PUBLIC SPEAKING
3 Ways To Be More Expressive In Public Speaking
If you find that you have difficulty speaking with emotion when addressing an audience, then your nervousness is in control and you are not. When that happens, it is not easy to allow for any expression in public speaking aside from the look of near death because you are allowing for your ‘flight’ response to have the upper hand instead of your ‘fight’ response.
We make public speaking more difficult than it really is because of the unknown. What could go wrong? Will you make a fool of yourself? Admittedly, if you are not prepared and have not rehearsed your material, then there is much more likelihood that your results will be less than ideal.
Assuming, however, that you know your material and have practiced it out loud diligently, you have much less to fear. In that sense, taking control of your nervousness and putting it to good use, can make your delivery that much more interesting and effective. And that means allowing for your emotion to be seen and to be heard.
1. When you present your material, use variety in your voice. You can slow down, speed up, change the tone of your voice, pause, use force on a particular word or words, change the inflection – all characteristics that you probably make use of in normal conversation. There really is no difference between relaying a story to your friends or family and relaying a story or an anecdote to those in an audience.
2. Speak with your face. If your words are hopeful, you may lift your eyebrows; if your words are humorous, you should smile or laugh; if your words are questioning, your brow may furrow. Again, these are all typical means of facial expression you would use when talking to family or friends.
3. Speak with your body. A great problem for many speakers is knowing what to do with their hands in public speaking. Let me ask you, what do you do with your hands when you are in conversation? Do they hang limply at your sides or do you express yourself with them? Do you move when talking to your friends, switching your wait from one leg to the other, for example? Does your head move as you look from one person to another?
If you do all of these things when talking to others in conversation, why should you not do the exact same thing at the lectern, or on the podium or stage?
If you will allow yourself to be you the next time you give a speech or presentation, you may be pleasantly surprised at how expressive you really are.
By: The Voice Lady
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. For more information on upcoming workshops, visit Voice Dynamic.
If you find that you have difficulty speaking with emotion when addressing an audience, then your nervousness is in control and you are not. When that happens, it is not easy to allow for any expression in public speaking aside from the look of near death because you are allowing for your ‘flight’ response to have the upper hand instead of your ‘fight’ response.
We make public speaking more difficult than it really is because of the unknown. What could go wrong? Will you make a fool of yourself? Admittedly, if you are not prepared and have not rehearsed your material, then there is much more likelihood that your results will be less than ideal.
Assuming, however, that you know your material and have practiced it out loud diligently, you have much less to fear. In that sense, taking control of your nervousness and putting it to good use, can make your delivery that much more interesting and effective. And that means allowing for your emotion to be seen and to be heard.
1. When you present your material, use variety in your voice. You can slow down, speed up, change the tone of your voice, pause, use force on a particular word or words, change the inflection – all characteristics that you probably make use of in normal conversation. There really is no difference between relaying a story to your friends or family and relaying a story or an anecdote to those in an audience.
2. Speak with your face. If your words are hopeful, you may lift your eyebrows; if your words are humorous, you should smile or laugh; if your words are questioning, your brow may furrow. Again, these are all typical means of facial expression you would use when talking to family or friends.
3. Speak with your body. A great problem for many speakers is knowing what to do with their hands in public speaking. Let me ask you, what do you do with your hands when you are in conversation? Do they hang limply at your sides or do you express yourself with them? Do you move when talking to your friends, switching your wait from one leg to the other, for example? Does your head move as you look from one person to another?
If you do all of these things when talking to others in conversation, why should you not do the exact same thing at the lectern, or on the podium or stage?
If you will allow yourself to be you the next time you give a speech or presentation, you may be pleasantly surprised at how expressive you really are.
By: The Voice Lady
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. For more information on upcoming workshops, visit Voice Dynamic.
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If They All Came To Hear You Speak, Don't Just Focus On One Person!
Every once in a while, I watch a speaker who has a great message but whose delivery is marred by one major flaw: he or she directs his or her attention to only one person in the room. It is unnerving because I feel that the speaker is not interested in talking to me.
There is only one reason for this to happen and it is called nervousness. The speaker believes – probably because he/she has been taught to do this in some course on public speaking – that when you are nervous, you should focus your attention (stare) at one particular person in the audience and you will feel much better.
Why would you feel better, when you are addressing 20, 50, 100 or 500 people, to acknowledge only 1 individual in that group? Do not all those in your audience deserve the same treatment?
Good public speaking skills include acknowledging your audience and being aware of their reaction or their response to you. If you are focused on only one person in the room, then you will be unable to perceive that response. By directing your gaze to various areas of your audience, however, those within that particular section will think you are talking directly to them.
The best means of practicing this technique is to address 2 or more of your friends or family members, moving your gaze from one individual to another – just as you would were you having a conversation with them. While a group of 4 or 5 is ideal, you can definitely practice with just 2 others in the room.
If speaking to a group is not possible, you can use stuffed animals. When I have a private client in my studio who is working on his/her presentation skills, I will place large stuffed animals in the various seats throughout the room, which gives my client the ability to practice moving his/her gaze from one ‘animal’ to another. This is most effective and it works.
Everyone in your audience came to hear you speak to them – not just one individual. Make it a point to acknowledge all in your audience the next time you deliver a speech or presentation. You will be surprised at how much more relaxed you will feel if you can learn to scan the room, remembering those on your far left as well as those on your right. Only then will you be successfully communicating with your audience.
By: The Voice Lady
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. To see how voice training can improve your life, both professionally and personally, visit Voice Dynamic or watch a brief video as The Voice Lady describes Dynamic Public Speaking.
If Your Eyes Are The Windows To Your Soul, What Do Yours Reveal In Public Speaking?
When I work with my clients in color – the life, the emotion, the animation we express in speaking – one of the many exercises we cover is one in which they must say, “She said yes,” in a fearful manner. Many people have difficulty saying those three words as if they were in fear. Of course, I jokingly tell them to imagine that their mother-in-law is coming to stay with them for 6 months! Upon hearing this, many are then able to express those words admirably.
The singular, most important aspect in their terrified countenance is what happens to their eyes: they open wide and you can see and almost feel their fear.
You have probably heard someone being described as having cold, lifeless eyes or maybe an individual has warm, inviting eyes. Our eyes are indeed the windows to our soul as was said in Matthew, one of the Gospels in the Bible: goodness can be seen in one’s eyes as well as evil.
For the purposes of public speaking, however, your eyes can say many things about you, the most common of which may be fear. While some of my clients may have difficulty showing fear in a role-play situation, were they placed on a stage for the purpose of addressing an audience, indeed, the fear in their eyes might well be the only emotion they do express!
In the movie, Witness, there is a scene in which a young Amish boy has witnessed a murder. While at the police station, looking at a cabinet filled with awards and trophies, he sees a picture of the man who committed the murder. His eyes immediately express both recognition and fear. You, the viewer, do not see what the child is seeing; however, he does not need to say a word for you to understand what his eyes are expressing.
When you are speaking, be it at the lectern or just in conversation, what are your eyes saying? Do you allow your emotions to be seen? Are you able to show joy, disbelief, sadness, enthusiasm, anger, pain as well as fear just by means of your eyes? If you are unsure, watch yourself in the mirror as you express those emotions with the simple words, She said yes. This is an excellent exercise to begin the process of speaking with color.
Those who speak in a monotone are considered boring and often their eyes are lifeless and indifferent. Your eyes truly are the windows to your soul. Use them when you speak and your emotions will be seen as well as heard.
By: The Voice Lady
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. Visit Voice Dynamic or watch Nancy in a brief video as she describes The Power of Your Voice.