Greetings,
Welcome to the September Issue of Speaking-Out-Loud
write-out-loud.com's monthly E-zine to help you effectively 'talk your walk'.
If this E-zine speaks to you, then quite likely it will talk sense to your friends, family or work mates too. Please pass it along.
You might even suggest that they sign up! The page to send them to is here Speaking-Out-Loud
Remember, if you have any questions you're most welcome to ask them through my contact form. I enjoy hearing from my readers and will respond as soon as I am able.
Happy speaking,
Susan
In this Issue
If you don't have time to read the whole ezine, click on the topic that interests you. This month you will find:
Susan's Spiel
Instant Structure
This month's Article focuses on giving yourself a speaker's safety net. This is an indispensable resource to save you from an attack of
mushy brain which can occur if you're asked to speak at a moment's notice. Having a variety of instant speech structures on tap allows you to organise your thoughts coherently and quickly.
Dress Sense for Speakers.
What should I wear?
It depends. Do you want your audience mesmerised by your speech or your skirt (or shirt)?
Check these 4 commonsense dress rules for speakers.
Public Speaking Games
If you're not playing public speaking games as part of your club or classroom activities you're missing out on a whole lot of fun. These teach valuable public speaking skills with laughter and provide opportunities for everybody to participate. They're an essential in my public speaking lesson plans. I share the best of them here.
I am always looking for ways to improve the site. If you see any errors or would like to contribute in any way, please accept this invitation to contact me through my About Me page.
I would love to publish your article or write one about you or your business. Just let me know! If your activity or idea fits with the site theme, get in touch.
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this month's Speaking-Out-Loud!
Susan
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Let's set a scene. You're in a meeting discussing the latest project. It might be the development of the green whosit with
an optional yellow interface when suddenly the manager focuses in on you. 'Harold', he says, {Insert your name} 'could you explain the thinking behind the marketing plan?'
What you want to say is: 'I'd love to! Thank you for the opportunity.'
But alas, you don't. Instead you say: 'Um, well, ah...'
What's wanted in a situation like this is an instant eloquence kit - something familiar and reassuring allowing you to confidently and easily express your ideas without struggling for structure.
Fortunately there are such things. These are speech formats, templates or structures that you can learn until they become so familiar that you do not have to stop and think about them.
They are simply there, ready and waiting for when ever you might need them.
Choose the one most appropriate for the situation, insert your material, open your mouth and speak.
Commit these 3 instant structure templates to memory and the next time you're called on without warning you'll be ready.
- PREP (Point, Reason, Example, Point ...)
Point: The principal point I wish to make about our marketing plan for the green whosit is its timing
Reason: There's a strong seasonal upswing in demand predicted
Example: We aim to replicate the success we had with the spring release of the blue widget last year through targetting all those customers ...
Point: The important secondary point underpinning our proposed campaign is ...
- Past, Present, Future
In the past our marketing plans have been broad based.
Today, we realise that the market has shifted. Our traditional methods of reaching new customers are no longer that effective. In planning for the release of the green whosit we've
focused more of our aquisition efforts on the web with an assertive ...
In the future we predict niche web-based advertising will become the dominant form ...
- Cause, Effect, Remedy
The principal challenges to creating a successful marketing plan for our green whosits were caused by two events. The first was our competition's release of their
brown whatsit and the second is the current economic downturn.
The effect of these challenges is far reaching. Firstly, our customers now have a choice and secondly, they are increasingly reluctant to spend.
The remedy for these challenges lies in how we position and price the green whosit. Let me explain more fully ...
Click the link for more on structuring instant or impromptu speeches
You'll find several other useful speech patterns or templates as well as survival tips to get you through with confident aplomb.
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Making sure you're heard over your shirt!
Or what to wear when you're delivering a speech or presentation.
The guidelines are simple.
Your task is to give a speech that is the focus of the your audience's attention and that means choosing clothes that do not detract from what you are saying.
Depending on the occasion, your speech purpose and audience, the lime green shirt with orange parrots on it you bought on holiday might not be the best choice.
So what are good clothing choices?
- Be guided by the occasion
Is it formal?
Is it informal?
Who is the audience?
What type of clothes would the audience EXPECT to see you wearing?
Ask ahead of time if you don't know. That question may save you the embarrassment of being obvious because your clothes are out of keeping with the event.
- Go for comfort
Choose clothes that fit well allowing you to breathe and move easily.
Tight waist bands or collars can uneccessarily heighten nervous tension while a tight jacket might restrict arm movements.
Think your selection through
Try the clothes on you intend to wear and give yourself a rehearsal to see if they're suitable and while you're doing that you can apply guidelines 3 & 4.
The bottom line is you don't want to be fussing about any aspect of your clothing at the same time as you're giving your speech.
- Make sure what you've chosen is clean
Check ahead of time. It's nasty to discover the shirt you intended to wear has a splodge of sauce down the front half an hour before you're due on stage!
- Make sure your clothes are tidy
Check for missing buttons, dangling threads or dodgy zips. Mend and iron if necessary - ahead of time.
- For womem
Consider carefully before wearing something that may draw attention away from your speech like for instance a very short skirt, a plunging neckline or a pair of stiletto heels. Likewise think through your jewelry - an armful of bracelets that rattle with your every movement will compete with your voice.
The same advice applies to men - only it's probably not a skirt or a plunging neckline. Maybe a pair of too-tight trousers, a see-through shirt, a tie that is too loud ...
- Ask
If you're unsure about the clothing you've selected ask someone whose judgement you trust for their advice.
Try ALL of the clothes on for them so that they can see the whole picture from head to heel.
- Make sure your face is visible
People want to see you. Minimise anything that restricts that for instance hair over your eyes or a hat. Change the hairstyle, take the hat off. Do what is needed or appropriate in the circumstances to be seen.
Dressing with care is part of good speech planning. Like it or not, you will be judged not only by what folk hear but what they see as well.
Click for more about preparing yourself for public speaking.
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Here's a collection of public speaking games for those of you who are teachers or belong to public speaking groups.
I know they're good because
I've used them myself.
You'll find them a fun-filled way to learn about 'thinking on your feet' while speaking, creativity, fluency, body language, story telling and a whole lot more.
I hope you enjoy them! They're noisy, often hilarious, and very effective. Do try. Learning about public speaking needn't be a serious, straight-faced experience.
If you have favorite speech activities you'd like to share, we'd love to hear about them. Tell us what worked, what didn't and what was learned.
Post your speech activity using the form at the foot of the Speaking Out Loud page.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
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Thank you for reading the September Issue of Speaking-Out-Loud. I hope you enjoyed it
as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please feel free to contact me with any
questions or feedback through the form at the foot of the Speaking Out Loud Page. I love hearing from my readers!
If you enjoyed this issue of Speaking-Out-Loud, please feel free to send it on to any
friends or family. The site url to forward so they can subscribe is
Speaking-Out-Loud.
Until next time,
Happy speaking,
Susan
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