The 5 Levels of Public Speaking

Speaking is a leadership skill. This infographic represents John Maxwell's 5 Levels of Leadership. As a thought leader, he recognizes that leaders have to earn their followers. It's the same way with public speaking.

I started to reflect on the many trainings, seminars, and speeches I've given over my career. I have to say that this coordinates very well with public speaking and audiences. There is a saying in the training industry: "There are two kinds of learners: prisoners and vacationers." Actually, there are five.

Prisoners are level one. They came to listen to you because they're required to be there. Their boss sent them to learn a skill or to hear a message, and they don't want to be there. They feel like prisoners.

The second kind of learner is the vacationer. They came to your presentation willingly. Their boss most likely sent them, but they see it as time off the job. So while you're not getting open resistance, you don't have a committed audience.

At level three, people are there because they know the results that you bring to an organization. Many consultants, trainers, and professional speakers have audiences that fall into this category. They may not have experienced the results first hand, but they're aware of your competence, so they're interested in listening.

Level four is when you start to experience real influence. Because at this level, you're satisfying both organizational and personal needs. That means as a public speaker, you are meeting the objectives for which you were hired, but you're also personally liked. There's a relationship with the audience and the person who hired you. Here is where you begin to move from being a vendor to a partner. There is a trust at this level. The audience knows, likes, and trusts you.

Level five is the ultimate of professional or public speaking. Here is where you are a thought leader. Beyond satisfying organizational and personal needs, your reputation precedes you. You may even experience celebrity in a sector or niche industry. You may not be a household name, but you're a known and respected expert - someone who is an authentic leader on the platform.

Hillary Clinton's Face Improves Women's Public Speaking

Fear of public speaking continues to be a top fear for both men and women. Overcoming public speaking fear is a must for anyone who is serious about success. I know a lot about boosting public speaking confidence. I use a number of techniques to help my clients master public speaking and overcome their fear and anxiety. In the 20 years I've been in business, I've utilized  many approaches including breathing, NLP (neurolinguistic programming), acupressure, etc.

But for the first time, there is a technique that never occurred to me.

According to a study in the May issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, women and men each spoke before an audience. The researchers placed a picture of Bill Clinton on the back wall in one room and a picture of Hillary Clinton in another room. Some back walls were blank. The women who presented in the room with Hillary's picture on the wall performed better and gave longer speeches. The evaluations were more positive for the women who spoke in the room with Hillary's photo.

This study takes the impact of female role models to a whole new level. While I don't recommend simply pasting Hillary's picture on the wall and expecting a standing ovation, presenters who've worked on their speaking skills and still feel anxious may benefit by imagining their role model. To read the entire article, click here.

Here are some of my resources for public speaking fear and nervousness:

• Fear of Public Speaking YouTube playlist
• Conquering Nervousness YouTube video
• Knockout Presentations (Chapter 3)
• Training Workshops
• Executive Coaching
• Client Results

How Is a Public Speaker a Catalyst?

catalyst: noun \ˈka-tə-ləst\ an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action

Catalyst.org is a non-profit that works with businesses and the professions to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women at work. Public speakers are catalysts. When you speak, you touch lives, change minds, spread ideas, and move people to action. I started to think about how I am a catalyst from the platform.

On the catalyst.org website, they're collecting videos of people who are catalysts in their lives. Here's the video I submitted. Speaking is only one way to be a catalyst. How are you a catalyst for change?

Get Out Of My Face!

What Successful Public Speakers Know About Space

"Get out of my face!" If you've ever heard someone say that, you have experienced pragmatics. Space is a form of communication. The best public speakers know how to use space strategically to communicate a message and influence group dynamics. Watch this video to learn more.

What's Executive Presence Gotta Do With It?

What is executive presence? And why does it matter? You know it when you see it. But it's difficult to describe. At some point a career will be stalled because the person doesn't look, speak, or act like a leader. That's when a company will call me to work on the leader's executive presence. Executive presence is the tipping point for getting promoted. How do you get it?  Watch this video to learn more.

Do It Yourself Marketing - Create Your Own Video Ad

June is "DIY" (Do It Yourself) Marketing Month. I've said it before and I'll say it again - today more than ever, your success depends on your ability to communicate your value to the market. There are many ways you can do this, and one of them is through online video marketing. A smart, crisp brand will help your products and services stand out from the crowd. Promoting your brand doesn't have to be expensive. Here is a free tool you can use to create a 30 second ad: animoto.com. Don't forget to create your own YouTube channel. YouTube is a high visibility, cost-effective marketing approach.

Here's the video I created for my book, Knockout Presentations:

Keep Your Eye on Pragmatics When Presenting

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.

Presentation Pragmatics-Key to Effective Communication

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.

Your Brain on Stage Fright

Some call it flop sweat. Others call it stage fright. Whatever you call that tightness in the pit of your stomach, sweaty palms, and racing heart, we've all experienced it. Public speaking still ranks as a top fear. Even professional speakers feel nervous when the stakes are high. Fear of public speaking has always been a mystery. Why does it happen? How does nervousness manifest? Why does the thought of public speaking send some people into a tailspin? Imagine going about your day, and suddenly your manager says you're expected to give a speech. In an instant, nervousness descends like a wave washing over you. What's going on in the brain?

When I polled people for my book, Knockout Presentations, I asked them why they felt nervous speaking in public. The thread running through most of the responses was the fear of humiliation. Well, it turns out that we're hard wired to worry about our reputations.

Did you know that fear is a primitive reaction to protect our bodies? Some people get more nervous than others and there is a reason for that. There are three main things that affect how you experience stage fright.

Find out in this article on the science of stage fright.

Body Language is the Message

A professor once said, "Words conceal rather than reveal". If that's true, how does the listener hear the real message? The answer is the study of pragmatics. Non-verbal communication is as important to every public speaker as the words they prepare. But too often, public speaking becomes an exercise in memorizing words without much thought to their physical presentation.

If the public speaker is unprepared, it will be communicated through nervous body language. The body will betray the presenter every time. Most of the message is non-verbal. For that reason, it's imperative that public speakers study pragmatics. Watch this video to learn about body language.

Give Fear the Finger

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:

http://youtu.be/BxKEBN2RqR0

Press Release: Students Rock FWA Dinner Speeches

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.

Get Your Morning Mojo and Communicate with Impact

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. http://youtu.be/S8HnrGcF6oY

Let Your Hands Do the Talking: The Science of Gestures

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:

1. make the presenter look confident.
2. channel nervous energy.
3. emphasize certain words or points, making the speaker more dynamic.
4. reduce monotone, enabling speakers to vary intonation.

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.

Gay Marriage: Can a Presentation Change Minds?

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?

TEDx Comes to Times Square

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.

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:

• Jim Estill - From Zero to $2 Billion Through Openness
• Tim Piper - Why Goodness is Good for Brands
• Christopher Bishop - Open Technology for 430,000 Employees
• Kitty Pilgrim - International Openness
• Guy Geier - Open Architecture
• Collin McCloughlin - Chasing Dreams
• Andy Cohen - Magical Assumptions Behind Openness
• Greg Harper - The Future Through Open Technologies
• Aliza Licht - The Power of Being Real
• Peter Shankman - Nice Finishes First

Is Your Difficult Audience in the Workplace?

When you think about difficult audiences, do you envision an audience in an auditorium with you speaking on the stage? Well, you don't have to be a formal public speaker to encounter a difficult audience. Your audience includes your co-workers, employees, management and vendors. When you're dealing with so many different personalities it's inevitable that there will be conflict. Here's where trained  public speakers have an advantage - the skills that are used to handle a difficult audience also apply when you're communicating one-on-one.

But what if you can prevent conflicts in the workplace? That's even better. Nobody has a 100% conflict-free life, but many conflicts can be averted when you understand yourself and others.

The unexamined life isn't worth living." -Socrates

The first step in managing a difficult person or situation is to understand how you're wired. What is your natural behavioral style? This is the way you communicate easily without much conscious effort. It's like being right handed. You don't think about it. When you meet a person or audience who has the same behavioral style as you, communication happens more easily.

But what happens when you encounter people who are your opposite? This is when an audience may be perceived as difficult. It would be great to have a tool that would help you recognize different behavioral styles so you know how to communicate effectively.

The DiSC Behavioral Profile can help you do that quickly and simply. The DiSC Behavioral Profile identifies your natural communication style, shows you how to recognize different styles, and gives you the tools for managing those differences.

In other words, you'll learn to speak their language and have greater influence, better communication, more understanding, and less stress.

Most often, conflicts happen because of differences in style; you're talking apples, they're talking oranges.

This can happen when you're giving a presentation to a group. For example, too often, technical people give too much detail to senior management. Or, a sales presentation lacks the level of data and evidence preferred by a scientific audience.

By knowing how others are wired, you can predict the commonalities you'll share, you'll be able to predict the conflicts that may arise, and you'll have a strategy to compromise.

Here's what one client had to say about DiSC:

Wow... Just signed on to take the DISC program with Diane and she helped me learn how to communicate with style!! Diane was simply amazing and her suggestions were 'spot on'. No one should miss this opportunity!"

-A. Weidberg

Don't know which style you are? Want to know more about DiSC? Contact us and ask for a free sample report.

Press Release: Sheryl Sandberg, Move Over – Diane DiResta Tells Women How to Own the Room

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.

Don't Monkey Around With Your Presentation

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.

5 Mission-Critical Steps for Public Speaking Success

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:

1. Establish clarity with your flight plan.

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.

2. Create courage with pre-flight.

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.

3. Power up for takeoff.

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.

4. Embrace execution.

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.

5. Review, recharge, re-attack.

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.