----------------------------- No Sweat Speaking(tm) Ezine ----------------------------- Speaking Tips for Greater Confidence, Skill, Influence, & Profit "Your next presentation doesn't have to make you sweat!" ------------------------------------------------------------ Volume 5, Number 8 November, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------ 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) 2006 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 send a blank email to nssezine@nosweatspeaking.com with "Subscribe NSS Ezine" in the subject. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 unique No Sweat Speaking(tm) techniques, we provide personal coaching to help you get rid of your speaking anxieties in a relatively short period of time. Go to our website and complete the Coaching Inquiry Questionnaire at http://nosweatspeaking.com/coaching_inquiry.html. Completing the questionnaire doesn't obligate you or us to work together. We will assess your situation and send you a proposal about how we can assist you. It doesn't matter where you live. Our coaching can be done by email and phone consultations. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ **"Murder Board"--The Perfect Speech Practice -- Part 1** by Larry Tracy (c)Tracy Presentation Skills 2006. All rights reserved. http://www.tracy-presentation.com What a name -- the Murder Board! It sounds like something Tony Soprano might convene, doesn't it? But, despite the macabre name, it has nothing to do with a criminal act and everything to do with becoming a better, more persuasive public speaker. It is a realistic simulation of the actual presentation to be made. Colleagues role-play the audience to be faced, firing the type of questions this group is likely to ask. It should be more difficult than the actual presentation. The Murder Board is the presenter's version of the actor's dress rehearsal, what lawyers do in preparing a witness to face cross-examination in a trial, and what the flight simulator is to the pilot. Just as with the actor, the witness, and the pilot, this simulation permits speakers to learn from their mistakes, so that they (1) are more responsive to the informational needs of the audience, (2) have developed answers for likely questions to be asked, and (3) have greater competence in platform skills. It enables speakers to visualize the presentation in advance. Not only is proficiency in speaking increased by such a meticulous practice, so too is self-confidence. One of the reasons that public speaking ranks high in the pantheon of phobias is because of apprehension that one is going to be embarrassed by not being able to answer questions from the audience. In my presentation skills workshops, I place great emphasis on the "Murder Board," which has two overriding objectives: 1. Hone delivery skills, especially important when a script is to be read. 2. Anticipate probable questions and objections so succinct, accurate answers can be developed. This realistic practice session allows speakers to make mistakes when they don't count, increasing the odds that they will be spellbinders when they address their audiences. If the speaker is able to anticipate questions, he or she, in collaboration with you and other staff members, can develop answers ahead of time. Think back to when you were in college or graduate school. Your GPA would probably have been higher if you could have seen the questions before the final exams. The Murder Board permits the presenter a look at the probable "exam questions." The only obstacle to developing a delivery skills-honing, question-anticipating simulated presentation is willingness to take hard hits in practice in order to be more effective in the actual presentation. The term Murder Board originated within the U.S. military, specifically within the extensive training system of the U.S. Army. When a person has been selected to be an instructor at an Army school, he or she must go through a demanding instructor training program. I attended two such training programs during my Army career, and the Murder Boards in these programs were far from pleasant experiences. Graduation and designation as an instructor is not dependent on a written test, but instead on a successful delivery of a 50-minute class from the curriculum of the school. The audience for this crucible generally consists of instructors who have gone through their own Murder Board, and are determined that this would-be instructor will experience the same frustration and humiliation they did. They ask tough, realistic questions -- the type of questions their students are asking. At the end of the 50-minute class, the aspiring instructor gets a thumbs up -- meaning he or she can now join this band of brothers and sisters as an instructor, or a thumbs- down, meaning another "opportunity" to go through a Murder Board. This realistic simulation has permeated the military culture. As an example, when I ran the Defense Intelligence Agency's (DIA) briefing team, we had three Murder Boards before the daily briefing to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The first one was at 5:30 AM, the second at 6:30 AM, the third in front of two General officers, one hour later. By the time I, or one of my briefers, was in front of the Chairman, those intense sessions had provided the right answers to virtually every question the Chairman asked. Many presenters, while accepting the need to sharpen delivery skills, reject the idea of a Murder Board, confident they can anticipate the difficult questions likely to be asked, and assuming they need not practice in front of others. These people may actually be displaying a false bravado to mask their concern at speaking in front of a group, perhaps exposing their lack of speaking skills. These "audience members" should familiarize themselves with the concerns of the audience to be faced so they can ask realistic, demanding questions/objections. I am in good company in believing in the need to have such a practice session in front of others who are role-playing the audience to be faced. The man who possessed perhaps the greatest mind of the 20th Century, Albert Einstein, realized that even he needed help. He once said: "What a person does on his own, without being stimulated by the thoughts and experiences of others, is even in the best cases rather paltry and monotonous." Perhaps Albert Einstein can help you encourage your practice-resistant bosses and clients to undergo a Murder Board. Then your skillfully crafted speeches will be delivered the way you intended them to be delivered. For additional information, I have several articles on speech delivery on my website, www.tracy-presentation.com. Additionally, my speech "Taming Hostile Audiences" appeared in the March 1, 2005 Vital Speeches of the Day, available at most libraries. That speech was then chosen as the centerpiece of July 2005 American Speaker magazine. The founder and editor of that magazine is Aram Bakshian, Jr. formerly the Chief speech writer for President Ronald Reagan. In a follow-on article in this space, I'll outline the seven steps for a productive Murder Board virtually guaranteed to make you a dynamic and persuasive speaker. --- Larry Tracy has been cited in several publications as one of the top presentation coaches in the US. President Ronald Reagan described him as "an extraordinarily effective speaker." His book, The Shortcut to Persuasive Presentations, is the textbook for the Oral Presentations course at the Center for Leadership Education at Johns Hopkins University. Visit Larry's website, www.tracy-presentation.com, which is number one on Google for "Persuasive Presentations," for free tips on public speaking. Contact him at (703) 360-3222 and info@tracy-presentation.com ------------------------------------------------------------ "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 ------------------------------------------------------------ **Grab Your Audience's Attention with a Hoberman Sphere** by Allan Kaufman Put your audience in the right mood. Grab their attention. Develop instant rapport. Do all this by setting the tone with a spectacular attention grabber using a Hoberman Sphere. Here is how. 1. Smile 2. Make eye contact with participants as you slowly scan the audience. 3. then ask a question such as, "How many of you know a lot about 'public speaking' (or whatever your subject is)? Let's say the amount you know is this much. (Hold up a closed Hoberman Sphere.) When I am finished today, you will know this much." (Expand the Hoberman Sphere.) 4. Your audience will go "WOW!" Then tell them what you are going to tell them. "Today, I will be sharing with you the Ten Biggest Public Speaking Mistakes." To view a Hoberman Sphere, go to http://hoberman.com/fold/Sphere/sphere.htm or http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3933542. So buy a Hoberman Sphere. You can use it in your presentations to grab your audience's attention. You are limited only by your imagination. ------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ **Less Is Funnier** by Allan Misch Short jokes usually get more laughs than long jokes. That's because jokes are more effective when the set-up to the joke and the punch line are close together. So tell a joke in the least number of words possible. Do it by writing the joke out, word for word. Edit it by telling it. Then re-write it, tell it, and edit it. Repeat this process until the joke contains the fewest number of words and is funny. Remember, less is funnier. ------------------------------------------------------------ **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, Most of my briefings end with question and answer sessions. After the final answer, I usually just end or say, "Thank you." Is this appropriate? Unsure in Urbana. Dear Unsure, We recommend that you hold your question and answer (Q&A)session after your closing. Then end your Q&A with a restatement of your main message, or thesis, and your call to action ,if any. 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. 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. 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We make nothing on it.) ------------------------------------------------------------ No Sweat Speaking(tm) 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: 410-381-8924 mailto:cust-serv@nosweatspeaking.com http://www.nosweatspeaking.com "Your next presentation doesn't have to make you sweat!" Experience No Sweat Speaking(tm)! ------------------------------------------------------------