----------------------------- No Sweat Speaking(sm) Ezine ----------------------------- Speaking Tips for Greater Confidence, Skill, Influence & Profit ----------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 4, Number 2 February, 2005 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 2005 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------- *********************** Check This Out! *********************** "Last year, I made a career change from engineering management to marketing at a new company. Public speaking and even presentations to small groups were my greatest fears and I had gone to great lengths to avoid them throughout my career. In my new company, public speaking was not something I could avoid and my speaking ability would be quickly tested. After a lot of research, I turned to Allan & Allan. Most other companies only offer skill training. What I needed was to overcome my life long fear of speaking in front of groups. The No Sweat Speaking system seemed illogical to me at first and I was skeptical. The great part about the system is that you don't have to understand it or believe that it will work. It just happens. Today I speak in front of groups, give media interviews and conduct training sessions on a routine basis. Not only is my speaking anxiety gone, but my skills continue to improve and I look forward to my next opportunity to speak. I give my highest recommendation for Allan and Allan's system. If it works for me, it can work for anyone." Thanks, Jim M. Connecticut --------------------------------- Is Speaking Fear Holding You Back, Costing You a Lot of Money? --------------------------------- 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? A whole lot. Let's be honest. If you have performance anxieties, you know you need to kill those butterflies in your stomach, but you're afraid to take the next step and/or you're not willing to invest in yourself to make it happen. One man just said to us that he knows he really needs us to coach him, but he thinks he can't afford to. What he can't afford to do is do nothing and continue NOT getting promoted and continue NOT seeking better job or business opportunities because he may have to speak in front of people. This is so sad. It's especially sad when that same person will take out a $20,000 car loan on a depreciating asset. Getting rid of your speaking anxieties and developing your speaking skills are appreciating assets. They increase your value. This means once you do it, you continue to reap the rewards. One promotion leads to another one and another one, but if you don't do what you need to do to get that first promotion, you can forget about it. You could be promoting your businesses and increasing your income by speaking to groups who need your products and services, but your speaking anxiety and other performance blocks are holding you back. Probably, you're reading our ezine because you have some speaking anxieties. If they're bad enough, don't you think it's time to do something about it and improve your self-confidence? How much is having a sense of confidence worth to you? Not just in your work and business life but also in your social life? Have you ever thought about being the life of the party? About being less shy? --------------- 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. In the SUBJECT line of your email, put "I need speaking coaching." 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------- In This Issue ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Featured Article 2. Presentation Skills Tip 3. Humor Tip 4. Dear Allan and Allan (Answers to Your Questions) ----------------------------------------------------------------- *** Attention Small Business Owners *** Here's one of the best websites on the Internet for small business marketing. We use this site and its great information as a resource. Get a free 24-page Marketing Plan Workbook. Visit... http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?AFID=50478 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Featured Article ----------------------------------------------------------------- **Ten Things You Should Know When Using Presentation Software** by Allan Misch Audience's are influenced more by what you *DO* than by what you say. Your visual aids, like your gestures, expressions, and body language, have an important impact on your audience. Your slide show can make or break your presentation. It can create interest, helping you drive home your message, or it can put your audience to sleep. Here are ten critical principles to follow when using presentation software. 1. You and Your Message Rule. Your presentation slides and other audio-visual aids should support your message, not be the message. The truth is, your audience will not remember most of your presentation, including your slide show. What they will remember is a well-delivered, well-developed thesis. So, your message, not your presentation slides, should be the centerpiece of your program. 2. Use the KISS Principle. KISS, Keep It Simple Sweetheart. Use minimal, easy-to-read text and graphic slides. Avoid fancy transitions between slides. Simple fades or wipes should suffice. Add-ons to presentation software can enable you to do special effects, animations, and 3-D transitions. Avoid them unless you have a powerful computer to run them and you are adept at using them. The simpler you keep your slide show, the less that can go wrong. 3. Pay Attention to Color. Color is a two-edge sword. The right combination will help your audience focus on your visual aid and recall information. The wrong colors will help your audience lose interest. Use dark backgrounds and light text such as blue backgrounds and white or yellow text. A white background with black or blue text is fine. Your choice of background and text should depend on the lighting conditions in the room. Avoid color combinations that clash or don't show up well such as red on green. 4. Use the Correct Typefaces and Fonts. Projected text should be in a sans serif font. A serif font has decorative lines, or edges, such as Times New Roman. A serif font is good for printed matter. For projected text, a sans serif font such as Ariel or Verdana is a good choice. You can mix sans serif fonts. Use a bold font for the title and a lighter one for the body. Your text must be big enough for your audience to see. Your title should be about 36 points to 48 points. Your body text should be at least 24 points. 5. Use Pre-defined Templates and Layouts or Make Them. A template is a pre-defined slide boilerplate that contains backgrounds, fonts for titles and body texts, and other elements. Most presentation software, such as PowerPoint, come with templates and pre-defined slide layouts for title and non-title slides. Use them or make your own. Templates allow you to set up a consistent look and feel to your presentation. If you want a unique look and you're not a graphics expert, hire a professional to design your template or slide show. 6. Include Black, Blank Slides. Put a black, blank slide at the beginning of your presentation if your first slide must appear after you begin speaking. Always include a black, blank slide at the end of your presentation. If you accidently advance past your last presentation slide, a black, blank slide will prevent the software from exiting the slide show and showing your slide in software mode, or worse, showing a white screen. Use other black, blank slides in your slide show when you don't want anything on your screen, and you want your audience's attention on you. If your software allows it, you also may use a toggle swith on your PC to blank the LCD projector. 7. Use Your Own Equipment. Using your own equipment will ensure that your slide show, PC, and projector work together properly. If you must use other equipment, get to the venue early and dry run using the equipment. If you have a laptop, bring it with you to use as plan B in case the presentation PC fails. Always, always, always bring with you a copy of your presentation on a CD. You should copy your presentation folder with your presentation file and any audio and video files to the PC's desktop from which you'll present. 8. You Don't Need a Laptop Anymore. If you have a PDA, there is software and hardware that allow you to create a PowerPoint slide presentation, convert it to a format for the PDA, and sync it to your PDA. The hardware enables you to connect your PDA to a LCD projector and use your PDA, instead of a PC or laptop, to run your slide show. 9. Know Where to Stand. Where you present from, in relation to the screen, is important. It could mean the difference between your audience paying rapt attention to you or falling asleep. In many countries, it's customary to read from left to right. When you present to audiences in these countries, stand to the right of the screen (your audience's left). Their eyes will be accustomed to move from left to right, or from you to the screen. If you stand to the left of the screen (your audience's right), their eyes will move from right to left and will tire more easily. Obviously, the reverse is true if you're presenting in an places where the audience normally reads from right to left. 10. Use Non-Copyrighted Graphics and Music. If you use copyrighted graphics, such as cartoons and pictures, you violate the law. If you use an artist's copyrighted music or song, you are engaging in an illegal activity. You place yourself in jeopardy and, more importantly, the organization that hosts your presentation could be liable for copyright infringement. If you must use copyrighted material, get the owner's permission in writing, in advance. You can also get permission to use copyrighted music from organizations, such as ASCAP, for a nominal fee. Otherwise, use non-copyrighted material. Most business audience's expect you to use audio-visual aids. The most popular is presentation graphics, or slide shows. Although your slide presentation isn't the most important aspect of your program, it could spell success or failure. Keep in mind these ten critical elements when using presentation software, and you'll boost the probability that your program will be successful. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Keynote was a huge success! You were right about everything -- from bringing my introduction to adding humor. I ended up adding about 9 humorous things to my presentation -- I actually brought the house down with the expandable ball visual. Thanks for everything. You made all the difference." Best, Trish "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 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Presentation Skills Tip ----------------------------------------------------------------- **Be Enthusiastic and your Presentation will be Successful** by Allan Kaufman At a conference I attended, there were two keynote speakers. One was trained in the art of speaking. He had a professional appearance, was well organized, used expressive gestures, and did not use filler words such as ah, um, etc. He got his message across, but lacked one important ingredient. He did not demonstrate enthusiasm for his topic. The other speaker violated many public speaking principles that most trainers teach. He had his hands in his pockets, and his speech was not well organized. Yet, he delivered his address with enthusiasm, and this made all the difference. I left the conference thinking that the second speaker was more successful strictly because of his demonstrated enthusiasm. Show your audience that you are enthusiastic about what you are sharing with them. Do this by talking with excitement in your voice, using meaningful gestures and direct eye contact, smiling, and getting the audience involved. Finally, talk from your heart, not from your notes. ----------------------------------------------------------------- *** 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Humor Tip ----------------------------------------------------------------- **Use Saver Lines as Laugh Insurance** by Allan Kaufman and Allan Misch A saver line is a prepared short piece of humor, usually one line, that you use following a joke or humorous story that falls flat. The saver line gets the laugh. Johnny Carson made using savor lines an art form. Sometimes, he would purposely tell a joke that was not funny and follow-up with the laugh-getting real joke, the saver line. Tom Antion in his book, Wake 'Em Up!, talks about the value of using saver lines. Here are some of his saver lines. 1. Do any of you speak English? 2. I've got a good book for sale outside that explains these jokes. You may want to pick up a copy. 3. I know you're out there, I can hear you breathing. Have a few saver lines in your speaking toolbox for when you need laugh insurance. For more information about Tom Antion and his Wake 'Em Up! products, go to: http://www.nosweatspeaking.com/tools/tm_speak_cash.html When you get there, click on "click here" -- it is in the first two paragraphs. ----------------------------------------------------------------- **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. You get an incredible 1,000 megs of space, 500 POP email accounts, 40 gigs of transfer, website builder, 24/7 customer support, free setup, marketing package, and much more... all for an incredible $7.95 per month! So if you're interested in establishing a presence on the Web for the first time, or if you want to change your Website hosting company because you're tired of getting ripped off, check out iPowerWeb. http://www.ipowerweb.com/cgi-bin/tracker/trackeraf.cgi?rid=afftrend ----------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Dear Allan and Allan (Answers to Your Questions) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Allan and Allan, I've been invited to give a keynote address. I've never done this before. I don't have speaking anxieties and have given talks before. What suggestions do you have for me? Nicole D. Dear Nicole, We commend you. You must be doing something right to be invited to give a keynote address. We have a few suggestions. 1. Ask how much time you have for your keynote. Usually it is about 30-45 minutes long. 2. Years ago, keynotes basically were motivational addresses to open up a conference. Now organizations expect some motivation, but they also want their members to gain some information related to the theme of the meeting or conference. 3. It is important to work on your presentation well in advance, practicing in front a several people and getting feedback. You may end up writing several versions of it. Also tape record it, time it, and listen to how you sound. 4. Finally, if you feel uncomfortable either with writing the keynote address and/or delivering it, then consider working with a public speaking coach. Allan and Allan Submit questions to mailto:questions@nosweatspeaking.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------- *** 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. 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I've even taken an extended course at UCLA Extension in California. The course was about $500.00 and lasted 8 weeks. I've learned more from 2 of your newsletters than I learned in an 8 week course... your newsletter is incredible, enlightening, informative... the best I've read to date... and I've read some good ones!" Janice Smallwood-McKenzie, The Networking Coach/Author "101 Commandments of Networking: Common Sense But Not Common Practice" http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/2513 (The link is for your information. We make nothing on it.) ----------------------------------------------------------------- No Sweat Speaking(sm) Ezine ----------------------------- Publisher: Allan and Allan, Inc. Editors: Allan Kaufman and Allan Misch P.O. 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!" 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