- Get a standing ovation at your next speech?
- Feel more confident at your own presentation?
- Earn the respect that you deserve?
- Have fun during your presentation?
If you answered “yes” to any of these important stress producers, then you are in the right place! This blog post will show you EASY ways to create a speech that your audience will appreciate and that you will actually enjoy.
I had the honor of being my grandson’s tutor for his Bar Mitzvah speech. The portion that I helped Dylan with was in English. The Temple asked me to help him since I am a keynote presenter and consultant who writes my own material. I jumped at the chance and didn’t realize that this experience was going to be such a highlight in my life. Many of my clients share that they create a lot of stress and conflict for themselves when they have to make a presentation. Believe me they are NOT alone!
It took us over a year to do the research and develop Dylan’s paper.
He had to find 2 heroes that represented his values. Dylan selected Simcha Blass (the Israeli inventor of drip irrigation) and Salva Dut (who develops wells in South Sudan with his project “Water for South Sudan.) Dylan thought that we were almost done. Here is where the fun began! Please try these tips when you develop your own speech.
I asked Dylan to read his speech out loud. He did and like any good coach I asked him, “What did you like about your presentation and where can you improve?” His answer was perfect when he said, “I liked the content but I was bored when I read it out loud.”
We usually fall in love with our words of wisdom which is good. The first step is to create an interesting speech. I find that most people miss the second step…which is delivery. Think of a time when you heard a speaker and you bored out of your mind. The content was probably good BUT it is all about delivery. The delivery part of the project took 6 months. We immediately fixed the part where he was bored.
Here are the secrets on why he received a standing ovation:
- We placed the symbols >>> where he needed to pause
- We highlighted the areas where there was humor and placed a 🙂 at the end of the sentence so he would smile. This gave a hint to the audience and sure enough they laughed during these great moments
- We underlined words that needed emphasis
- We marked sentences where he needed to lower his voice
- We found stories in his own life so the audience could relate
He worked on this part for weeks and guess what happened? His presentation was not only informative, humorous, and delivered like a professional…he also received a standing ovation. This is not typical when a 13 year old gives a speech!
What can we all learn from this?
- Be yourself and make sure to add humor in your speech. I’m not talking about jokes!
- Decide where you need to slow down, emphasize words, and lower your voice.
- Add stories from your own experience. I don’t care what topic you are speaking about because this personalizes your ideas.
- Prepare, prepare and prepare so your audience thinks that you are relaxed and an expert.
The experience that Dylan and I had was priceless. The lessons that we both learned were amazing. I hope that these ideas will help you create future speeches that will reduce stress and conflict for you. Please feel free to ask me questions about your own presentation skills. I look forward to answering your questions. If you need another pair of eyes to see how you can improve your speech, please feel free to contact me.
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Please let others know about these blog posts on reducing conflict at the workplace and home. There may be someone in your life who is experiencing some stress… who could benefit from the inspiration and knowledge on improving their working condition or home life.
Until next time,
This is Joyce Weiss, Conflict Resolution Consultant
I help others have tough conversations so they get a better night’s sleep.
Remember…You Get What YOU Tolerate!
PS If you want to learn how to Communicate with Impact please read this description about a powerful On-Line Master Communication Course. The course will teach you how to improve your communication at meetings, deal with bullies and negative people, and reduce conflict in the workplace. Feel free to call me for more details on how I will be your coach for 2 months. The course only requires a few minutes of work per day. Call today (800.713.1926) to start improving your communication so you can earn the respect that you deserve!
Walter Pelowski says
Great blog post, thanks for sharing! Even though I give presentations as part of my job, I can learn from this as well. I really like ideas mentioned in the “Secrets” section.
Even though my presentations typically aren’t scripted, I do like having some icons/symbols/emoticons conveying ways I’d like to deliver certain pieces of content. That’s a great idea. Thanks.
Walter
Jerry weiss says
That was a very powerful blog. You hit it right on. I have personal knowledge of the great job that you did
Harriet Meyerson says
Mazel Tov on your grandson’s Bar Mitzvah, and kudos to you for being his tutor. It’s amazing what young people can do when they have expert guidance and direction.
I have been watching your 20 tips video series and have learned a lot from the practical communication strategies in them.
I work with workplace leaders who want to improve employee morale, and many find that dealing with difficult employees can be an overwhelming challenge. Therefore, I especially like your tagline, “You get what your tolerate.” It gives a lot of food for thought.
Joyce Weiss says
Thanks Harriet
You are right about the amazement about young people! I’m thrilled that you are watching the videos! Do you remember how you found them or who referred you to the site? What a GREAT job you have. Feel free to ask me any questions. Do you ever bring in outside consultants to bring in another perspective? Let me know and thanks for your comments. Keep them coming!!
Joyce Weiss says
Thanks Jerry
Yes, you know about the time that Dylan and I spent on the project. Hope that the tips will help you during depositions or when you are in court. Let me know and keep your comments coming!
Joyce Weiss says
Thanks Walter
These tips can help when you prepare your unscripted programs. I decide ahead of time how I can bring the speech to life. I would love to hear you one day! Please continue reading my blog and I look forward to hearing comments from you. Specifically what do you do and who do you give presentations to?
Walter Pelowski says
Yes, I agree. I do plan to use some of these tips when I plan out new talks.
I work at TechSmith Corporation as a Customer Solutions Engineer. I often give demos/webinars to customers showing them how our software could help them. I’ve also done a number of trainings and a bunch of value-proposition presentations in my day.
Due to the fact that most of my presentations are unscripted, I sometimes struggle with how to incorporate notes in the more formal presentations. (It almost feels like “cheating” to me for whatever reason.) I think that these tips will help to break me of that mindset and will result in a more polished presentation.
Thanks again.