Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking

One way to overcome fear of public speaking is to be afraid and speak anyway. As stupid as this seems, it’s possibly the most reliable way to gain confidence in speaking. Be afraid, be nervous, be hesitant, but do it anyway.

Investing in Your Professional Development

Learning about your niche subject is an necessary, on-going process well worth the investment of time and money.

Public Speaking: Cool Color Commentary

Flip Chart Color... Permanent markers give the most vivid color but dry out faster if you leave the cap off. They also frequently...

Public Speaking: Humor Placement

You are probably wondering how you decide where to put the humor you have so carefully selected to use in your presentation. You weren't wondering? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway. First of all, starting with a funny story or joke is expected and trite. You may want to postpone your story until the audience is resolved that you will be bestowing a rare case of sleeping sickness on them and then you surprise them with the humor. Don't be afraid to do the unexpected. Humor is one of the attention getting devices that can take your audience to the peaks of intensity.

Public Speaking: Caricature, Cartoons, and Comic Strips

When certain prominent features of something or someone are highlighted and other features are diminished, that is called caricature. Studies have found that it is easier to identify a political leader from a caricature than from a real photograph.

Public Speaking: Definitions

You can use a quick comical definition to liven up a public speaking engagement. As always, make sure the word defined is relevant to the point you are trying to make. Here are some definitions I like:

Public Speaking: Exaggeration

Expanding or diminishing proportions can be a fun way to create humor in a public speaking engagement. It's similar to a caricature artist that outrageously exaggerates the features of an individual, while still keeping the person recognizable.

Public Speaking: One-Liners

One-liner is a general term for very short pieces of humor. Using one-liners is probably the best and easiest way to begin adding humor to your public speaking engagements. These brief bits of humor are quick and easy to deliver and they don't have to be all that funny to be effective. If you are a little apprehensive about using humor, this is the place to start.

Public Speaking: Roast Humor and Insults

Being roasted is an honor, but you must be careful to honor people while you are roasting them during a public speaking engagement. Joke about things that are obviously untrue, then exaggerate them to make them more obvious. Or, you can outrageously exaggerate things that are true.

Public Speaking: Humorous Signs

I run across funny signs all the time. I try to take a mental note or take a picture of the sign for later use during a public speaking engagement. John Jay Daly, a speaker friend of mine, does a hysterical slide presentation called 'The Wacky, Wonderful World of Washington.' Many of the slides are of signs that he has seen around Washington, D.C.

Public Speaking: Bilingual Help

One good idea is to take pictures of the various items you may need (overhead projector, white board, etc.) and carry them with you to the event.

Public Speaking: Show 'em When You Cross Cultures

Regardless of one's nationality and culture, cartoons and comic strips are the most universally accepted format for humor in public speaking engagements. These pieces of visual humor are seen in newspapers and magazines in most areas of the world. They may be found in newsstands in large cities, or in large libraries.

Public Speaking: Lay Down the Law

Lay Down the Law: Getting everyone to agree to your plan in the beginning puts enormous peer pressure on an individual violating any of the rules...

Public Speaking: Add Magic to Your Presentations

There is just something about a magic trick during a public speaking engagement that grabs people. The nice thing about it is that as a public speaker who uses magic to make a point, you are not held to the high standards you would be held to if you were a professional magician.