Earlier this week, one of my public speaking clients mentioned to me that she would like to work on her “presence” before the audience as well as her actual presentation. I probed a bit deeper, asking her to describe exactly what it was she wanted to project; how was it that she wanted others to see her?
“I can hear my heart pounding in my ears, my mouth feels like it could dispense cotton balls at any moment, my hands get cold and clammy, and I’m dead certain everybody within ten feet can hear my knees knocking together.”
Creaky Voice What’s that creaking sound? Oh, it’s your voice! You probably haven’t even noticed you are speaking that way because everyone around you is speaking like that, too. “Vocal fry,” as medical professionals call it, is becoming a growing phenomenon in the United States, especially among young women. It is characterized as, “irregular vibrations in the vocal cords”. Many experts believe that vocal fry began in pop culture and thus has become a “cool” trend in speaking styles. However “trendy” vocal fry might make you sound, it has been proven to leave nothing but negative effects.
A recent study conducted by Duke University researchers and published in the journal of PLoS ONE found that not only can vocal fry cause damage to your vocal cords but it is actually perceived as less professional, and can affect the likelihood of an employer’s decision to […]
Wedding season is upon us. The summer air is perfect for weddings and that means toasts to the happy couple! Are you a best man, maid of honor, or a parent that raised the bride or groom? Then get ready to brush up on your public speaking skills because you will be writing your toast before you know it! Speaking in front of a whole banquet hall full of people may seem overwhelming, but a few helpful tips might go a long way:
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One great question can elicit useful answers, move a relationship to a higher plane, or propel a business solution. The following tips can make you a more strategic communicator and get you noticed for your thought leadership.
Body language affects how others see us, and it may also affect how we see ourselves. Social psyhcologist Amy Cuddy shows how “power pose” — standing in a posture of confidence for 2 minutes — can raise testosterone levels (your hormone that generates confidence), and lower cortisol levels (your stress hormone), and positively impact our performance and success.
Accent reduction, or accent modification, is the systematic approach for neutralizing a foreign accent to adapt to the majority accent. The process includes identifying the variations in the individual’s current speech, and comparing them to the constants in the target dialect. These variations include not only sound distinctions, but also the differences in grammar styles, idioms, stress patterns, and rhythm of the new language.
A foreign accent is an important personal characteristic to one’s identity. Accents make individuals unique, and they are often viewed as attractive for this reason. Heavy accents can impede communication in the workplace. Accent reduction, not elimination, might be a valuable communication and professional development endeavor. Accent modification aids in better understanding in the workplace and social settings.
When it comes to presentations, content is king. If you don’t have meaningful, interesting content, you might as well shut off your PowerPoint and read directly from historiography textbook. When developing and creating your content, there are 7 key features should guide your language and information.
Coughing from a cold can be very harmful to the voice. A "silent cough" technique can be easily taught to prevent the trauma from coughing.
What We Forget: Personal names, business names, job titles, job 
descriptions
What We Remember: Pain! Vivid images of pain! Feelings of discomfort!
So if you want your self-introduction to be memorable to get a qualified lead, you need to show people in 60 seconds or less what sort of pain your typical clients experience and how your business offerings ease that pain.
Give people names, titles, markets and job descriptions and they’ll forget you. But paint a picture of how you alleviate your clients discomfort and they’ll remember you!