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.
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?
For Immediate Release
Diane DiResta invited to present at FWA 12th Annual Executive Coaching Summit, The Power of Communications: Stand Out at Every Stage of Your Career
New York (March 21, 2013) — Diane DiResta, founder and CEO of DiResta Communications, Inc, was selected by the Financial Women’s Association to be one of three speakers at their 12th Annual Executive Coaching Summit on Thursday, March 28 at 5:30 (sessions run from 6:30 to 8:00pm). DiResta will present her speech, entitled “Speaking With Impact: How to Be Clear, Commanding and Confident,” at the Credit Suisse offices on Madison Avenue in New York City.
Click here to read full Press Release.
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.
I recently read an article by Dylan Kendall entitled, “5 Tips for Women Entrepreneurs I Learned From the School of Life“. Dylan’s tips are simple and pragmatic. They can also serve as guidelines for anyone who speaks in public.
Here are her 5 tips and how they apply to public speaking:
1. Get comfortable asking for money and ask with confidence. Public speaking involves first and foremost both inner and outer confidence. If you’re a professional speaker, you need to be comfortable asking for your fee.
2. Learn how to ask for advice. You need to research and seek counsel from others who know your audience. It’s also about polling and interacting with the audience.
3. Don’t share everything but do share strategically and embellish wisely. It’s especially critical to give the listener what they need to know – not everything you know. You can lose an audience or a prospect by giving too much detail.
4. “Help a sista out” — network with and support other women. People don’t realize that networking is a presentation and your ability to present yourself and your message clearly and compellingly is an important factor in attracting clients and advocates.
5. Understand what sacrifices you can make and when you should walk away. Part of your presentation is what you are willing to do for your audience. There are some situations where you should walk away and not accept a speaking engagement. When it’s the wrong topic or the wrong audience, you need to know when to say no.
I just read an article from James Caan, CEO of Hamilton Bradshaw, entitled, Confidence is King. He writes:
“Ask any businessman or woman and they will tell you the same thing – confidence is a vital ingredient in the recipe for success. In other words, if you want to be really good at anything – no matter what walk of life you are involved in – you need to have belief in yourself and your abilities.”I work with leaders to build confidence in all their communications and the biggest hurdle is fear of speaking. So I created a series of videos on my YouTube channel for conquering fear of public speaking:
