Public speaking is not just about the spoken word. As a presenter you must know your content and your audience. But you also need to know about pragmatics. Pragmatics is the relations between words, expressions, or symbols and their users. And nothing communicates more powerfully than the eyes. Watch this video to learn about eye contact and public speaking.
Do you know the meaning of pragmatics? Most people believe that public speaking is about the spoken word. But what about the unspoken meaning? Public speakers and presenters who rely solely on the spoken word are at a disadvantage. Presentation excellence depends on so much more. Watch this video to learn one of the secrets of effective communication - presentation pragmatics.
If you’re like most people, you avoid public speaking like the plague. But that’s a recipe for failure. Successful people must have good presentation skills and speak to build their reputations and expertise. What most public speakers do, is resist their fear and what you resist, will persist.
Here’s another idea. Instead of trying to control your thoughts, use your body and give fear the finger. Watch this video to learn how:
For Immediate Release
DiResta Coaches Student Award Winners for Annual FWA Awards Dinner
New York (April 29, 2013) — Two students, Ashley and Fang Fang, stole the show last night as they gave their two minute acceptance speeches to 600 attendees at the Financial Women’s Association annual dinner.
Diane DiResta, President of DiResta Communications, Inc, and a member of FWA, volunteered to coach the student presenters for the third year. The coaching involved helping them craft their speech and deliver it with confidence from the main stage.
Click here to read full Press Release.
I spoke at the Morning Mojo networking group held at Citibank about Communicating with Impact. Business is not about the numbers. Business is about communication and the numbers simply reflect how well you communicate. Watch this short video segment to learn how to communicate with impact.
Several years ago, my friend adopted Mimi, an 18 month old girl from China. Not long after, I came to visit her and noticed that Mimi was making a gesture for more food. My friend and I are both speech pathologists, and I recognized that she had taught Mimi sign language – and it was working. She was 18 months old and did not understand or speak English, but she was able to communicate with her English-speaking mother using sign language.
It was interesting to me when I read this article on The Science of Gestures. I always emphasize the use of gestures with my clients for a number of reasons. Gestures serve to:
But I wasn’t aware of the neuroscience behind gesturing. In two separate studies with children, researchers found that using and watching gestures helped students retain more information.
Most speakers are both visual and auditory presenters. That means they use the spoken word and they project PowerPoint slides. The audience sees and hears the message but the missing link is kinesthetic learning. And that’s where gestures come in.
Effective public speakers anchor their message with gestures. I once attended a presentation where the speaker told the audience, “Touch your mind and your heart,” to help the them remember his point.
We all know someone who speaks with their hands. I remember one man who gesticulated wildly whenever he spoke. This irritated his wife to no end. One day in frustration, she grabbed his hands as he was speaking. He stopped the conversation, looked at her and pleaded, “Let me talk!” It seemed hand movements were a way for him to communicate.
It turns out that using gestures help us to clear our cache, or short-term memory, when we are speaking. Moving our hands in conversation and while presenting, allows us to process more information-like Mimi who learned sign language at 18 months. But gestures are not just for children. They have a lot of value for adult public speakers, as well.
Not sure what to do with your hands? Watch this youtube video and find out.
Even when the subject is controversial, it’s not hard to admire a perfect speaker. Professional speakers know how to marry the timing and the humor, so it all comes together into one neat, perfect package. The best motivational speakers make it look easy, so we think, “I could never do that. How could I have any impact?”
But it’s important to remember that YOU are the message. When you speak from passion, people will forgive the foibles and faux pas. Case in point: watch this video presentation of Diane Savino who is the New York State Senator from Staten Island. She gives an impassioned speech in the Senate in support of gay marriage.
When she begins, she’s playing with her pen. Later on, she tugs on her ear for a while, which is distracting. An executive speech coach would fault her for that. Yet, the passion and clarity of her message overshadows the imperfections in her presentation. While many politicians waffle, the most persuasive presenters take a definitive stand. Whether or not they agree with her position, the audience is drawn in and listens.
When it comes to public speaking, passion trumps perfection. Forget about perfect delivery, and focus on your passion and your message. You’ll be less nervous and more persuasive.
What do you think – does she make a convincing case? Why or why not?
Karol Ward at TEDxTimesSquare
Yesterday, I attended TEDxTimesSquare, which is an independently organized TED event in New York City. The theme was Openness: Exploring the Limits and Possibilities of Open Culture. TED stands for Technology, Education, and Design, and is a forum for public speakers to share ideas worth spreading.
It’s a wonderful platform for professional speakers to gain exposure and for the audience to experience a wide range of speaking styles and fascinating topics.
One of the best presenters was Karol Ward whose presentation was called, “Claim Your Inner Voice”. She was the epitome of professional speaking. From the message, to the timing, to her movement, to her story, to her slides – they all worked together to create one seamless message about the mind-body connection.
Another fabulous presenter was Mark Taylor who spoke about “The Enemy of Openness”. He shared that the secret to conflict management is triads. With two people, one is right and the other is wrong. With three people, it’s easier to accept feedback. Now I know why my mastermind group of three people works so well.
Amy Goldsmith‘s talk was titled, “Yours, Mine and Ours? Legal Limits of Openness.” She shared some fascinating information about intellectual property. We think of intellectual property as literary or musical. But did you know that you don’t own your own blood? Once someone draws your blood, it’s considered waste material and a researcher can obtain a patent for use of your DNA or cells.
Event Planner Annette Naif with Diane DiResta at TEDxTimesSquare
It’s not enough to have good presenters. For an event to be successful, it has to be well-organized. TEDxTimesSquare ran smoothly due in large part to event planner Annette Naif.
Other people in the program included:
I read an interesting story written by Deborah Grayson Riegel, who was giving a presentation at the Bronx zoo. In addition to her human audience, there were 20 monkeys outside with their faces pressed against the window, watching her presentation. Each time she advanced her PowerPoint slide, the monkeys would bang their fists against the window. Eventually, she had to let go of her PowerPoint presentation, and stopped changing the slides altogether.
Most of us are not going to be speaking at the zoo, but we will have our own monkeys to deal with – the usual cast of characters known as a difficult audience – hecklers, people causing distractions, zoning out, and generally interrupting your presentation. It’s important to be flexible and work with your audience.
Speaking of monkeys… someone recently threw a monkey wrench into my half day presentation training workshop, which was scheduled from 1:00 – 4:00pm. We were told that four of the participants had to leave by 2:30. The program was designed to build speaking skills so the speakers would be prepared to give their final presentations at the end of the workshop. We had to do a quick redesign on the spot – in 5 minutes. My partner and I huddled and came up with a plan. The goal was to give each participant the opportunity to present, leave on time, and still gain enough learning to succeed in their next presentation. It worked.
In public speaking, as in life, we always need a backup plan. Deborah had no choice – the monkeys forced her to stop using PowerPoint. Your audience may be more subtle, but good public speakers pick up the nuances and can change in a moment to better serve their listeners. Technology will fail. And an audience can quickly tune out. We need to be able to go where the current is taking us. That’s the mark of a professional speaker.
Vernice Armour, the first African American woman combat pilot, wrote an article in Speaker Magazine entitled, “The Gutsy Move”. In the article, she relates what she learned in her military career and shared 5 mission-critical steps to realizing your goals.
In reading these steps, I realized they had a lot of application to success in public speaking and presentations. Here are Ms. Armour’s 5 tips:
The first thing I ask my coaching clients is, “What is your intention? Why are you doing this?” And from there, we set a clear outcome. This is another way of saying, “Start with the end in mind.” Too many speakers start working in PowerPoint. Your intention comes before your structure.
The biggest fear is public speaking. The first step in assuaging that fear is to prepare. The formula for successful speaking is 90% preparation and only 10% delivery. Preparation mitigates the unknown zone. The more you know about your topic, your audience, and the venue, the more confident you will feel. Use a presentation checklist to keep you on track.
Just like any pilot fires up the engines, a public speaker needs to get ready to speak. That involves mental conditioning, practicing out loud, timing and recording yourself. A speech coach will help you get ready to be your best. If you can’t hire a speech coach, you can practice your speech at a toastmasters meeting, or in front of friends and colleagues.
Once you’ve prepared, the big moment comes when you’re in the spotlight. Have the confidence that you already know your message and speak from the heart. Forget all about the perfect hand gesture or the ideal entrance. Be authentic and the audience will embrace you and your message. If you forget one of your points, the audience will not know. You can always say it a different way.
Interact with your audience through polling questions, exercises, games and technology. You’ll lose your self-consciousness when you are dialoguing, connecting, and sharing the platform.
It ain’t over ’til it’s over. Joking aside, your presentation doesn’t end when you hear the applause. The next step is to collect feedback, review your performance, and re-work or apply the lessons learned to your next speech. Provide a paper feedback form before you finish speaking or ask people to respond online, but they must answer the survey while you’re in the room. Most people will not fill it out post-presentation.
When you’re a fighter pilot, you do fly into the line of fire. You can breathe a sigh of relief as a public speaker because the line of fire is only in your mind. Follow these five steps to make the most of your speaking mission.
