Similes in Your Speech Are Like Water in the Desert
He was as phony as a three dollar bill. She grinned like a Cheshire cat. Your mind works like a computer. “Like” and “as” are the typical words of comparison in similes. Simile is the first rhetorical device in the acronym SCREAM (Simile, Contrast, Rhyme, Echo, Alliteration, and Metaphor). Use the techniques of SCREAM to […]
Rhetorical Devices: SCREAM to Give Your Presentations Power
Colorful language can capture an audiences’ attention and it can anchor your points in their minds. The following acronym was modified (by adding “simile”) from the book, Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln (a book I highly recommend for any speaker!). The SCREAM structure was coined in 2005 by Dr. Randy J. Harvey, the 2004 World […]
How to Develop Your Own Humorous Material
Have you ever tried to think of something funny to say and drawn a blank? Have you ever wanted to incorporate humor into a presentation, but didn’t know how? There is a simple tool: Self-deprecating humor. Put yourself down to bring the laughter up! In addition to being funny, self-deprecating humor makes you seem: more […]
Never Speak Too Long Again!
A speech is like a woman’s skirt: it needs to be long enough to cover the subject matter but short enough to hold the audience’s attention. ~Author Unknown I’m not sure which is worse, a speaker who is oblivious to the fact that he or she has gone overtime or one who realizes it and […]
Never Forget Another Speech: Speech Memorization Techniques
I think the biggest reason that people fear public speaking is that they are afraid of opening their mouths and “blanking out” or sounding stupid. Some people even try to memorize their speeches. Right off, you should know that I’m not a big fan of speeches that are memorized word-for-word. I’ve tried it and found […]
Business Storytelling: Dress Up the Naked Truth
When I was a little girl, I had a very active imagination and would often tell “stories.” OK, that’s just a nice way of saying I would lie. I would lie to get out of trouble. I would lie to get reactions. I would lie just to make things interesting. It infuriated my mother. When […]
Speaking from Notes: The Keyword Method
Which category do you fall under, when it comes to using notes for a speech: 1. The Forgetter. You are afraid you are going to forget what you want to say, so you use notes. 2. The Writer. You worked hard to get your wording just so and want to say it just like you […]
The Eyes Have It: How to Improve Eye Contact When Giving a Speech
Eye contact is the number one way to increase your engagement with an audience. A few additional benefits include: Increased credibility (people who don’t make eye contact seem nervous and possibly dishonest) Reduction in crutch words (um, uh, er). I’ve noticed that people are more likely to use crutch words when they look up or […]
4 Easy Ways to Power Up Your Power Point
I have to admit it–I’m not a big fan of PowerPoint presentations. Not as they are usually done, anyway! A bunch of text or data thrown on a screen isn’t very engaging. Worse yet is when people read their slides. However, there are a few things you can do for your very next presentation that […]