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Preparing for a presentation with the use of visual aids can often overlook the obvious visual, You. That’s right! The speaker. Other forms of visual aids are just that, aids to help interpret your presentation. It is important that you are the main visual. Image is everything!

Focusing on the following areas will prepare you to be the main attraction.

Mental and Physical Preparation

Physical and mental preparation goes hand-in-hand. When you are nervous, your mind is usually racing, causing your words to jumble as they try to keep up with your thoughts. Physically slowing down your mind by relaxing your body helps eliminate this problem. Gather your thoughts through deep breathing and stretching to calm your nervousness. Mental imagery is a tool for a speaker to minimize or eliminate any negative thoughts or fears about speaking. Visualize that you are a dynamic and confident speaker who has valuable information to give.

Proper Attire

What is the first thing your audience will notice about you? Most likely it will be what you are wearing. Pay close attention to how your dress is representing you. Check with the event organizers to be sure that you won’t under or over dress. Do not wear anything that takes away from your presentation such as big jewelry, loud colors, or excessive makeup unless it is part of your presentation.

Body Language

1. Eye communication

The best way to use eye contact is to make eye contact! Do not overlook your audience when you are nervous. Find friendly faces and connect with the audience. This builds confidence in you as the audience senses your sincerity. You can use eye contact to seek feedback from your audience. Are they attentive and interested?

Too little eye contact is interpreted as being impolite and disinterested. Too much makes someone feel uncomfortable and victimized. Try to focus on connecting with your audience and eye contact will become comfortable.

2. Gestures

Gestures should be natural and represent what you are feeling and thinking at that moment. If you are excited, and grand gestures are natural for you, go for it! Your audience appreciates sincerity verses a rehearsed robotic gesture. Although different countries and cultures define gestures differently, there are general gestures which convey a certain message to the audience.

Negative or closed gestures:

- Hands on the hips can be perceived as judgmental and authoritative.

- Hands in pockets show that you are nervous or complacent.

- Hands clasped behind you (reverse fig leaf or regal position) infer that you are hiding something, may cause distrust. This may also show nervousness.

- Hands clasped in front (fig leaf) convey tension.

- Crossed-arms may portray you as defensive and unopened.

Positive or open gestures:

- “At ease stance” (feet about shoulder width apart with toes pointed forward).

- Gestures should be appropriate and flowing, not quickly and jerky.

- Vary your gestures so that you do not bore the audience.

- Palms open show that you are non-threatening.

- Appear natural by matching your words, thoughts, and feelings to your gesture.

3. Posture and Movement

- Proximity and orientation.

- The social norm in North America is about one-and-one-half feet to four feet between two people. Standing too close to someone can cause them to feel uncomfortable and infringed on. Standing too far can cause them to feel disconnected and disinterested.

- Stances/movement - a neutral stance is usually best. Feet slightly shoulder width apart and toes forward. Movement is dependent on your situation. Pacing is distracting however, showing a visual by moving back and forth may be warranted.

- Head nodding can be perceived positively showing your audience that you are interested in them. It can also be perceived negatively if you are shaking your head in a disapproving or demeaning manner.

4. Facial expressions

Be extremely aware of your facial expressions. Do your facial expressions convey a different meaning than what you are thinking or feeling? Or, are they conveying exactly what you are thinking or feeling (i.e. tiredness, boredom)? Always remember to smile at the audience. A good time to do this is when people are first coming into your session. Greet them with a smile. This helps relax you and helps the audience warm up to you before your formal presentation. It is easier to give a presentation in front of a relaxed and inviting crowd rather than a cold and judgmental one.

Remember, you may have the most dynamic presentation slide show with the latest technology, however, all that hard work will be discarded if you do not prepare yourself and the main visual. Make your next presentation a high-impact one with a lasting impression of YOU.

Dr. John E. Neyman, Jr. has been speaking everyweek for the last 21 years. He is writing a book called Designing Speeches. mailto:John@LeadersExcel.com http://LeadersExcel.com

You may not have much time left to prepare for your public speaking. So what are the things you will for your public speech? Here are some pointers that you can use:

1. Brainstorming
2. Short-term goals
3. Long-term goals
4. Evaluation
5. Reflection

Start with brainstorming. If you are in the process of writing your speech you will need to brainstorm the topic. For the next 10 minutes I want you to write as fast as you can, what you want for this speech. Once you are finished you will read aloud the notes you wrote down. As you write however, do not concern yourself with precision rather write down every thought that comes from your mind on the speech topic.

Now that you have written down every thing in your head, continue by evaluating your list of thoughts. As you speak aloud you may notice missing components that could enhance your speech. If you note these elements, accordingly write them down. Next, you will look for commonalities in the subject, i.e. look at the information and bring it together so that you compose working sentences that targets your long-term goal. The long-term goal is finishing the speech, while the short-term goal is putting the speech together.

Now we can look closer at the long-term goal. What is your goal? Obviously it is to become a public speaking star. Therefore, what do you need to reach this goal? How much effort are you willing to put into achieving this goal? How hard can you work to accomplish this goal?

Now you come to the point where you can reflect on your written thoughts, while considering the criteria of the goal. What parts of the thoughts did you write down that reflects on your long-term goal? What did you consider to bring this speech together?

Here comes the time that you must put those reflections in perspective. Underline, or mark the key words on your brainstorming paper. Noting these important keywords can help you to pull the speech together. Are these keywords the point? What other parts of the thoughts could you use to make the key points come together? Remember, the point of your speech is driving a point home, while pulling a speech together so that it flows chronologically and logically. As you finish the speech you want to make sure accuracy is available, as well as make sure the speech lacks grammar and spelling issues.

Now what? Well, if you haven not come up with ideals that will put your speech together you will need to follow these steps again until you come up with a working speech. If you are confused in some areas, be sure to research to find information that will back your topic. For example, if you write in the speech that brainstorming, evaluating and reflecting, as well as goals bring success, yet you have doubts. Find information that will support these claims so that you can give for instances in your speech. For instances are reference quotes that recite, which means that the audience is aware you are supporting your information through research completed and facts verified. You have backup!

While commonly people are aware that brainstorming, evaluating and reflecting are grounded facts, some areas of your speech may not have grounded facts. Please, get the facts and speak them loud and clear as you give your speech. In other words, always tell the truth while giving a speech. The truth is that some people will do whatever it takes a person to the top regardless of the facts. No, do not do that, the truth will set you free.

Joshua Poon has been practising public speaking and has joined a local toast master club. He also writes articles on public speaking. So come and visit his website for Public Speaking Matters

This article could just as easily have been entitled “Everybody’s talkin’ at me, I don’t hear a word they’re sayin’,” but that was already taken. So I’ll stick with “Cutting Out the Cacophony.”

As digital signage technology enters its next phase as a hybrid, interactive medium combining the power of linear content with branching interactive functionality, volume is likely to rise, literally. Hybrid systems increasingly will find their way into places like retail stores and museums where multiple displays are spaced in close proximity to one another and the sound from competing signs becomes bothersome.

Imagine a natural history museum with multiple interactive digital signs spaced a few feet apart. One focuses on carnivorous dinosaurs, another on herbivores and a third on pre-historic fish. If all of these digital signs have accompanying audio playback that loops during their presentations or plays back specific clips when accessed interactively, the result will be a cacophony of competing sound that actually drive visitors away rather than accomplishing the goal of imparting knowledge.

Imagine a similar scenario in a retail store, where audio from a cosmetic counter digital sign is competing with audio from the fragrance counter digital sign and the handbag counter digital sign across the aisle. Shoppers would quickly give up on watching the promotional video or finding their desired information they’re seeking if they were immersed in this distasteful audio soup. Who could blame them for walking away in disgust without making their purchase? Not exactly the goal of digital signage technology.

Fortunately, technology exists in the form of proximity sensors that can be interfaced with digital signage playback servers to determine when someone is near a digital sign. Upon receiving notification from the sensor, the digital signage player can ramp up the audio level. Similarly, when visitors leave, it can inform the player to turn down the sound level so that device’s audio source does not compete with audio from adjacent digital signage displays.

Based on infrared detection, sonar or radar technology, these sensors typically use standard RS-232 or RS-422 serial communications ports to interface to the digital playback server. If the playback server recognizes input from the sensors, competing audio problems can evaporate.

One example of where these sensors came in handy is the new University of Tennessee Football Hall of Fame. The university recently replaced several DVD-based kiosks that looped video and audio content continuously. Creating a cacophony of kiosk audio, the stations became such a distraction that the school’s coaches finally turned them off to escape the audio mess.

However, the university recently replaced the hall of fame’s old kiosks with new interactive digital signage stations that recognize input from strategically placed proximity sensors. With that source of data, the digital signage playback servers can increase volume or shut off audio depending on whether or not someone is standing within range.

Not only did the new approach create a pleasing audio experience, it more importantly allowed the school’s football coaching staff to once again use the hall of fame as a useful tool in recruiting new athletes and soliciting contributions from program boosters.

Certainly, competing audio sources won’t affect all digital signs, but when they do it’s good to know there’s a technology that can come to the rescue. Without proximity sensors, it would be easy to feel like “everybody’s talkin’ at me, I don’t hear a word they’re sayin’.”

David Little is a digital signage authority with 20 years of experience helping professionals use technology to expand their marketing messages with alternative media. Visit http://www.keywesttechnology.com and find how you can expand your marketing horizons.

Can you stand in front of huge audience and express your self? Most of us have butterflies in our stomach with the very thought of doing this. Apart from few that have natural talent for connecting with other people or had some one who could actually teach them to communicate, few of us get the best results that could from the wonderful communication tools that we are given with most of us are in a dire need to improve public speaking skills.

We all have people with whom we have to work to get things done. Our ability to communicate with clients, customers, subordinates, peers, and superiors can enhance our effectiveness or sabotage us. Many times, our public speaking skills make the difference.

Here are 10 ways to improve public speaking:

1. The first way to improve your public speaking is by developing your voice. A high whiney voice is not perceived to be one of authority. In fact, a high soft voice can make you sound like prey to an aggressive co-worker who is out to make his/her career at the expense of anyone else. Begin doing exercises to lower the pitch of your voice.

2. The second way to better public speaking is to talk slowly. People will perceive you as nervous and unsure of yourself if you talk fast. However, be careful not to slow down to the point where people begin to finish your sentences just to help you finish.

3. The third way better public speaking is to animate your voice. Avoid a monotone. Use dynamics. Your pitch should raise and lower. Your volume should be soft and loud. Listen to your local TV news anchor; take note.

4. Fourth way better public speaking is enunciating your words. Speak clearly. Do not mumble. If people are always saying,”huh?” to you, you are mumbling.

5. Fifth way better public speaking is by using appropriate volume. Use a volume that is appropriate for the setting. Speak more softly when you are alone and close. Speak louder when you are speaking to larger groups or across larger spaces.

6. Sixth way to better public speaking is by pronouncing every word correctly. People will judge your competency through your vocabulary. If you aren’t sure how to say a word, do not use it.

7. Seventh way to better public speaking is by using the right word. If you are not sure of the meaning of a word, do not use it. Start a program of learning a new word a day. Use it sometime in your conversations during the day

8. Eighth way better public speaking is by making eye contact with the person you are talking to.

9. Ninth way to better public speaking is by using gestures while you speak Make your whole body talk. Use smaller gestures for individuals and small groups. The gestures should get larger as the group that one is addressing increase in size.

10. Last but not the least, tenth way to better public speaking is by not sending mixed messages. Make your words, gestures, facial expressions, tone, and message match. Disciplining an employee while smiling sends a mixed message and, therefore, is ineffective. If you have to deliver a negative message, make your words, facial expressions and tone match the message.

Public speaking is an art, which can be developed by practice. You can draw attention of thousands of audience if have good public speaking skills. Not only while addressing large audience, you can make your talks a pleasure for everyone by improving your public speaking skills.

John Khu is an experience entrepreneur and internet marketer. He specializes in communication development and personal happiness.

http://www.communicationessence.com

If you have a business, podcasting has many applications that allow you to get in front of your customers, get your name out there, and ultimately make you more money. It’s a great way to boost your business with a very small investment of money and time.

If you are not ready to make the leap to full time podcaster, there are other ideas. For example, you can podcast on an area of the industry you currently work in as an employee.

Show yourself to be interested in learning more about the business and you could find yourself considered as an up-and-comer when the next round of promotions happens at your office.

Alternatively, you can moonlight outside of your job as a podcaster. You can do this on a free basis as a hobby or in the capacity of an entrepreneur looking to eventually build your part-time business into a full-time career.

Palmcasting is a similar concept to podcasting, except it applies to PDA devices which can receive and play podcasts. Punchcasting is a way of receiving podcasts in your smartphone without having to sync it onto your computer first. It requires that you have a smartphone with RSS.

The future of podcasting is wide open right now because it is still a fledgling industry without a regulatory body. While podcasting is just catching on and only a couple years old, people are already talking about zencasting or vidcasting which is similar to podcasting but contains video as well.

But it doesn’t stop there. Visionaries will see beyond podcasting and even though it is exciting and new, technology advances so rapidly that it will get old very quickly. What is around the corner and how will podcasting influence it?

Soon, we may find highly interactive vidcasts that are automatically made available to us without us having to subscribe to them.

Based simply on our browsing or online buying habits and the technology will be streamlined enough that computers will automatically come with the programs that go out and catch the podcasts without having to download additional programs.

If you are really excited about the opportunity to podcast, then take a moment to select two or three topics and start brainstorming some subtopics that might be interesting to podcast on.

You can probably already see some opportunities for you to start a business or increase your current business through podcasting. You may want to create some subtopics under each heading to start thinking about specific podcasts that you can do.

If you want to make the leap from hobbyist to professional, to either boost current business or start a new business, you can. You’ll need a couple extra programs to create a quality sound. Here are some recommendations to get you started.

While technically, you can get started with the microphone that probably came with your computer, you’ll want to likely invest in a slightly better microphone or if you have more than one person speaking in your podcast, you’ll need to get more than one microphone.

A good place to start without having to rob a bank is to buy a USB microphone at an office supply store. They are affordably priced and unless you are planning studio quality production, they will do an excellent job for you.

It is quite easy to podcast; I’m sure you’re surprised at how easy it is. It’s quite another thing though, to maintain a podcast on an ongoing basis. A lot has been discussed about the regularity of podcasts and exactly how frequent a podcast needs to be.

While it is true that the frequency of a podcast does depend largely on the material that is covered, it is also true that subscribers may not be able to listen as frequently as you want to podcast.

If you have a lot of material and are looking to make a daily podcast you might want to consider a very short podcast of two to five minutes.

Like e-mail that gets stacked up in your inbox, podcasts that don’t get listen to compile a very quickly if a subscriber doesn’t get a chance to heara few of them in a row. Often what happens after that is a delete the whole batch, figure they’ve missed too much vital information, and unsubscribe.

On the other hand, too infrequent of a podcast will mean that people do not feel the same ownership in listening as they would from something a little more regular.

When it’s all said and done, you need to know what material you need to cover and how much time you have to spend on podcasts in order to determine how frequently you are going to podcast. This is the length to width ratio: the length of your podcast in relation to the width of the material.

Look at other podcasts to see what kind of material may cover and the relationship that has to the frequency they produce these podcasts. CNN, for example, can produce a daily podcast that is very short because of the nature of its headline style material.

Their podcasts are very short. A podcast covering the world of baseball, might be better off podcasting every week since they will be able to talk about a couple of the games is well is some news

Richard Reichmann is internationally known as a millionaire maker. He’s a leading consultant in real estate and internet marketing strategies that are profit proven.

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The key to a powerful presentation is to connect with members of your audience individually. This “human element” is what makes the difference between an average presentation with some good information, and an excellent presentation that really impacts audience members on a personal level.

The bigger the audience, the harder this gets. You have to remember that an audience is made up of many different individuals, all with their own unique interests and expectations. It is hard to satisfy every person every time, but you can take some steps to ensure that your audience members feel a connection with you as a speaker and as a person.

1. Create a friendly environment
From the moment the first audience member arrives, you should exude positive energy. Remember that people will immediately make first impressions about you before you even begin your presentation. It is important that you appear positive, friendly, confident and approachable.

2. Face your audience
There is nothing worse than watching the back of a presenter’s head as he reads his Power Point slides. Make sure that you are always facing your audience. Visual aids are just that: aids. The audience should be focused on you, not your slides.

3. Make eye contact
Do your best to make eye contact with every member of your audience. Don’t get distracted by things you see out the window, or by the clock on the back wall. Your listeners’ eyes will follow your eyes, so if they see you looking out the window, they’ll wonder what you’re looking at and they’ll look too! Keep their focus on you by remaining focused on them.

Be careful that you don’t focus too much on one or two people, as it could make them feel uncomfortable. An exception to this rule could be if you are focusing on the most important people in the group: the decision-makers (your boss, the top client, etc.). They might expect extra attention from you, which leads me to the fourth point:

4. Know your audience
Do your homework. Know who will be attending your presentation and why. If you are pitching a new idea, make sure you keep the full attention and interest of the key players in the room: the decision makers.

Be sure to prepare your presentation with your audience members in mind. Have you taken into consideration their needs and expectations? Are you giving them the information that they want (or maybe need) to hear in a format that will appeal to them?

5. Tell stories
Throughout history, some of the greatest thinkers have reverted to storytelling to make their lessons more clear. Philosophers and religious leaders especially, have used stories to illustrate complex concepts and moral values.

Use real-life stories that your listeners can relate to in order to drive a point home and have it be remembered. People are also more interested in listening to a good story than a boring lecture.

6. Use humor
Humor, when used effectively, can lighten the mood, make people feel more relaxed and help them to remember the things you say. Using humor does not mean you should suddenly become a stand-up comedian rattling off jokes right and left. It shouldn’t be forced either.

Use common sense and your best judgment when interjecting humor. And remember that not everyone has the same sense of humor - what you think is funny could be dumb, immature or disrespectful to someone else. If in doubt, refrain.

7. Be respectful
This point really goes without saying, but just to be clear: racist, sexist and elitist comments are unacceptable in every public presentation. Have respect for every member of your audience at all times!

8. Read your audience
You need to pay attention to your audience just as much as you would like them to pay attention to you. An attentive speaker will notice when energy levels are low, listeners are losing interest, or individuals are not paying attention. It’s your job to change the situation in your favor. This is a good time to tell a story, inject humor, or maybe just take a break.

Heather Hansen, founder of Singapore-based Hansen Speech & Language Training, is an executive speech and language coach, writer and trainer. Become a star speaker! Visit her website www.hansenslt.com now for free information on how to speak clearly, correctly and confidently! Join her mailing list to receive your free special report, and as a special bonus you’ll also receive her monthly newsletter, Speak like a Star!