Public Speaking: Show 'em When You Cross Cultures

Regardless of one's nationality and culture, cartoons and comic strips are the most universally accepted format for humor in public speaking engagements. These pieces of visual humor are seen in newspapers and magazines in most areas of the world. They may be found in newsstands in large cities, or in large libraries.

Public Speaking: Bilingual Help

One good idea is to take pictures of the various items you may need (overhead projector, white board, etc.) and carry them with you to the event.

Public Speaking: Proverb Fortune Cookie Humor

You can throw in a cute diversion to a boring public speaking engagement by attributing a saying to an ancient Chinese philosopher. Since these sayings are not attributed to anyone in particular, feel free to change or update them to fit your situation and to enhance their humor.

Public Speaking: Places are Funny

Some places are simply funnier than others. Cleveland is funny. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is funny. I live just off Goodluck Road. That's funny. My computer consultant used to live on Easy Street in Temple Hills, Maryland. That's funny. It was hard to find him because people were always stealing the sign, and it's not easy to steal an Easy Street sign.

Public Speaking: One-Liners

One-liner is a general term for very short pieces of humor. Using one-liners is probably the best and easiest way to begin adding humor to your public speaking engagements. These brief bits of humor are quick and easy to deliver and they don't have to be all that funny to be effective. If you are a little apprehensive about using humor, this is the place to start.

Public Speaking: Anachronisms

A person, place, or event that is placed in a time period in which it does not belong is called an anachronism. For instance, Paul Revere riding a motorcycle or George Washington sitting in front of a computer would be anachronisms. You see advertising strategies using anachronisms all the time, especially around Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays and Columbus Day. I saw an ad for fluorescent light bulbs that had Thomas Edison working on a phonograph. The caption read: 'If Thomas Edison wouldn't have wasted his time on this (incandescent bulb), his phonograph might have been a CD player.'

Public Speaking: Deadpan Expression

Yesterday I attended a professional public speaking meeting of the National Capital Area Speakers Association. The presenter was not funny, but got laughs from the crowd.

Public Speaking: Humor Delivery Tips

Don't signal your punch line. If the humor in your punch line depends upon the words ruptured camel, don't say the following: Did you hear the one about the ruptured camel?

Public Speaking: Heirloom Handouts

If you want your public speaking handout material to be kept forever, you must give each audience member a reason to keep it. I do this by strategically adding important reference material to EACH PAGE of the speaking handout. This material was picked specifically for that day's audience.

Public Speaking: Transitions

Most public speaking books will tell you to be a polished speaker you have to tie all your information together so it flows smoothly. You must lead your audience and alert them that slightly different, but related information is coming. This is called transition or segue (pronounced seg-way). LET ME STATE RIGHT NOW THAT I FULLY BELIEVE SMOOTH TRANSITIONS ARE A NECESSITY IF YOU WANT TO HAVE YOUR AUDIENCE MEMBERS SO BORED THEY FALL RIGHT OUT OF THEIR SEATS AND SMASH THEIR HEADS ON THE FLOOR.

Public Speaking: Improvise Your Flipchart

Oops! I broke my own rules and did not follow a checklist on my last public speaking engagement. It was two minutes until start time and I realized there was no flipchart in the room. Oh oh!. Better think fast. I was not using an overhead projector either, so I could not simply write on a blank transparency. Now one and 1/2 minutes left . . .

Investing in Your Professional Development

Learning about your niche subject is an necessary, on-going process well worth the investment of time and money.

Why are You So Scared of Public Speaking?

The basis of your fears revealed! Plus the solution - never fear speaking to groups again.

Speaking on the Funny Side of the Brain: Five Styles of Humor on the Platform - Which One are You?

Picture this: I enter a seminar room filled with seventy hostile supervisors. I have been hired to present on the topic How to Lead Group Meetings. None of them wants to be there. Their boss introduces me. There is no applause as I step up to the platform. I stand for a moment in silence as I study crossed arms and downturned faces. I say, “I’m here today to teach you The Seven Most Successful Strategies for Skipping Out of Seminars, and you obviously need help in this area.” Some light laughter. A number of arms uncross. Several faces look up. I list such topics as...

Everything You've Ever Learned about Public Speaking Is Wrong

Many myths about public speaking have been passed along from person to person over the years, and the one thing that is consistent about these myths is that the people who pass them along are still nervous about speaking. After facilitating over 200 public speaking classes and never having a single person fail to significantly reduce his/her fear of speaking, I had a dramatic realization. Just about everything I was taught about public speaking while I was in school and from well meaning peers and coworkers – WAS WRONG!