Killing The 7 Deadly Habits of Public Speaking

I love speaking to a crowd. It often gives me my only chance to teach as part of my job, and I get to pretend I’m an graphic designer for a while. But a majority of Westerners list public speaking as their worst fear, beating out death, the dark, financial ruin, and spiders and snakes. For me it’s the dark, followed by David Hasselhof in a speedo.

But though I enjoy it now, I started out with serious fear of public speaking. As I started caring more about my own speaking performance—and getting feedback on my shortcomings—I started noticing how other speakers did things. Most of them, even the really effective speakers, shared some of bad habits.

Some societies believe that the knowing the name of an evil being that’s giving you a hard time will enable you to control and defeat it. Here are 7 names that can give you some power over your own bad speaking habits.
1. The “uh” and the “ummm”

“So, ummm, what I’d, uh, like to, uh, talk about today is, uh, the weekly finance figures and, ummm, and how they, ummm, how they impact the, uh, monthly projections.”

No, really. People do talk this way. If you don’t believe me, read it out loud and it won’t sound quite so outlandish.

It is human nature to sprinkle speech with these fillers when we get nervous. In a public speaking setting though these fillers can seriously detract from your listeners’ ability to care about what you are saying. Break this habit early.
2. The jingle

One of my favorite deadlies is the jingle, and I most often see it manifest with men who jingle what sounds like $80 in nickels stowed in their pants pockets.

If you are a jingler, and you know who you are, empty your pockets. Do not carry keys, change, or RAM chips in your pockets. No chapstick, no lipstick. Nothing. I mean it. Your audience will thank you, and your message will have one less thing to compete with for your audience’s attention.
3. Cup talking, face stroking, and the adjustment

If you aren’t a jingler, then you might fit into this category. Happily, I fit into both categories so I have a long pre-talk checklist.

When I speak in front of larger groups, for whatever reason, my throat goes dry pretty quickly and so I usually have a cup or bottle of something on the podium to drink. Early on, however, I formed a bad habit: cup talking. I would usually take a drink at a pause in the presentation, for example following an audience question. Then, intent upon answering the question and not paying attention to the cup, I’d start talking before the cup was away from my mouth, muffling the first part of the answer.

The same kind of problem happens when you are constantly stroking your chin/check/neck or adjusting your tie/jacket/microphone. Be aware of what your audience hears.
4. Appearing alive, but not too much so

While most of us fall in the middle of the expressiveness range in a public setting, we all need to be aware of the dangers that lie at the two extremes.

On the one end is the speaker who stands rooted to one spot, hands white-knuckle clenched on either side of a lectern, evidently battling each word out of his mouth through an expenditure of self control that would make Saint Francis look like a lush. On the other end is hopped-up-on-speed-guy. He doesn’t stand still for a second and is really Really REALLY excited about every single word he has to say.

Yikes. I’ve seen them both, and once or twice I’ve probably been both. As with most things in life, the key to deciding how animated you need to be is to search for moderation.
5. The block

The block happens when a speaker puts up a slide and then promptly stands in front of it. The block is most commonly spotted in the wild when an overhead projector is being used, but there is no technology that’s completely immune from the block. So your speaking skills are going to have to compensate. Know where your projector is, and where you can stand without blocking the information you are there to share.
6. The rush

You’re really nervous. You’ve rehearsed your talk a million times, and even taped some of the practice sessions. You’ve had good feedback, and worked on crushing a couple habits. Then it’s show time and you turn an hour’s worth of material into a 20-minute stream of information concentrate, thank the audience for their time, and bolt out the door.

You actually rehearsed so much that you memorized a script, and once the time came to recite that script, you went to town. Prepare; just don’t over prepare.
7. Communing with nature

When you are speaking to a group you are supposed to be having a conversation with that group. If you think back on your conversations today I’ll bet that most of them had one thing in common: you were talking to your conversational partner. As in facing him or her. Making eye contact. Not facing the opposite direction, not looking at notes, not staring out the window.

The rules don’t change when you are the only one standing, and everyone else is listening to you. Don’t talk to the screen. Don’t talk to your note cards. Don’t talk to your coffee. Look your audience in the eye and talk directly to them.

Thank you.

Bad Public Speaking Examples

A video explaining what not to do when your giving a speech.




Assignment: Please write your comments on this clip-(5%).
Thank you.

Public Speaking Exercises

Impressive, captivating and arresting are the benchmarks of a seasoned public speaker. While it may look all so flashy and easy to address an audience, believe it or not, being on the stage with the limelight on you can be extremely grueling and for some dreadful as well. Remember, public speaking does not solely depend on your script. There are a number of factors that need to be considered to become a good orator. Right from eye contact to your posture, volume and speed of speech to the tone and infliction, the list of parameters that need attention is endless. For a novice speaker, the best bet would be to indulge in exercises that are truly designed for enhancing public speaking capability. Apart from helping you strengthen your weakness, these exercises would give a boost to your confidence level. In the following lines, we have provided valuable public speaking exercises, just for you.

Easy Public Speaking Exercises

Record Yourself

Undoubtedly, recording yourself is the best way to judge your public speaking skills. It gives you an opportunity to judge yourself the best way possible. You might have prepared an impressive speech and worked upon your vocal skills as well, but chances are that at the time of speaking you can fail to create the kind of impression that you thought of. Recording your performance at practice session is the best way to grow as an orator or public speaker.

The record would act like a mirror reflecting your highs and lows. It would showcase all the negativities wherein you need to work about and the positive that need some refinement. Questions like, do you connect to the audience, do you have a tendency to read, never looking up from your notes to acknowledge listeners or is your cadence too rapid, would all be answered immediately, after watching the tape. This would allow you to focus your attention on certain important aspects and evaluate yourself correctly.

The Magic Of Tongue Twisters

Did you know that practicing tongue twisters is the best way to attain clarity of speech and diction? Most orators or spokesperson indulge in practicing tongue twisters. These not only give you an excellent diction, but also help you attain proper cadence or tempo of speech. Tongue twisters also make you aware of what you are saying and how you are saying it. The best deal would be to practice a few, right before the performance. It would surely give you the 'warm up' you required. Some of the tongue twisters you can practice are 'New York’s unique. Unique New York, You know you love unique New York'; 'Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers' and 'Red leather, yellow leather'.

Instant Speaking Game

A fun exercise to improve public speaking skills would be to indulge in at least 15 minutes of instant speaking game everyday. The game can either be played all alone or with a partner. In case you are playing with a partner, let him/her give you a topic at random. Upon getting the topic, you need to speak on it for about a minute. For those playing all alone, newspaper would be a great option to get the topics. Choose a headline in random and speak on it for about a minute. This way you would not only improve your speaking skills, but also your brainpower. Also interactive sessions held after public speaking would be a cakewalk for you after practicing this exercise, as it helps you answer the most unexpected of questions, with ease.

Voice Projection

What is the point of speaking, when the audience cannot hear you? Just like the speech, voice projection is an important factor to consider. Weak voices (by weak, I do not mean soft) lack confidence and give an impression of fear, nervousness and anxiety. As per the rule of thumb, your voice should come from your lung and not from your mouth or throat alone. A voice coming out from the lungs would be strong, confident and impressive. If you have a voice projection problem, indulge in regular exercise. Deep breath with an attempt to move both hands out as far as possible. This is belly breathing. If you breathe this way and speak simultaneously, your voice would surely be the fullest, strongest and richest. This is because you would be using your lung up to the full capacity. Make sure you make no noise while breathing. Practice these exercise and you would surely be a good orator!

Thank you.

Public Speaking Body Language Mistakes ? Gestures, Movement, Posture & Facial Expressions

Non-verbal communication, or body language, is an important part of public speaking Your body language includes your posture, movement, gestures, facial expressions, eye contact and voice

Non-verbal communication, or body language, is an important part of public speaking. Your body language includes your posture, movement, gestures, facial expressions, eye contact and voice. At the very least, your body language should not distract the audience and with a little practice, it can help you convey confidence and help the audience see your message more clearly.

Here are the most common gesture, movement, posture and facial expression mistakes:

GESTURE MISTAKES
? Not using gestures at all. If you keep your hands locked at your sides, you will look nervous and your presentation will lack the visual element to accompany and enhance your words.

? Keeping your hand in your pockets. This position leads down the slippery slope to slouching and a sloppier posture. And you also may unconsciously start playing with the keys or change in your pocket (yes, I''ve seen ? and heard ? it happen!).

? Fidgeting with your hands. Be aware of what your hands are doing, such as "washing" each other, grasping each other tightly, fiddling with your watch or jewelry, etc. One of my public speaking coaching clients rolled and unrolled his shirt sleeves while he presented (we solved that problem by having him wear short sleeves). If you must hold something, such as your notes or the PowerPoint remote, be conscious of how you are holding it. Too often the item becomes something for you to play with unconsciously, or in the cause of notes, a crutch that prevents you from looking at the audience.

? Holding your hands behind your back. This gesture usually resembles that of a child reciting a poem at a school assembly. When not gesturing, your hands should be in the "neutral position," hanging loosely at your sides.

? Pointing at the audience. Yes, your mother was right ? it''s not polite to point. Try an open-handed gesture instead.

? Folding your arms across your chest. Even if you are only doing this because you feel cold, this gesture will most likely be interpreted as your closing yourself off from the audience.

? Gripping the podium. This gesture is usually accompanied by the "deer in the headlights" look. If you''re using a podium, place your hands lightly on the top of it or in a relaxed hold on the edges.

? Using stilted gestures. Your gestures should be natural and flow smoothly rather than looking forced or robotic.

? Using overly rehearsed gestures. I once saw a speaker fall to his knees during his speech, which was unnecessary and struck the audience as melodramatic and insincere.

MOVEMENT MISTAKES
? Moving without purpose. Most of the time you should stand confidently in one place rather than pacing back and forth or walking aimlessly. If you do need to move, it should have a purpose. For example, walk confidently to the front of the room before you begin speaking and walk with purpose to the flipchart or to the computer.

? Shifting from your weight from one foot to the other. Many people do this unconsciously and sometimes because their feet hurt (hint: wear comfortable shoes!). Instead, stand with your feet firmly planted on the floor, with your weight equally distributed on both feet.

? Hiding behind a desk, podium or flipchart. If the room configuration is set up so you are partially obscured behind something, then you have to rely more heavily on your voice and facial expressions to convey meaning. If you are nervous and feel exposed when there''s nothing between you and the audience, practice, practice, practice ? in front of the mirror, on video, in front of a friendly group of colleagues. If you must stand behind something, do so with assurance and not as if you are shrinking from the audience.

POSTURE MISTAKES
? Standing too stiffly. Yes, you should stand up straight but it should be natural, not like you are frozen at attention. Keep your shoulders back and hold your head up so you can make eye contact. This posture conveys confidence and helps you breathe more fully.

? Slouching and keeping your head down. Not only does it prevent you from looking at the audience, but it also conveys nervousness and makes it harder for the audience to hear you.

FACIAL EXPRESSION MISTAKES
? Not smiling, ever. Unless you are delivering horrible news, it is appropriate for you to smile, even in a business setting. Smiling will relax you and, in turn, relax the audience.

? Smiling too much, especially when delivering bad news. You may be smiling or even giggling because you are very nervous, but it undermines the seriousness of your message and your sincerity. If you smile broadly or giggle while announcing mass layoffs, for example, your audience will interpret it as a sign of your lack of concern.
If you eliminate these body language mistakes from your presentation, you''ll come across as more confident and sincere and you''ll be able to communicate more effectively. Your body language will reinforce your message to the audience rather than distract from it.

Thank you.

Public Speaking: Confident Posture

Did you know that it only takes about 3 seconds for people to pass judgement on you when they meet you? There are tons of different non-verbal factors that come into play here (I'll keep you guessing and save them for future posts). The factor I'd like to look at today is your posture.

Remember that people judge you from the minute they see you, not the minute you step on stage or to the front of the boardroom. Begin preparing yourself for your talk before you enter the room you'll be speaking in.

Push your shoulders back, raise your chin, pull in that belly and stick out that chest. It's amazing how when you look confident you also feel more confident. Enter the room like you own the place. You have every right to be there. Everyone who is there is there because they want to hear what you have to say. Your thoughts and words are important. Your posture should also show that!

In addition, proper posture will help you with your breathing and voice projection during your talk. By standing up straight with your chin slightly higher than horizontal you are actually opening up your airway. This is important for voice projection since your voice travels on your exhaling breath. You need to be able to take a nice deep breath and use your diaphragm to push that air out again.

Thank you.

Presentation Skills: Body Language

The Eyes Have It, And They're All On You...and Your Gestures

The most important visual is you. Let's start with one simple truth: The most important visual in a presentation is not that dazzling animation or PowerPoint slide overflowing with data. The most important visual is you. And when presenting, a large part of the "visual you" is conveyed in your body language. Study after study confirms that gesture, movement, and facial expression contribute significantly to helping your listeners grasp what you say.

One study, done several years ago at the University of Chicago, examined "the spontaneous, ephemeral, made-up-on-the fly" gesturing we do every day. It concluded that at least half of language is imagery and that body language gives form to that imagery more than spoken words.

"Gesture is a hand movement that is as much a part of language as speech."

"When we're speaking, we're thinking in two forms simultaneously," the study noted. "Speech and gesture are one system. Gesture is a hand movement that is as much a part of language as speech."

So, when you're presenting at the front of the room with your hands resting limp at your sides, you're diminishing your listeners' ability to appreciate your ideas. The same Chicago study claimed that speaking without gesturing could cause an audience to miss large chunks of your presentation.

So how do you gesture? And how do you make it both effective and natural?
Gestures need to arise from the content of talk and fit both the circumstance and your own personal style. However, they also need to be effective. There are some core guidelines to delivering effective gestures. What feels natural or comfortable is not always what works.

Many people gesture during a group presentation the same way they do when they're talking one-on-one. This is their accustomed habit so it feels comfortable. Other people's gestures become constrained both in size and frequency when they stand up in front of an audience. All these people are probably not gesturing at their best.

One-on-one gestures tend to be small. They are right for an audience of one, not twenty one or 501. The bigger the audience, the bigger the gestures need to be. One rough gauge is that gestures should be large enough to embrace most of the audience. This doesn't work for audiences of 1000s (unless your arms are really long), but it is a good reminder to scale up the gestures to match the size of the room.

Penguins can be cute, but they're not good presenters.

One key to enlarging gestures is to start them from the shoulder. Wrist or elbow gestures are automatically smaller and tend to be limited in their variety, too. In fact, this is the single most common problem that drives people to "repetitive gesturing." If you keep making the same gesture, it rapidly becomes meaningless and ultimately annoying to the audience. The misguided feedback becomes "Stop talking with your hands!" The better feedback would be to start really talking with your hands-to make your hands more powerful and expressive.

Next, make sure your gestures are high enough. Low gestures draw the eyes of the audience down and away from your face. They become distractions. If you watch for it, you can sometimes catch people doing a vague imitation of penguins, with their hands flipping about at their waists. Penguins can be cute, but they're not good presenters.

Finally, tap your own natural style, but then expand on it. Try doing what feels "natural" and then make it bigger. If you don't naturally gesture at all, start by just adding one or two gestures to a sentence you practice in private. Try using words that have obvious gestures associated with them (large, tall, small, all, etc.). It probably will not feel or look natural at first, but, with a bit of practice, you can build on your innate gestural vocabulary to become a more powerful and eloquent speaker.

Thank you.

How to Identify Speech Anxiety Symptoms

Public speaking is difficult for many people. While some try to avoid it at all costs, others don't have that option. If you can't get over your fear, the next best thing is to recognize your speech anxiety symptoms and try to overcome them. Use the following steps to help you identify your speech anxiety symptoms.

1. Listen to your voice. If your voice is shaky, cracking, uneven, or low in volume, you are showing signs of speech anxiety.

2. Check your fluency. Are you keeping a good pace when you speak?

3. Notice if you do anything with your throat. Do you clear your throat a lot? Does your throat get dry or scratchy?

4. Recognize any erratic breathing. This is common in all situations that deal with fear and nervousness. It can be distracting to the audience while you're speaking.

5. Notice your facial expressions. Your eyes can be moving in an unusual manner or not at all. Your nervousness can show on your face. Some people scrunch their face.

6. Notice any abnormal activity in your arms and hands. Shaking or sweaty hands are common. Also, some people hold their arms stiffly so that they don't move.

7. Check your body movement. Are you swaying, pacing, leaning, or moving in an odd manner?

8. Check how you feel. You could have butterflies in your stomach or even feel hot. You'll start to sweat, literally.

Tips : Videotape yourself during a speech and evaluate your behavior.

Thank you.