Public Speaking Archives | Page 2 of 6

Let Us Introduce Ourselves

We are Alexis Blevins and Katya Kantar, the new summer interns at Accent On Business. As interns we were very excited to sit in on our first client session. We observed a small business entrepreneur who is developing a 45-minute keynote speech for marketing an innovative, new product. The session included an overview of basic presentation skills and how to deliver the content of the speech in a more significant and memorable manner. It began with Ellen Dunnigan, President and CEO, inspiring the client to think and question how she wanted her audience to perceive her and what the main goals of the speech are for both the speaker and the audience. We recognized that the client truly believed in the content she was presenting to us. She wanted to be perceived as relaxed and insightful while giving her speech, but she had no way of explaining what it meant […]

Invest in Your Future! Improve Your Communication Skills

Uh oh, it’s happened again. You’ve been able to avoid it for the last 3 years. Now here it is again…the dreaded presentation. Ever been in one of these situations?

You’ve been invited to make a key presentation at a Board of Directors meeting.
Your dream job just opened up and you will need to interview for it.
You have one single opportunity to have lunch with a prospective major account client.
You have three months to prepare your 25^th high school class reunion’s keynote address.
You’ve been asked to fill in for a colleague in teaching a training session to senior management.
Your company is in the peak of a crisis or incident and you need to speak about it live on television or on radio.
You volunteered on a mission trip sponsored by a large company in your area and are […]

2022-04-22T08:32:31-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Leadership Presence, Professional Communication, Public Speaking|Tags: executive presence, executive presence advisors, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm|Comments Off

Purpose + Audience = My Action

Purpose: What are your purposes in presenting your idea? How is it good for your organization? Why should you be the one to deliver this message to your boss (or other targeted audience)? What do you want from this pitch for yourself and/or your team?

Audience: Knowing what you know about your boss (from the first two steps above), what do you expect from him or her? What are her questions going to be? What will she be concerned about? What amount of detail will he want? When is the best time of day to talk to him? What behaviors does he really admire from his employees? What does he loathe? What are the questions you hope she doesn’t ask – and what are the answers to those tough questions?

My Actions: Knowing your purpose(s) and your audience tells you the behaviors and actions you should display. What will be your actions […]

2022-04-22T08:32:32-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Professional Communication|Tags: executive presence, executive presence advisors, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm|Comments Off

The Very Real Science Behind your Fear of Public Speaking

fear-617132_1280 The sometimes debilitating fear of public speaking, technically called “glossophobia”, affects a large portion of the population. It is known in medical communities as a type of social anxiety, similar to “stage fright”. This includes symptoms of: a feeling of impending doom, obsessive thoughts of failure and worry, trembling and shaking, dizziness, accelerated heart rate, sweating, and nausea. You might also find that your mouth dries and your voice weakens and cracks.

When you get up to the podium, notes shaking in hand, feet nervously fidgeting, it seems like all the information you know well and rehearsed, delivering has just gone whirling away with your confidence. At that moment, staring at your anticipating audience, all you really want to do is flee. However, this reaction is a response to your brain’s necessary “fight or flight phenomenon”, the physiological response to a threatening situation.

For […]

2022-04-22T08:32:32-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Public Speaking|Tags: executive presence, executive presence advisors, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm|Comments Off

7 Tips to Quell Nervousness Before a Speech (That Don’t Include Jumping From the Window)

The fear of speaking in front of 5 or 500 people is shared by virtually everyone and cuts across all professions, social classes and leadership levels. There are lots of reasons why this fear wells up and seems to choke our confidence and vocal chords. But this blog post isn’t about the problem - it’s about the solution!

2022-04-22T08:32:32-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Leadership Presence, Public Speaking|Tags: executive presence, executive presence advisors, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm|Comments Off

Easy Steps to Winning the RFP

The last time your business development team submitted a proposal in response to an RFP to win new work -- was it accepted favorably? Was your company shortlisted for an upcoming interview or presentation to bid on the work? And when your team made their in-person presentation, did you indeed win new work? If so, congratulations – we hope you see that happen many more times next year!

2022-04-22T08:32:32-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Professional Communication|Tags: executive presence, executive presence advisors, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm|Comments Off

Show Respect, Trust, and Approachability – Lessen the Discomfort of Difficult Conversations

Can you recall your last really good conversation? I mean the type of conversation in which you and your communication partner truly shared the engagement. Perhaps you believed the same things, agreed on specific issues, laughed at the same points, and were both astonished by the same topics. You both really seemed to enjoy each others company.

2022-04-22T08:32:33-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Leadership Presence|Tags: executive presence, executive presence advisors, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm|Comments Off

Improve Your Vocabulary With Our New “Commanding Words” Word-A-Day Calendar

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The truth is, every time we speak we are being judged on our intelligence, success and competence. Studies show that people with significant vocabularies tend to be viewed as being capable and smart. Additionally, since language and thought are linked one to the other, having a strong vocabulary simply helps us think, plan and solve problems more efficiently. If this information gives you pause, perhaps you should put vocabulary improvement on your New Year’s Resolution list! Accent On Business has the perfect tool to assist you in reaching this goal.

The 2010 “Commanding Word-A-Day Calendar” contains a year’s worth of powerful words. “Commanding Words” makes an ideal gift for the business professional, student or anybody who wants to improve his or her vocabulary.

The entry for each day’s word includes pronunciation, grammar classification, definition and a sample sentence using the word. The calendar is spiral […]

2022-04-22T08:32:33-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Accent Modification|Tags: executive presence, executive presence advisors, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm|Comments Off

Grammar Mistakes

grammar-389907_640 Below are 20 common grammar mistakes I see routinely, not only in editorial queries and submissions, but in print: in HR manuals, blogs, magazines, newspapers, trade journals, and even best selling novels. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve made each of these mistakes a hundred times, and I know some of the best authors in history have lived to see these very toadstools appear in print. Let’s hope you can learn from some of their more famous mistakes.

Who and Whom

This one opens a big can of worms. “Who” is a subjective — or nominative — pronoun, along with “he,” “she,” “it,” “we,” and “they.” It’s used when the pronoun acts as the subject of a clause. “Whom” is an objective pronoun, along with “him,” “her,” “it”, “us,” and “them.” It’s used when the pronoun acts as the object of a […]

2022-04-22T08:32:33-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Accent Modification|Tags: executive presence, executive presence advisors, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm|Comments Off

Heartfelt and Memorable Holiday Toasts

bottle-217176_1280 There is no better time than this year’s office party to let your colleagues know how much you appreciate their hard work and great attitudes. Ellen Dunnigan, public speaking coach at Accent On Business, offers our annual tips on providing memorable toasts at the holiday office parties.

Give Thanks

Thank individuals for their contribution to the company. If your group is small, mention each person individually. In larger firms, thank teams or departments who succeeded in special initiatives or projects. Thank your partners and alliances, especially if they are sponsoring your company celebration. Be as specific as possible in your “thank you”, for example, “Thank you, Susan, for keeping us organized and managing our project calendars”. (We call this the “Power Thank You”.)

Share Successes

Share specific kudos about your team members with their spouses. You know, it doesn’t get much better than hearing that all […]

2022-04-22T08:32:33-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Public Speaking|Tags: executive presence, executive presence advisors, how to give a great toast, how to give memorable toasts, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm|Comments Off