Public Speaking Blogosphere: Week in Review [2008-03-15]

Every Saturday, we survey the best public speaking articles from throughout the public speaking blogosphere.

This week’s selection is an educational feast. Get comfortable, and dig in to topics such as:

• speech preparation;
• hand position;
• humor techniques;
• the “rule of 6” for slides;
• and many more…

Week in Review: Six Minutes

The Speech Preparation Series continued this week with three more articles:

• #7: Choreograph Your Speech with Staging, Gestures, and Vocal Variety
  Shows you how to transform your written speech into a presentation worth listening to and watching.
• #8: How to Practice Your Presentation
  Provides practical ideas for maximizing the benefit from your practice time.
• #9: Prepare Now for Your Next Speech
  Suggests that the best time to start preparing for your next speech is immediately after you deliver one.

Week in Review: Public Speaking Blogosphere

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

• Diane DiResta provides a video answer to the question: What should speakers do with their hands?
• The Speaking Life blog insists that to be an effective public speaker, you need to be an effective public listener.

“[…] part of effective communication is to listen using your ears and you eyes for feedback from your audience.”

• Lisa Braithwaite asks “Is your image consistent with your message?“

But how does your audience perceive you? This is really the key issue. The question is not whether you are or aren’t qualified. The audience’s perception of you is, unfortunately, all that matters.

• Lou Hampton gives three questions the speaker should ask while preparing, and the three questions the audience will think during the speech.

Public Speaking Humor

• John Kinde discusses the benefits of studying observational humor techniques as he does often on his blog.

Studying Observational Humor Monologues, you slowly begin to see how humor connections are made. One step at a time. We grow in baby steps. And the exciting thing is…the better you get…the faster you get better.

Visual Aids and Slideware

• Wayne Botha labels the rule of 6 “ludicrous”.

– No more than 6 slides without a picture
– No more than 6 bullet points per slide
– No more than 6 words per bullet point

Toastmasters (Contest) Blog Articles

• Wayne Botha considers the merits of restraint as a mentor, coach, or presenter.
• This just arrived in my inbox. There’s a “part 2” for the teleconference I pointed to in last week’s review.
  

  Someone informed me that you’d posted a blurb on your blog about the open speech contest teleconference. Thanks for the extra publicity. If you’d like to post it, I’m doing another one on Wednesday, March 19. The direct link to info about it is: http://www.jimkey.com/contestcall

  Jim Key, DTM
  World Champion of Public Speaking
  District 50 Area 71 Governor

And, to Close…

This week’s comic inspiration is from the March 3rd Dilbert comic.

Are your actions consistent with your message?
Lack of authenticity leads to a lack of credibility which leads to your audience shutting their ears.