The sound of your voice and the feeling you convey with it have a huge impact on your audience. Listen to PowerSpeaking, Inc. Marketing Strategist and voice coach Donnie Hill talk about how you can overcome two common voice mistakes: delivering in a monotone and using “up talk.”
How you handle a question-and-answer session during or after a presentation can boost your credibility and reinforce your message—or not. We have techniques to help.
Listen to Master Facilitator Sarah Palmer talk about two common mistakes presenters make when trying to address questions:
Think of a storyteller who had you on the edge of your seat. Now, consider why that person was so engaging. Yes, the story itself was probably interesting, but likely, he or she made the story come alive in the telling, with a captivating voice.
In the process of developing Confident Speaking for Women, we interviewed dozens of women in leadership roles to learn how women can become more successful communicators and leaders at work. From that research, three lines of thought emerged, which are at the core of Confident Speaking for Women. We call them the “3 Cs” of powerful communication: Be Clear, Be Confident and Be Courageous. Listen to women executives like Shannon Brayton of LinkedIn and Yvonne Lin Liu of Genentech talk about how important it is to “Be Clear.”
How often have you seen public figures like politicians and entertainers trip over words, suffer awkward pauses, or make it obvious they’re reading a script while on camera? Yes, even seasoned speakers and presenters can bungle a talk if they’re not in sync with the words scrolling on that teleprompter screen.
Here’s the scene: Eight business people sitting around a conference room table. Half of them are heads down, checking their smart phones. One is flipping through paperwork, and another is doodling. A couple of them are talking to each other. And there you are, standing at the head of the table, halfway through your presentation. Ouch.
Capturing and holding people’s attention is a science and an art form that can be learned. Read on for our best tips. . .
Have you ever felt like a fraud at work? You’re not alone. While many high-achieving women and entrepreneurs share this feeling, it is common for everyone. Over an estimated 70% of people have experienced this and similar feelings at one time or another. In corporate America it’s easy to feel like you’re not competent enough. Over time, this chronic selfdoubt or Imposter Syndrome can impact your productivity and prospects. Imposter Syndrome is a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist even with opposite information. It's experienced internally, and can be hard to identify from an outside perspective.
At the core of every insightful presentation is a story. Human beings naturally seek out a narrative.
But the process of becoming a storyteller doesn't start with writing and rehearsing the presentation; it begins in observations of everyday life.
If you are feeling apprehensive about public speaking or presenting, typically at the root of the anxiety is fear of embarrassing yourself. With careful preparation and focus on delivery, it can be easy to avoid embarrassment in a monologue style presentation. But what about when you open up the floor for questions and comments?
Audiences can be tricky: Even if they're your peers, co-workers, or experts in a certain field, everyone has their own agenda and emotional logic. By giving a presentation and soliciting feedback, you are inviting a variety of different personalities to listen and comment on your work. Audience member responses can range from boredom to outright hostility for reasons that may be unclear to you. To conquer a difficult audience, follow these tips:
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