The TED commandments of public speaking – this says it all!

By: Ellen Egan

dullhunk

You all know that I love TED.com.  According to the web site:

TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading.It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader.

The annual TED conferences, in Long Beach/Palm Springs and Oxford, bring together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

On TED.com, we make the best talks and performances from TED and partners available to the world, for free.

I am truly addicted to this site as it allows me to hear the ideas of some of my heroes and soon-to-be heroes.

So, you can imagine how thrilled I was to find The TED Commandments of Public Speaking.

The TED commandments of public speaking:

1. Thou Shalt Not Simply Trot Out thy Usual Shtick. Don’t just rehash an old speech or someone else’s old speech.   If the ideas you are presenting are old and tired, then why will anyone bother to listen.  Put a new spin on things – look at the problem from a new perspective or come up with an innovative  solution.
2. Thou Shalt Dream a Great Dream, or Show Forth a Wondrous New Thing, Or Share Something Thou Hast Never Shared Before. Take the time to come up with something new and interesting and specifically new and interesting for your audience.
3. Thou Shalt Reveal thy Curiosity and Thy Passion. Take a risk and show that you care.  Reveal a bit of yourself to your audience and they will get caught up in your enthusiasm.
4. Thou Shalt Tell a Story. Stories have always been a powerful way to present ideas to audiences.  They make connections between people and ideas.
5. Thou Shalt Freely Comment on the Utterances of Other Speakers for the Sake of Blessed Connection and Exquisite Controversy.  Don’t be afraid of controversy, it sparks interest and reminds people that there are different perspectives on an issue.
6. Thou Shalt Not Flaunt Thine Ego. Be Thou Vulnerable. Speak of thy Failure as well as thy Success. This speaks for itself.  You are not up on stage to speak only of yourself and your triumphs.  Audiences relate to humanity and humility in presentations.
7. Thou Shalt Not Sell from the Stage: Neither thy Company, thy Goods, thy Writings, nor thy Desperate need for Funding; Lest Thou be Cast Aside into Outer Darkness. This is a special commandment for TED talks.  many of our public speaking presentations will relate to promoting our businesses, products, writings, etc…
8. Thou Shalt Remember all the while: Laughter is Good. Laughter is the best medicine for your stress, your audience’s stress and is welcome in any public speaking environment (even if the topic is very sobering).
9. Thou Shalt Not Read thy Speech. Amen.  Show your audience the respect to look at them and not just at your notes.  The only thing worse than reading your speech is handing out copies of your PowerPoint presentation and then reading the presentation to the audience, word-by-word.
10. Thou Shalt Not Steal the Time of Them that Follow Thee. Keep to the time that you have been given.  If you “spill over” into the next person’s presentation, you are “stealing” their time.

If these commandments can be followed by “the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers”, when they have been challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes), then certainly we can keep them in mind as well when we are delivering a presentation.

To your success,

Ellen

How does body language affect public speaking?

by Ellen Egan

Body language has become a “hot” topic  (just go check out your local bookstore and you will see a big section on body language) in relation to business, sales, relationships and dating, even though the study of body language has been around for a long time. Trust me, I went into a book store last week and I was amazed at the amount of books on the topic.  So, how does all of this relate to public speaking.

Body language is really all about non-verbal communication.  What are you saying without using your voice.  Now, with public speaking this has often translated into “how are you showing your nervousness” without saying “I am nervous”.  If you have  ever seen a presenter pace back and forth across the stage, cross their arms, hide behind the podium, tap their foot incessantly, etc you have seen someone who was shouting out their nervousness, without using a single word.

There are those who would quote Albert Mehrabian’s research and say that body language accounts for up to 93% of the meaning that people take form human communication.  That’s not completely accurate as Mehrabian’s research focused on communications with a strong emotional element (including aspects which fall outside the standard body language definition).  But it is safe to say that body language is very important tool to convey meaning.  Most researchers would agree that between 50 – 80% of all human communications are non-verbal.

Body language includes gestures, stance, and facial expressions.  When you are presenting, you will want to be aware of the messages you are sending the audience through your gestures, stance and facial expression.

First of all you will want to give a strong impression.  You will want to use good posture and stand up straight.  This give s the impression of confidence.  Your stance should include facing the audience, but I recommend standing at a slight angle with your feet in a “T” position.  This allows you greater flexibility of movement and makes it less likely that you will lock your knees.

In terms of gestures, you will want to use your hands to convey your message during your presentation.  You have a wide range of gestures at your disposalto convey your message.  One of the most effective is numbering the main points of your presentation.  You can also use your hands for gestures related to adjectives (big, small, long, high, low, etc.)

Facial expressions are one of the most important aspects of body language and presentations.  Eye contact with members of your audience denotes interest, sincerity and confidence.  Smiling also helps to make a positive connection with your audience.  Ideally, you will focus your attention on parts of the audience and then move your attention to another part of the audience as you move on with your speech.  This way the whole audience has the impressions that you are speaking with them.

The critical aspect of body language and public speaking is that there must be congurence between your non-verbal communication and your verbal communication.  A serious message needs serious facial expressions, a serious stance and gestures.  A lighthearted message needs lighhearted nonverbal communication.  It is very confusing if a person is saying “No” while they nod their head up and down.  Keep your messages congruent and it will be easier for your audience to absorb the message.

Here are some resources  if you are interested in learning more about using body language:

Covert Hypnosis

Body Language – Secrets of Master Communicators

The Definitive Book of Body Language

The Power of Body Language: How to Succeed in Every Business and Social Encounter

To your success,

Ellen

Public speaking tips – PowerPoint essentials

by: Ellen Egan

I saw this great video by Guy Kawasaki where he gives a quick list of rules for PowerPoint presentations and I had to share it with you.  For those of you who don’t know him, Wikipedia says “Guy Kawasaki was one of the Apple employees originally responsible for marketing the Macintosh in 1984. He is noted for having brought the concept of evangelism, initially focused on creating passionate user-advocates for the Apple brand, to the high-tech business.”

So, here is Guy’s very straight forward approach to public speaking and avoiding “death by PowerPoint”.  Enjoy!

Guy Kawasaki 10-20-30 Presentation Rule

Guy really adhears to the rule of keep it simple.

I read his book, “Selling the Dream” back in 1993 and it changed my view of of working in Corporate America, how to be a better manager, and many other things.  I highly recommend it .

To your success

Ellen