How To Prepare your Public Speaking Voice

Win Gold Medals with your Public Speaking Voice

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Your voice is unique to you and is the key feature of your speaking and performance.  That’s why you will want to develop and maintain your voice.

Speaking is a physical activity. Your voice and speech are powered by the core of your being – the diaphragm breath.

If you do normal breathing from the upper chest, there will be tension in the body and the upper chest and neck and you run the risk of strangling your breath and then your voice. 

Balanced posture is important.  Start from the neutral position – one hand clasped loosely on the opposite lower arm.  Balanced and centralised – stand comfortably.

Diaphragm breathing.  Inhale and exhale from the abdomen. The upper chest and shoulders do not move.  The head is straight and balanced, as if a piece of string that goes right up to the ceiling is holding your head up.

Yawn and loosen the mouth, teeth and tongue.  Do your warm up exercises – ka, ha and ga and mmmm….. and nnnn…..pretend you are a horse and do the horselips!  it's fun!

Quick Tips for Public Speakers

Smoking is deadly for speakers and singers.

Alcohol is not a good idea before speaking.  Much too risky as its effects are uncertain.

Avoid iced drinks. Drink room temperature water.

Don’t eat too much before you speak.  (Think like an athlete).

Gold Medal Speakers think like Athletes

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How to Structure your Speech or Presentation

 

 

Body of Presentation
Recommend writing this first.  Very likely that every other part of presentation will arise from this = the Title of the Presentation, the One Absolute Statement, The Opening, Closing and, of course, the Signpost. 

A suggestion that the Body be in 3 parts – no more. Widely accepted that a speaker can convey three major points and the audience remembers it. Anymore and it could be overload.

Better to keep it simple. And, you don’t have to tell everything you know in the one presentation. Leave the audience wanting to ask questions of you and asking for more information.

There are countless ways to structure the body of the talk. An example might be: General/Specific/For example. Past/Present/Future. Global/National/Local.

Opening  

Strong, catchy, anything that will capture immediate attention. (Often referred to as the “Hook”).    Must be strong.  Why?  You have only a matter of seconds as the audience makes its decision on whether you are worth their attention.  (And these days there are many distractions).

One Absolute Statement
  

If you were to summarise your presentation in one sentence it would be this.  Also make sure that everything in the presentation is congruent with this statement.

 Personal/Creative
 
After, or as part of your opening – connect with the audience by telling them a story – an anecdote – or something personal about yourself.  You see, as you begin your presentation they will be wondering about you – examining your impact and appearance – and wondering what you know about the subject you are about to present.  It will put their minds at rest if you are able to fully connect with them by telling them something personal, funny, or interesting about yourself and your relationship to/with the subject of your talk. 

Signpost 

This is where you tell the audience what you are going to tell them.  If your one absolute statement for example is “Please become an organ donor – sign up today”, you could signpost this by saying “Today I’m going to ask you to sign up to be an organ donor.  I’m going to tell you why, how and when you can be a donor – and at the end of my talk I’m going to ask you to come forward and sign up”.  (Your personal/creative could have been a true and dramatically told story of how one donor’s bequest saved several lives.

Summary:  Summarise key points.  Tell them what you told them.

Call to Action:  What do you want the audience to do when you have finished speaking?  If it’s not much, then why have you wasted your time and theirs?

Example of a Call to Action:  “I’ve described the desperate and urgent need.  I trust I have convinced you of the ultimate gesture a human can make.  Please come forward and sign to become a donor.”

Close:  Thank you for taking the time to consider and understand the powerful good for humanity your action can make. Thank you for coming forward and becoming a donor tonight.

Thank you on behalf of all organ recipients – past, present and future.  Their lives have been, are and will be in your hands.

Recommendation:  Say “Thank You”  by all means – but don’t end with “Thank You”.  It makes a strong ending much less strong.

Got some Tips to add?

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© Speak2Us | 0433 717 347 | sofia@speak2us.com.au

Business Culture in China

I've just got back from my first trip to China.  Beijing and Shanghai - for a very short visit -
10 days.  We were on a Squash Tour - we played at local clubs wherever we could find them.
And, in between we hit the tourist spots - and shopped till we dropped.  As a Speaking Coach, I was interested to find an article in the "Jing An Times" which illustrated a few tips on "How to Understand Chinese Business Culture".  It focused on 5 areas and here are the top tips in each.  (If you would like more info on these, email me at: sofia@speak2us.com.au

• Appearance and Greetings: Bow upon meeting.  If expecting to shake hands, wait till your host offers their hand first. 
• How to Behave and Communicate: Avoid large hand gestures.  Chinese people do not use their hand expressively and will find it distracting if you do.
• Gift giving and Respect: In China, gifts have symbolic meanings and choosing the right gift is a minefield. 
• Business Decision Making: Decisions are made slowly and with care, in China.
• Tips and Warnings: Never write on a business card that has been handed to you.