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Speaking about Presenting

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How to handle a heckler

February 25, 2010

Most hecklers are made, not born. If people don’t feel listened to they will turn into hecklers. So the critical step to avoid making hecklers out of people in your audience is to listen.
At the Presentation Camp in LA last year I facilitated a session on handling a heckler. Lisa Braithwaite’s husband videoed the session, but we didn’t have microphones so the audio is very faint. But you may find it useful, so I’ve included the video at the end of this post.
1. Manage your own emotional state

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How to manage feedback from the presentation backchannel

February 11, 2010

In my eBook How to present with a backchannel I recommend that the first time you present with a backchannel, you shouldn’t try and monitor or respond to feedback in real-time (the term backchannel refers to an online conversation taking place at the same time as people are talking live). I’ve changed my mind.

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What you need to know before using a cartoon in your presentation

February 1, 2010

I was reviewing a technical presentation for a client. The topic was the latest dental procedures. Every few slides a cartoon popped up. Cartoons about people with bad teeth. They were tangentially relevant to the topic of the presentation – but didn’t help to promote the message of the presentation. When I asked the client why she had included the cartoons she said: “My presentation is soooo boring. I need something to keep the audience awake.”
Can you relate?
Philippa Leguen de Lacroix

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6 presentation tips from a professional speaker

January 27, 2010

Scott Berkun speaking at the Web2.0 Expo 2009. Photo by James Duncan Davidson.
Scott Berkun’s book Confessions of a public speaker is an entertaining and enlightening read on what it what it takes, and what it’s like, to be a professional speaker.

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What’s my best presentation tip for the presentations that you do?

January 20, 2010

Every type of presentation has its own challenges. As part of a “Public Speaking and the New Year” blog carnival organized by Angela DeFinis, I’ve identified what I see as the major challenge or trend for each presentation type in 2010 and given you my best presentation tip to overcome it.

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How to handle a texting audience

January 14, 2010

A reader asked me this question:
Some of us who are 45+ are finding that younger people text and use computers during presentations to the point of rudeness. This happens even when others in the presentation give great evaluations.  We think we’ll be seen as “old farts” if we ask them to disengage.  How do we bridge this generation gap?

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How to propose a toast

December 15, 2009

Propose a toast: Image by Waldo Jaquith
Give the gift of public speaking this holiday season. It’s the time to show your love and appreciation for your family and friends. Here are some tips for proposing a toast:
1. Plan your toast in advance

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New research suggests a way to reduce fear of public speaking

December 10, 2009

Earlier this morning Martin Shovel tweeted about new research hailed as a breakthrough by the Guardian News. It occurred to me that it might have some application to reducing the fear of public speaking.

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Make a fool of yourself to reduce stage fright and be a more engaging speaker

December 9, 2009

At the New Media Atlanta conference this year, Chris Brogan was the last keynote of the day. He’d watched all day as the backchannel drowned in snark:

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8 tips to make your eye contact more powerful

December 2, 2009

Even a newbie at public speaking knows they should make eye contact.
But the term eye contact is rather vague. It can infer just making fleeting “contact” with a person then moving on. Don’t make eye contact – make “eye connection”.  Eye connection means spending time with each person so that person feels like you’re just talking to them. Eye connection has two major benefits:

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