Bill Gates - still not a confident public speaker

Just because you are rich doesn't make you a good public speaker.

Bill Gates is one of the richest guys in the world. He is successful. He is a brilliant thinker. Yet he isn't a good public speaker. 

The reason I tell you that is because none of those things gurantee public speaking brilliance. That means that the lack of financial success need not limit your public speaking success.

I watched Bill Gates speak at an event in Toronto about ten years ago. He was cleary uncomfortable about being on stage. He was accompanied by two others on stage while he talked. They all sat on stools. Bill didn't allow any humor about himselt - only about the competion and Windows.

In this video, as Bill Gates speaks to Harvard graduates, he pokes fun at himself. But he reads his speech, which is suprising, because he's telling his personal story. He doesn't need to read it because he lived it. He does demonstrate good pacing and pausing to allow for the laughter.

Bill Gates still isn't comfortable speaking in public but he's getting better.







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Presentations - How do you say it?

Presentations

What is the correct way to say this word?

I’ve hear many people pronounce this word wrong.

It doesn’t sound like:

• Please
• Breeze
• Cheese

  

Presentations sounds more like:

• President
• Press
• Pressure

The word is press-zen-ta-tions



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You can grab your free copy of this Kindle ebook today and tomorrow - Sept 10 & 11.

A two day special offer from Amazon.

Get your copy of the 12 original tips that launched the Superior Presentations Tips series. It was originally published as Power Presentations Tips.

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Superior Presentations 71: How many times should you repeat...

 Repeat your key message

If you want your audience to remember your key message, you’ll need to say it at least three times during your presentation.

Your key message is likely summed up in about three to ten words. Average speaking speed is between 110 and 150 words per minute. That means in a five minute presentation about 500 to 700 words were spoken but only ten were critical. Your key message could be lost in that sea of words.

If you only stated your key message once and all your words were equally weighed, there would be at best a 2 percent chance of anyone remembering your key message.

Yes, there are other techniques to emphasize your key message which you should also use. Repeating your key words is the simplest way.

By repeating your key message at least once, you’ve doubled the emphasis and increased the memorability. State your key message three to five times and people will tend to hear it and remember it.

Most of us need to hear a phrase, message or name several times before we remember it. Perhaps you’ve met someone at a meeting and then forgotten their name before the end of the meeting. When you want to commit important information to memory you should probably repeat it several times.

Marketers know this principle. That’s why a 30-second radio or TV ad will mention the product or company name a few times. That’s also why one promotion never seems enough.

You probably remember the key phrase from the famous speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. – I have a dream. It would be difficult to forget because he stated it 11 times during that speech.

Here are three ways for you to use this technique:

Repeat your key message like a refrain, as in “I have a dream”.

Capture the key message within a rhetorical question and then answer using the key words, e.g. why is it important to exercise? It’s important to exercise because…

Use slight variations in the wording so the phrase doesn’t appear overdone. e.g. In this tip,  message, words and phrase have been interchanged.

If there’s one thing for you to remember from this tip, it is: “repeat your key message”.

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Superior Presentations: Listen to this interview with George Torok

George Torok interviewed on Biz Radio Canada about How to Deliver Superior Presentations.

What can you learn from this shy, introverted kid who became a professsional speaker and executive speech coach?


Superor Presentations: George Torok Interview on Biz Radio Canda from George Torok on Vimeo.

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I Have a Dream - 50 years ago

Martin Luther King delivered his memorable "I have a dream" speech 50 years ago in Washington, DC.

It was a well written speach - and what most people don't know is he went off scirpt part way through. In particular - he ad libbed with the "I have a dream" bit.

Watch this video as he reads his speech for about the first 12 minutes - then when he starts talking about his dream - he's not reading anynore. He's improvising.

"I have a dream" is memorable because it's a powerful line and he repeated it several times. But it's not the only line he repeated in this speech. Repetition is a good technique if you want people to remember your message. Don't be shy - repeat the key message.

In this speech Martin also repeated,

• Now is the time...
• We cannot be satistisfied...
• Go back to...
• Let freedom reign...

Read the Carmine Gallo comments in Forbes.


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