18 replies to this topic

[Denyse]

This morning I made a speech to 25 small business owners about the importance of a web site and SEO for an SMB. It went very well and I got some fabulous feedback.

When I get nervous I tend to get very technical, and in a couple of places I felt I was starting to loose them, so I got them back by involving them, I asked questions that they had to think about, sort of "What advantages do you think a Web site would bring to your business" Instead of giving them what I thought were the advantages, they told me their views... and became a lot more attentive because I was asking instead of telling.

I loved the experience, and after polishing my presentation a bit more, based on the feedback I got, I plan to do a lot more of these.

Someone told me recently that you have to "touch" a potential customer 7 times for results. Speech making positions you as an expert, and you get to touch many people at almost a one on one basis.

I highly recommend it.

[torka]

Way to go, Denyse!

I love public speaking (yes, I'm weird, I know...). That's an excellent technique you used -- keep the audience involved, make the presentation more "interactive". It's no wonder you got such good feedback! I hope you see some business from this, as well!

You're right -- it's a great way to position yourself as an expert and to build business.

--Torka

[qwerty]

Remember the scene in Broadcast News (hated the film but loved this scene) in which Albert Brooks' character is given his first opportunity to anchor a broadcast? He's stammering through the whole thing and absolutely dripping with sweat.

That's me whenever I attempt public speaking. This is why I love working online.

Here's to courage, Denyse

[Jill]

That's terrific, Denyse, congrats!

This is a timely thread as I'm interested in resources for improving my own public speaking.

I don't get nervous any more for the most part because I know my stuff and have been talking about it for so long. But I'm not someone with a whole lot of high energy, etc. I present great info that can be used right away, but I'm sure I could polish my actual presentation skills for a better connection with the audience.

Does anyone have any great resources on this topic?

Jill

[SmellieNellie]

Well Done Denyse!

How timely is that, I too am trying to get started with giving talks on Internet Marketing - and as you say, it is all too easy to start talking technobabble.

My question to you, would be exactly how in depth did you go?

I am finding as I am writing the talk, I am crossing over from Generic Internet Marketing into SEO and touching on Title Tags etc and I don't know that this is the right thing to do. I would rather cover that in a separate talk.

Your feedback would be very useful!

[Scottie]

I think you have to be careful with energy for the sake of energy- some speakers come across really fakey to me. But then others seem to like that approach, so who am I to say!

I like to approach speaking as if I were speaking one-to-one with a person, without being too stiff or formal and without the exaggerated change in pitch you often hear from people who are "trying" to be animated.

The best speakers engage you naturally and keep you interested by asking questions, making you think, and changing focus from time to time; in other words, not simply reading a powerpoint back to you or lecturing in a straightforward way.

Jill, you might check the yellow pages under Public Speaking Instruction- here we have some private coaches listed as well as classes and Dale Carnegie courses.

Painful as it can be (for me anyway), video taping your presentation and reviewing is a great way to start increasing your awareness of how you present yourself.

Handing your presentation to someone else (a friend or spouse) and watching them present it is also a good way to see where the information might be confusing or better explained as well as giving you ideas on how to present it yourself in a different way. It's much easier to see flaws when someone else is presenting!

[torka]

I'm given to understand that Toastmasters also offer excellent help with improving public speaking skills, and it's not very expensive to join.

A couple of things that helped me out a lot when I was getting started... taking acting classes and singing lessons. Now, I didn't do this because I wanted to become a better public speaker -- I took the classes because I was in college and needed some additional elective credits and these sounded like fun -- but the things I learned in them turned out to be very helpful in the long run.

In acting class, you learn how to use body language, tone of voice and facial expressions to convey emotions and to elicit the desired emotions in your audience members -- without coming across as "fake" or phony. In both acting class and in the singing lessons, I learned the correct way to breathe and how to properly project my voice so that I could be easily heard by people in the back row, without straining or shouting.

In both, I had a coach who was giving me personal feedback and helping me correct errors right away. In both, I had the opportunity to practice my new skills in front of a sympathetic audience.

Even if you don't want to go the one-on-one path of taking classes, there are plenty of community theater groups and community choral groups that could provide both an enjoyable break from "computer stuff" and valuable practice for public performance/speaking skills.

--Torka

[Jill]

Luckily, I always get good marks on my evaluations, but heck, there's always room for improvement!

You know who one of the best speakers I know is? Our very own Matthew Bailey!

He totally knocked 'em dead in Chicago!

[idrive]

Hey Denise! I'm in Montreal now - we'll have to have a coffee ;-)

I have done a fair number of presentations and I find there is a good ROI in terms of it only costs me my time, and I do tend to either gain clients from the presenation, or gain credibility which is then used to make a referral to someone else. These people also tend to either sign up for my (horribly out of date) newsletter and/or attend another seminar or class that I put on.

In February I made a presentation to DigitalEve - a networking group for women in technology. I knew that I would not likely gain any clients from this, because alot of these people are web designer wannabes without the budget to spend on SEM, and clients with similar budgets. However, I followed up the presentation with a half day class on a Saturday.

I charged participants $100 to attend the half day, hands on workshop and I received a tremendous response! I rented a classroom and discussed keyword research and basic optimization with them. Some of these people then came to see me exhibit at a Marketing and Communications show a week later and attended another seminar that I gave there.

BTW, I attended Marcom (www.marcom.ca) and it was a fabulous opportunity for exhibiting for me. I ordered by banners from ebay (bannersnstands.com I believe) and paid a fraction of what everyone else paid for banners! I spent $1000 on exhibit space, volunteered to present, was then asked to facilitate a working lunch roundtable and to judge an email newsletter competition. Not bad for networking ;-)

I found that people flocked to my exhibit booth after the presentation and wanted to set up appointments to discuss their website issues and how I could assist them with PPC, SEO, etc.

All in all, one client will pay for my out of pocket at Marcom; another client would pay for the time invested ;-)

Darlene

BTW, I think it is incredibly important to tailor your presentation to your audience. At Marcom I was part of a double presentation entitled Permission, Submission and your E-marketing Mission. Spam was the overall theme of this presenation; part 1 was myself talking about SEM - dos and don'ts to avoid SE spamming; Part 2 was my colleague speaking about email marketing with an overall theme of spam. This was important because many of the attendees were from gov't and the focus within our government today is privacy (which really relates to email)

Edited by idrive, 08 May 2004 - 10:47 AM.

[Denyse]

Hey Jill,
About a year ago I joined Toastmaster and I tell you I would not have been able to do this if I had not.

You learn in a very safe format, and every thing you do gets evaluated - some people find it a bit formal, but I find it's all part of the learning process and the structure makes it very safe and comforting. A good learning environment that I strongly suggest.

Hello Smellie,
This group was very newbie, my talk was about the advantages of a Web site in a small businesses promotional toolbelt. I then used an analogy I got from Magician in the "I need an analogy" post, about having a Web site without SEO being like a putting a billboard in the middle of the desert

P.100 of Robert G. Allen's - Multiple streams of internet income.

" ...having your own Web page is just the beginning. It's like having a billboard in the middle of the Nevada desert...if nobody sees it, it's as if it doesn't even exist. It's worthless."

You are the ONE placing the billboard on Broadway ave in NY City.

I followed with an explanation of what SEO does and a cost/benefit comparison with other media. I kept is very basic and general, my objective was to make them aware of what SEO could do for their business, because awareness in this area is minimal. The few times I found myself talking technical (ex frames and spam and hidden links) their eyes glazed over. Next time I do this I will try to make those parts more visual and interactive.

Dear Scottie,

You're right too much energy sound fakey to me too. Its important to strike a balance. You need to keep your personal energy level up, but your presentation should not kill them in the front row. Your other point are right on the money, especially the part about involving the audience.

Hi Torka,
I took acting classes to (a long time ago when I was living in Toronto). It does make you moke comfortable in front of an audience. But Toastmaster gives me direct feedback and a chance to look at other people making speeches and learn from them - that is also important. You see what works and what does'nt

DARLEEEEN!!!
Where have you been girl, how long are you in Montreal -- give me a call I would love to meet up with you (I was in Aylmer last weekend at a Toastmasters meeting but never got a chance to contact you) -- call me (do you still have my number)

BTW - well done on promoting yourself - I'm not at the confidence level of giving (and charging for) workshops yet. Maybe someday.

[SmellieNellie]

Hi Denyse -

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I always use the analogy that having an unoptimised website is like creating a direct mail shot and then locking it in a draw!

That's great, you reinforced what I thought about steering clear of technical stuff. I guess that would be a whole new talk.

Out of interest, anyone have any ideas on a generic internet related talk such as: "The growth & Development of the Internet" - but I need something that sounds more 'sexy' than that cos I think people would turn off before I even got through the door!!!!!!

Thanks

[OldWelshGuy]

Being a shy big mouth, I often find myself in a position where I am giving a public delivery of information.

I am despite all I appear to be, a shy person, and I have overcome this shyness by being extrovert. I am the perfect example of the swan scenario, serene and controlled above the water, while my ass and legs are panicking out of site, making sure we are going in the right direction

I speak, like I work, like i write, just me, talking to one, or one hundred people. I am truly an insecure person, so I figure that I should just roll with what I do best, imparting information via analogies and fact.

The people you are talking to should not be seen as adversaries, they are all there to learn from you. On the occasion where you are forced to deliver to a crowd, I normally face, and look for mental arguments. I will then pause and look the people who have mentally argued in the eye asking if there are any questions with regard what I have just discussed.

OWG

[Denyse]

Hey OWG,

...look for mental arguments. I will then pause and look the people who have mentally argued in the eye asking if there are any questions with regard what I have just discussed.

That works if you're given the time - in my case I was scheduled for a 30 minute talk, prepared for 15, and ended with 45 minutes - go figure

I had to cut short my conclusion because they were pulling the plug, so I had no time to deal with questions :doh: . There is just soooo much stuff to say about this business.

[bwelford]

One thing I don't think anyone has mentioned is that the audience is really pulling for you. They're on your side and they want you to succeed. They're all folk just like you with all the same worries and aspirations. So just have a series of parallel one-on-one conversations with all these wonderful new friends you have.

Interestingly if you don't come across as too know-it-all and you do get a hostile questioner, usually the audience will be on your side and it's the questioner who is isolated from all the rest of you.

Just my two cents.

[Matt B]

Thanks Jill - I'm humbled at your comment. I really appreciate it.

I guess I'm one of those weird people that feels more at home in front of people. I think that the more people I'm speaking to, the more comfortable I am.

Most of my education was from watching my dad, as he was always speaking to large groups of people and I learned a lot from him. But it always seemed that no matter where I worked, I eventually ended up speaking or presenting to people.

The other side is that I'm just weirdly passionate about web marketing and stats. Can't quite figure that one out . . .