Presenters: Are you making these 2 critical mistakes in your presentations?

Are you a presenter who is making these two critical errors when you give a talk?

I recently attended a presentation with a team of two eager speakers. They had carefully prepared for their talk, but were unaware of two major points.

The first speaker came up to the podium, stood away from the mike, and asked,"Can everyone hear me?" Most people with hearing loss will not admit to it. One brave person, however, said "no". Ironically, the speaker did not hear him.  The speaker spoke clearly, but the volume was soft because of the large size of the room and his distance from the microphone, which dissipated his speech's sound waves. To make matters worse, the microphone was a uni-directional mike, which worked only when a person spoke directly into it. The speaker, however, constantly turned his head and body to look at the PowerPoint behind him. At those times, he was almost inaudible.

The second speaker spoke more loudly, but also turned frequently to look at the PowerPoint. The PowerPoint had 14 lines of type in a small font on it. The room was large, and the words were very hard to read in the back of the room.

What could the speakers have done to prepare better?

First, they could have printed out their Power-Point slides and looked at them instead of turning to look behind them at the slides on the screen. Then, whether the mike was uni-directional or omni-directional, they would have been heard by the audience.

Second, they could have easily moved the microphone closer to their mouths.

Third, they could have used a maximum of seven lines of font in a large size per slide.

Ten thousand baby boomers per day are turning 65. Hearing loss is occurring in 33% of those age 65 and 50% of those aged 75 and older.  It is also now occurring more frequently in those in their 20's, for the first time in history. 

Presenters cannot afford to ignore possible hearing and vision impairments in their audiences.  Make sure you use a microphone, face forward so people can hear or lip-read you, repeat any questions or comments from the audience before answering them, and use large size font. These things are necessary to reach your audience!

For more practical and easy strategies to giving a professional speech, click here.

Are you ready for your PR opportunity?

A businessman sponsored a formal professional seminar. He provided refreshments and a room. He was invited to talk about his business before the audience, some of whom were in a position to hire his company. Although very friendly, he was dressed quite informally and rambled considerably during his presentation. He had not thought to bring any business cards, either. The overall result was that his verbal and visual image wasted his public relations investment in this opportunity.

Are you prepared for your next PR opportunity, even when you don't expect it? Are you dressed appropriately enough for your work? If a TV camera captured film of you representing your company or at work, would you cringe? If there is the possibility that you will be asked to "say a few words", would you sound poised and professional, with a concise and relevant speech? Be prepared!

If public speaking is not your specialty, the e-book Public Speaking: You Can Do It!
gives easy ways to start, continue and gracefully end a presentation.

Business Speech Improvement also provides intensive coaching in public speaking, accent modification, reducing speech rate, executive/managerial communication for leadership and more!

What are some easy ways to overcome a fear of public speaking?

Among American adults, at least one study reported that a fear of public speaking was greater than a fear of death. Public speaking is a skill that can be learned or improved with practice and coaching.

Think of yourself as a teacher, not an orator. You are sharing knowledge you have that your audience does not have, but needs.
What matters is not so much what you say, but what knowledge sticks between your listeners' ears; in other words, your information must be presented memorably, in a way that will make sense and be retrievable.

To overcome a fear of public speaking, realize that the information counts a lot more than the speaker. This can take the pressure off the speaker and put it on the information and presentation.

Techniques that can be helpful are the 3 P's: passion for your subject, excellent preparation and knowledge of both the material and your audience's level of understanding of the topic, and extensive practice of the speech. Passion, preparation and practice really count! Yes, visual aids and handouts are important as many people learn and remember better visually. However, an enthusiastic, prepared and practiced speaker can make a vital difference in how the material is received.

Other techniques include slow, deep breathing, exercise earlier in the day, having a friend in the audience who smiles and nods occasionally, and more.


Public Speaking: You Can Do It! is an economical, tip-filled e-book that can be accessed 24/7 and is filled with strategies for speaking more effectively. It is published by Business Speech Improvement, which also provides seminars and individual coaching on communication skills.

What we can learn from Washington's Inaugural Address

For an amazing exercise in how communication has changed over time, read George Washington's First Inaugural Address. It contains very long, complex sentences, that are hard to understand.

Today's politicians and attorneys speak in short sentences, with sound bites. What an improvement this style is for us modern listeners!

The difference in political speeches can be seen since the advent of television. As more people listened and watched, politicians had to be able to communicate with those who had less time, patience and education.

From this we can learn to use shorter sentences, with essential messages or sound bites. Your listeners will thank you!

For more practical tips, get the e-book Public Speaking:You can Do It! Public speaking is an art, and can be learned!

Business Speech Improvement
provides intensive training in verbal communication skills. Training is offered through books, e-books and coaching. Great speech makes business sense; visit us today!

Speak too fast?

One of the most common complaints about a speaker is that he or she speaks too fast, and can't be easily understood. Speech rate can be influenced by many factors, from the rate of the general culture (such as NYC) to a person's health status.

Speak slower! Speech Rate Reduction is an intensive one day workshop offered Friday, July 9th in Chattanooga, TN. It includes work-related speech simulations. This course is not suitable for people with such disorders as Parkinson's or other neurological issues. For more information, visit http://businessspeechimprovement.com/enabler/scripts/category.pl?Classes and scroll down to "speech rate and timing".