Speaking of Empowerment

Have you been on Comcast.com or Amazon.com recently?   What was the first thing that came to mind when you arrived?  Most likely, it was something like:  “Terrific, now that I’m here, lets get to what I need.” 

Next, try to recall a web site that you came across that was “less effective”.  Maybe it was clearly done on the cheap, looked like about a hundred other second-rate sites, or just seemed to be thrown together by an amateur.  I suspect that what came to mind when you saw that web site wasn’t “what can you sell me?”, but rather “is this a real company?”

A key component to an effective website on the Internet is trust. This is a critical fact for authors and speakers, who are basically selling their personalities, to understand.   If a caller to your site doubts your integrity, most likely they will exit your site and will never return.  I would like to point out a few of the essential ingredients to forging that belief and developing an effective web site.

Number one is to make sure that your web site clearly identifies you as a real person.  Visitors to your web site must know from the first moment they arrive how you stand out from all the others out there.  There are numerous ways to achieve that goal.  You should make sure your text is well written and speaks to your visitor, and you can get unusual graphics to enhance that message.  The core component is to never lose site of how you want to present yourself to your visitors. 

Next your web site must tell your visitors immediately that you have a proven reputation in your industry.  Testimonials and effective copy writing are two ways to achieve this.  Don’t hide your victories deep in your website, make sure they are well displayed on every page for your site visitors to view. 

And finally, your customers must sense through your site that you will be able to solve their problems.  Site visitors have plenty to do and would be thrilled if you could offer them a solution to their problem and they could stop hunting for one.  Your effective, believable website is your advertisement to make that happen.

Be sure to stop by ProfessionalSpeakerPromotionOnline.com to find many other resources for successfully promoting your professional speaking career online.

How you handle questions from an audience can often be the deciding factor as to how your presentation is received. If you’re pitching for business, then it’s absolutely vital to handle questions well.

1. Be equipped – As you prepare the presentation for the public, decide what you will probably be asked at the end and be ready to answer the questions. In case there would be a couple you are not ready to answer at this time, a satisfactory response will have to be ready to use for an answer.

2. Clearly state the terms of the presentation – If your presentation is first and then questions or if you take questions as you go, stick with what you stated you were going to do. Do not change in the middle of your presentation. This will throw the timing off. Bear in mind, audiences that are told a presentation will be fifteen minutes will not like listening for a half hour.

3. Do not allow questions at the very end – Ask for any questions the audience may have at least 10 minutes before concluding. Answer them and move on to your big ending. When presentations end with questions and no one has any, it is a bit awkward.

4. Pay attention respectfully – If you are being asked a question, even if is one that you have answered repeatedly, do not dismiss the question lightly. Answer it and pay attention to the person asking it.

5. Thank the questioner – It’s only polite, it shows respect and it gives you a bit more time to consider your answer.

6. Restate the gist of the question – This is often beneficial for those who may have missed the question. When you answer they may not have any idea of what you are talking about. It is aggravating not to know what was asked and this also allows you time to consider the response. In addition, it is a good control maneuver.

7. Direct your response to everyone – When answering the question direct your response to the audience, not just the questioner. This appears as if you are excluding everyone else especially if the questioner is up front and closer to you.

8. Short and sweet – Answer the question and move on. Sometimes speakers tend to get too involved in the answer. They are at ease and happy someone asked a question and their answer is too long. DON’T DO THIS.

9. No bluffing – When a question is asked that you have no answer for, say so. Tell them you will find out the answer and you will let them know. This is also a way to be able to contact them further.

There is the possibility of no questions being asked. This can cause an uncomfortable silence. It may be that your presentation is sinking in and they need time to think of their questions. They also might be somewhat bashful about asking questions. Use your own question and say ” In case you are wondering…?” If this does not work, conclude your presentation.

The better you handle this type of situation, the more professional and businesslike you will look during your public speaking presentation.

If you search for “public speaking tips” with Google, you’ll find more than two and a half million results. It seems that there is a nearly unlimited number of resources online which offer to help you overcome your fear of public speaking; but if you need to give a speech soon, the last thing you need is to spend all of your time looking for tips to successfully make it through your own upcoming speech.

Believe it or not, most of those fears are self imposed. What do I mean? The people listening to you don’t really care how the information is disseminated, they just want at the information. It’s the speaker that puts themselves through the ringer weeks before the event. Here are some tips that may seem obvious, but once completed, will really put your mind at ease, trust me.

Public Speaking Tip #1

Know your material. This is obvious enough: not only do you need to know your speech; memorizing it if possible, but you also need a thorough understanding of the broader scope of your subject matter, particularly if you’ll be taking questions from your audience. Research your topic well, going a little beyond the relatively narrow focus of your speech itself.

Public Speaking Tip #2

Instead of pacing back and forth, worrying about your speech going disastrously, talk with as many of the people who will be listening to your speech as you can. Being familiar with the audience will make you more confident in yourself.

This strategy also prevents you from pacing back and forth and worrying yourself to death until you go on. There is no point in cramming now, if you don’t know it, you wont, and it will show.

Public Speaking Tip #3

You may have heard the old saw about picturing your audience naked – don’t do this. Instead of putting you at ease, you’ll find it distracting and will actually hurt your efforts at public speaking.

Public Speaking Tip # 4

If you find yourself filling in the pauses with ers, ums and uhs, you need to stop. Instead, repeat the sentence as if you’re emphasizing it, replacing the uhs and ers with pauses; this has a dramatic effect which sounds intentional (and far more polished than the alternative).

Public Speaking Tip # 5

Animate your speech. Most people think that good communication is mouth-centric. Nothing could be farther from the truth! To be a powerful communicator, you have to use your entire body. Gestures and body language add energy and enthusiasm to your speech.

All of these tips are useful in helping you to overcome your stage fright and get comfortable with public speaking. Being able to give a speech in front of a group when needed can be very important for your career; there are people who actually pass up on a promotion because of their fears of having to speak in front of people!

Many even have a greater fear of speaking in public than they do of death! Of course, it’s easier to get your head around the prospect of stepping up to the podium than it is to grapple with an abstract concept like dying – but fear of speaking in front of a group is very real and can be intense. Thankfully, it is possible to overcome this fear and be able to speak publicly. You may never learn to love it, but you can learn to get through it unscathed. As long as you know what you’ll say and can anticipate the most likely questions you’ll be asked, you’re more than halfway to giving a successful speech.