Speaker Introductions: Get Your Audience Leaning Forward Before You Speak
“H-e-r-e-‘s Johnny!” Ed McMahon’s introduction of Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show was probably the shortest but one of the most famous introductions in entertainment. Usually, introductions need to be a little longer. Introductions fuse 3 elements: the subject, the audience and the speaker. The introduction brings together those elements and serves as a bridge, a […]
Create Winning Speech Habits: Don’t “Tell on Yourself”
After finishing his speech, the young man, a high school senior in his school’s senior speech contest, rolled his eyes, shook his head and pursed his lips in that self-loathing attitude that communicates to others “I’m a little disgusted with how my speech went.” He clearly knew that he hadn’t given his best performance. And, […]
Take Your Speaking from FREE to FEE: How to Speak at Rotary Clubs
One organization that needs speakers almost every week, for 20-30 minute presentations, is Rotary International. Rotary is a service organization with more than 1.2 members world wide. You won’t get paid to speak, but you will get great experience and you may make contacts that result in paid engagements. When I was just starting out, I […]
Speak Up, But Don’t Upspeak!
Recently I attended a dinner event and asked a lovely young woman, a 22 year-old associate director for a local non-profit, “What does your organization do?” She replied, “We promote ethical fashion?” I was momentarily confused. And not by her words, but by the way she said them, with an upward inflection, making what should […]