a seven-part series of articles on presentation skills designed for persons who don't make or supplement their living from professional speaking. Part 3 of 7: The Situation Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 When asked to make a presentation, the first thing that often runs through the panic-stricken mind of the "unprofessional" speaker is, "What am I going to say?" A more purposeful response is: "Why have I been asked to give this presentation?" Therefore, the first step in the presentation process, before a word has been put to paper, is to determine the purpose of the presentation-it's goals and objectives. Obviously, the structure, content and style of the presentation will vary according to the nature of the event. For example, wouldn't you agree that, if you were asked to make a speech about an individual that was being honored, the tone of the presentation would be dramatically different depending on whether you were speaking at a retirement "roast" or a funeral? Most presentations take one of three forms, as illustrated by Aristotle's "Appeals":

Ethos - the purpose is to inform or instruct, as one would as an instructional course leader, and is based on thought processes. Logos - the purpose is to persuade or motivate to action, as would a politician, clergyman or salesman, and is based on behavior modification. Pathos - the purpose is to inspire, entertain or otherwise elicit feelings and emotions, as would a motivational speaker or stand-up comic, and is based on changing attitudes.

Keep in mind that many, if not most, presentations incorporate more than one facet of each of these "appeals." For example, Winston Churchill used both pathos and logos, Zig Ziglar focuses on pathos and ethos, Brian Tracy on logos and ethos, and so forth. Also, you can be effective using whichever "appeal" best fits the situation or your personal style.

Personally, I loved to hear both Carl Sagan (who most often used an "ethos" appeal) and Zig Ziglar speak, though their styles were completely different. So, be aware that there is no one best form of presentation...each can be effective, in its own way, depending on the situation and the speaker's personal style of communication. One other observation regarding the situation in which you are speaking, and one of the most common mistakes made by "unprofessional" speakers...remember to ALWAYS finish on time. This is particularly true when you are speaking at a meal function such as a luncheon or dinner. Never ask "How long have I got?" but rather, "When does your meeting usually end?" These types of events are notorious for dragging on forever. If you have a 30-minute presentation scheduled for 12:30 p.m., but you aren't able to begin until 12:45 p.m. (and the group usually adjourns at 1:00 p.m.), cut your program to 15 minutes. If you follow the advice in this short course, you'll be prepared to do this and, believe me, the participants will love you for it!

This is the forth in a seven-part series of articles on presentation skills designed for persons who don't make or supplement their living from professional speaking. Part 4 of 7: The Audience Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 The first step in this phase of the process is to analyze the needs and determine the expectations of the audience. Imagine that new neighbors move in next door and you invite them over for dinner. When everyone's seated, you bring out the biggest, juiciest steaks they've ever seen. Then they break the news that they're vegetarians. Embarrassing? To say the least. The same holds true when you're speaking to a group...you have to learn something about their "appetites" and "dining" preferences. What are their needs? Why did they invite YOU and what do they expect from you? What are their knowledge, skill and experience levels? What are their attitudes and feelings toward you and the subject matter? What are the demographics of the group? For example, if you were asked to make a presentation on how insurance rates are made, would the structure, content and delivery of your presentation differ if the group consisted of building contractors as opposed to actuaries? I actually saw such a presentation made to a homebuilders association where the presenter used slides explaining linear regression analysis in the trending of loss costs. It would have taken buckets to catch all the drool that spilled from the lips of the glassy-eyed crowd. Likewise, the tone of your presentation would depend on whether the audience was, in general, uninformed, apathetic, hostile, favorable, or mixed. As we'll discuss later, my experience has been that, unless you are delivering a funeral eulogy, humor (if used judiciously) is your most valuable ally. This analysis stage is critical...if not done properly, you will too often find yourself in a situation for which you are totally unprepared. Once you've established what you believe to be the expectations of the audience, you'll need to arouse their curiosity both before and during your presentation. Therefore, I recommend that you select an attentiongetting title for your presentation. For example, I used to do a seminar on insurance policy interpretation for independent insurance agents that I could have called "How to Interpret an Insurance Policy." Instead, I called it "How to Battle an Adjuster...and Win Every Time!" Agents loved the title! Needless to say, claims

reps and adjusters didn't (but that's another story). Therefore, I subsequently changed the title to a more politically correct "How to Win Friends...and Influence Adjusters." This title still aroused curiosity, but was a little more politically correct and a lot less offensive to the claims reps that I dearly love (to battle). With regard to generating curiosity during the presentation itself, you'll want to start out with a dynamite opener to get the audience's attention and make them eager to hear the rest of what you have to say. During the program, you'll want to liven things up by being creative. For example, when I discuss the pollution exclusion in a liability insurance seminar, the overhead I use has a bullet that says, "Martinis, potato chips, Heather Locklear, and peanut butter sandwiches." When I get to the discussion of personal injury and advertising injury, one of my overhead bullets says, "Marijuana, Mickey Mouse and Music City U.S.A." What do these terms mean? Don't they arouse your curiosity (even if you know nothing about insurance!)? That's the idea. Before leaving this topic, I'd like to leave you with three maxims of public speaking from the perspective of your audience... MAXIM #1: "Speaking is show business!" First, never, ever forget the following truism: Speaking is show business! Again, unless you're delivering a funeral eulogy, announcing a corporate "downsizing" to a group of the downsized, or speaking at a similar somber event, people want to be entertained as well as informed. Even if you're making an ethos-based presentation, remember the words of Marshall McLuhan: "Education has to be fun, and fun has to be education." In my seminar, "Presentation Skills for the 'Unprofessional' Speaker," I examine this premise within the context of what I call "The Jolson Principle" which is: (1) give 'em what THEY want, (2) give 'em some more, (3) leave 'em wanting more. MAXIM #2: "Be mediocre!" Second, this doesn't mean that you have to be another Woody Allen or Sammy Davis, Jr., nor do you have to be a clone of Zig Ziglar or Tony Robbins. Keep in mind, within our context of "unprofessional" speaking engagements (meaning you're not making a living at this stuff), the following: Your audience will most likely be thrilled if you're just not boring! Honest! That's an amazing statement, but absolutely 100% accurate...your audience will be satisfied if you aren't boring. If you're speaking at a Kiwanis Club meeting, a technical symposium or some other function in which the presenters are essentially "unprofessional" speakers, the audience does not normally have very high expectations. In fact, in most cases, they expect to be bored to death. Therefore, you can significantly exceed their expectations simply by not being boring. If, in fact, you're actually entertaining, they'll love you! Believe it or not, before long you will have attendees that will be willing to PAY you to speak! MAXIM #3: "Your audience doesn't care..." The third and final observation on this topic is the following (and this may hurt a little, but it's true): Your audience doesn't care about YOU...they care about themselves! As David Burpee of the Burpee Seed Company said, "I always try to remember that people really aren't interested in my seeds. They're interested in their gardens, their tomatoes, and their lawns." Remember to give 'em what THEY want.

fifth in a seven-part series of articles on presentation skills designed for persons who don't make or supplement their living from professional speaking. Part 5 of 7: The Speaker Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

In this article, we'll talk about just one topic of great concern to almost all "unprofessional" speakers: Overcoming the fear of public speaking. As we'll see, we could easily refer to this as "overcoming the fear of failure," since that is often where the fear of public speaking is founded. First, keep two things in mind. Even "professional" speakers get nervous. In fact, one very well known speaker that I've corresponded with confides that he comes close to being physically sick prior to almost every presentation he makes; this despite the fact that he is an outstanding, even legendary, speaker. Also, remember that your audience probably is not expecting a lot, certainly much less than you expect from yourself. So, read on to learn about putting your presentation into perspective. In addition to the fear of failure, I believe that there are FOUR reasons why most speakers get nervous before a presentation. These reasons are directly related to the four key components of a presentation that this series of articles discusses:

The Situation - not being sure of the reason for your presentation or being in an unfamiliar or awkward setting or situation. The Audience - not being sure of the expectations of the audience or being with a group of "strangers" or even a hostile crowd. The Speaker - not being sure of yourself as a public speaker or having unrealistic expectations relative to your experience level as a speaker. The Presentation - not being sure of your material or not properly planning, preparing and/or rehearsing your presentation.

When I speak on a familiar topic to a group with which I'm acquainted, I'm almost always at ease. However, if I'm doing a new program and don't feel confident in my mastery of the subject matter, I feel anxious. Likewise, when I speak to an unfamiliar group, I'm often nervous. Don't believe anyone who tells you they never get nervous. As Mark Twain said, "There are two types of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars." However, once you've identified and understood the source(s) of your anxiety, you can set out to control and ultimately conquer your fears. In accomplishing that mission, here are SIX things to keep in mind: 1. 2. Anxiety is better than apathy. Fear means you care. Keep things in perspective. Don't take yourself too seriously and don't overestimate the importance or consequences of your presentation. Remember that most audiences will be thrilled if you're just not awful! Ask yourself, "What's the worst thing that could happen?" Don't worry about what people will think, even if things don't go perfectly. Follow the advice of speaker Steve Eggleston: "I stopped worrying about what people would think about me when I realized how seldom people think about anyone but themselves." Believe in your message. Show your conviction and deliver the presentation you would want to hear. Practice the 3 P's...Preparation, Preparation, and Preparation. Study the final phase of the process involving planning, preparing and delivering a presentation. Despite what you may have been told, it's virtually impossible to over prepare for a speech. And, take every opportunity you can to speak before a group. The more you do it, the better you'll get.

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Never apologize. Don't make a production out of the fact that you're nervous...believe me, you're much more aware of your anxiety than the audience. In most instances, the audience won't even suspect you're nervous unless you tell them. Never forget that the audience is almost always on your side. Have you ever gone to a presentation hoping that the speaker would be terrible? Of course not. Your audience isn't there to see you fail either. About 10% of the audience will like you no matter what happens...we'll forget, for the moment, the 10% that will not like you no matter how good you are. Identify the former in your audience (hint: they're the ones awake and smiling) and focus on them as your confidence and comfort level builds.

This is the sixth in a seven-part series of articles on presentation skills designed for persons who don't make or supplement their living from professional speaking. Part 6 of 7: The Presentation Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 The presentation itself has three components:

The Planning Phase. After assessing the situation and audience, you're ready to plan your presentation. First, you'll want to research and develop the main points of your program. Then, using this raw material, you will identify your central theme, develop each point to support that premise, organize the content around these main points, and prepare an outline. The Preparation Phase. In this phase, you'll take the substance of your presentation and bring it to life by structuring it in accordance with several fundamental public speaking principles such as "The Universal Speaker's Law" and the "Magical Rule of 3." Then, you'll further enliven it by illustrating your points with humor, quotations, analogies, anecdotes, and other tools. The Delivery Phase. This phase involves issues such as personal style, use of audio/visuals (if any), incorporation of "games and gimmicks," use of participative exercises, and many other techniques beyond the scope and space constraints of this course.

In my (hopefully) forthcoming book, "Presentation Skills for the 'Unprofessional' Speaker," we use an analogy to demonstrate the three phases of a presentation: Creating Frankenstein's Monster. The Planning Phase is presented as Scene One: The Graveyard...digging up the body parts. The Preparation Phase is presented as Scene Two: The Laboratory...stitching all those parts together. The Delivery Phase is presented as Scene Three: The Public Square...where Frankenstein's monster is brought to life and must confront the public. Here we'll stick to the essentials... The Planning Phase This phase involves an extensive amount of research using authoritative reference materials and, increasingly, the Internet. You want to amass as much information on your topic as you can reasonably find in the time available for research. For the most part, you can't find too much information...you can always pare it down later to fit your time frame. After establishing your central theme, you can organize the content using several techniques such as mind mapping, storyboarding, affinity diagrams, wheel charts, and, my personal favorite, manila folders! I've found that, for ethos-type educational programs that are linear in structure, a simple system such as manila file folders works quite nicely. However, I've often had to resort to the "stacks of paper on the ping pong table in the garage" technique, though that one is much too complex to present in an introductory course such as this. : - ) The Preparation Phase

The next step is to restructure your outline into a "presentable" format. Two techniques known to all professional speakers can be used in this step. The first is "The Universal Speaker's Law" which says: (1) Tell them what you're going to tell them, (2) tell them, and (3) tell them what you told them. In other words, every presentation should have: (1) an introduction, (2) a body, and (3) a conclusion. The introduction should include a dynamite, attention-getting opener and a brief summary of what you're going to tell them. The conclusion should include a dynamite, thought-provoking closer following a brief summary of what you told them. That leaves the body itself and another speaker's "law" to consider here is what is known as the "Magical Rule of 3." Simply stated, if you limit your presentation to three main points, you'll never go wrong. This is not an absolute maxim, but it is one that always works for a very simple reason...most people can't remember more than three things you tell them. If you want your presentation to be memorable, then limit your "message" to three points. These concepts are discussed at length in my seminar and (hopefully) forthcoming book. Finally, although the substance and form is now there, to make your points clear, understandable and memorable, you have to provide illustrations. If you observe most professional speakers, they make their points real and memorable using anecdotes, humor, quotations, and so forth. Numerous examples and resources are cited in the (hopefully) forthcoming book (do you sense a message here?). The Delivery Phase The Delivery Phase involves concepts such as personal style, enunciation, and use of repetition, body language, and use of audio-visuals. Each of these is discussed in the seminar and companion manual. In this section of the abridged, online version, we'll focus on two areas...things you should NOT do, and techniques you can use to bring Frankenstein's monster to life. First, here are three "DON'Ts": 1. Don't recite. For most of the public speaking that you're likely to be doing, don't try to memorize a speech. One of the most boring presentations I ever saw was a guy who had memorized a 20minute speech. Similarly, I used to attend a church where the pastor was noted for his ability to cite lengthy Biblical verses from memory...at least that's what I was told by the three people who remained awake. A presentation that comes across as "canned" is perceived to be insincere and trite. Don't read. Think for a minute...when was the last time somebody read to you? If you're like me, it was probably your mother who read to you at bedtime. And, what was the purpose of her reading to you? I rest my case. Don't start with a jokeor at least be REAL careful. The true mark of a real 'unprofessional' speaker is a person who feels compelled to start their presentation with a joke. Nine times out of ten, that joke is either not funny or, if it is, you've heard it a dozen times during the past month...if a popular joke is going around, most of your audience will have heard it. Also, ninety nine times out of a hundred, the joke has nothing to do with the presentation, such as, "Before I get started, I heard a funny joke the other day..." Humor is a principal tool of my speaking style, but it has to be used properly and in the right context to be effective.

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Finally, here are THIRTEEN techniques you can use to liven up and illustrate the points of your presentation: Quotations. Quotations can be a great tool for not only supporting a premise or point, but also as a brainstorming tool to develop presentations. For more information on this, take a look at my article elsewhere on this site: "Quotations: They're Not Just for Drunks Anymore."

Analogies. I do a seminar called "The Five Habits of Highly Effective Leaders." In distinguishing between management and leadership, I use a quotation as an analogy: "Efficient management without effective leadership is like straightening deck chairs on the Titanic." An analogy makes a point more memorable. Definitions. If you're making a presentation on politics, you'll want to define a Politician: Someone who will borrow $20, repay you $10, then say you're even because you both lost 10 bucks! Or, how about an Auditor: Someone who goes in after the war is lost and bayonets the wounded. Or, an Attorney: Someone who goes in after the auditors are through and pick the pockets of the dead. Caution: be wary of how you use these definitions...believe me, if you're speaking to attorneys, they won't appreciate attorney jokes...besides, they've heard them all before. Anecdotes. If you listen to the well-known professional speakers, most of them build their presentations around humorous or inspiring anecdotal stories. In the unabridged (hopefully) forthcoming book version of this program, we give you a number of anecdotes you can use and show how you can use your own experiences in your presentations. Rhetorical Questions. One caveat: if you use a rhetorical question, be prepared for someone to actually respond. I once sat on the front row to hear an absolutely gorgeous speaker start her presentation with the question, "Did you ever have a sexual fantasy?" Without missing a beat, I responded, "Does right now count?" Direct Statements. These are usually statements you make about yourself or an action you took. They work best when you poke fun at yourself, although Don Rickles has made a career of insulting his audience. Just be careful how you do it. Startling Statistics. Statistics are too often used improperly in a presentation but, if used effectively, they can make the subject matter more interesting, understandable, and memorable. For example, I've often cited a university study that alleges that, at any given time, 20% of the audience listening to a speaker is thinking about sex. You can have fun with that statistic! A point to keep in mind is that the audience doesn't care about "data"...just what the data means, why it's important to them, and what they should do about it. In other words, present statistics as information, not facts. Historical Events. There are a number of books and Internet sites along the lines of "On this day." I once did a September 28 presentation on quality management and mentioned that on that date in 1930, Lou Gehrig committed his first error in 885 games...almost six years without an error. On the date you are to make a presentation, check on of these references and see if there were any historical events on that date that you could tie into your material. Personal Secrets. Remember the "coming out" episode of the TV sitcom "Ellen"? Cartoons. I have a large file of cartoons for all occasions. In one presentation I do, an element of the program involves interpersonal effectiveness. I use an overhead with a cartoon of a man on a couch with his psychiatrist. The caption has the man saying, "If you weren't so stupid, you could tell me why people automatically dislike me." An important caveat with cartoons is that, if they are copyrighted (and they almost always are), you must get permission to use them. In many cases, you will have to pay a fee ranging from $15 to $150. Games & Gimmicks. I have several "tricks" that I've used for years. For example, when I do this presentation, to illustrate the "Magical Rule of 3," I put up an overhead with six playing cards and ask the

audience to think of any one of the cards. Then I replace the overhead with another one that has five cards and I ask them if their card is missing. No matter which card they chose, it is always missing! How does this work and how does it tie into the "Magical Rule of 3"? My seminar and (hopefully) forthcoming book explain (rats!). Participative Exercises. You have to do something about every six minutes during your presentation that require some sort of audience participation or response. There are lots of exercises you can do and plenty of sources of information on this subject. A good one is "Games Presenters Play" by Lilly Walters & Jeff Dewar. Props. I'm not Gallagher or CarrotTop, but I have a few props I use in my seminars and presentations. A great one is used by Stephen Covey in his "7 Habits" workshop and involves a jar, sand, gravel, and rocks. Dealing with priorities and "putting first things first," by filling the jar with sand and then gravel, you'll find that there's not enough room left for all of the big things in life (in this case, the rocks). However, if you put the rocks in first, and then pour the gravel, then the sand into the cracks, you'll find that everything will fit if you "put first things first." By following these simple tools of the trade, you can indeed dramatically improve your public speaking.

This is the last in a seven-part series of articles on presentation skills designed for persons who don't make or supplement their living from professional speaking. Part 7 of 7: Summary & conclusion Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 Here's what we covered in this short version of our program:

The Situation. We discussed Aristotle's "Appeals," the environment and some special situations. The Audience. We introduced The Jolson Principle and the importance of analyzing the needs and expectations of your audience, plus how to arouse their curiosity with your presentation title and content. The Speaker. We examined the source of speaker anxiety and what you could do about it. The Presentation. We looked at the three phases of planning, preparation, and delivery, along with the Universal Speaker's Law and the Magical Rule of 3, plus some specific techniques to breathe life into a dead presentation.

At this point, your presentation should be ready to go. All that's left is the study, reinforcement, practice, and rehearsal necessary to polish your performance. By now, you will have discovered that for every 1-5 minutes of your presentation, you will have spent an hour in preparation! Speaking isn't easy, but it sure is an awful lot of fun. Good luck in your speaking. Follow the advice in this series of articles, take every opportunity you can to speak before a group, and you'll be on your way to becoming an outstanding "unprofessional" speaker. Finally, as you begin to gain experience and self-confidence, remember the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: "All the great speakers were bad speakers at first."