Tag: public speaking

6 Steps to Follow to Give a Truly Meaningful Eulogy

In this post I give you six steps that you can follow to make preparing and presenting a eulogy rewarding for you, those attending the funeral and an opportunity to say all those things that you really want to share with those who your loved one or close friend was close with throughout their life.

Want To Be Funny? Read These 5 Tips

Using humour effectively in speeches can be really hard. To be honest, using humour in any walk of life can be really hard. However, humour is also a key part of getting your audience to realise and buy into the importance of message you are trying to communicate. Your chances of connecting with your audience and getting your point across increases dramatically if you can work humour into your next speech. So if you’re not naturally a funny, quick witted person, what do you do?

How To “Gamify” Your Public Speaking

In this post we discuss a potential strategy for not only improving your public speaking skills, but a possible method of developing, encouraging and improving participation in your public speaking group. This is through the relatively recent development of a system known as “Gamification”. But what exactly is Gamification?

7 Easy Strategies for Giving Great Impromptu Speeches

We don’t all start out with an amazing skill for impromptu speaking. Most of us start by failing a few times and improving once we have learnt from our experience. Don’t sweat about making mistakes early on, it’s expected. My first experience with impromptu speaking did not go down well at all. Conveniently, it was at a Toastmasters session so the group were very supportive and offered constructive advice to help me improve. I vividly remember how I felt and my actions on the day however, I have no recollection of the topic I was asked to speak on or even what I said. All I recall is my mind going blank, fumbling out the first words that came to mind, whether they made sense or not, and eventually sitting down in defeat. Needless to say, if it wasn’t for the support of my peers, I would have quit trying right there and then (well… maybe). My advice is, while it may be very hard at first, and you will certainly make mistakes, it does get easier. All you need is a good strategy, and I give that to you one of those here.

Lessons in Public Speaking from Game of Thrones

As any fan of the Game of Thrones would tell you, the insanely popular fantasy series features some of the best writing and dialogue ever seen on screen. Every episode sees the sharp-tongued characters trade verbal daggers full of wisdom, sarcasm and rhyme. For those wanting to improve their communication skills, the show is a gold mine of lessons, incredible examples and inspiration.

Should You Use Medication to Manage Your Fear of Public Speaking?

In my last blog post we discussed a variety of strategies to help overcome your fear or phobia of public speaking. One strategy discussed was the use of medication to aid in reducing your anxiety. While this isn’t a method recommended to everyone, for those with severe anxiety or a genuine public speaking phobia, this may be considered a suitable option.

So should you use medication to manage your fear of public speaking or are there other alternatives?

You Don’t Fear Public Speaking More Than Death – But You Still Need to Manage Your Fear

First, the good news: It’s not true that most people fear public speaking more than death. Recently, two University of Nebraska communications professors confirmed through their research that public speaking is more likely to be a common fear, rather than the worst fear, with death being more sternly feared by comparison.

The bad news is that, being a common fear, plenty of people do suffer when it comes to public speaking.
So what do we do to combat our fear or phobia?

Virtual Reality – Can it Cure Your Fear of Public Speaking?

Got a presentation coming up? Between keeping your thoughts straight, sticking to the time limit and braving an audience, public speaking can be challenging and incredibly daunting.You’ve read all the known tips that could help you give a good presentation, and while they are certainly helpful, they’re not taking your fear completely away. So what if you had the opportunity to practice in front of a live audience, in a way that would make you more comfortable with the situation, and boost your confidence. Is this possible? Read on to find out.

What To Do When You Have a “Brain Fart”

At some point or another, you are going to have that “brain fart” in front of an audience. It will happen. You’re going to say something you didn’t mean that will either be highly offensive or highly embarrassing. You’re going to blankly stare at your screen when you forget the argument or statement that you’ve never had problems remembering before. You’re going to accidentally horribly insult someone, and it was the last possible thing you meant to do. These events happen, thankfully not too often. So what do you do to manage these utterly horrendous situations?

Hostile Audience? Here’s 5 Tips to Help You Win Them Over

Every day, presenters deal with hostile audiences in a wide variety of places: a manager announcing a new and likely to be poorly received Human Resources policy, a CEO addressing customer complaints, or a popular sports person explaining away a doping scandal. All these scenarios pose the same challenge: How do you win the hearts and minds of a hostile crowd?

Make Your Speech Unforgettable Through Storytelling

You’re doing a presentation, so you should start with the facts you want to get across right? Wrong! A good public speaker takes their audience on a journey, leaving them feeling inspired, motivated and completely on board with your message. But structuring your speech to get your ideas across and keep your audience engaged all the way through to the end can be tricky.