To our No Sweat Speaking(sm) Ezine readers... Because of technical difficulties with our newsletter mail server, we couldn't publish the August and September, 2003 issues. See below for our 3-month, combined issue. To make up for the missing issues, you could read this issue 3 times (ha, ha, just kidding). Thanks for your patience. Enjoy! ----------------------------- No Sweat Speaking(sm) Ezine ----------------------------- Speaking Tips for Greater Confidence, Skill, Influence & Profit ----------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 2, Number 8 Aug/Sep/Oct, 2003 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Allan Kaufman & Allan Misch, Editors, Allan and Allan, Inc. mailto:cust-serv@nosweatspeaking.com http://www.nosweatspeaking.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- This monthly newsletter is distributed by request only. If you want to stop it, you can find instructions at the end of the newsletter. (c) 2003 Allan And Allan, Inc. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Please send this Ezine to those you know who (1) need to give technical, sales, marketing, or management presentations; (2) are interested in developing or improving their presentation skills; (3) want to make money speaking and training; (4) need to improve their performance; or (5) have a fear of speaking or are nervous when they speak. This newsletter also is good for building relationships with your clients, customers, associates, and friends. Send this to them with a note that you're thinking about them. ----------------------------------------------------------------- *** Attention *** If you're receiving this issue from someone and would like to get your own complimentary newsletter plus TWO valuable BONUS reports, please visit... http://www.nosweatspeaking.com or... mailto:nssezine@nosweatspeaking.com?subject=Subscribe ----------------------------------------------------------------- PRIVACY STATEMENT: We absolutely will not share your address with anyone. Period! ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Learning to communicate is like taking out an insurance policy. You never know when you'll need it, but it's too late to take it out after you need it." Allan Kaufman as quoted in Baltimore Magazine ----------------------------------------------------------------- *** A Fantastic Resource *** Need MORE TRAFFIC to your website or affiliate links? "Turn Words Into Traffic" reveals the secrets for using *free* articles to drive Thousands of NEW visitors to your website or affiliate links... without spending a dime on advertising! We use this resource and it's incredible! The idea is simple and ingenious. Find out more at http://hop.clickbank.net/?aanosweat/ezarticles. ----------------------------------------------------------------- In This Issue ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Featured Article 2. No Sweat Speaking(sm) Tip (Reducing Performance Anxiety) 3. Presentation Skills Tip 4. Stealth Communication(sm) Tip (Communicating Subconsciously) 5. Humor Tip 6. Dear Allan and Allan (Answers to Your Questions) ----------------------------------------------------------------- *** Fast-Track to Become a Confident Speaker *** Say Adios to Speaking Anxiety and Grow Your Business! http://www.nosweatspeaking.com/coaching.html ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Featured Article ----------------------------------------------------------------- **How to Avoid Five Snafus that Can Ruin Your Image** by Allan Kaufman and Allan Misch When you present, you should have two goals in mind -- content and image. The content is the information. The image goal is how you want your audience to perceive you. Both are equally important. Sometimes image is more important. We gave you "The Ten Biggest Public Speaking Mistakes" in our November, 2002 through February, 2003 issues. Here are five more blunders, although small, that are lethal to your public speaking image. 1. *Your zipper is down or your blouse is unbuttoned.* Make sure your pants zipper is up and your blouse buttons are buttoned. This embarrassing snafu will distract your audience, guaranteed! You want your audience focussed on what you're saying, not on what you're revealing. 2. *Wearing inappropriate clothing.* Dress as good as or a little bit better than your audience. You'll develop rapport quickly. Avoid revealing clothing for the same reason as #1. 3. *Wearing dirty glasses.* It's hard giving a presentation when all you can see are the blurry faces of your audience. Also, it's difficult for the audience to make eye contact with you when they can't see your eyes through a filmy layer of dirt. 4. *Having loose shoelaces.* Use a double knot when tying your shoelaces. Tripping over your laces will not make a good first impression on your audience. 5. *Giving a wimpy handshake to the person who introduces you.* A firm, hearty handshake to the person who introduces you will set the right tone and put a smile on his or her face. Remember your audience is watching. These mistakes are distracting to your audience and can damage your image. They are five among many blunders that presenters need to avoid. When you do, you'll prevent a little mistake ruining what could have been a fabulous presentation. ----------------------------------------------------------------- *********************** Check This Out! *********************** ***Is Your Public Speaking Fear Holding You Back?*** Are you not getting the job you want or the promotion you deserve because you suffer from speaking anxiety? How much money, loss of opportunities, or damage to your reputation is this fear costing you? ***We Can Help You!*** Using our No Sweat Speaking(sm) techniques, we provide personal coaching to help you get rid of your speaking anxieties in a relatively short period of time. Send us an email and tell us you want assistance. We will email you some questions to assess your situation and then send you a proposal as to how we can help you. It doesn't matter where you live as this can be done via email and phone consultations. mailto:allank@nosweatspeaking.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2. No Sweat Speaking(sm) Tip (Reducing Performance Anxiety) ----------------------------------------------------------------- **Relax Before You Present** by Allan Misch Present from a relaxed, confident emotional state rather than from a nervous or anxious frame of mind. Don't buy into the notion that you need to be nervous when you present, that you need nervous energy to produce adrenalin to transform your negative energy into positive energy. If you begin a speech feeling nervous or anxious, you squander energy when you try moving from an anxious state to a confident one. Don't worry about having the necessary adrenalin to help power your performance. Your adrenalin will be pumping with either emotional state. Check out the Stealth Communication Tip #4 below for a strategy to start off feeling relaxed. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "In minutes you were able to do for the audience what some people have been trying to do for themselves for a lifetime. You two helped audience members get rid of the fear of public speaking right before my very eyes.... Any organization can benefit greatly by witnessing your seminar.... You two are a great team!" Craig Valentine Toastmasters International 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Presentation Skills Tip ----------------------------------------------------------------- **Ask Your Audience Questions** by Allan Kaufman Ask questions throughout your presentation. Here's why: ~> It helps you develop rapport with your audience. ~> It keeps your audience awake. ~> It gets your audience involved. ~> You can tie in the use of humor. ~> It adds variation to your talk so that you are not viewed as having given a boring lecture. Start off your speech with a question that requires a yes answer. It could be a redundant question like, "How many of you got dressed this morning?" Then raise your hand and wait for them to raise their hands. There will always be a few who don't raise their hands. You could come back with, "I can see a few of you are still in the same clothes from last night!" For a related article, go to the April, 2003 issue of our ezine and read our feature article: "How to Grab your Audience by Their Corpuscles and Wake Them Up." http://nosweatspeaking.com/ezine/back_issues-2003.html ----------------------------------------------------------------- *** Great Speaking Resource *** Turn your speaking, training, or sales skills into cash. Check out a great professional speaking resource. We recommend it highly. Lots of great tips and tricks. Just click on or paste the URL into your browser. http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?AFID=50475&u=www.antion.com/public-speaking.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Stealth Communication(sm) Tip ----------------------------------------------------------------- Stealth Communication(sm) is communication that's fast, can't be seen or heard by the conscious mind but consistently hits its target -- the subconscious. **How to Become Relaxed Before You Present** by Allan Misch Remember when you were a child, you probably felt warm and comfortable when you smelled your grandmother or mom's favorite pie or cookies that she baked. Years later, whenever you passed a bakery or were in someone's kitchen and you whiffed that same fresh-baked pie or cookies scent, you immediately felt those same feelings that you had as a child in your grandmother or mom's kitchen. That's a strong emotional anchor--an association of an emotional state to a sound, sight, touch, smell, or taste. Set up a relaxation anchor for yourself before you speak. Here's one way. In your mind's eye, re-experience a time in your life when you felt very relaxed. See, hear, and feel everything in that experience. As you start to feel relaxed, touch your thumb and forefinger of each hand together. When that relaxed feeling peaks then begins to subside, release your thumb and forefinger. Repeat this exercise several times at different times. Soon, all you'll need to do is touch both thumbs and forefingers together and you will enter a relaxed state. Then just before you have to present, use this anchor to feel relaxed. ----------------------------------------------------------------- *** Hot Internet Business Secrets *** Over 1,000+ PAGES of the Hottest, Proven Profitable Internet Business Secrets Broken down Into An EASY-TO-DUPLICATE System! We highly recommend checking out this site. It's jam-packed with THE EXACT INFORMATION YOU NEED to start, build, and grow your very own, profitable Internet business. This is what we used to get started. So visit... http://www.marketingtips.com/t.cgi/769587 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Humor Tip ----------------------------------------------------------------- **End Your Talk with a Humorous Story** by Allan Kaufman By adding humor to your speech ending, you... ~> Leave your audience in a good mood. ~> Increase your chances of being invited back to speak. ~> Solidify yourself as an interesting speaker. ~> Make your ending memorable. Tie your humorous story to your closing statement. For example: [Humorous story] A priest, a minister and a rabbi were discussing when life begins. The priest said, "Life begins at conception." The minister said, "Life begins at birth." Then the rabbi paused and said, "Life begins . . . Life begins when the last child goes off to college and the dog dies!" [Closing statement] Ladies and gentlemen, remember life begins when you use our No Sweat Speaking techniques to demolish your public speaking anxieties! ----------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Dear Allan and Allan (Answers to Your Questions) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Allan and Allan, Sometimes my mouth gets very dry and it is difficult to speak. This makes me very nervous. What can I do to prevent this from happening? Althea from Alabama. Dear Althea, What you're experiencing is called dry mouth, or cotton mouth. Your mouth becomes so dry, that your tongue sticks to your lips and it's difficult to talk. This can be caused by anxiety, or by what you're eating and drinking before you speak. Avoid caffeinated beverages. They constrict the blood vessels in your throat and make it difficult to speak. Avoid fast foods and processed foods. They contain chemicals that cause dry mouth. Drink room temperature water before you speak. When you present, keep a glass of water with you but out of your way. Take a few sips if your mouth begins to get dry. Allan and Allan Submit questions to mailto:questions@nosweatspeaking.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------- **If You're Looking for a Home for Your Website, iPowerWeb Makes Website Hosting Simple!** We did a lot of research on Web hosting companies and compared many of them. We decided on iPowerWeb to host our website, and we made a good decision. iPowerWeb is rated #1 for affordable, high quality web hosting. 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Visit... http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?AFID=50478 ----------------------------------------------------------------- **************************** Earn Referral Fees **************************** You can earn a 15 percent finders fee for referring Allan and Allan, Inc. for speaking and training engagements. For details contact us at... mailto:cust-serv@nosweatspeaking.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- Complimentary Articles for Your Publications ----------------------------------------------------------------- We will have articles available for reprint in your publication, company newsletter, etc. You may use articles written by us that you see on our website at... http://www.nosweatspeaking.com/articles/article_index.html and in the NSS Ezine. 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Box 2721 Columbia, Maryland 21045-1721 USA Tel: 410-363-0080 Fax: 410-356-8374 mailto:cust-serv@nosweatspeaking.com http://www.nosweatspeaking.com "Your next presentation doesn't have to make you sweat!" Experience No Sweat Speaking(sm)! -----------------------------------------------------------------