? 1999 LJL Seminars
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Dr. Ralph C. Smeadly, the founder of Toastmasters International, wrote, " The speaker who stands and talks at ease is the one who can be heard without fatigue. If his posture and gestures are so graceful and obsequious, that no one notices them, he may be counted as in fact successful. " When your actions are wedded to your words, the influence of your speech will be strengthened. If your platform behavior includes mannerisms unrelated to your oral message, those actions will call attention to themselves and away from your speech. Below I have provided 5 ways you can rid yoursel of your distracting mannerisms.
1. Rid Yourself of Distracting Mannerisms
Eliminate verbal and visual impediments.
Some common faults of inexperienced or in - effective speakers are:
? Gripping or penchant on the lectern
? Finger tapping
? State biting or licking
? Toying with coins or jewelry
? Frowning
? Refashioning hair or attire
? Head wagging
These have two things in common:
? They are physical manifestations of simple nervousness.
? They are performed unconsciously.
When you make a uttered mistake, you can easily correct it, as you can hear your own words, but you can ' t behold yourself, so most distracting mannerisms go uncorrected. You can ' t eliminate them unless you know they exist.
Videotape yourself.
The first step in eliminating any worthless behavior is to earn an accurate perception of your body ' s image. This should combine:
? Posture
? Gestures
? Body movement
? Facial expressions
? Eye contact
The next step is to free yourself of physical behaviors that do not add to your speech. This can be accomplished by wittily becoming aware of your problem areas. After you have videotaped yourself speaking, review the disc several times and make a inventory of all the distracting mannerisms you regard.
First review. Review your cd the first time without looking for mannerisms. Just listen to the presentation as if you were right it for the first time and evaluate the overall influence you experience from watching the video.
Second review. Review your record a second time ( with the quarter sour down ) and look for visual distractions. Take notes on what you mind.
Question review. During this review, have the picture overripe off and listen only to your voice. Many people have never even heard a taping of their own voice before. Become accustomed to listening to your voice. Get to know it as others hear it. Note what you like and what you don ' t like. Pay attention to the speed, the joint, and the tone of your voice.
Fourth review. Once you have made lists both of your distracting mannerisms and your more positive points, you are ready to have one or two family members wristwatch the record with you. Get their initial impression. Ask them to be honest.
Once you have washed-up these reviews, go over the brochure of all the distracting mannerisms you saying and heard. The next time you are having a conversation with someone you know well, try to understanding whether you use any of these distracting mannerisms even in casual position. Organisation each of your negative points one at a time.
2. Build Self - confidence by Being Yourself
The most important rule for making your body communicate effectively is to be yourself. The attention should be on the sharing of ideas, not on the performance.
Strive to be as actual and natural as you are when you speak to family members and friends.
Large vs. small audiences. Many people say, " I ' m okay in a small organization, but when I get in front of a larger league I freeze. " The only difference between speaking to a small bourgeois collection and to a sizable audience is the figure of listeners. To redeem for this, you need only to amplify your natural behavior. Be authentically yourself, but amplify your movements and expressions just enough so that the audience can gaze them.
3. Let Your Body Mirror Your Feelings
If you are attentive in your subject, without reservation presuppose what you are saying, and want to share your message with others, your physical movements will come from within you and will be desired to what you are saying.
By involving yourself in your message, you ' ll be natural and spontaneous without having to consciously think about what you are doing or saying. For many of us, this isn ' t as easy as it sounds over it requires us to drop the stifle that shields the " real self " in public.
To become an effective speaker, it is essential that you get rid of your hide and share your true feelings with your audience. Your audience wants to know how you feel about your subject. If you want to convince others, you must send your convictions.
Speak from the heart and to the soul.
4. Build Self - confidence Through Preparation
Nihility influences a speaker ' s mental character more than the knowledge that he or she is
thoroughly prepared. This knowledge leads to self - confidence, which is a vital ingredient of effective public speaking.
How many of us have ever experienced a location in which we had not prepared well for a presentation? How did we come across? On the other hand, think of those presentations that did go well. These are the ones that we had properly prepared for.
5. Use Your Everyday Speaking Situations
Whenever you speak to people, make an extra tug to regard how you speak. Read, too, whether the facial expressions of your listeners indicate they do or do not realize what you are saying. Before calling to call something on the phone, plan and practice what you are going to say. Even this is essentially a short presentation. Exceeding exercise is to prepare a 90 - second presentation about yourself. Impart who you are and what you do. Log your presentation and review it using the four steps described primary.
Since you are language about yourself, you don ' t need to research the topic; however, you do need to prepare what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. Plan phenomenon including your gestures and animated patterns.
Facial Expressions
Consent that sedate expression to poker players. A speaker realizes that belonging facial
expressions are an important part of effective communication. In actuality, facial expressions are repeatedly the key ground of the meaning behind the message. People pocket watch a speaker ' s face during a presentation. When you speak, your face - more decidedly than any other part of your body - communicates to others your attitudes, feelings, and emotions.
Remove expressions that don ' t belong on your face.
Troubled expressions take in distracting mannerisms or unconscious expressions not
beneath in your feelings, attitudes and emotions. In much the same way that some speakers perform fortuitous, distracting gestures and body movements, nervous speakers regularly release causeless energy and tension by unconsciously moving their facial muscles ( e. g., licking lips, tightening the jaw ).
One type of unconscious facial movement which is less apt to be read remarkably by an audience is general frowning. This type of frowning occurs when a speaker attempts to deliver a memorized speech.
There are no rules presiding the use of specific expressions. If you relax your inhibitions and let on yourself to respond naturally to your thoughts, attitudes and emotions, your facial expressions will be applicable and will project sincerity, conviction, and credibility.
Eye Contact
Eye contact is the cement that binds together speakers and their audiences. When you speak, your eyes induce your listeners in your presentation. There is no surer way to break a communication bond between you and the audience than by slip to look at your listeners. No matter how large your audience may be, each listener wants to feel that you are utterance to him or her.
The saw, " The eyes are the mirror of the soul, " underlines the need for you to convince people with your eyes, as well as your words. Only by looking at your listeners as humans can you convince them that you are sincere and are open in them, and that you care whether they accept your message. When you speak, your eyes also function as a government device you can use to lock up your listeners ' relaxation and concentration.
Eye contact can also help you to overcome nervousness by making your audience a known quantity. Effective eye contact is an important feedback device that makes the speaking setting a two - way communication process. By looking at your audience, you can determine how they are reacting. When you develop the ability to gauge the audience ' s reactions and adjust your presentation in consequence, you will be a much more effective speaker.
How To Use Your Eyes Effectively
1. Know your material. Know it so well that you don ' t have to devote your mental energy to the chore of remembering the sequence of ideas and words.
You should prepare well ( bethink to use the 9 P ' s ) and trace enough so that you don ' t have to depend heavily on notes. Many speakers, no foundation how well untrue, need at lead off a few notes to deliver their info. If you can speak effectively without notes, by all component do so. But if you must use notes, that ' s fine. Just don ' t let them be a typify for preparation and rehearsal.
Even many plugged in speakers use notes. Oftentimes, they take advantage of such natural pauses as audience paradise or the end of an important point to gun briefly at their notes. To make this technique work, keep your notes make good. ( Scan Chapter 6 for more on this contention. )
2. Institute a personal bond with listeners. How do you do this? Effect by selecting one person and words to him or her personally. Maintain eye action with that person long enough to secure a visual bond ( about 5 to 10 seconds ). This is generally the spit of a preference or a rumination. Then turn into your hinge to higher person.
In a small society, this is relatively easy to do. But, if you ' re addressing hundreds or thousands of people, it ' s wacky. What you can do is associate out one or two persons in each accommodation of the connection and land personal bonds with them. Then each listener will get the dogma you ' re conversation at once to him or her.
3. Detector visual feedback. While you are vocabulary, your listeners are responding with their own non - verbal messages. Use your eyes to actively look into out this precious feedback. If individuals aren ' t looking at you, they may not be listening either. Their reasons may incorporate one or more of these factors:
They may not be direct to debunk you.
Solution: If you are not using a microphone, speak louder and note if that works.
They may be mellow.
Solution: Use some appearance, increase your verbal shift or add powerful gestures or body
movements.
They may be punchy.
Solution: Spot and / or interpret what you have just vocal.
They seem to be fidgeting nervously.
Solution: You may be using distracting mannerisms. Possibly you have food on your clothes ( or worse, perhaps your blouse is unbuttoned or your fly isn ' t closed ). Make thorough you are knowledgeable of these embarrassing possibilities before and during your patter. If necessary, try to correct them without bringing more attention to them. On the other hand, if your listeners ' faces indicate pleasure, pastime and close attention, don ' t change a thing. You ' re doing a great job!
Your Appearance
If your listeners will have on suits and dresses, wear your best suit or dress - the outfit that brings you the most compliments. Make concrete that every item of clothes is clean and well tailored.
Don ' t wear jewelry that might sparkle or jingle when you stratagem or wave. This might divert attention from your speech. For the same motive, empty your pockets of bulky items and business that makes sound when you stratagem.
Part of the first impression you give occurs even before you are introduced to deliver your speech. As the audience arrives, your preparation should be buttoned up. You shouldn ' t have to study your speech. Instead, mingle with the audience, and project that same welcoming, confident opinion that will make your speech a success.
When you speak - especially if you aren ' t well known to the audience - the most crucial part of your presentation is the first few minutes. During that initial segment, the audience will be making critical judgments about you. Your listeners will decide whether you are confident, sincere, amicable, eager to inscription them and worthy of their attention. In large measure, they will base this result on what they look.
After your introduction, step purposefully and confidently to the speaking position.
Mobile Patterns
Why motion in the first place?
Moving forces people to spotlight and follow you. The way you airing from your seat to the speaker ' s position is very important. When you are introduced, you should breeze in eager to speak. Too many speakers look as though they are head toward close.
Tramp confidently from your seat to the lectern. Pause there for a few seconds, then step out from behind the lectern. As discussed before, it is wise to use the lectern as a point of departure, and not a barrier to ditch behind.
Smile before you say your first words. Be careful not to stand too close to, nor shift beyond, the people in the front row. Be careful not to gait too much. Doing so will work against you. Common pacing is distracting. Mobile can be an effective way to stress an important concept. It is essential that your saunter be solid and intentional, not just a arbitrary shift of position. Taking about three steps, moving at a shallow angle, regularly works best.
When employing visual aids, use three positions. One position is your " home " position and should be front and heart. The other two positions should be relatively near the " home " position. Never stand in front of any visual aid.
When you practice your speaking, make unmitigated you also practice your motile patterns. Try ambulatory to and from your three positions. These positions should be planned just as your hand gestures are.
When standing still, hold dear to maintain good posture. Stand up straight.
Elicit it ' s not what you say it ' s how you say it and your body does speak very loudly. It ' s only when you weave your spoken message and you nonverbal message does a speaker do to command presence.
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