How Little They Teach About Speaking in School Still

Last night I went to my 7th grader’s orientation. The teacher talked about what books they would read, the math they’d learn and how many times a week students would be on a computer. Why isn’t speaking taught from day 1 in this day and age?

Learn from Sarah Palin’s Public Speaking Mistakes

Sarah Palin is no stranger to public speaking but she always seems to be standing on a podium with a standing microphone in her face so that she can read her speeches. Here is a rare video where she presents in a venue that is close to how you and I might be called on to give a presentation, complete with a hand-held microphone. So,let’s evaluate Sarah Palin’s public speaking technique and learn from her mistakes.

For this particular exercise, turn down the volume on your computer and just pay attention to her body language and the way she uses (or abuses) the stage. We as speakers can learn a lot of what not to do when on stage in a similar speaking venue. Here are my thoughts to kick off any potential discussion on this topic:

1. She should have had the guy introducing her remove the standing lectern. She wasn’t planning on using it and it really threw her off as she wasn’t sure where to stand to talk to the audience.

2. I don’t have to listen to the words to tell there is no particular reason she’s moving from the left to the right. With the lectern removed, she could have planted herself in the middle and address both sides of the audience allowing her to move to the left or right to make specific points.

As a result, she feels she has to move from one side of the lectern to the other and THEN shifts her focus to both sides of the audience. And, that comes off to an audience as nervousness more than anything.

3. The third mistake Sarah Palin is making in this speech is what she’s doing with her left hand. She plays with her hair and puts her hand on her hip, two no-no’s particularly for women speakers. Kudos for her that she caught herself on both of these issues and I didn’t see her do that again after the first time.

Playing with your hair during a speech is just a distraction for the audience. But, having your hands on your hips is a body language red flag that tells the audience you’re tired or bored or ready to get the heck out of there. So, do whatever you can avoid playing with your hair or putting your hands on your hips during a speech. It’s OKAY to just leave that hand at your side until you’re ready to use it for a gesture; something I’m sure Sarah Palin is learning more about as her speaking skills improve with time.

Are Meetup Groups the Downfall of Traditional Workshops?

Guest post by: The Speaker Seeker

There’s no question that Meetup.com has revolutionized the workshop and networking industry. But, in a bad way or a good way?

If you haven’t visited Meetup.com, you really need to pay a visit if for no other reason than to perform your due diligence as a speaker to know what’s happening in the speaking business.

Meetup.com offers a way for in-person meetings to be scheduled on the web in a place where the general public can join as members (usually free) and then receive announcements and sign-up (usually for free or at least for cheap) to attend the scheduled meetings. Anyone can sign-up to start a meet-up group and begin to establish a following. There is a small fee to start an account at Meetup.com but I’ve personally made my money back from the few clients I’ve received from having my own meet-up group. For me, Meetup.com has paid off. But, there is a downside to meet-ups.

A meet-up meeting usually consists of a 30-60 minute presentation from a guest speaker and then a round robin of networking. The meet-ups I’ve attended or spoken at have had an average of 15-40 attendees.

The problem is that I’ve seen a significant change in the speaking industry as a result of meet-up groups. Attendees have grown accustomed now to seeing meet-ups as their sole source for education in a public setting. I’ve personally asked attendees if they go to more or less traditional seminars as a result of the meet-ups and just about everyone has told me they don’t go to ANY seminars or paid workshops anymore and just wait for a topic to come up in their meet-up groups so that they can attend those functions.

There is simply no way any speaker can go into enough detail in a meet-up meeting to actually teach what one would learn in a paid instructional workshop.

I think you’re going to start seeing meet-up groups morphing into a first-level presentation to get people to attend a more in-depth workshop. The next meet-up I present at, that’s what I’m going to try to offer. We’ll see what happens.

Anyway, point being….meet-ups are great but they are just not a substitute for a traditional training workshop. How will YOU increase your speaking workshop business knowing most people only want to attend free meet-ups?

Why Should a Speaker Write a Book?

Every speaker should write a book. Period. End of story…or the beginning of a new one maybe. When you become a semi-visible speaker, you will be asked by your audience members if you have a book. When you seek speaking gigs, the meeting planner will ask if you are published. When trying to fill your own room for a workshop, it sure helps if you have a book title to use in your promotion of the workshop.

Oddly, there is no test to pass, no credential you have to have, to write a book. Anyone can write one. You could start writing a book right this minute and no one could stop you. You could have it selling on the Internet by tonight and no one could tell you otherwise.

This blog is my way of reporting the goings-on in the industry of writing and speaking for those getting into the business. I’ve found the most sought after speakers and authors for speaking gigs and writing opportunities are both speakers AND authors.

I hope to keep my postings in this blog anonymous. I am a speaker and a published author and know the business. But, if I reveal my identity, my reports would need to be biased as well. Just don’t want any of my business contacts reading something I’ve posted about them and having it come back to haunt me, if you know what I mean.

So, much more coming on this blog. Be sure to sign-up on the rss feed for updates and have a great week.