Guides

Vocal and Visual Dynamics Make a Difference!

Talking and speaking are different. If you want to speak well, you make conscious choices about how to use your voice and body This guide explains your different options and how to enhance communicating with any audience.

Effective stories are key to your success. Research shows the human brain is wired for stories. Stories also have a greater impact on us (our audiences) than statistics, facts, and figures. Stories will make your facts and figures more persuasive. A good story makes your ideas more interesting and your presentation more entertaining. And today’s audiences expect to entertained!

Communication has two main components: the rational the emotional. Unfortunately, the rational presented alone—such as in hard data and facts—can be dry. And facts quoted in speeches can make listeners fall asleep. Then what can we do to get the message across better?

Understanding Your Nerves and Saving Yourself in Any Situation

Acknowledging your anxiety is the first step towards overcoming it. Understand that nervousness is common: even experienced speakers feel it. Identify the triggers that cause your stress and develop techniques to manage them. Breathing exercises, positive self-talk, and visualization can help you stay calm and focused before and during your presentation.

Before you start writing, here are four key questions that can help you create an outstanding keynote. You can use them as your guide for the writing your draft. If you answer these questions before you start to write, you’ll streamline your efforts and produce a cohesive, organized presentation. Plus, you’ll save time!

The oral arena of public speaking is the most powerful venue for influencing listeners. The fundamental problem is that we probably don't sound the way we want to come across. That's because writing and speaking are two distinctly different forms of communication. They differ in their rhythms, use of language, and of most important, what can be absorbed in real time by the reader versus the listener.