Cathy Stucker - The Idea Lady

Attract Customers and Make Yourself Famous

Will Speak for Food

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Nothing says “expert” like standing at the front of the room, giving a speech. And it is easier than you may think. Here is how to start building your business with public speaking—even if you think you could never give a speech.

Many people, perhaps including you, are afraid to speak in public. Studies have reported that public speaking is the #1 fear of most people, even ahead of death. (Or, as Jerry Seinfeld put it, at the average funeral more people would rather be in the coffin than delivering the eulogy.) The best way to overcome your fear is to start speaking. It gets easier with experience.

To get practice in a supportive environment, join Toastmasters. Members give prepared and impromptu speeches and receive feedback on their strengths and how to improve their skills. To find a chapter near you, go to www.Toastmasters.org.

Every day, there are meetings of networking groups, professional associations and community organizations all over town. Many of those meetings need speakers. Most won’t pay you, but they will give you exposure, and usually lunch, too. While the Chicken ala King may not be anything special, the opportunity to reach an audience will build your reputation and cause customers to seek you out. [Read more…]

Conquer the Fear of Public Speaking

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What do you think of the video? Would you like to see Professor Hans Von Puppet in more videos here at IdeaLady.com? Let me know by posting your thoughts in the comments.

Do you have a fear of public speaking? Lots of people, even accomplished speakers, do. But don’t let it stop you from giving a great speech. Here are some tips to help you get past the fear. [Read more…]

Improve Your Public Speaking Skills

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Speaking in public is scary to most people, but it is a very effective way to grow your business and build your expert reputation. Good speaking skills are an asset, and everyone can be a better speaker than they are currently.

The single best way to improve your speaking skills is to practice speaking at every opportunity. Look for opportunities to speak in front of groups whenever you can. You might want to start with small groups and work up to larger ones, but practice, practice, practice!

Here are some ideas about how you can get more practice speaking and become a better public speaker.

Take an active role in your professional or community organization. When you accept a leadership position with a group you will be called upon to make short presentations regularly. You may be asked to give an update about your committee’s activities, introduce a speaker or chair a meeting. Each of these gives you the chance to practice speaking in front of a group of people.

Take an improv class. One of the reasons many people fear speaking is that they are afraid they will forget what they were going to say or that something will happen to distract them during their talk and take them off course. Learning improvisation skills will make you confident that you can handle anything that happens with skill and grace.

Join Toastmasters. There are Toastmasters groups everywhere, and joining a chapter near you will give you frequent opportunities to speak. The best part is that you will be in a supportive environment where the other members of the group will encourage you as you improve.

Record every presentation you give. Get a pocket-sized digital recorder and record every talk. We tend to be hypercritical when we hear ourselves, so listen to the recording not only to see how you can improve but to acknowledge what you do well.

Video tape yourself practicing your speech. Set up your video recorder at home or in your office and practice speaking. Watch yourself carefully to pick up good and bad mannerisms. Are your hands jingling keys in your pocket? Do you keep touching your tie? Are you blinking or otherwise looking nervous? Also watch for what you do right. Are your hand gestures natural? Do you have a great smile, and use it often?

Get honest feedback from others. Many years ago I was in a training program for speakers where we evaluated each other. After a presentation, each person in the class would tell the speaker one thing they had done well and one thing they could do better next time. Ask someone you trust and respect to do that for you. Constructive criticism (“Here is something you could do better next time…”) makes you better if you accept it and use it to improve.

After you have been speaking for a while, go back and listen to a recording (or watch a video) of one of your early presentations. You will be amazed at how much your speaking skills have improved!

How to Be a Good Audience Member

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When you go to a seminar or speech, you want the speaker to give a good performance. But do you do your part to make the event a success?

Having an audience that is involved and responsive not only makes the speaker feel better, it creates positive energy that makes the experience better for everyone.

Although good speakers will direct their attention to each section of the audience at various times during their talks, most will also choose a few people in the audience who will get more attention from them. That is because those audience members are giving them good feedback.

On more than one occasion, I have had speakers tell me that I was their “touchstone” or their “rock” during their presentations. They knew that when they looked at me, I would be paying attention and responding. That gave them (and their presentations) more energy and excitement.

Being a good audience member is good for you, too, because you will get more out of it when you are alert and involved with what the speaker is saying.

Here is how you can be a better audience:

Pay attention—and let the speaker know you are paying attention. Watch the speaker and really listen to what she is saying.

Be responsive. Make eye contact. Nod. Smile. Laugh at his jokes. Look serious when he tells a somber story. Let the speaker know he is getting through to you.

When the speaker tosses a question out to the audience, or does something that calls for a response, respond enthusiastically. Even if it just means giving a cheery, “Good morning!” in response to the speaker saying, “Good morning, everyone!”

Don’t look at your watch, check your email or text during the talk. The exception would be if it is appropriate to tweet updates from the presentation.

When tweets are displayed behind the speaker (as they are at many conferences) do not tweet something that will cause the audience to react and disrupt the presentation.

Don’t interrupt the presentation. Unless the speaker has indicated that you may ask questions at any time, hold your questions or comments until the end.

Ask good questions during the question and answer session. Don’t try to put the speaker on the spot, but ask a question that will help her to better develop a point she made during her presentation.

These all assume that the speaker is good. So what if the speaker is a dud? Even if you think the speaker isn’t interesting, give others the chance to listen. It should go without saying that you should not talk or be disruptive, but some audience members seem to believe that if they are not sufficiently entertained they should make their feelings known.

Make the most of the situation, and give the speaker a chance to win you over. You will both benefit from your effort.

Answering Questions After a Speech

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Some speakers absolutely dread taking questions after they have presented a talk. Although you can carefully script your presentation, you never know what questions will come up when you open it up to questions from the audience.

Will someone ask something you don’t know? Will there be questions you don’t even understand? Or, perhaps worst of all, will no one ask a question at all?

Here are some of the things that can go wrong—and how to handle them and come off looking good.

There is a deathly silence after you ask, “Are there any questions?”
Instead of asking if there are any questions ask, “Who wants to ask the first question?” If no one pipes up after a few seconds, ask, “So who wants to ask the second question?” That will probably get a chuckle (or at least a smile) and will loosen up the crowd a bit.

You can also plan for this beforehand. Ask a friend in the audience to ask a question if no one else does. Once the ice is broken, others will be willing to speak up. If you are really desperate, ask a question yourself. Say something like, “One of the questions I hear a lot is…” then give the question and answer it.

Someone asks a question that is specific to them, and not of interest to the rest of the group.
These questions are usually the type that go on forever, as the person wants to give you every detail of their personal situation. A good way to handle this is to find a place to gently interrupt and say, “I’m not sure I can answer your question properly in this public forum. Can you speak with me after we are finished here, so I can answer your question appropriately?”

You can not understand the question.
Whether the problem is that the audience member’s speech is difficult to understand (perhaps they speak with a heavy accent) or the question doesn’t make sense, one way to deal with this is to ask others in the audience to repeat the question to you.

Never blame the questioner: “I can’t understand a thing you are saying.” Instead say, “I’m sorry but I am having trouble hearing the question. Could someone help me out?” If you are in a group where the people know each other, they may be better able to understand the questioner and can tell you what was asked.

You do not know the answer to a question that was asked.
First of all, no one knows everything, not even you. Be willing to admit when you do not know an answer. If appropriate, offer to find the answer and get back to them. Then do so. Never bluff and pretend you know the answer when you don’t. Someone in the audience will know the answer, and you will lose credibility. And that reminds me of another way to deal with this. Say something such as, “I am not familiar with that. Does anyone else here know that answer to Mary’s question?”

You do not have a good way to close at the end of the question and answer session.
You may have given a dynamic speech and dazzled them with your ability to answer every question they threw at you, but if you close with, “Uh, well, if those are all the questions, I guess we’re done…” well, you’ve lost them at the very end.

Have a few sentences prepared that you will deliver at the end of the Q&A to close on a high note. Summarize your top points, remind them of any action steps, and thank them for coming to hear you speak. That is their cue to applaud wildly.

Question and answer sessions do not have to be frightening. Remember that the audience wants you to do well. Give them your best and respond to their questions in a genuine way, and they will become your fans.