----------------------------- No Sweat Speaking(tm) Ezine ----------------------------- Speaking Tips for Greater Confidence, Skill, Influence, & Profit "Your next presentation doesn't have to make you sweat!" ------------------------------------------------------------ Volume 6, Number 4 April, 2007 ------------------------------------------------------------ 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) 2007 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! *********************** "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? --------------------------------- Let's be honest. If you have performance anxieties, you know you need to kill those butterflies in your stomach, but you may be afraid to take the next step and/or you're not willing to invest in yourself to make it happen. One man 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 stagnate. You could be promoting your business 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ **The Ebb-and Flow Rhythm of a Presentation** by Allan Misch I'm sitting in my beach chair, facing the ocean, trying to keep my feet within the shadow of the beach umbrella. It's hot-in the nineties. The sky is a little hazy. The sand is hot, so I sit where it's cooler, close to the shore. Through the ear buds of my iPod, I hear the Rolling Stones singing "You Can't Always Get What You Want." And as I become hypnotized by the ebb-and-flow rhythm of the ocean's waves, a thought creeps in. The rhythm of a presentation is like the ebb and flow of the waves. From beginning to end, an effective presentation shifts from high energy to low energy in a constant rhythm. Where nature controls the ocean's rhythm, the speaker controls the presentation's rhythm. Constant, intense storm waves crash and damage the shore. Similarly, a presentation at a constant high energy level overloads and exhausts the audience. Keeping a presentation at a low energy level tires and bores them. The effective presenter controls the presentation's rhythm by being aware of the audience, shifting between energy levels, and varying the intensity of delivery. Throughout the presentation, the experienced speaker observes what the audience is doing. Are they losing interest, fidgeting, or nodding off? If so, then the speaker checks his or her own energy level. Your audience exchanges energy with you and mirrors your energy level. If your energy level is high, the audience will experience a high energy level. If your energy level is low, the audience's energy level will be low. Establish an ebb-and-flow rhythm in your energy level and your audience will follow. Do this with movement and gestures; varying your vocal rate, volume, and pitch; and using a mixture of well-placed stories, humor, questions, and interaction. My red shoulders are feeling the effects of the sun, which is now lower in the late afternoon sky. The Rolling Stones are still serenading me with strains of "Start Me Up." I'm awakening from my trance-like state induced by the ebb-and- flow rhythm of the waves. Yes, a presentation's rhythm is like the rhythm of the ocean's waves. The key to success is how you manage the ebb and flow. ------------------------------------------------------------ "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 ------------------------------------------------------------ **Use a Teaser to Motivate Your Audience** by Allan Kaufman and Allan Misch To get your audience back from a break on time, tell them when to be back and include a "teaser" that arouses curiosity and motivates them to return promptly. For example, "Let's take a break. Be back by 3:15. When you return from the break at 3:15, we will cover the three most powerful secrets in using humor to raise your presentation to a new level." If you need to take a break during your program, use a teaser. Your audience will be motivated to get back on time and you will keep your program moving and on schedule. ------------------------------------------------------------ *** 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.an tion.com/public-speaking.htm ------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Humor Tip ------------------------------------------------------------ **Personalize Your Humor for Impact** by Allan Kaufman People like hearing funny stories. They like hearing what seem at first to be true stories. Then when you hit them with the punch line, you've got them. To be especially effective, we recommend using personal stories where you are the target of the humor. This is called self-deprecating humor. The stories don't have to be true -- they just need to ring true and have a purpose in your presentation. For example, here is a story I use in my presentations. Note that I am 5 feet three inches tall. "How many of you have saved up to take your family on a well-deserved vacation? You know, a really nice vacation? Well, I have. "A number of years ago, I saved up for five years to take my family on a well-deserved vacation. I took them to Ocean City, Maryland, a local beach. "Well the first night, we walked the boardwalk. The second night we walked the boardwalk. The third night we walked the boardwalk. Well, I got tired of walking the boardwalk, so the fourth night, I splurged. I took my family to the movies. We were standing in line and there was this tall guy in front of me. He was really tall, maybe 7 feet. "I looked up at him and asked, 'Excuse me sir, but do you play basketball?' "He looked down at me and replied, 'No -- do you play miniature golf?'" Let's analyze this story. First, I asked my audience a question to get them involved. Then I made an exaggeration with my use of "well-deserved vacation" and saving up for "five years." I picked a low-cost vacation spot which contrasted with saving up and spending a lot on a vacation. Finally, I personalized the story with self-deprecating humor as I contrasted the tall guy with my small stature. This story helps me develop rapport with my audience and illustrates a technique for using humor. So use anecdotes and funny, personalized stories. Get your audience to laugh at you. When you do, you will add impact to your presentations. ------------------------------------------------------------ **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 speak in a soft voice in a conversation and when I give a presentation. This is a problem for me, because my audiences have difficulty hearing me even when its a small audience. What should I do? Quiet in Quebec. Dear Quiet, Most people breath from their chest. If you use your diaphragm to breath, your volume and tonality will improve. We also recommend that you use a wireless lapel microphone and portable, small public address (PA) system when you speak, even to small audiences. Use the PA system if the venue where you are speaking doesn't have a PA system. The amplification will give your voice more power and authority. 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. So visit... http://www.marketingtips.com/t.cgi/769587 ------------------------------------------------------------ *** A Fantastic Resource *** Need MORE TRAFFIC to your website or affiliate links? 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For Back Issues: http://www.nosweatspeaking.com/ezine/back_issues-2002.html To Submit Questions to Dear Allan and Allan: mailto:cust-serv@nosweatspeaking.com For Feedback on the Content of This Issue: mailto:cust-serv@nosweatspeaking.com ------------------------------------------------------------ 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)! ------------------------------------------------------------