Guest Post
Date Created:
Last Updated: February 6th 2010
04/13/2012 02:56 AM
Master a Five Minute Talk: My Road to Ignite Chicago by Bess Gallanis
The person who said 'talk is cheap' never imagined a five-minute presentation. Speaking at a clip of 160 words a minute, five minutes gets you about 800 words. With this kind of verbal economy at play, talk is not cheap. Of all the live presentation events, Ignite is one of the most popular. The love child of Brady Forrest, Bre Pettis and O'Reilly Media, a Silicon Valley technical publisher, Ignite is more like SXSW than TED. The Ignite experience reminded me of Albert Einstein's quote, 'Make everything simple as possible, but no simpler.' A few tips to help you master a five minute talk.
03/09/2012 02:19 AM
How Audiences See -- Follow the Action: by Jerry Weissman
Does this large, illuminated letter look familiar? It should. The style has been around ever since medieval times to mark the beginning of a new document. It has continued on into modern publishing where an enlarged first letter marks the beginning of chapters in books and the beginnings of articles in magazines and newspapers. Now it becomes a factor in how we view computer screens. EyeTrackShop, an eponymous Swedish start-up company, does exactly what its name says: track eye movements to, as their slogan puts it, "identify where people look, for how long and in what order." Read more in this guest post by Jerry Weissman.
02/16/2012 09:09 PM
Reduce Stress and Save Time: by Claudyne Wilder
One of my clients' major issues is the time, or lack of it, they have to prepare between presentations. Needless to say, this causes stress. Consider the following scenario. Ginger has a presentation to give to new customers. She was told about it last week. She worked on it to the detriment of a key project, even practicing out loud the night before the talk. She gives it and feels successful. But she has some revisions to make before she sends it to the customer. At the same time, she has to prepare a talk next week to division managers about her project (the one she has been neglecting). Now she has two presentations to work on simultaneously, one to revise and the other to create from scratch.
02/12/2012 09:34 PM
Embrace Space - 5 Tips on Slide Composition by Chris Borales
PowerPoint and other presentation software packages try to aid novice presenters by providing pre-designed templates. These templates often clutter slide real estate and detract from your presentation’s message. Don’t use them. Here are 5 tips from Chris Borales on how to effectively use the solid background.
01/31/2012 09:59 PM
10 Tips for Influencing Others: by Claudyne Wilder
Do you want to be more influential in your meetings and presentations? Consider doing these behaviors so that you are on top of the content as well as your presenting style. Get approval of the content: Talk to people who know the audience, and find out the interests of the audience. Talk to at least two people just to be sure you are getting accurate advice.
01/12/2012 09:21 PM
Add Value to Your Slide: by Claudyne Wilder
A typical PowerPoint presentation includes the speaker reading the slide and maybe including a couple of other sentences that are not on the slide. That is backwards. This upside-down pyramid shows how conveying the data itself is one small piece –- and perhaps the smallest -– of your presentation. Your task as a speaker is to communicate information that is not on the slide. Let’s start at the bottom of the inverted pyramid.
01/10/2012 09:03 PM
Speaking about Speaking: Toastmasters International - by Kevin Lerner
Every Friday precisely at noon from a small dining room in the back of Duffey's sports bar in Boynton Beach Florida, someone bangs the gavel five times. To the group of 30 men and women that have gathered for the weekly luncheon meeting of the Bill Gove Golden Gavel Toastmasters Club, it's a signal to get down to the business of speaking. For the next 60 minutes, the members will learn, laugh, and work toward the common goal of Toastmasters International: improve communications and leadership skills. Founded in 1924, Toastmasters International has helped over 4 million people to become more confident speakers and leaders. Today, over 270,000 Toastmaster members improve their speaking and leadership skills by attending one of the 13,000 clubs that make up the global network of meeting locations.
12/04/2011 08:58 PM
Do You Get in Your Own Way?: by Claudyne Wilder
What happens when you get in your own way as you present? You dilute the message, distracting both the audience and yourself. You lose the intent and focus of the talk. Here are some ideas on how not to get in your own way. Walking from one specific spot to another is fine, but beware of shuffling from foot to foot - it's distracting to your audience. If you're not sure you're a shuffler, then stand on a piece of paper. People who shuffle usually rock from side to side moving their feet ever so slightly or rock back and forth. You will hear the paper noise as you move from one foot to the other. Do, however, plan to walk to and stand in several places. Just be sure you don't block your audience's view of the screen.
12/01/2011 10:05 PM
Are You a Bold Speaker?: Guest Post by Sandra Schrift
I have been booking and coaching professional speakers since 1982. And here is what I have observed. The best speakers do not fill the air with a lot of words -- they make the space for their audience to tell them what they need to know. The best speakers ask, "What do you need to really hear from me to give you what you came to hear?" Sandra Schrift shares more thoughts about bold speakers.
11/15/2011 09:14 PM
Top 10 E’s to Motivate and Influence an Audience: Guest Post by Sandra Schrift
Speak with E’s. Be a speaker of influence, not control or guilt. With the privilege of the platform comes the awesome responsibility of motivating and influencing your audience to feel/think/act differently. The first E is to Educate: Provide your audience with extensive information on your topic. This will empower attendees to feel competent and knowledgeable. Support your points with stories. Stories help us see through the eyes of other people. Adults delineate their thoughts visually.