How can You Maximize the Power of your Voice?

September 30, 2012 By

I had the perfect speech. Every supporting point, every word, perfect down to the shocking conclusion; there’s no way I could lose with this. Every word memorized and ideas backed up on note cards, I strode towards the podium and as the powerpoint started, launched into the masterpiece that would define my semester.

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The Power of Research: How Knowing your Audience can Make or Break the Perfect Presentation

September 30, 2012 By

As a teacher of, among many other things, public speaking, I’ve come across a thousand speech topics from my students that range from the utterly banal to the improbable and illegal. These students also have increasingly divergent opinions on the same things, right down to what is a proper way to do their research, which are usually wrong.

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Embody the Material: How a Few Simple Techniques can take the Anxiety out of Public Speaking

July 4, 2012 By

When I talk to people about public speaking, there seems to be a checklist of things that the speakers are afraid of: what if the material doesn’t sound right, what if the research isn’t sound, and the like. The number one fear that speakers have though, seems to be the least definable and yet the most widespread: the fear of being a lone person subject to a widespread audience.

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Sure-Fire Ways of Writing Better Presentations

July 4, 2012 By

Many times, public speakers organize their material in a fashion that is customary for school reports, that is, the Modern Language Association (MLA)’s formal structure of: Introduction, 3 Supporting Points, and Conclusion. While there is no problem in constructing a presentation in this fashion, it may not be a completely effective way to convey your information, especially when your audience is not a classroom. Today, we’ll go over four sure-fire ways of writing better presentations that spark the imagination and help the audience take in your subject.

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Using Body Language to your Advantage

June 27, 2012 By

Think back to the last time you made a snap-decision on somebody not on the basis of what they said, but how they said it; how they were moving during your conversation. It is estimated that about 55% of the communication signals we take notice of aren’t spoken, but motioned.  Even when speaking is impossible, we look for body language to fill the gaps.

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