How to Use Gestures in your Presentation

He demonstrates and explains the use of gestures to enhance your presentation.

Note the categories of gestures:

1. Descriptive
2. Emphatic
3. Suggestive
4. Prompting

Thanks for this wonderful video from Toastmasters





Presentation Tips on Twitter Presentation Skills Club on Facebook Executive Speech Coach, 

Business presentation tips from George Torok, the Speech Coach for Executives

Speak Like a Winner - book review

Speak Like a Winner

How to Be Twice the Speaker in Half the Time

By Akash Karia

This book about public speaking was a fresh approach to a topic that has been written about and spoken about by many. The book was an enjoyable and easy read that took less than two hours to digest. Don’t let those characteristics fool you. I was pleased at the number of powerful public speaking techniques that were thoughtfully covered and memorably reinforced.

The author, Akash Karia, thoughtfully analyzed four speeches from the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking. Three of the four were winners of the final round of the World Championship.

Toastmasters is an international non-profit organization that helps people become better public speakers.

I’ve read many books about public speaking that simply repeat the same tired ideas and sometimes outdated lessons. Akash promised in his introduction that this book would not waste time on fluff. I believe that he kept his promise. The book covered many powerful presentation techniques that took me years to learn. These are techniques that I teach my coaching and training clients.

The author introduces each public speaker, provides a speech excerpt, a link to a video of the speech, a few thought provoking questions for the reader and insights from the author.

This style of teaching seems to be engaging, entertaining and enduring.

This book is ideal for Toastmasters who hope to participate in the Toastmasters Annual Speech contests. They will see a comprehensive approach to public speaking success. They will also enjoy the excitement of the World Championship Speech Contest.

The winners of the Toastmasters World Championship tend to deliver inspirational and entertaining speeches. These speeches are only seven minutes in length. So this isn’t about delivering a training workshop or technical report. These speeches tend to be about one key message delivered in an entertaining way.

However, most presenters can learn effective presentation techniques from this book. A leadership speech must be engaging and inspirational. A sales presentation must persuade people to act. Even a technical presentation must build rapport, illustrate points and reassure the audience. The author points out that some techniques in these examples might appear exaggerated because of the size of the audience and setting. Individual presenters can certainly adapt a technique to fit their audience.

Although each presenter demonstrated similar techniques, they also flourished because of different individual strengths. The point is that you can learn from others and must thrive on your own unique strengths.

The four public speakers featured in this book are Craig Valentine, Darren LaCroix, Lisa  Panello and Jock Elliot.

If you are really serious about public speaking you can visit any or many of the five dozen Public Speaking blogs listed as resources.

I enjoyed reading this book and I’m happy to recommend it to novice and experienced public speakers.

View the book on Amazon

 

Presentation Tips on Twitter Presentation Skills Club on Facebook Executive Speech Coach, Business presentation tips from George Torok, the Speech Coach for Executives

Public Speaking for IT Careers

Importance of Public Speaking Skills for IT

November 12, 2007 (Computerworld) -- When it comes to technical skills, you either have them or you get them. This year’s salary survey shows that there’s demand for a broad range of skills, many of which have been hot for several years (see our jobs report snapshots).

But what else makes for a great IT hire? In their continual struggle to align IT with the business, IT executives say they’re increasingly looking for staffers who have, in addition to technical chops, solid business acumen and so-called soft skills, like strong communication and listening abilities.

Computerworld’s most recent hiring and skills survey confirms that. Survey respondents said writing and public speaking are two of the most important soft skills they look for when hiring new employees. Classes that teach technical skills are easy to find, but what’s the best way to learn soft skills? Here’s a look at nine skills employers are looking for, with IT executives and career experts’ advice on how to get them.


Number three on the list is Public Speaking Skills

3. An aptitude for public speaking. They may be a throwback to the 1960s, but Toastmasters International clubs can help IT workers refine their public speaking skills and get past their jitters. Also, SIM’s Regional Leadership Forum can help up-and-coming IT professionals polish their leadership skills, including their speaking ability, says Keefe.


Read the rest of this report at Computer World.


Public Speaking Tips

Fear of Public Speaking

George Torok

Speech Coach for Executives

Public Speaking World Champion

Public Speaking World Champion

Every year Toastmasters International holds its World Championship of Public Speaking. And unlike the World Series of US baseball this is truly a world series of public speaking. Toastmasters from around the world compete and for 2007 the winner of the World Championship of Public Speaking is from India.
___________________________


As reported in daigiworld.com

USA: Indian Student Crowned World Champion of Public Speaking
By Max Rasquinha - Houston Aug 20:

A handful of Indian Toastmasters watched with pride and honour a twenty-six year old M.I.T. scholarship Graduate from India being crowned as a World Champion of Public Speaking in the presence of more than 3000 Toastmaster delegates that gathered at Phoenix, Arizona for an Annual Toastmasters Convention at the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Hotel.

There were total ten top finalists from the world over that displayed their talents on behalf of nearly 10,500 Toastmasters Clubs scattered in more than 90 countries. What a fantastic reward for Mother India to display the talent before the world leaders and prove ourselves as a nation moving well ahead in the world of progress.

India has about 90 Toastmasters Clubs so far, but in all probability this strength will multiply in the year ahead fostering all the possible opportunities for young men and women to prove themselves that they too can make a difference in the world of Communicators and Leaders.
India has all the ingredients to create at least another 500 new clubs in the years ahead. India can enhance all the good image in so many paths of progress. God bless Vikas Jhingra in all his future pursuits of life and may God bless India in every future opportunities that can bring a positive image all over the world.

_______________________

MIT NEWS
MIT engineering student seeks public speaking championship
Elizabeth Knox, News Office Correspondent August 15, 2007

An MIT doctoral student who devoted the past seven years to detailed research on offshore drilling will have just seven minutes to make his mark in the Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking, starting today (Aug. 15) in Phoenix.

Vikas Jhingran, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical and ocean engineering, is one of 10 candidates competing in the three-day public speaking contest.

Jhingran's seven-minute speech for the Toastmasters championship is titled "The Swami." Using humor and broad gesture, he narrates a story of how he found the answer to unlocking his full potential through a visit to a neighborhood wise man, who asked him the provocative question "Who are you?"

Jhingran has been involved with Toastmasters for four years, and he credits the nonprofit public speaking organization with improving his confidence and transforming how he presents his research.
____________________


George Torok
Speech Coach for Executives
Presentation Skills Training
The Fear of Public Speaking
Tips for Toastmasters
Toastmasters International

Toastmasters for Public Speaking

I am often asked about Toastmasters.

Toastmasters is an international non-profit organization that teaches public speaking skills. Toastmasters has been around since 1924.

The Toastmasters system works well. They operate as clubs that vary in size from 10 to 30 members. Most clubs meet once a week. The learning is a combination of practice, observation, manual guided and peer coaching.

It works fabulously well. Many well known public speakers benefited from Toastmasters – e.g. Lee Iacocca and Harvey McKay. Toastmasters helped me a lot in my early days of public speaking.

The regular weekly meetings help. But this might be the disadvantage for a busy executive or business owner – the TIME factor.

Do I recommend Toastmasters as a resource for learning and improving public speaking skills?

Absolutely!

Learn more about Toastmasters at the main website. At the site you can search for clubs in your area.

George Torok
The Speech Coach for Executives

Toastmasters
public speaking