The Public Speaking Wire

What does Opera have to do with Public Speaking?

Linda Kundell — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 20:38:54 +0000

Martina Arroyo

I recently attended a master class for young opera singers with famed singer Martina Arroyo, at Hunter College in New York City. Ms. Arroyo constantly stressed the importance of knowing who the character is, the motive behind actions, where the action takes place, and more. She also focused on the importance of being prepared and immersed in the moment before you get up on stage.

What does this have to do with public speaking? Just like a good performer, a public speaker needs to have stage presence. Know the context of your presentation. Think about your words, what you want to convey, and how you want to move your audience. Have a sense of yourself, who you are and why you’re up on that stage, whether it’s an interview, a panel or PowerPoint presentation, or a speech to a large or small audience.

Our “Techniques for Effective Public Speaking” can help you translate the qualities of a great performer into a great presentation of your own. For more information contact us or visit www.publicspeaking4u.com.

Best and Worst Broadcasters

Linda Kundell — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:47:25 +0000

Commentators and TV hosts with good voices and delivery: Among women, Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer, Leslie Stahl, Cynthia McFadden, Rachel Maddow, Oprah Winfrey, Tyra Banks, Sue Simmons in New York. Men: Tom Brokaw, Brian Williams, Larry King.

What do they have in common? Soothing, pleasant voices, a sense of authority, and good delivery. They pronounce well, exude an air of relaxed confidence, credibility and experience. Their voices are pitched at a level that is easy to listen to, they make their listeners feel comfortable, and their pace of delivery makes it easy for the audience to understand what they’re saying.

Contrast these examples of excellent delivery with the shrill and whiney broadcasters we hear on some of the Cable, sports and financial TV channels. High-pitched nasal voices with “rapid fire” deliveries who talk so fast they actually swallow their words, and make it hard for listeners to follow them. I won’t name the stations, but if you channel surf, you’ll easily spot them.

Tell us who you think is the best and worst broadcaster. Take our quick survey.

Speaking Resolutions for the New Year

Linda Kundell — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:07:38 +0000

To be a better speaker, resolve to:

Prepare and rehearse your presentation in advance
Keep your message to three main points
Be a good listener, especially in Q & A sessions
ALWAYS repeat an audience question before answering it
Remember to breathe; it will help you relax

What are your speaking resolutions for the year?

Happy Holidays!

Linda Kundell — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:01:07 +0000

Happy Holidays to all Public Speakers! Click here to view our eCard.

Why doesn’t everyone like me?

Linda Kundell — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:13:32 +0000

Watching President Obama get grilled at a town hall meeting recently reminded me about audiences and the desire each of us has to be liked. Just as with the president or any public figure for that matter, we all want our audiences to like us.

The problem is that listening is subjective. Each person in your audience brings with them their own background and perspective. and in so doing, sees and hears with their own eyes and ears . And for this reason, it’s hard to please everyone all of the time.

People can be quirky. Perhaps someone doesn’t like the way your hair looks, or the way you’re dressed, or even your style. Or one person hears something you say and another interprets it in another way.

Be confident in your content and your delivery, do the best job you can. Then know that most everyone in your audience will respond positively. And for those who don’t, it could be more about them than about you.

For more insights into speaking and communicating effectively, visit www.publicspeaking4u.com.

Preparing a Power Point Presentation

Linda Kundell — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:32:28 +0000

What should you know?

There is nothing more dull than a poor Power Point presentation. So, here are some hints on how to liven up your presentation.

First, ask yourself about the audience. Here are some questions I posed myself for a recent client presentation in front of an audience of about 100 people:

What do I know about the audience?

Why is the audience there? This audience was participating in an annual meeting, so some members were more vested in what I had to report than others.
What is your purpose? Mine was to demonstrate the value of my public relations program.
Are you part of a larger program or the main attraction? My presentation was part of an overall meeting with other presenters preceding and following mine.

Given the above, I knew that I had to make my presentation engaging as well as informative.

My solution:

Grab audience attention by starting with a video clip of a news interview showing the client. The combination audio/visual speaks action.
Build suspense. Rather than start at the beginning of the report , I used an excerpt and said, “We’ll tell you more about it later.” This creates a sense of anticipation
Spice up the slides with visuals and colorful charts. There were a lot of statistics to report. To add interest, I used visuals and colorful charts.
Minimize slide content. To keep the pace moving, I limited the text on each page.

At Kundell Communications we work with people to improve their presentation skills in individualized sessions or group classes. To learn more, visit www.publicspeaking4u.com

Quick Tips for Speaking on the Spot

Linda Kundell — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 19:58:16 +0000

You’re in a meeting, a job or media interview, or fielding questions in a Q & A session. Someone asks you a tricky “gotcha” question. What do you do?

a) freeze on the spot
b) buy yourself time
c) blurt out a response

If you answered “b,” you’re correct. There are several ways to buy yourself time, including:
• Repeating the question and giving yourself time to respond
• Pausing to take a deep breath
• Using a time-buyer such as, “That’s an interesting question.”

From that point, there are a number of ways to handle “gotcha” questions, depending on the question and audience.

Our one-hour “Speaking on the Spot” class, will help you develop techniques for quickly responding on the spot.

Saving your throat

Linda Kundell — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:51:22 +0000

At a recent performance of “A Little Night Music” on Broadway, one of the leads, Catherine Zeta-Jones, had to cancel due to a bad throat. I found that interesting, as I’ve worked with actors and noticed – especially nowadays with Broadway performers being amplified – that many actors don’t support their voices. Consequently, they may develop laryngitis or a raw throat and have to cancel a performance.

I often emphasize the importance of correct breathing as a key to vocal stamina and to help protect your voice and throat. Here are other hints that will help before a presentation.

Make sure you have plenty of rest. Speaking, like acting, singing or dancing, is physical, and you need energy to support your voice.
Keep your throat moist and “well oiled,” especially in air-conditioned rooms and in dry, winter air. Avoid alcohol, and drink plenty of water. Hard, sucking candies are also good.
Be sure you are breathing from your diaphragm or belly, thus supporting your voice.
At all costs, avoid yelling, which is very hard on your vocal cords.

Skiing and Public Speaking

Linda Kundell — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:19:53 +0000

I recently returned from my last ski trip of the season, and realized that skiing and public speaking have a lot in common.

Since most of my friends don’t ski, I ski by myself and I tend to be a chicken. I stick to the green, or easy slopes, unless I’m with an instructor who can coach me as I wend my way down an intermediate slope.

On my last trip I had been skiing for three consecutive days, lugging my heavy ski boots in a backpack to the slopes, a bit of a walk at over 9,000 ft. elevation. While I generally walk a lot, lately I haven’t been getting much exercise, other than a couple of other ski trips.

On the third day of my trip, I decided to ski more than usual. I was getting a little stiff, but wanted to tackle a small, steeper hill that I had done in previous years. I made a turn and leaned backward (a defensive stance that says “I’m afraid.”) I wiped out – skier terminology for falling. My confidence was badly shaken.

The following day, still reeling from my fall (which was a minor one at that) I went to another peak which required far more walking at a higher elevation. I headed for the easy slope, which had a “Magic Carpet,” a conveyor belt designed to ease kids onto the ski lift. Well, I nearly fell before I could get on the lift. Arriving at the top of the lift, I felt fear and was stiff from overdoing the skiing the previous three days. I was falling into all my bad habits, I had a negative attitude, was not skiing well, and knew it was time to call it quits. I was deeply disappointed in myself.

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Upon my return home, I realized that I had forgotten to take my own public speaking advice which could have helped me out. So here are some hints that I learned from my ski trip:

• I do much better with an instructor or a coach who can guide me and give me confidence. So too do many speakers. A coach can help you be your best and give you confidence.

• I hadn’t prepared myself adequately for the amount of skiing I wanted to do. Just like skiers, public speakers have to develop stamina and confidence through a regular practice routine.

• When I got tired, I reverted to old bad habits. So too, it’s easy for speakers to go back to old habits that are comfortable, such as mumbling or speaking too fast out of nervousness.

• I let my fall spook me out instead of realizing that falling and making a mistake is part of the learning process. Public speakers too make mistakes. It’s part of being human, and you have to dust yourself off and go on undeterred.

• After my fall, my body was stiff and tense. When you’re nervous everything closes up and your muscles tighten. Had I taken a minute for some deep breaths, I would have relaxed my body and improved my mental attitude. When speakers get nervous they often tighten up. Deep breathing helps relax both muscles and mind.

Will I let this experience deter me from skiing next year? No way! I have almost a whole year to think more positively, to practice and prepare, to remember to take deep breaths when I ski, and to develop more confidence.

As a public speaker, it’s important to know that you too will make mistakes,. Don’t focus on them. Just dust yourself off, and go on. Who knows how many heights you may conquer if you persevere!

Microphone Tips

Linda Kundell — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:13:25 +0000

It’s a mistake many people make when public speaking. You’re part of a program or a panel. You get up to speak and you can’t be heard, you’re too loud, the microphone, or mic, is too high or too low.

To avoid being “caught by the mic,” arrive early and try to check microphone levels before the audience arrives. Then, try out the mic. Is the mic adjustable? Can you change the height and angle? If so, you’re in luck. If not, don’t worry. You will just have to compensate a bit.

If the mic doesn’t adjust and you’re too tall, don’t stoop down to it. Try lowering you chin slightly as if speaking into the mic.
If you’re short and the mic is too high, ask for a small platform that you can stand on. If one isn’t available, just stand as tall as you comfortably can, lift your chin, and speak up to the mic.
Try out words with letters that “pop,” such as p, t and d. If the mic distorts, and sound levels can’t be adjusted, try standing slightly away from the mic.
If you can’t be heard well, concentrate on talking to the back of the room to help you project better.

Whether you’re short, tall, a loud or soft speaker, always pronounce your words clearly and support your voice. Our “Techniques for Effective Public Speaking” teaches you how to project and support your voice so that you always sound your best.