First Friday Book Synopsis

You might call this an old-fashioned teaser, but I actually hope it whets your appetite and curiosity for some of our public speaking training. 

In addition to the intensive, private coaching we offer for specific individual presentations, we have two skill-based programs that focus on public speaking.  We have the 1-day program entitled The Speech Class Refresher, and the 2-day program that focuses on micro-skills, entitled Speak Up!  Speak Out!  Say it Well!  We also have an hour-long presentation that describes best practices in delivery, but does not contain any skill development, “Ten Tips for Terrific Talks.”

We teach these inside companies and organizations, and also, typically have a public offering for each several times a year.

These are some of the delivery skills that we include in these programs:

Stories – these are wonderful tools to increase your extemporaneous delivery – tell a “case study” with elements such as when, where, who, what, reactions, and even monologue and dialogue.  Try to put a story into each speech.  Nothing is more memorable to an audience.

Planting – put equal weight on both legs, shoulder width apart, with your knees slightly bent.  From this balanced and comfortable position, you will not rock or sway.  Move all you want to, but when you “arrive,” replant.

Eye contact – divide the room into four quadrants, and look at one person in a quadrant for a single idea.  Look directly at that people in your audience – not over or under them.  Look them directly in the eye.  When you finish, look at someone else in another quadrant.  Do not go left to right across the room, making a “sprinkler effect” or a “lighthouse sweep.”  Try not to “flutter” between two people – look at one, and then across the room, to someone else.

Gestures – these should be spontaneous and natural, never planned.  Put your arms at your side, not in your pockets or locked behind or in front of you.  Your body will tell you when to gesture.  If nothing else, you can enumerate (count – “my second point is…”).  Wait until you participate in Randy Mayeux‘s Velcro exercise to improve your gestures.

Podium  –  avoid speaking behind a podium or stand; instead, speak behind a table, where you can put your note cards down, and move around.

Conversational Delivery – work on what you want to say, rather than how.  The focus is on ideas, and not on exact, pre-planned words.  In this delivery style, your speech is organized, planned, and practiced, but does not rely upon any exact prepared wording that you want to use.  Instead, the words you use are spontaneous and conversational.  The speaker refers to key words on note cards or slides, and simply talks with the audience.  This is the most popular delivery style today, because it is very efficient to prepare and practice. 

For more information about our three offerings, please send a request to:  .