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The Speakers Practice has invited Australian Small Business owners to submit articles on the topic of the Presentation Skills in the workplace. Contributors are experts in their industry , discussing the value of presentation skills in their field of expertise.

Introducing Amber Daines

Amber Daines, Founder of Bespoke Communications and a member of the Media Skills™Network

See: www.bespokecomms.com.au

Wading through the media sound bites that resonate the airwaves, fill ours newspapers, and clog our in-boxes, its easy to think we are all just passive players in the relentless public relations machine. As a former journalist turned PR professional / media trainer, I am guilty of adding to the case but am here to argue the real damage is done when the talent is not trained at all.

Good media training builds on presentation skills and will never detract away from the key message of the speaker. It takes a discipline and practice to ensure you make your point, back it up, wrap it up and shut up – all within the limited time given for that 10-second grab or one liner that makes a front page headline or 140 character tweet. Authenticity and passion are key as well as sharinhg stories, being informative and remembering your audience.

Most PR professionals will attest to sleepless nights worrying how their client will deliver the goods on a TV, radio or print interview. And it is not about your strategy or the client’s knowledge. The CEO or whoever is worthy of a journalist’s attention generally knows their company or the issues they face inside out. What they may struggle with is the delivery when the heat is on.

My job is to really ensure that even the most reluctant interview participants are put through their paces. Most fess up afterward that the experience has added value to their brand, their company, their careers. Good training is about the confidence to be interviewed by a reporter and walk away happy with the outcome.

Spokespeople need to know how to stay on message and to understand that an interview is not a regular conversation between two people. There is a very different give and take and purpose in an interview, and interviewees need to be able to recognise that.

I believe that the true value of media training is often not fully appreciated until one experiences the benefits for themselves – benefits that extend beyond the realms of the media interview.

As a former news journalist, I know that the most memorable, even award-winning reporting comes from interviewees who make a shock confession in an “off the record” chat or make a gaff that gets them on Youtube for all the wrong reasons.

Most seasoned journalists can still get under the skin of the most astute media performers. It’s fair to say that media training rarely registers on a journalist’s radar when they’re interviewing someone – although that is changing thanks to auto-pilot politicians and self-styled celebrities who are so obviously trained to repeat key messages ad nauseum.

For media training to work well, the end game is that a journalist should walk away with a good story that they publish. The resulting interview should be smooth, the content kept varied and answers must be devoid of phrases that sound like spin. Appropriate tone of voice and convincing body language is also vital for visual mediums.

Having seen the benefits for many clients – from CEOs to political leaders to SME owners – the best media training delivers something newsworthy with crisp quotes and tangible examples. This folks is what matters for your clients and your business.

I always think of media training as bullet proofing your PR campaign. In the hogwash of the 24/7 news cycle, stakes are high every time anyone speaks to a journalist so why just “wing it”?

Thanks Amber. Giving us an insight into the media world, this helps all small business people to promote their business. After all, its all about the marketing. Great article!

The 3 Minute Elevator Speech or Elevator Speech is a fantastic way to identify really what your business is focussed on. By developing this concise presentation , the process really clarifies your business product and looks at the business, not only the products.

What is essential in a typical Elevator Pitch? Include the following 10 items:

Identify the problem your business is solving
What is your solution?
how big is your market?
How is your business going to make the $$$
What is your Business Model – use the concept of XX$ spent with your business will save YY$$ for the client
Proprietary Technology
Competition
Marketing Plan – How you are going to achieve sales
Team – Who is needed to kick start the business
Money Milestones – what are you going to spend and achieve?

It needs attention to prepare this Elevator Speech. Fitting in all these items is tricky and the key is that this speech is about your business and asking for finance, its not all about the products.

Once prepared, practice in front of an audience and get feedback. This is great for attending Networking groups, practice and see what works and what doesn’t , fine tune.
Enjoy the process and show your Passion!

For more information on going through this preparation, have a look at this YouTube video. It takes 3 minutes and its a great overview to help.

How To Craft Your Elevator Speech Terri Sjodin http://youtu.be/KMFFZ0lj41I

Have a look at this check list, do some of these things happen if you speak in front of groups or at work or avoiding speaking in front of groups all together?

* You Mind goes blank

* You start to ramble

* You just can”t think

* Mouth goes dry and palms go clammy

* Your hands or knees shake

* You loose your voice or your voice goes up

* You freeze

* Start to grind your teeth

* Your body stance contracts – shoulders forward, pelivis forward – a bit hunched over

If you experience some of these symptoms, then you probably are experiencing Stage Fright. If you do suffer from Stage Fright – then you will need to learn how to manage and overcome your Stage Fright symptoms.

Remember, your audience may not even notice that you may be nervous. Your audience are there to hear what you have to say, they want you to succeed. Its not about you, its about informing your audience.

The thing you need to know is that you are not alone. many, many people suffer from Stage Fright even famous people like Barbara Streisand, Sir Laurence Olivier, Susie O’Neil and many more – here’s a few more http://www.socialanxietyassist.com.au/famous_people.shtml

What is Stage Fright? This is the body’s response to a fearful situation – if you are viewing the situation of speaking in front of people as fearful, then the body goes in to the Fight or Flight response – the body closes down the digestive system and adrenalin is secreted and the heatbeat starts to raise and the other symptoms appear. It really affects the breathing.

This article give some more details :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stage_fright

The Voice –

When the voice goes up, it is the vocal cords not being used , they are less extended. Pressure is put on the vocal cords so they dont vibrate. Inside our heads, we think the audience sees nervousness. In reality, the audience don’t see it.

Watch your posture, try to have relaxed shoulders and torso. The more relaxed , the more breath can go in.

In preparation of your presentations, watch out for long sentences because when speaking in long sentences you will be much,more likely to experience loss of breath and struggle with the grammar. Remember shorter sentences give much more opportunities to take breaths.

It used to be sentences were around 30 words per sentence but now sentences of 12 – 14 words is all the audience can handle (this is the effect of modern media).

Remember – In the PAUSE, comes the APPLAUSE! In the Pause, you can breathe and this really helps!

METHODS OF PREVENTION OF STAGE FRIGHT

If you view the activity as fearful then there is a high probability of the sympotms starting. Remember, you are not alone but its in your best interests to learn methods to handle your Stage Fright or anxiety. You need to be proactive here – work out what works for you to relax yourself.

Step 1 – Acknowledge that you are experiencing Stage Fright symptoms and accept thats whats happening. Accept, Acknowledge and get on with the job of handling the symptoms instead of fighting the symptoms.

If you try and fight the Stage Fright symptoms physically, it makes the symptoms worse. Accept, Acknowledge and get on with the job

Step 2 – Preparation is vital.

Preparation is important for reducing the symptoms of Stage Fright. If you are prepared and have everything ready, you know what you want to say , even if you need to use notes, this reduces the anxiety associated with Stage Fright.

Have your speech prepared in note form, arrive early and know your speaking area, wear comfortable, suitable clothes and especially shoes.

Step 3 – Stage Fright Management before your presentation

* Vocal Warm- up – (This will be detailed in a future Blog)

* Physical Exercise before hand

* Do a meditation or some form of relaxation before hand. Just sitting taking a series of long deep breaths, thinking about the process of breathing will be most beneficial.

* Drink plenty of water

* Eat an apple – helps exercise the mouth

* Avoid coughing, drinking carbonated drinks, tea or coffee or alcohol

* As you are waiting for your turn, sit and open and close your hands as slowly as you can. There are some sedative effects in the hands and this will help you to relax.

* Again, remember to breathe! Working on every way to get oxygen to the brain helps!!

Principle from the Alexander Technique –

Prevention – If you stop doing the wrong thing, the right thing will do itself.
The problem is we dont trust ourselves with getting on with the job.

Here’s a link discussing the Alexander Technique approach – http://activateyou.posterous.com/stage-fright-alexander-technique-fear

The final message – It is possible for every Human Being to overcome Stage Fright – it is all about how you learn to handle the symptoms.

I would like acknowledge and thank Lesley Stephenson from Speaking Solutions http://speakingsolutions.ch/about_lesley.php. I attended a seminar Lesley ran at Toastmasters International and realised how the symptoms of Stage Fright hold people back from their full potential. These are my notes from her wonderful presentation.

If you experience the symptoms of Stage Fright, follow the recommendations here and learn what works for you so you succeed. Here’s The Speakers Practice 5 Tips to Reduce the Fear of Speaking in Public – http://youtu.be/nPbpHqQSTVU Best of wishes.

In February, 2012, Michael Grinder attended the National Speakers Association of Australia NSW Chapter and discussed ” How to be Credible with Your Hand Gestures”.

Micheal Grinder is the co-creator of the Neuro Linguistic Programming – NLP and is a world expert on non-verbal communications. It was an honor to hear Michael Grinder speak and he was so generous with his information.

How do you have instant credibility? Talk and use hands then Pause and have a frozen hand. Continual talking is not a credible way to come over intellegent.

The 6 ways to Not Give the Right Impression

1. Incessant Talking – no pausing – talking,talking,talking.

2. Hyper – High energy talk,talk,talk.

If either of these ways, paused, then its the pause that captures the attention.

3. Medicated – Talking too slow, loose interest quickly

4. Talking is fine but keeps dropping hands to pants/legs alot – all the time.

5. Talks with hands moving from waist up – like a belly button insecurity

6. Talking with hands making a milking action

Here’s Michael Grinder’s video with his overview. The awareness of how we use our hands is really important and will either gain credibility or loose the attention of your audience. Have a look! http://youtu.be/XQkmzr5b6NU

The use of body language is so important, thank you Michael Grinder for sharing your wisdom.