The Ultimate Secret on How to Become a Great Speaker
By Jojo Alcuezar
Great speaking skills can be very rewarding. It enhances so many aspects of your life like developing relationships, creating success in networking and in mentoring, improving persuasion power, acquiring better leadership skills, increasing career advancement, and the list goes on.
If you are an excellent speaker you do have the capability to pull or repel people. You attract the people and resources in your life through your inner power.
There are no fixed rules in public speaking, but these tips can help you become a great public speaker:
Plan your format and delivery Prepare your speech carefully and logically. Structure your information so that your audience finds it interesting. Use appropriate words and avoid jargon. Use short sentences and minimize technical information. Do lots of research and learn as much as you can about your subject. Anticipate questions, and make sure you have the facts to support an argument you make in your speech.
Your objective
Choose an objective for your speech — to inform, to build relationship, to motivate, to convince, to entertain, to initiate an action — and tailor your speech to do just that.
Your intro is crucial Your opening sentence should grab the audience’s attention by immediately telling them what your topic is about. Your speech must promise some kind of benefit or reward for your audience, in exchange for the valuable time it takes to listen to what you are saying.
Don’t memorize
You may memorize the opening and closing sentences of your speech, but not the entire presentation. Once you memorize your entire speech you sound like a machine. The natural pauses, intonations and variations of speed and tone that occur in real-life conversation dissaper. Don’t fake it. Your audience will easily notice that and that’s a turn-off.
Use visual aids whenever possible, but don’t read it.
People hate it when you read the slides. Use it just for guides and do the adlib. Slides should contain the minimum information necessary, at least to a maximum of 10 words. Too much words in your slides will divert your audience's attention thus they spend time reading it rather than listening to you.
Practice No professional in any field performs without practicing. Basketball players, boxers, singers, dancers, artist, and others all practice before they become an expert in their respective crafts. Rehearse in front of the mirror and evaluate how you speak. You may also practice in front of your friends or relatives.
Connect Create a strong rapport with your audience. Communication is a two-way traffic. Encourage your audience to participate, exchange views and opinions. They want to feel as if you are talking to them personally. They feel neglected if you don’t interact with them. Be expressive, show you are enjoying being with them.
Understand body language and be a better communicator
Communication goes beyond words. Body language plays a big role here. Using your facial expressions, stance, movement, smiles, and eye contact can impact to your presentation.
Eye contact
Involve your audience equally in what you are saying. Let your eyes roam in a relaxed way over the faces of your listeners, but don't stare at individual - it can be annoying. Give them an equal share of your attention.
Try to understand your listener's level of understanding
Understand your audience’s feelings. Look at each individual during your presentation and evaluate their reactions. If they seem to be puzzled, slow down; clarify things, if necessary repeat a point until they grasp your idea.
Share stories
It is one of the effective ways to establish rapport with your audience. Use your personal stories that are relevant to your message to connect with your listeners.
Avoid discussing negative issues Most people don’t want to hear negativity. They want to hear solutions for their problems. No matter how gloomy their current situation is always emphasize the brighter possibilities. Keep a positive outlook.
Speak with conviction Convince yourself first before you can convince others. Your voice should express your convictions. Your listeners can easily detect how strongly you believe in what you are saying. If you want people to believe you and want them to follow your advice, they must hear and see in you that strong faith in your message.
Don’t be a knock-out artist!
You are a speaker, not a boxer. If you go along in a monotone, you will be sending your audience to sleep right at the very first round of your speech. Nobody would love to listen to a monotonous voice droning on and on. Put some vocal variety into your speech.
Clarity and voice modulation How you use your voice will have an impact to the message you give to your audience. This includes tone, volume, inflection, pace, and enunciation. If you speak too slow you will bore your audience stiff, and if you talk too fast, they could hardly catch up with what you are saying. Vary your pace. Speak loudly and clearly.
Be lively and energetic
Attract attention with a joke, an anecdote, an analogy, an interesting fact, a quotation, a positive statement, a provocative question intended to arouse your audience’s curiosity.
Be yourself Never try to mimic other speaker’s style. It will only make you feel uncomfortable. You are nobody but yourself. Although it is okay to get some inspirations from others, but always be yourself. Follow your instinct. Follow your feelings. Let the world know you as you really are and this will make your audience respect you.
Answer questions courteously When your listeners bring up objections or questions, answer them politely and appreciate their point of view. This approach puts you above the fray. The more they participate in the discussion the more they will enjoy your presentation.
Emotion is your most powerful tool
We humans are 80% emotion and 20% intellect. If you talk intelligently you will only be 20% understood, while appealing to the emotional needs of your audience will make you 80% accepted. Appeal dramatically to their emotions to try to persuade and inspire them.
Your shot for greatness
Being able to inspire and lead others is the focal point of public speaking. It is your job as a speaker to guide those listeners towards a rewarding path. Your success, to a large extent, will not be gauged on what you personally achieve, but on how you help others to elevate themselves. Thus if you really want to become a great speaker make your audience feel great about themselves first and foremost.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Manny Pacquiao— the greatest boxer that ever lived
What is the key to Manny Pacquiao's success? Where does his inner strength really come from? How did Manny Pacquiao achieve his greatness? Does he has an “anting-anting” — magical powers? Read on for more facts you didn't know about Manny.
Emmanuel “Manny” Dapidran Pacquiao was born of a typical poverty-stricken Filipino family at Kibawe, Bukidnon in Mindanao on December 17, 1978. Manny left elementary school and was forced to work at a very young age after his father left them for another woman. He helped his mother by selling “pandesal”, peanuts and home made doughnuts peddling the streets of General Santos City in the Philippines.
As a young boy, Manny was already learning how to fight for his life. When not peddling he would engage himself in a brutal fist fighting in the street to earn few money. He simply wanted to feed himself and his family. During town fiestas in their place or in any other nearby villages he would participate in boxing matches for a reward of just P150 (US $3) for winners. The money that he gets would be given to his mother to support their living expenses.
Nicknamed “Pacman”, as portrayal to the way he gobbles up his every opponent in the ring, Manny developed his mix magical skills of blazing speed and punching power in the streets and in the ring. As he kept on winning his fights he became well known in his place and earned the nod of some boxing aficionados. He was then invited to be brought to Manila for further honing of his boxing skills.
However, Manny's mother opposed to the plan. Nanay Dionesia is a pious woman and had hoped her son would join the priesthood. Though a religious boy himself, Manny was determined to pursue his dream of becoming a great boxer so he can help his family and the poor citizens from his town. Manny set off to Manila to continue his training.
At the age of 16 Pacman started his professional boxing career at 106 lbs (Light Flyweight). His early fights were shown on Vintage Sport's Blow by Blow — a small local venue. Though he kept on winning his early professional bouts his earnings, just like any other rookie boxer usually could generate, was so meager that he can not afford to send extra money for his family. To augment his income he worked in the gym where he trained doing odd jobs, which included janitor, while continuing his early boxing career.
Manny collected eleven straight wins before tasting defeat for the very first time in 1996 against Rustico Torrecampo who knocked him out on the third round. Pacquiao had not made the mandatory weight increase from 106 to 113 lbs. So he was forced to use heavier gloves than Torrecampo, thereby putting Pacman at a disadvantage.
Pacquiao was so devastated by this loss and his life could have taken a different turn after this. He considered quitting. But going back home as a failure and to resume his never ending bout against poverty, he thought, is far more enduring than fighting in the ring. Manny then was all determined to continue his boxing career.
Pacquiao then settled at 112 lbs, winning the WBC Flyweight title over Chatchai Sasakul only to lose it in his second defense against Medgoen Singsurat (3K battery). Pacman exceeds the weight limit of 112 lbs thus he was forced to dehydrate. 3K battery scored a 3-round KO over a weight-drained Manny Pacquiao. Following his loss to 3K battery, Pacquiao gained weight anew and advanced to the Super Bantamweight division of 122 lbs, where he conquered the WBC International Super Bantamweight title. The rest was history for Manny.
Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao rose from poverty to being the richest boxer in the world today. Pacquiao did what no boxer has done before —win ten world titles in eight different weight divisions . He fought legends, future hall-of-famers at that, and beat them impressively and convincingly thereby putting himself on top of the boxing world, not just of this generation, but of all time.
As just the sport of boxing is starting to lose its popularity Manny Pacquiao has helped it regain some momentum once again. Pacquiao has already achieved so much and he’s destined to add more. What's more admiring is he does not boast about his wealth and achievements.
Aside from his superior skill in boxing, Manny is also good in basketball, billiards and singing. He seems to be doing well in any field he chooses to undertake. Are these indications that Pacman indeed has a magical power? NO!
There is no special key element for Manny Pacquiao’s success. His achievements cannot be attributed to “anting-anting" or talisman, but mainly due to the excellent work ethics, strong determination, his strict adherence to discipline, his passion for the job, his humility, and continual improvement attitude that he has. Above all, Manny's strong faith in God has given him inner strength and confidence that makes him a champion.
Emmanuel “Manny” Dapidran Pacquiao was born of a typical poverty-stricken Filipino family at Kibawe, Bukidnon in Mindanao on December 17, 1978. Manny left elementary school and was forced to work at a very young age after his father left them for another woman. He helped his mother by selling “pandesal”, peanuts and home made doughnuts peddling the streets of General Santos City in the Philippines.
As a young boy, Manny was already learning how to fight for his life. When not peddling he would engage himself in a brutal fist fighting in the street to earn few money. He simply wanted to feed himself and his family. During town fiestas in their place or in any other nearby villages he would participate in boxing matches for a reward of just P150 (US $3) for winners. The money that he gets would be given to his mother to support their living expenses.
Nicknamed “Pacman”, as portrayal to the way he gobbles up his every opponent in the ring, Manny developed his mix magical skills of blazing speed and punching power in the streets and in the ring. As he kept on winning his fights he became well known in his place and earned the nod of some boxing aficionados. He was then invited to be brought to Manila for further honing of his boxing skills.
However, Manny's mother opposed to the plan. Nanay Dionesia is a pious woman and had hoped her son would join the priesthood. Though a religious boy himself, Manny was determined to pursue his dream of becoming a great boxer so he can help his family and the poor citizens from his town. Manny set off to Manila to continue his training.
At the age of 16 Pacman started his professional boxing career at 106 lbs (Light Flyweight). His early fights were shown on Vintage Sport's Blow by Blow — a small local venue. Though he kept on winning his early professional bouts his earnings, just like any other rookie boxer usually could generate, was so meager that he can not afford to send extra money for his family. To augment his income he worked in the gym where he trained doing odd jobs, which included janitor, while continuing his early boxing career.
Manny collected eleven straight wins before tasting defeat for the very first time in 1996 against Rustico Torrecampo who knocked him out on the third round. Pacquiao had not made the mandatory weight increase from 106 to 113 lbs. So he was forced to use heavier gloves than Torrecampo, thereby putting Pacman at a disadvantage.
Pacquiao was so devastated by this loss and his life could have taken a different turn after this. He considered quitting. But going back home as a failure and to resume his never ending bout against poverty, he thought, is far more enduring than fighting in the ring. Manny then was all determined to continue his boxing career.
Pacquiao then settled at 112 lbs, winning the WBC Flyweight title over Chatchai Sasakul only to lose it in his second defense against Medgoen Singsurat (3K battery). Pacman exceeds the weight limit of 112 lbs thus he was forced to dehydrate. 3K battery scored a 3-round KO over a weight-drained Manny Pacquiao. Following his loss to 3K battery, Pacquiao gained weight anew and advanced to the Super Bantamweight division of 122 lbs, where he conquered the WBC International Super Bantamweight title. The rest was history for Manny.
Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao rose from poverty to being the richest boxer in the world today. Pacquiao did what no boxer has done before —win ten world titles in eight different weight divisions . He fought legends, future hall-of-famers at that, and beat them impressively and convincingly thereby putting himself on top of the boxing world, not just of this generation, but of all time.
As just the sport of boxing is starting to lose its popularity Manny Pacquiao has helped it regain some momentum once again. Pacquiao has already achieved so much and he’s destined to add more. What's more admiring is he does not boast about his wealth and achievements.
Aside from his superior skill in boxing, Manny is also good in basketball, billiards and singing. He seems to be doing well in any field he chooses to undertake. Are these indications that Pacman indeed has a magical power? NO!
There is no special key element for Manny Pacquiao’s success. His achievements cannot be attributed to “anting-anting" or talisman, but mainly due to the excellent work ethics, strong determination, his strict adherence to discipline, his passion for the job, his humility, and continual improvement attitude that he has. Above all, Manny's strong faith in God has given him inner strength and confidence that makes him a champion.
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