If you are new to the blog, or maybe just scanned a few early articles, here are a few of my most popular posts. I hope that they serve as a great introduction to my writing, Toastmasters and the topic of public speaking mastery:

Toastmasters

How to be successful in Toastmasters - Part 1 of 2

How to be successful in Toastmasters - Part 2 of 2

Why Toastmasters Makes Sense in a Down Economy

Technical Aspects of Speaking

Educational Moment – Handing over control of the lectern

How to Nail an Introduction

How Rude: Don’t Be a Content Thief

Speaking Mastery

Quit Navel Gazing: It’s About the Audience

Epic Failure: How to Not Connect with the Audience

Being an Excellent Speaker

Speak to be Remembered and Repeated

Keep on speaking,
Chris Elliott

The Opening – A Boring Opening

“Thank you for inviting me to speak today. My name is Chris Elliott and I am going to talk to you about….”, so says the speaker that is putting the audience to sleep.

The first trap that will cause you not to connect with your audience is a boring opening. You can thank the organizers for bringing you in to speak after you are done. Your job during the opening is to start off with a story, a poignant result, or a key benefit that will capture the audience’s attention in the first few moments of your presentation. Failure to do so will label you as a boring speaker and you will not capture the full attention of the audience.

The Middle – The Curse of Knowledge

Lisa Braithwaite and I had a conversation about this on Twitter, which she summarized on her blog Speak Schmeak.

The Curse of Knowledge is a concept from the book Made to Stick. Basically it means that you know too much about a topic and talk as if everyone has the same knowledge of the topic as you. I see people fall into this trap this many times when hitting their stride in the middle of their speech. The Curse of Knowledge can strike in any presentations, but is most often seen in technical and academic presentations. It is demonstrated by speakers using technical lingo, buzzwords, or technical babble that not everyone knows.

The Close – Not Calling the Audience to Action

So you have avoided all of the Public Speaking Traps as you reach the end of your speech and have delivered a dynamic speech filled with relevant, useful, and engaging information. How do you conclude the speech? Do you just summarize what you told them, or do you call the audience to take action and use the information you have presented.

If you are just summarizing what you told the audience, then you are falling prey to the trap of not calling the audience to action which breaks the connection you have strived to keep through the presentation. Not calling the audience to action leaves them with a summary of what you talked about, but no marching orders on what to do next. That leaves the audience thinking, “OK that was a good speech, but now what?”

The trap of not connecting with your audience is the most important trap to avoid. It is filled with many other traps that can cause you to speak at and not with your audience. Avoiding the trap of not connecting is not easy and takes many hours of diligent preparation, practice, and coaching. As you study the traps of public speaking, I urge you to join Toastmasters, get a coach, and practice speaking with you audiences. I promise you that if you learn the essentials, your audience will thank you.

Repeat after me, “You do not have to speak like Tony Robbins when you are presenting.”

I am not trying to say that Tony Robbins is a bad example of a great speaker. You can learn a lot about connecting with an audience by watching Tony work a crowd. However, the trap many new speakers fall into when presenting is to trying to emulate other speakers, like Tony Robbins when they should be developing their own style that fits their personality.

Why People Try to Be Like Other Speakers

When you first get in front of an audience, you want to make a huge impact, connect with the audience, and inspire them to action. So what do you do? You might study other great speakers such as Darren LaCroix, Patricia Fripp, or the before mentioned Tony Robbins. The problem is that many times when we study other speakers, we start to try to speak like them, because unconsciously we think that their style works for them, so it has to work well for us. Speaking like someone else can make you seem inauthentic, kills the connection with the audience, and will not get you invited back to speak.

So what are you going to do to be more credible?

Be yourself when you are on the platform. When you are speaking, you are uniquely you and audiences can connect with someone that is being themselves. I know that you are thinking, that the real you isn’t good, well I have a solution for that, Practice.

If you are going to develop your own personality on the platform, you need to practice. Whether it is in Toastmasters or other organizations, you have to practice. Practicing your speaking is the best way your can learn what your real voice is on the platform and be authentic.

Another way that you can be authentic on stage is to deliver material that you have produced from your own life experiences. Don’t use other people’s ideas and experiences. Use your material from your own life and you will be authentic. Combined with time spent practicing and you will be yourself on stage.

So what are you doing today to be authentic, be credible, and discover your own voice?

Yesterday, while listening to a recording by one of the true masters of public speaking, Patricia Fripp, she said something in her talk that absolutely blew me into a stunned state, “Your job as a speaker is to be remembered and repeated.”, and then a few moments later, “What will people say about your speech 10 months from now?”

I remember hearing her say the same thing in teleconferences on the Champions’ Edge and at the Get Coached to Speak Champ Camp I attended a few months ago. However, the point did not stick at that time. I was too worried about the mechanics of my speech at the time to really sit down and focus on what the message was in my speech.

Upon contemplating this for awhile, I kept being drawn back into things people have been saying to me the past two weeks. Things like, “what is the point?”, “OK, that is the why but what is the how?”, or “what value does it add.”

How many times in your speech has someone said something like that to you?

We are too Focused on the Mechanics

It hurts, because we do get wrapped up in the mechanics more then the content. That is one of the flaws of Toastmasters. That is one of the reasons why after so many presentations, we only remember the ones that are designed to be “remembered and repeated.”

What lessons can you learn from this?

1. Make sure you have a clear and concise message before you sit down to prepare your speech.

2. Write down the key phrase that you want people to walk away saying after your presentation.

3. Make sure that the key phrase is short, connects to the purpose of the speech, and is something that can be repeated at key moments in the speech without sounding like you are trying to get people to memorize the phrase. Yes, that is tough, but audiences know when you are trying to trick them.

4. Most importantly, know your topic. You are far more likely to have key phrases in speeches that you have internalized then something you have put together at the last minute with little to no background on the subject of the speech.

Remember what Patricia Fripp said, “Speak to be remembered and repeated.”

How will you be remembered and repeated in your next speech?

Are You Ready to Take the Stage?

What is Excellence in Speaking?

Excellence in speaking is being so good, that everyone in the room wants you to speak as much as possible. An excellent speaker is alive with energy, has fully internalized their speech, and captivates and motivates an audience to action. Without gimmicks, without a sales pitch, and without having to be “perfect”, an excellent speaker gets us thinking about our life and how we can live it differently.

On Becoming Excellent

I have mentored and coached speakers ranging from professional trainers and presenters to people who have been scared to death of speaking in front of an audience. The trainers and presenters are similar; they are usually good but they want to be great. The people scared of speaking are usually bad, but they know that it is a fear to be conquered.

After six months of similar practice, both the professional and the neophyte can have the same level of speaking ability. The reality of speaking is that it does not take much practice to become a good speaker. For me, after just six months of Toastmasters, people would tell me that I should become a professional speaker. That I, “have what it takes.” However, they did not watch the tapes.

After watching the video tapes of my speeches, I realized that yes, I was good but I was not great. While my presentations might have impressed a group of Toastmasters, I did not have the content, the connection, and the sparkle that separated good from great. That gap is what most people don’t appreciate, other fear, and many more don’t understand the amount of work it takes to cross.

Why Would Someone Fear Excellence?

A fear of excellence can come from a fear of standing out, a fear of failure, or a fear of change. Self improvement junkies like me want to cross that gap, want to get better, and want to make a difference. Many people are not like me. There are many speakers in this world that don’t want to make a big splash, so they allow that fear to take hold. Those are the ones that do just enough to get good, but don’t cross over to excellence.

How do I Conquer the Fear and Allow Excellence?

There are two keys to conquering the fear and allowing you to become excellent. The first is to admit that you have room for improvement and second is to focus on the steps it takes to become excellent. Let’s talk about each of those in a little detail.

Admitting a Need for Improvement

Admitting that I am only good is something that I struggled with for a long time. Early on in my speaking, many people would tell me I should be a professional speaker. Needless to say, I let that go to my head. Thinking you are great when you are only good is a surefire way to stay stuck at just good.

To overcome this, videotape yourself giving speeches to an audience. The tough part is then watching them as a dispassionate observer and realizing that you are not as good as you thought. When you start doing this, you will notice what needs corrected and you will be able to put those corrections into action. Doing this forces you to get better as a speaker.

Focus on Becoming Excellent

Becoming excellent as a speaker is not as easy as saying you will be better. Becoming an excellent speaker is devotion to both the techniques of speaking and the development of excellent content. There are many speakers in this business that are either excellent speakers or excellent content producers. There are very few speakers that can do both. If you focus, day by day at improving your content and becoming a better speaker, you will move towards excellence.

The Path to Excellence in Speaking

The path to speaking excellence is not a day hike through an idyllic wonderland. Obtaining speaking excellence will require hard work, steady determination, and a dose of professional feedback. If that is something you seek, then attend and participate in as many Toastmasters meetings as possible, continually improve through study, and attend seminars and workshops that will coach you to speak better. It is not going to be an overnight transformation, but your continual dedication to self improvement will pay off. You just have to give it time and don’t fear it happening.

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Taking a break from Get Paid to Speak by Next Week, I logged into Google to check my mail and feed reader. As I was doing so, the Top Recommendations caught my eye. I guess Google thinks I need to start reading my own blog.

I am a superstar in my own mind!

If you are attending the District 40 conference this weekend, I will be attending the Sunday session so look for me and say hi. I will likely be wearing a black suit with no tie and a Champions Edge Pin.

“I am just too stressed about my job to come.”

“THEY EXPECT me to be at work more, so I can’t come.”

What excuses have you heard the past few months from your members and potential members?

The Excuses

Excuses, we all have them. What is your excuse for not taking an hour to an hour and a half a week to improve your communication and leadership skills? Do you not have enough time, do you not have enough money, or maybe you just don’t have the energy with the economy and all?

The Reality

The reality is that Toastmasters will not make you a better speaker. Toastmasters will make you a better person. It is a commitment to personal development and that scares some people. To be successful, you have to be willing to take on challenges, take risks, and reap the rewards. So you have to accept that your excuse is not time, it is not money, and it is not really energy, you excuse is that you are scared to change.

The Solution

Even if no one you will ever know what Toastmasters is all about, you are still going to go farther in life because you have been a Toastmasters member. Being in Toastmasters teaches you to change, it teaches you to grow, and it teaches you how to be a better communicator. You might not like that, but if you are committed to taking 100% responsibility for your life and not making excuses, then Toastmasters should be an option.

Why it Makes Sense in a Down Economy

In the 1970’s, Warren Buffet was buying stocks when others were predicting the end of stock markets and trying to sell out. When the stock market recovered, Buffet’s riches grew, because he was doing what others weren’t.

How does this relate to Toastmasters? As the people around you spend less on their education, spend less becoming better speakers, you can be spending the money now, so when the economy improves, you have the skill set to be successful. You will have the base you developed in the lean times to make an impact when times are good.
It is one of the things I find funny about training and research. When a company is doing poorly, they cut back on the one thing that will help them in better times, their people. Why should you be like most people and most companies?

You want to be more successful…right?

Then don’t listen to your fears, spend the time, spend the money, and make yourself a better person today so you don’t have to play catch up when things improved.

I am putting more into Toastmasters because I know that I am getting the experience I need now that will drive me forward faster in the future.

As a blogger and a speaker I was annoyed, because the content in your presentations is your livelihood. When I am presenting at a conference, I am presenting work that is delivered in articles, books, videos, and other mediums. The content presented can take years to develop, and I was shocked that this person was sitting there snapping pictures of the slides without a care for asking permission. How rude!

The effect of this person taking pictures was that others started to do the same. It would seem that one person taking pictures of the lecture slides meant others could do the same. I don’t think that is the case. If the presenter wanted the slides to be public domain, then they would say that they are public domain and make them available, if they do not, then you will have to ask permission before recording anything. That is not only good manners, but in some cases might be legally required.

When you are considering using other’s content; whether it is in print, web, or other medium. Be smart about how you use other’s work. If you are scanning flickr for blog photos, make sure you are checking the copyrights. If you have to give credit, then give credit. If you want to take pictures or want copies of the slides, then ask. You might be surprised when they say no, but respect that.

Content is king in today’s information market. Respect the content and don’t be rude if you don’t get permission. Take that as a bump to produce your own content. Then see if you want other people copying your materials.

You are too comfortable with speaking

In my case, I have become too comfortable with my speaking so I don’t put as much nervous energy into my speeches. I used to get up and hit the audience with a burst of energy and that alone was enough to capture people’s attention. Now, I am able to stand and speak for some length and it bores the heck out of some people that I am not moving around a little.

You rest on your laurels

I have given a lot of speeches the past few years, so I find myself not spending as much time preparing speeches as I once had. Because of that, I will go in front of audiences with only a few notes or even with nothing if it is a free speech. I have usually thought about what I am going to say, but haven’t written anything down. I have rested on my ability to come up with something appropriate and that is not going to allow me to connect with the audience and deliver a speech that motivates and connect with people.

You stop practicing

This is your and my biggest problem. When I first started speaking, I would practice my speeches for hours. This allowed me to see where I had issues, rewrite, and fully integrate my message into my material. Many of us have stopped practicing as much and we have relied on our experience to get us by in our speeches. This does not allow us to connect, to have a well defined message, and to be ready to motivate people who want to be motivated. We need to practice to get better and without it, it falls flat. I have seen many Toastmasters get up and “wing it.” The flattening of their development speaks to the results of not practicing.

Conclusion

So are you getting worse as a speaker? I am guessing that if you have stopped practicing as much, been resting on your laurels, and are getting to comfortable then you are getting worse. So get back to practicing, writing new material, and getting nervous about speaking. It will get you back into the swing of things and interested in speaking again.

Hopefully not many of you have abandoned me, but I just needed to get away for awhile and renew and refresh myself. Also, I have made $0 from blogging. Since I am not making money from doing this, I have had to focus my energies at work and on projects that do allow me to make money. This is causing me to have less time and energy for this blog.

I will be back to posting soon. Until then, check out the archives. There is some great stuff there.