Public Speaking Blogosphere: Week in Review [2008-02-16]

Happy Valentines Week! Once again this Saturday, we scan the best public speaking articles from throughout the public speaking blogosphere.

Just a few of the topics featured this week are:

• visual aids;
• dealing with difficult audiences;
• handing a Q&A session; and
• Toastmasters.

[Before we begin, did you catch last week’s review?]

Week in Review: Six Minutes

This week at the Six Minutes blog featured two new articles — another book review and another speech critique:

• Book Review: The Story Factor (Annette Simmons)
  Simmons makes the claim that storytelling is a critical skill for business communication and public speaking.
• Video Critique: Majora Carter - Greening the Ghetto (TED 2006)
  A speech critique which focuses on the energy, passion, and speaking rate.

Week in Review: Public Speaking Blogosphere

These are the best public speaking articles I read in the past week.

• Seth Godin provides the quote of the week for public speakers:
  

  If you attend my presentation and you’re bored, that’s my failure.

  How many speakers adopt the position that all they need to do is put the information out there? How many accept that they have the responsibility to present the information in a way that captivates the audience?

• Lisa Braithwaite suggests that public speaking anxiety can be controlled by mental discipline and then questions whether public speaking fear is limiting your career.
• Craig Strachan offers tips for introductions.
• Ian Griffin relays some intriguing statistics from professional speechwriters.
• Jeff Bailey reminds us that gimmicks, like any other element of a presentation, must promote the core message.
• Susan Trivers examines the use of audio/video recordings as a preparation tool in a pair of articles: to record or not to record.

Articles about Visual Aids

• Vanessa Richardson catalogues a cornucopia of visual aids one might use in a presentation: information cards, handouts, whiteboard figures, puzzlers, magic tricks, and several others.
• Wayne Botha cautions us on the use of video clips in the middle of a presentation.
• Rowan Manahan weighs in on the hullabaloo resulting from the distorted pie chart employed by Steve Jobs.

Audience-Focused Articles

• Jason Peck shares his experience and advice for dealing with difficult audiences
  • Jason’s article was inspired by an earlier article from Diane DiResta where she recommends a 3D approach: depersonalize, detach, and defuse.
• Pete Ryckman and Eric Feng offer perspectives on conducting a Q&A session.
  • These are closely related to two articles previously featured here: Leading the Perfect Q&A and Q&A Tips from Toastmasters International President.

Toastmasters Blog Articles

• Darren Fleming demonstrates a very unique table topics opening.
• John Spaith calls for more story and less preaching in speech contests.
• Dave Wheeler turns an interesting phrase to encourage contest participation:
  

  Speaking skills are like muscles and speech contests are like barbells.

Another Weekly Review Comes to a Close…

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day earlier this week, I’ll close with this index card humor from Jessica Hagy: Why blind dates so often fail.