Communicate clearly

Overcome fear of public speaking with proper strategy

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For many people, the fear of public speaking ranks right up there with undergoing a root canal procedure or facing a tax audit.

That’s too bad. Eliminating your fear of speaking in public is not as difficult as you might think. Plus, the skills and confidence you gain are useful in today’s competitive, customer service-oriented marketplace.

Whole courses are devoted to public speaking. We can only touch on the fundamentals here. The rest is up to you. If you follow these tips, your speaking anxiety will diminish and you will be more confident in front of an audience. Indeed, you will actually enjoy speaking in public.

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How to give a presentation when disaster strikes

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It had to happen eventually. Until then I had no problems with my presentations; all came off without a hitch. As one who gives presentations frequently and who aspires to be a professional speaker, I know that I will experience a meltdown someday. That someday was this past Wednesday evening during a webinar I was hosting. Even though I trained myself for such an event, it still proved to be a challenging but instructional experience. It prompted me to put together some thoughts on how to give a presentation when disaster strikes.

The best time to plan for any disaster, of course, is during the quiet times. Now is the time to review the steps to take in the event you suffer a disaster during a business presentation. Play these steps over in your mind – visualize them – repeatedly. That will help ensure that when the inevitable occurs, you respond pretty much to script. You can expect some anxiety – the shock of the incident really hits you – but you can minimize its effects through proper response.

1. Maintain your composure. When something significant occurs – say, your computer crashes (like mine did) or the projector dies – it is a shock to your system. Part of you wants to panic. You realize the significance of what has happened and envision your presentation collapsing. It’s an embarrassing and humiliating moment. You are the presenter, after all, and those people are counting on you.

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Redundant vs Repetitive

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Redundant does not mean repetitive. People sometimes get confused because the ‘re’ in redundant suggests repetition. In fact, the word has a totally unrelated meaning. Redundant means unnecessary or superfluous. Many parts became redundant when we converted to the new equipment. The word can also be used to refer to components in a system placed there as … Read more

Principal vs Principle

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Though they are pronounced the same and share similar spellings, principal and principle have distinctly different meanings. Principal, as an adjective, refers to the first or foremost ranked item. She had the principal part in the school’s play. (Someone who heads a school is a principal teacher or principal.) Principle, on the other hand, is … Read more

Remember the fundamentals of communication

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Athletes and salespeople know that when they get in a slump it’s usually because they strayed from the fundamentals. Communicators face the same problem. Often in a hurry, they cut corners, only to see the quality of their work diminish.

These pointers will help you stay sharp.

become succesfulThink, then act: How often have you quickly blurted out a comment or pounded out an e-mail? Did you ever wish you could take it back? Always pause a few moments to compose your thoughts and emotions before responding. Your judgment must be based upon reason, not passion.

Edit your material: Few of us can write clean, concise copy in one pass. Review your text for wordy sentences, redundant adjectives, and other fluff. Grammar must be at professional grade. If you’re having difficulty here, seek out a remedial course.

Use active voice often to add zip to your material. Employ your mental knife to cut the fat from around the meat of your copy. Avoid clichés and minimize metaphors.

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