Whether you’re a new speaker or an experienced speaker trying to expand your offerings, you’ve probably found yourself in a situation where you’ve been debating whether or not a speech topic will work for you. This is especially common for folks in Toastmasters where you’re given a speech project and you need to choose a topic and create a speech around that project. I’ve even had it happen to me in recent years where groups have asked me to speak to them because they liked my speaking style, but weren’t interested in the topics I typically speak on (communication skills). This can be an exciting opportunity, but if you’re not careful in selecting a topic, you might find yourself stressed out while preparing your talk – or even worse, end up delivering a talk that is lower in quality than your other talks.

The Law of Attraction, made popular by the 2006 film “The Secret” has been a hot topic in recent years. To some, the concept is the ultimate self-help system: simply want something and the universe will give it to you. To others, it’s the ultimate scam taking advantage of the laziness of people who want riches without having to do anything to get what they want. Does the law of attraction really work? Can it help you get what you want? Is it something worth caring about? I’ll attempt to answer these and other questions throughout this article series.

Whenever the topic of public speaking comes up in conversation, I’m often treated to at least one story about the fear of public speaking and asked about what I think is the best cure for this fear. I explain that I’ve seen numerous “systems” ranging from e-books to hypnotic audio programs to DVDs, all of which promise to help you overcome your fear of public speaking. I’m then asked which one I recommend and I reply “none.” There is only one way to overcome your fear of public speaking and there are no books, DVDs, CDs or other electronic resources that will help alleviate that fear.

When we need to give a speech, we put so much time and effort into preparing for our preparation that the last thing we want is to put the audience to sleep with a boring talk. Boring talks are can be caused by both the content of the speech or the speaker’s presentation style – and often, both are to blame. So we’ll cover some easy ways to perk up your audience and make your speech more interesting.

1: Be excited about your speech.

Welcome to the June, 2008 edition of the Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blog Carnival. We’ve got some great entries in this edition on a variety of subjects. If you’d like to participate in a future edition of this carnival, you can learn more about the carnival or go right over to Blog Carnival to submit a post.

Speaking skills

Ralph Jean-Paul presents How to Assert Yourself Effectively posted at Potential 2 Success, saying, “Whether you’re dealing with your parents, your spouse, or your boss, here are best ways to give ultimatums, present your ideas clearly, and tell someone they are wrong.”

PowerPoint and other presentation programs are excellent tools that can really enhance a presentation. As the old saying goes, a picture truly does paint a thousand words, and sometimes more. Pictures, graphs and other visuals can quickly communicate details that would be cumbersome to describe. Not to mention, it provides numerous opportunities to insert some humor and other attention getting devices into your presentation.

With all that being said, there are some mistakes that you should try to avoid when creating an overhead presentation. These mistakes are common and even experienced speakers run into them.

Mistake 1: Reading from your slides:

Public speaking can be challenging enough without a disability so speaking when you’re disabled presents its own set of unique challenges. The good news is that there are many people who have been able to transcend their disabilities and become successful speakers. Now different types of disabilities require different techniques, but whether you have problems with your speech or are confined to a wheelchair, you can still be an effective speaker. Don’t tell yourself (or let others tell you) that your disability means public speaking isn’t an option for you. If you have the ability to communicate with others, then you have the ability to be an effective presenter.

I was shocked to hear the news a few hours ago about the passing of Tim Russert. I’ve always admired Tim and the way he asks the tough but relevant questions which many news anchors are afraid to ask. I’d occasionally watch “Meet the Press” because of Tim’s unique style. In my home state of Massachusetts, Tim hosted the final gubernatorial debate in 2002 and I was impressed at his line of questioning. His questions were fair, intelligent and relevant. My personal favorite was when he asked each of the candidates (Mitt Romney and Shannon O’Brien) what they respected about each other. I think they were both caught off guard by that one.

Vocal variety (or vocal variation) is an absolute necessity to avoid the boring talk. If you’ve ever sat through a talk where the speaker spoke in a monotonous voice, then you know exactly what I’m talking about – it’s an easy way to make a two minute speech last an eternity. The good news is that with a little practice, you can easily use your voice to convey emotions such as excitement, passion and enthusiasm.

Throughout history, people have been elevated to greatness because of the way they have responded during a crisis. World leaders, business owners and other newsmakers have made the news (and the history books) because something went wrong or a great obstacle presented itself and they were able to overcome it. On a larger scale, each day people all over the world have defining moments within their career (whether they work for themselves or someone else) because a problem occured and they were able to use their leadership skills to save the day. If you want a fast path to success, step up and shine during a crisis. You’ll differentiate yourself from the pack as so many people simply get absorbed with the problem and what caused it instead of making the effort to find a solution.