How To Be a Great Speaker | Better Public Speaking

Tips for Women to Work Towards a Promotion

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 13:15:44 +0000

The first tip is to not see asking for a promotion as YOU being bitchy or difficult, especially when positioning yourself for advancement. See it as an opportunity to highlight your accomplishments and position the company for future success instead.
Often times I hear women say, “I thought they would have given me a promotion by now.” Well, no one is your best advocate besides you. Companies have hundreds, sometimes thousands of employees and their focus – when it comes to promotions – is on the people who are ASKING for the promotion.
If you set expectations on the front end of the year, then great! That’s the time to revisit what you were asked by your supervisor to accomplish – and then review your success vs. the company’s ask of you. If you did not set this baseline, this is a good opportunity to go in and establish one.
Someone will be promoted or get the position you want. If you want that person to be you, you need to prepare. Do your homework on the position and pinpoint why you are the right fit. Treat this as a job interview and go in with examples of your work and show the alignment between your skill set, track record and what the company is looking for in the (new) position.
In order to get ahead, you need to have a plan to get there and work that plan. There is nothing wrong with ambition in the workplace, especially if it is backed up by a great work ethic, can do team attitude and results.
Be a cheerleader of others success and be sure to highlight and praise them. When you are an advocate for others you build an arsenal of advocates for you. You never know who will be tapped to get feedback on your current performance and you want the team to be in your corner.
Don’t spend your time at work gossiping or conspiring for the promotion. Work your plan at home and when you’re in the office focus on delivering results and supporting your team. Everyone likes a positive team player that delivers solutions, not someone who complains and creates problems.
Speak up in meetings and contribute your opinion even when it is different. You are on the team for a reason and you want others to get to know you and see your value. Be your own PR firm at work by verbally sharing your insights and perspective.
Amass client feedback and recommendations of your work. When the time is right you can introduce this feedback during the interview process for a promotion. Having others praise you in writing is difficult to challenge.

The post Tips for Women to Work Towards a Promotion appeared first on Heather Monahan.

Confidence is Key

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 14:07:59 +0000

Throughout my career, I’ve given numerous speeches on various topics. As a result, people have often asked me how they can improve their public speaking skills.

I’ve spent a lot of time working on becoming a stronger public speaker. Practice and preparation are some of the most important things you can do to ensure your success for speaking in public, but there are many more things to add to your speaking arsenal that will help you captivate your audience.

I’ve gathered my top 10 easy tips for becoming better at public speaking for this blog series, How To Be a Great Speaker. With each tip, I’ll explore in detail how to become a confident, effective and powerful speaker.

Improving your confidence will help you engage your audience on a whole new level, empowering you to become a better speaker.

Tip 10: Believe You Can.

Confidence is usually the real barrier to success with speaking. As a reminder that I really am pretty good at speaking, I’ve put together a secret list of success stories about me.

I use instances where I was really nervous and then got positive feedback from others after the occasion. (Remember: You get more feedback when you ask for it than when you don’t!)

I ask a lot. I keep this list of 5 instances where I was nervous and things turned out good enough.

I manage my own expectations of myself: I don’t need to be perfect. I have friends who will support me whenever I ask. And I have my list of mini success stories. These tricks usually work to bring my confidence up. For anything tougher than that, I write on the sole of my heels, “YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS.” This is a powerful reminder that my 8 year old taught me. Give it a shot. It works.

The post Confidence is Key appeared first on Heather Monahan.

Film Is Your Friend

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 14:05:37 +0000

Throughout my career, people have asked me how they can improve their public speaking skills.

I’ve spent a lot of time working on becoming a stronger public speaker. Practice and preparation are some of the most important things you can do to ensure your success for speaking in public.

Let’s get you comfortable in front of the camera so you can see what your audience sees!

Tip 9: Film It. Then Fix It.

Video is your friend. I have been speaking at events, conferences, charities, and luncheons for years, but I had never seen a video of myself. I think that I was just too nervous to see what I actually sounded like because I assumed I would hate it. This was an epic fail!

I was asked to put together a reel of myself for someone to view. Unfortunately, because I had waited so long between engagements, hardly anyone that I begged for clips had them any longer, or they simply couldn’t find what I needed.

Fortunately for me, one person did have a clip of me speaking, and I almost hid under the table when it launched. But surprisingly…it was good! We’re always our own toughest critics, aren’t we? What I learned was invaluable: I was not good at reading the video monitor, but I was great when I spoke freely.

I learned something that changed the way I approach my public speaking. My new goal is to capture video on each speaking opportunity so I can build a great reel and learn from each occasion. Imagine how well you will know yourself if you have yourself recorded for your own viewing. Why not see what others are seeing, and why not practice while the video rolls, as well? I promise you, it will not be as painful as you thought it would be. You may even be proud of the great speaker you already are!

The post Film Is Your Friend appeared first on Heather Monahan.

Practice. Practice Some More.

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 14:00:01 +0000

Throughout my career, people have asked me how they can improve their public speaking skills.

I’ve spent a lot of time working on becoming a stronger public speaker. Practice and preparation are some of the most important things you can do to ensure your success for speaking in public.

Take a look at how practice can enhance your presentation and help improve your speaking skills.

Tip 8: Practice Before Presenting.

Practice is critical. I know some extremely smart and talented people that practice for hours—even weeks!— before presenting. Know your strengths and weaknesses and address them accordingly. Be sure to write out what you will say. Have notes, highlights, and outlines and practice in front of someone at least once or twice to see where you trip up. This is a game changer!

When I hear that someone is nervous to present and they haven’t practiced, I laugh. That is setting yourself up for failure! You will get out what you put in. Getting feedback from others is extremely helpful, so if you have friends and co-workers that have seen you speak before, ask for their feedback. I constantly ask people how I was, what I could have done better and what they took away from my speech. This way, we can begin to gain some insight into how others see us.

Professional and powerful speakers take the time to prepare by practicing. That’s why they’re able to make it look so effortless!

The post Practice. Practice Some More. appeared first on Heather Monahan.

Perfection is Overrated

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 13:54:43 +0000

When people ask me how they can improve their public speaking skills, they sometimes follow it with, How do I memorize my entire speech so it’s absolutely flawless and everyone hangs on my every word?

I’ve spent a lot of time working on becoming a stronger public speaker. Practice and preparation go a long way, no doubt. But there are a few other things you can do to ensure your success for speaking in public.

Let’s get rid of the idea that you need to strive for perfection to be a great public speaker!

Tip 7: Let Go of Perfection.

Many people feel nervous when they are about to speak because they want to be perfect. In these situations, I think back to the countless presentations that I have attended. Have I even paid that much attention when someone is speaking?

The sad reality is that the audience is always very interested in their phones, their notes, their computers and who is sitting next to them. People focus on themselves more than they’ll ever focus on you—that’s just human nature! When you shift your perspective to realize this, it alleviates some of the pressure to be perfect.

The bottom line is, you don’t have to be a perfect speaker to be a great speaker. You just have to be good. If you touch just one person in the room during your speech, you’ve done your job, and that is enough.

The post Perfection is Overrated appeared first on Heather Monahan.

Be On-Point with Powerpoint

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 13:51:28 +0000

Being a great public speaker isn’t something that comes naturally to most of us. People ask me how they can improve their public speaking skills, but the truth is, I’ve spent a lot of time working on becoming a stronger public speaker. Practice and preparation got a long way, to be sure. But there are a few other things you can do to ensure your success for speaking in public.

Let’s let technology help you do the talking so you can connect with your audience!

Tip 6: Power It Up.

Let’s face it: Presentations are not always for people we know and like. They are also often on boring topics. When this is the case, I find it useful to use a Powerpoint or Keynote presentation on a big screen. I will use basic images to illus-trate a point, but really what it does for me is remind me of where I need to go next with my speech.

Using these programs is a way to avoid looking down to read something. In-stead, it allows you to engage the audience with visuals, which will help them remember the information after your presentation. Even though you have these tools as back up, though, it’s very important to move around, to gesture natu-rally. You never want to appear static, standing behind a podium!
By gesturing and moving, you will loosen yourself up and create a more com-fortable environment for you and the audience.

Use technology to help drive home the talking points of your speech, and to help you feel more relaxed in the content you have to cover.

The post Be On-Point with Powerpoint appeared first on Heather Monahan.

Shake It Up

admin — Sun, 28 Aug 2016 23:31:34 +0000

When people ask me how to become a great public speaker, they sometimes follow it with, How do I keep my audience engaged in what I’m saying? My worst fear is boring them to death!

The truth is, I’ve spent years working on becoming a stronger public speaker. Practice and preparation got a long way, to be sure. But there are a few other things you can do to ensure your success for speaking in public.

Let’s make sure your audience stays engaged in what you’ve worked so hard to prepare!

Tip 5: Make Them Move.

Go ahead. Shake your audience up! It’s fine to ask everyone to stand up and stretch if you are the 4th speaker during a day-long meeting. They’ll probably welcome the opportunity to stretch their legs, straighten their backs and take a few deep breaths. If you feel comfortable, it’s also fine to make a joke like, “I’m sure by 3pm on a Friday you are just dying to hear what I have to say…”

Next, Get On a First Name Basis.
Also, feel free to use people’s first names while speaking. This is a simple, but extremely engaging, technique. For example, “John, I know that you had a simi-lar situation with HR and can appreciate this topic. John is not alone in this room, so I’m sure there are others of you out there. Let’s take a look at the challenge John faced.” This immediately makes your speech more of a relatable story and conversation, and engages the audience.

Small touches like these during your speech will help you become stronger, more relatable and more memorable as a speaker!

The post Shake It Up appeared first on Heather Monahan.

Hypnosis Can Help

admin — Sun, 28 Aug 2016 23:30:44 +0000

When people ask me how to become a great public speaker, what they really mean is, How do I not crum-ble on stage? How do I overcome my fear of public speaking? How do become a strong speaker that con-nects with my audience and helps them invest in what I’m saying?

The truth is, I’ve spent years working on becoming a strong public speaker. Practice helps, and so does preparation. But there are a few other things you can do to jumpstart your success for speaking in public.

Let’s help you lose your fear of public speaking.

Tip 4: Hypnosis, Not Hysteria.

At this point, some people might be thinking, “Why are you telling me what to say in a speech? It doesn’t matter. There is no chance I will ever get up myself and speak in public.”

For these people, the thought of giving a speech is paralyzing. But there are helpful options! You can take classes to help you become a better speaker, and there’s another option that, in my opinion, an even stronger and more viable one: Hypnosis.

Hypnosis is a proven solution for people who are paralyzed by fear. Not only have I seen it work on numerous people, I have also done it myself. The one ca-veat is that you have to be open minded to it working, and you have to want it to work. To me, that seems pretty easy if you have found a well-recommended hypnotist that specializes in this field.

Don’t count this out, even if it’s out of your comfort zone. Hypnosis can be in-credibly helpful in overcoming fears of speaking in public, and I’m proof that it really does work!

The post Hypnosis Can Help appeared first on Heather Monahan.

Engage Your Audience

admin — Sun, 28 Aug 2016 23:29:11 +0000

People from all areas of my life have asked me how to become a great public speaker. What they really mean is, how do I become a strong speaker that leaves the audience feeling connected to me and invested in what I’m saying?
The truth is, I’ve spent years trying to become a good speaker. Practice helps, and so does preparation. There are a few other things you can do, though, to jumpstart your success for speaking in public.
I’ve gathered my top 10 easy tips for becoming better at public speaking for this blog series, How To Be a Great Speaker. With each tip, I’ll explore in detail how to become a confident, effective and powerful speaker.
Your audience is waiting for you!

Tip 3: Engage Your Audience.

Whenever possible, get your audience involved. This doesn’t mean you need to interview various members of the audience or call on someone to shout to their answer, but what it can mean is asking a big picture question like, “Has anyone in this room ever felt they couldn’t accomplish something, but tried anyway?” Then—and this is key—give a long pause.

Even if no one yells out, you have gotten everyone’s attention and can continue to pull them in by saying, “Well, that is me today, so please bear with me while I’m up here.” Instantly, you’re allowing your audience to connect with you on a human level—something great public speakers are masterful at doing.

You can also have someone staged in the audience. This works like magic! Meet with a friend or co-worker ahead of time and ask them to answer a question for you a certain way. That way, you know someone will answer, you know what their answer will be, and it will give you a break on stage to look at notes or take a sip of water.

Utilizing opportunities to engage your audience will make your speech infinitely more powerful and memorable to your audience!

The post Engage Your Audience appeared first on Heather Monahan.

Speak From a Script & Borrow a Story

admin — Sun, 28 Aug 2016 23:29:52 +0000

With a wide range of speaking experiences throughout my professional career, I’m often asked how to become a great speaker. A great speaker is a strong speaker; a strong speaker is someone who can hold the attention of the audience and connect with them, as well.

Over the years, I’ve asked myself how I can improve my speaking skills. Like with anything, practice—and preparation —make perfect. There are a few other things you can do, though, to ensure your success for speaking in public.

You’re on your way to being a great speaker!

Tip 1: It’s Ok To Use a Script.

Not every public speaking engagement involves something that we personally care about or feel invested in. In these instances, you may need to be more scripted. Be sure to read scripts over countless times so that you familiarize yourself with the concepts well enough that you don’t have to bury your head and read while presenting. This is a surefire way to lose the interest of your au-dience! When you don’t look up or gesture and move and speak freely, your au-dience will become bored and restless. Repeatedly reading or writing the script before your speech will help you to identify with key topics and words to stimu-late your memory.

In situations like this, I highlight key words that I know will trigger my memory. If I begin to feel a little lost during my speech, I look down to my highlighted paper to trigger what I need to go to next. This is a great safety net!

Tip 2: Borrow a Story.

Even though you’re not speaking from the heart this time around, try whatever it takes to get a story to introduce your speech. If you can’t think of a story of your own, ask your friends, co-workers and family members for ideas.

I once spoke at a conference about recruiting talent, but I couldn’t come up with a personal story to introduce the topic. My friend suggested telling a story about the prettiest girl in the bar and how she pulls people towards her. I used this concept to detail the shift in recruiting: In 2016, we need to pull people toward us, not chase them down! The funny thing is, this is the part of the presentation everyone remembered.

Tell a story to introduce your script…even if it’s not your own. Sometimes, the story ends up being the most memorable part of your speech.

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