There's No Question, This Blog is About uhm Effective Speaking and Stuff

 We all have natural talent. Some have more useful talents than others, but we all have them. Mine happens to be my ability to speak in public and my ability to write. I am very comfortable with both and I know that both scare a lot of other people, so I am grateful for my talents. That being said, it drives me crazy to hear people speak publicly that just cannot do it, or worse they probably can but they don't spend anytime honing their craft.
Let's use the last 2 American president's as clear examples of what I am saying. Put your political bias aside while reading this and consider the following. President Obama is one of the GREATEST speech givers our country has ever had. He speaks with authority and with a calm and presence that palpable. By comparison, George W. Bush was obviously uncomfortable giving a scripted speech. He would often mispronounce words and often stammered. Interestingly enough, his candid interviews were dramatically better. He seemed more at ease and was actually quite good at being funny. There is a lesson to be learned here, First that  President Obama has a natural ability to speak and he is on the same page with his speech writers (SPOILER, most presidential speeches are written by others). Second, George W Bush was good at thinking on his feet but not so good at following a script & that is a HUGE differentiation. When preparing to speak in front of an audience, it is helpful to recognize which format works best for you. Can you commit to memory a 1000 word presentation or are you better with an outline and letting the terms and phrases come from the moment? Learning this aspect of your abilities will make a huge positive swing in your presentation.

Now let's talk about  nervous phrases and "filler" words. I am a huge fan of sports talk radio. Nothing irritates me more than when someone asks a radio personality a question and they begin the response with "There's no question." Uh, well actually there is, they just asked you one. Another favorite of mine would go into every commercial break by saying "we'll continue...." It's a nervous response, sorta like people that say "the bottom line." it's filler because your brain wants time to prepare for what it will say next. You can work through this with practice. better yet, hire a qualified speaking coach. I know a few if you want a reference. In sales it is crucial to avoid theses "mental crutches." If you speak with a client once or  twice they may not notice, but multiple conversations( typical for a long sales cycle opportunity) will show the customer that your are uncomfortable in key situations and subliminally can cause them to lose faith in your ability to deliver. Remember, this all happens outside of the quality of your product and your relationship with the customer. Frankly, it can be the nail in the coffin of a lost sale. So record your presentation and see if you have any nervous habits, repetitive phrases or stammer words (like uhm...) then work to reduce those from your presentation.

Here's the summary
Know what presentation style best suits your abilities.

Examine your presentation

Practice & or hire a coach, it will pay off.

Thanks for reading today

Mike Shelah

BTW, be sure to check out my fundraising blog www.40milesforautism.blogspot.com