Monthly Archives: May 2012

The Last Word

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Human rights activist Malcom X was assassinated while delivering a speech at Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom in 1965. As he was speaking, a commotion occurred in the crowd of 400. Moments before he was shot dead his last words were, “Brothers! Brothers, please! This is a house of peace.”

Rarely are the last words of a speech the last words of that speaker. But these words have lasted through the years. The last words of your speech are important because people remember best what you say last. Here are three ways to conclude your presentation with powerful last words.

Consider a quotation that relates to a major concept in your presentation. For example, if you are stressing a “how-to” notion, you might end with Cicero’s statement, “The skill to do comes by the doing.”

If you are finishing a speech on goals, you might conclude with Thoreau’s line, “If one advances in the direction of his dreams, one will meet with success unexpected in common hours.”

Second, you might end with a personal testimonial. Assuming you are an expert on your topic, a personal reinforcement at the end will make your message linger longer. A time management speaker might end, “One principle I’ve learned over the years is that to get the most out of your day, begin with completing the biggest challenge first.”

Or I might finish a presentation on speaking with, “The only way to keep improving is to speak. The more you speak, the more effective you will become as a speaker.”

Finally, you can tie your ending back to the introduction. If your topic is planning for retirement and you opened with a statistic on how few people save enough money for retirement, you could end with the tie-in, “Don’t be one of the people who never saves, but instead be one who makes retirement the great event you dream it to be by following the steps outlined today. “

If your topic is nutrition and you began by stressing how much extra energy a person gets by eating breakfast, then your ending might be, “Follow all these tips for good nutrition, but above all, get a head start on your day—energize yourself with a nutritious breakfast.”

A well-delivered exit line needs no phrase of introduction. It’s easy to say, “I’d like to close with…” or “In conclusion…” but those words are not the words you want your audience to take home. Close with finality. Conclude forcefully. Strategic and practiced last words will help your audience members remember your speech the way you want them to.

If you are having trouble with the ending of a speech you are preparing, email me at [email protected] and I’ll be glad to give you some ideas.

Advantages of Being Nervous

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Yesterday I heard two different speakers say as they began speaking, “I’m nervous.”

It is okay to be nervous when you speak!

The key is controlling the nervousness.

Standing in front of an audience of 100 people or doing a Skype interview with a prospective employer can be intimidating, and there is nothing wrong with feeling a little uncertain. The key is that you don’t want to be so anxious that you pass out or your mind goes completely blank.

Earl Nightingale said what many of us feel when delivering a speech. “You may feel like you are in the terminal stages of some type of tropical fever.”

Much of our anxiety is mental. When we know we are about to speak, self-doubt can enter our thought process and create these messages in our thinking:

“I did not prepare enough.”

“This audience does not want to listen to this material.”

“My ideas are too trite for this group.”

Chase away those negative thoughts. Substitute these words:

“I have prepared well for this group.”

“What I have to say will really be helpful to this group.”

“This audience is going to learn from this speech as well as having fun while listening.”

Your self-doubt will be less when you are speaking on a topic you enjoy talking about. With a topic you feel strongly about, confidence will grow and you can’t wait to face the audience. When you are speaking on a topic you like, your enthusiasm will be “caught” by your audience and they will encourage you by their nonverbal to have a positive attitude. As I often say in my seminars, the last four letters in “enthusiasm” can stand for “I am sold myself.” When you are sold yourself, you can sell others on your ideas.

One last way to help you when you feel too anxious is to listen to my webinar on stage fright at http://vimeo.com/41492020 .

Be more concerned when you feel absolutely no nervousness. This is often seen by the audience as boredom or indifference from you the speaker.

When you are nervous before or at the beginning of your presentation, welcome the feeling and use these suggestions to keep it under control.

 

How Much? How Many?

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In my presentation seminars, we discuss the dangers of using statistics in a presentation. A main reason is that you can adapt data to make it mean whatever you want it to mean.

There are times, however, when statistics can be used effectively. Those times are when we answer these two questions, “How much?” and “How many?” When you answer those questions, qualify your answers with these three characteristics: few, fresh, and forceful.

Use few statistics. Take for example the problem with garbage. Edward Humes in a recent Wall Street Journal article wrote that Americans toss out over seven pounds of trash per person each day. A single statistic was sufficient to cover “how many.”

Make the statistics fresh. Recency is important. Check the internet regularly to find the latest statistics on your topic. Because we all lug cans of garbage to the curb each week, garbage is continually fresh—well, the garbage isn’t, but the idea of it is—on our minds.

In the Cincinnati area where I live, a huge controversy has arisen over the need to build a new bridge across the Ohio River. The Brent Spence Bridge presently in use is old and was never made to handle the amount of traffic that now flows over it.

An guest column by Julie Janson in The Cincinnati Enquirer stated that a billion dollars’ worth of goods crosses the bridge every day, and each month that construction is delayed the cost of the new bridge increases eight million dollars. Few and fresh are both inherent in these two statistics. These two statistics are sufficient to answer “How much?”

You can make all the above data forceful by your delivery manner. Pause before you speak the statistic and then punch out the number. Perhaps take a step toward the audience as you deliver a particularly powerful statistic.

Don’t make statistics a major part of your next presentation. Instead, carefully place one or two statistics in your speech. Make sure the number you mention is relevant. Add some drama by pausing and punching out the data. Then you will have answered the two most important questions audience members want answered: “How many?” and “How much?”

When you use statistics in this manner, you will be less likely to come to the conclusion of Mrs. Robert Taft: “I always find that statistics are hard to follow and impossible to digest. The only one I can remember is that if all the people who go to sleep in church were laid end to end they would be a lot more comfortable.”

Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, presents keynotes and seminars to corporations and associations whose people want to speak and listen effectively. See additional articles and resources at www.sboyd.com. To book Steve, call 800-727-6520 or reply to this email.

Watch, Listen, Evaluate!

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President Obama officially began his campaign for reelection last week. The consensus among most is that Mitt Romney will be the Republican candidate seeking the presidency. In a couple of months the political conventions will have been completed and the speeches will begin in earnest. Certainly you must vote, but between now and November 5 you must also watch, listen, and evaluate.

There are distinct differences between the two men in the direction each thinks our country should go. You also have definite beliefs about our country’s direction. Determine for yourself what those are and then make a decision on which candidate will best carry out your beliefs. To do that you have a responsibility to listen to their speeches and their answers to questions from us constituents, evaluate those positions, and then vote for the best candidate.

As you watch them speak, determine which one best seems to speak with the most passion, the one who seems to care most for his audiences, and the one you think will best represent us to the world.

Listen for key ideas that tell you which policies he wants to implement as President. What evidence does he present for each key idea? Is there enough evidence to warrant such a plan? Listen for examples that explain what he wants to do as President. Does he demonstrate depth in his knowledge about issues at home and abroad? Can you follow his train of thought easily, demonstrating that he has thought through carefully the ideas he is advocating?

Listen to as many speeches as you can to check for consistency in his ideas and beliefs. Does he seem to pander to an audience what they want to hear? Or he is willing to say some things they might not want to hear, but that are in the best interests of our country?

Finally, evaluate what you have listened to. As you listen and answer the questions above, then you must make a choice. That choice cannot be based on which one is the best looking or which one comes across best on the late night talk shows. You must watch, listen, and evaluate to fulfill your responsibilities as a United States citizen.

Even if your choice does not win in November, at least by practicing these three critical skills you have earned the right to complain when policies are implemented that you disagree with!

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A $119,000,000 Speech

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Well, it was a special kind of speech. Tobias Meyer, auctioneer for Sotheby’s, recently sold The Scream by Edvard Munch, the most expensive work ever sold at auction. During the 12-minute speech, Meyer showed great speaking expertise. He knew when to pause, when to change his vocal quality, when to be patient with bidders, when a bidder had offered his last bid, and when to bring down the gavel and conclude with “sold!” In his $119,000,000 speech, he followed many of the same principles that a speaker does in delivering a presentation.

Although we might not want to admit it, most of us deliver speeches which are of little consequence. How many ideas do you remember from speeches you have heard ? Or how many speakers do you remember? Can you remember what your minister or priest said last Sunday at church?

Here is something to think about the next time you get really anxious about a presentation you are delivering. Even though you may appear in front of 20 or 200 or 2000 people, most won’t remember what you say a week later. They may not even remember you a month from now.

When you lose sleep because you are anxious about the speech you are delivering in a few hours, remember: that speech is not going to change the world, and perhaps not that audience or a person in the audience.

When you are anxious about a speech because of how people are going to react to your ideas, keep in perspective that they probably won’t remember what your ideas were.

Instead, consider thinking about one thought that you want to leave them from your speech. Once you have decided what that one idea is, think about ways to repeat it and say it in several different ways.

The one thought that Toby Meyer keeps in mind with any of his “auction speeches” is this: “I am hired at that moment to make the work [piece of art] as expensive as possible.”

Our main responsibility as speakers is to deliver a speech so that our ideas are as thought-provoking and memorable as we can. Don’t expect much more—because the audience won’t.

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Things of Value

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In a presentation, we may have a hard time determining what ideas are important and which ones are not. We certainly have clues by the amount of attention audience members give us and noticing that they are writing down an idea we have just delivered.

However, there is one special presentation where the speaker knows exactly what the audience values, and that is the auction! I grew up in an auctioneer family and have done my share of charity auctions. The content of your presentation is the articles to be sold and you can estimate how much each item is worth, but you never know for sure until you start the bidding.

For example, years ago at a charity auction I sold an eight-inch piece of metal from the car Dale Earnhardt drove in the 2000 Daytona 500 race, a year before he crashed and died in the Daytona 500. A true fan paid $600 for that piece of metal!

There are certain things a good auctioneer will do to insure a high bid on an article put on the auction block to be sold. These same rules can help the speaker insure maximum value of his or her ideas, such as to learn about the item(s) to be sold. My uncle used to go to catalogues and farm implement stores to learn the value of farm equipment he would sell at his next auction. He called antique dealers to inquire about certain pieces to determine where he would start the bidding on an antique plate or an English armoire. The good auctioneer shows enthusiasm about special items to help the audience develop an emotional connection to the item to be sold.

Uncle Mark might say before selling a car at an estate auction, “This car was driven for 10 years by Mrs. Smith. As many of you know, she was a careful driver, always kept this Chevy Impala in her garage, and made sure service was up to date. This is not your typical ten-year-old car you might see on a used car lot. With that in mind, what am I bid?”

My uncle was highly respected in the community and people loved coming to his auctions. They were entertaining and upbeat besides being well-organized and efficiently conducted. He gave back to the community in many ways, such as volunteering his time to sell prize-winning cattle at the annual 4-H Fair.

With a valuable clock or antique bowl, he might spend extra time in seeking to raise the bid. He knew when to stress the value of an artifact and also knew when to move on quickly in selling a nondescript desk or chair.

Find the best auctioneer in your community and attend one of his or her auctions. The experience will improve your speaking skills. The speaker needs some of the same skills as the auctioneer:

  • interacting with the audience
  • knowing the concerns of the audience
  • showing excitement for the topic
  • pacing—knowing when to speed up or slow down
  • having fun.

Connect with your local auctioneer and you too can increase the value of your next presentation.

You can also invite me to sell your group on the value of communication skills with my “High Bid” after-dinner or keynote speech. You can make money for your favorite charity during the speech when I sell a lovely hand-painted hummingbird welcome sign for your home which I donate. Click here to see a short video of me as auctioneer at a charity auction.

Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, is Professor Emeritus of Speech Communication, College of Informatics, Northern Kentucky University, near Cincinnati. He presents keynotes and seminars to corporations and associations whose people want to speak and listen effectively. See additional articles and resources at www.sboyd.com. To book Steve, call 800-727-6520 or reply to this email.

Fun With Words

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A wall in our kitchen contains messed up similes I’ve said that my children have been accumulating for years. A few include, “Uncle Joe was a big cheese in a big pond.” And “You’ve got vision like a squirrel,” and the one that started the list, “He has a memory like a hawk.” I have a habit of playing with words in strange ways.

However, in a presentation this tendency can demand attention from your audience that will make your ideas more memorable.

A good source for fun words is greeting cards. Browse your local card store. One of my favorites is “I used to get lost in the shuffle. Now I just shuffle along with the lost.”

One of my wife’s favorites is “It will all be OK in the end.” And on the inside: “If it’s not OK, it’s not the end.”

Country music titles are enjoyable. Two of my favorites include “All My Exes Live in Texas,” sung by George Strait, and, “Does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight?” written by Marty Bloom .

The title of my farewell speech when I left the university last spring was, “Meandering Thoughts of One Meandering Into the Sunset.” Look for fun word combinations by going to Vital Speeches of the Day and perusing the index for clever titles.

Personal dialogue is rich with humorous phrases and words. For example, my wife and I have been taking ballroom dancing lessons for many years and Greg has been our dance instructor for most of those years. A few months ago, I was having trouble learning a new step and getting frustrated.\r\n\r\nI said, “I’m not sure I’ll ever get this step!” \r\n\r\nGreg’s response: “Steve, you give me job security.” (Unfortunately true!)

The question and answer period at a press conference can be a place rich with light phrases and clever combinations of words. After a tough loss, Bill Fitch, a professional basketball coach for 25 years, responded to a question about communicating with his team: “I kept feeling like the Hindu snake charmer with a deaf cobra.”

Even service trucks on the highway can make you smile. As we were walking in Key West, Florida, this sign was on the back of a truck that passed us: “Plumbing to please in the Florida Keys.”

I’m not sure I agree with my family’s analysis of my similes. I see nothing wrong in saying, “Playing the clarinet is like trying to get music from banging a clothesline against a pole.”