1. What am I doing today to improve my public speaking/presentation/speaking skills?

Confucius once said many years ago that “good people strengthen themselves ceaselessly”. They understand the power of KAIZEN, which refers to constant and never ending improvement in Japanese.

This means that if you improve a little everyday, you can achieve a great deal in a year. If we put it quantitatively, we are looking at doubling your performance in approximately 2 months by simply improving 1% daily. (this has been backed up by an MIT study)

More recently, Malcolm Gladwell also restated this principle through his latest bestseller “The Outliers” In one of his chapters, he spoke at length about The 10,000 Hour Rule.

Gladwell uses The Beatles and Bill Gates as examples here, showing how they both were able to take advantage of stupendous amounts of practice time to become very, very good at what they did. In each case, Gladwell estimated that it took 10,000 hours of practice for those individuals to hone their natural raw talents and become world class - roughly ten years of multiple hours of practice (3 or so on average) every single day. Gladwell offers many other examples of how this practice pays off, but that magic number of 10,000 hours pops up again and again.

So here’s an obvious hint. If you want to be really good at a skill, in this case, public speaking, I suggest you begin investing an hour of your time EVERYDAY sharpening the skill. Remember to ask yourself this question on a daily basis - “What am I doing today to improve my public speaking/presentation/speaking skills?”

2. Can I use this in my upcoming presentation?

As Jim Key, 2003 World Champion of Public Speaking tirelessly said “things happen, pay attention!” A lot of speakers constantly worry about not having enough materials to back up their statements. Their stories contrived, pictures boring, quotes overused. Heck, most of them start preparing their presentations a day before. And googling can only help you that much.

However if you constantly LOOK for materials when you don’t need them, you begin to tap onto your internal radar system that can offer you very creative finds. A quote that you can use from a stranger in the elevator. A bus ad that you can’t get your mind off. An anecdote that your colleague share over lunch. An observation that tickles you non-stop. An interesting fact shared innocently by your dad… and the list goes on.

3. Am I making good use of my time and energy?

Interesting speakers lead interesting lives. Period. They will always have an out-of-the-world anecdote that will make you laugh. Their energy and enthusiasm is infectious. Their love for life or the topic they are speaking on is unquestionable. You can’t fake all that. If you try, your audience will blow your cover at double quick time. When you are speaking, your personality and attitude towards life speaks volume.

Yes, your topic may be on investments or a bridge that can create more jobs. However, when your audience is listening to you, they don’t just listen to the words, they are unconsciously listening to WHO YOU ARE AS AN INDIVIDUAL! And believe it or not, your personal power and charms comes from who you are, not what you say. Hence, if you want to speak at world-class level, start working on YOU as a person.

Cheers,
Eric Feng
Your Public Speaking Coach

P.S. To my regulars, thank you for lending your eyeballs to The Public Speaking Blog even though the entries are not coming through as often as I would love them to be. I am in the midst of revamping the blog, not just in layout but also in the focus. Clearly, it is getting more and more difficult to maintain this blog on my own. As Seth Godin has cleverly pointed out, it is getting more and more difficult to write solo at a blog. These days, the top blogs are maintained by a TEAM of writers. So yes, I am definitely heading that way.

Another case in point, the number of public speaking blogs are growing in numbers. Everyday, we have 3 - 5 public speaking related blogs popping up on the blogosphere (it is a good thing!) However, I start to question the value that THIS blog provides for you. I have some answers and you will hear them soon enough. Meanwhile, continue bookmarking this blog and re-read the posts. More importantly, keep working on your speaking skills. Remember, the 10,000 Hour Rule!

Love you guys. Take care.

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2009 is going to be a grim year or so says the World Bank, fengshui masters and my mum.

Markets are crashing, people are losing their jobs, stress is clearly in the air. In order to adapt to the new year, a lot has to change. For example our attitude towards work and our spending habits. Interestingly enough, quite a number of speech coaches vehemently believe that your powerpoint presentation has to change too! And over the past week, they have been commenting on how powerpoint presentations of 2009 should look like. (For the first draft, click link: PowerPoint Design 2009: Does Design Matters?)

I was requested by Olivia from Speaking about Presenting to comment as well, along with other speech coaches, not to mention Garr Reynolds of Presentation Zen and Seth Godin (he does not need an introduction)

However, I realize that there are already a lot of tips online (you can find them here too) about how to make a noteworthy powerpoint presentation. But if there is something everybody needs now, it’s a good laugh – so here are ten absolutely crazy things to do with your powerpoint presentation in 2009. Remind people that no matter how bad things get, you can always laugh. Cheers to 2009!

1. Print your powerpoint slides (make them big!) and compile them into a flipchart. Then act like it is a powerpoint presentation anyway.
2. Turn your computer to mute and make your own sound effects. For eg, DING!
3. Replace one of your sound files with Britney Spears Womanizer. When it starts playing, start dancing. Then stop, smile at your audience apologetically and say, ‘Oops, I did it again.’
4. Orient your powerpoint slides upside down and start presenting. Ignore all puzzled looks. Just keep going. Once in a while, turn back to look at your slide but pretend nothing happened and continue.
5. Flash your usual slide (try a picture). As you are presenting, turn back and look at the slide. Pause. Look shocked. (refer picture below if you do not know how) And then rush out of the classroom or meeting room.

   

6. Start picking your nose conspicuously as you are delivering your presentation. Once in a while, fart loudly and then look at one of your audience in a condescending way.
7. Speak with a different fake accent for every slide.
8. Acordnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosnt mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. (Type like that.)
9. Bold and italicize words at random. Change the key words into a different language, preferably one that your audience won’t understand, comprende?
10. For more appalling effects, do this. First give a pre-cursor. ‘Ok guys, this is the MOST important part of the presentation. You got to remember this point…’ And then just as they are waiting for you to say something, speak gibberish. Or move on to the next slide as if nothing just happen.

Drop me an email at eric@ericfeng.com if you have more crazy suggestions.

Cheers,
Eric Feng
Your (Crazy) Public Speaking Coach

P.S. Olivia is still in the midst of compiling all the comments from various bloggers. I will personally inform you when the article is up. Meanwhile, if you are looking for some serious read, check this out: 7 Design Styles of PowerPoint Presentation

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1. One Powerful Message

No point flooding your audience with too many messages as they won’t remember all of them anyway. Instead, you will have a better chance of impacting them if you focus on just one message. Find various ways (stories, demonstrations, quotes, analogies, visuals, jokes, examples) to illustrate your message.

I would also suggest that you believe in the message. There must be an inner drive/reason that is pushing you to deliver the message. Else… it will merely be a public announcement. One way to create drive/belief/enthusiasm in your speech is to ask yourself two questions:

(i) How will the audience benefit from listening to my speech/presentation?
(ii) Why is it important for them to hear it?

2. Be Authentic

Nothing beats speaking from the heart. Ask anyone and they will tell you that sincerity wins it all. Ask yourself this question: Why is it important for YOU to share this message with them?

To increase the authenticity of your speech, include stories of your own. Audience love it when speakers share personal stories as they create instant connection. As you open up to them, they too will open up to you. DO NOT use stories from the internet or worse, Chicken Soup for the Soul, for a very simple reason - they aren’t yours! (Stories that work)

3. Strong Content

Not only must you have a strong message i.e. one that is obvious to your audience, there must be some takeaway points. These takeaway points got to be tangible and useful to them immediately. They should also feel motivated to take some action. It could be to start exercising or writing down their financial goals. At the end of the day, your audience MUST take some action. Otherwise, it will be a wasted speech.

Cheers,
Eric Feng
Your Public Speaking Coach

P.S. To make it more convenient for you to read the posts here, I suggest you subscribe to my feed. This way, you will be notified via email each time I make a post. It’s totally free and you get the latest and greatest first! Here’s the link: Subscribe to The Public Speaking Blog.

Related Posts
Words Matter, But Message Is King
Go Naked At Your Next Presentation
Characteristics of a Great Speaker

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Yup. I have unfortunately passed away, and it has taken a great deal of effort to reach out to my readers from the afterlife. I’ve managed to possess someone and am now typing this from an Internet café as we speak. (Metaphorically.)

Okay, just kidding.

That’s probably what some of you thought, though, given that I’ve not been writing at The Public Speaking Blog for quite a while now. I worried quite a few people, it seems – three concerned blogger friends even called me directly to find out whether I’d been run over or otherwise incapacitated. Thanks for your concern!

And to everyone who’s been following this blog and my posts: my apologies for being out of action for so long. My schedule’s been rather hectic these few months, with talks and all, not to mention I was dodging cars which seemed bent on flattening me and preventing me from continuing to write.

Also, I’ve been wrestling with a tiny problem.

Frankly, I’ve run out of ideas about what to write. There’s only so many things that can be covered about public speaking, after all, and I think so far we’ve covered most of the basics pretty well. Off the top of my head, I can think of covering humor as a tool, learning to conquer stage fright, keeping reluctant audiences interested, public speaking jujitsu, female speakers… (if anything doesn’t sound familiar to you, go check out the posts!)

So, the burning question is: what would you like me to write about?

I’m sure you all have queries of your own. If there’s anything I’ve learned in my public speaking career, it’s that an audience can and often does have pretty curveball questions. Questions that you don’t expect, questions that can be insightful and help to shed new light on a topic. So if there’s anything that you want me to address, any specific issues that you’ve come upon in your public speaking career, feel free to drop a comment! If you like some privacy, you can drop me a personal note at eric@ericfeng.com

Other than that, I’ve also been brainstorming possible topics, and here’s what I’ve come up with:

- Tips for specific types of presentations – sales pitches, business presentations, wedding dinner speeches, etc
- Being a more effective communicator even in an everyday situation
- Inpromptu speeches (how to think on your feet)
- What’s the process that I took to write a winning speech? (this applies to ALL presentations)
- Physical & mental exercises to help with public speaking
- Dealing with curveball questions from the audience
- Dealing with unfamiliar topics

So let’s run an impromptu poll – which are your top three topics you’d like to see me address the most? Once I’ll collated your feedback, I’ll get right back to work. Eric Feng is back amongst the living once more (thanks to you!)

Cheers,
Eric Feng
Your Public Speaking Coach

P.S. To make it more convenient for you to read the posts here, I suggest you subscribe to my feed. This way, you will be notified via email each time I make a post. It’s totally free and you get the latest and greatest first! Here’s the link: Subscribe to The Public Speaking Blog.

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Oh no!!! Not another observational humor monologue!

I realize that few readers have an interest in writing observational humor monologues. And I also realize that because of the You-Had-To-Be-There factor, reading a transcript of a monologue from an event that you did not attend probably doesn’t make you laugh. So why do I publish them?

Writing about creating and using humor can easily result in something that looks and sounds like a lecture. Nothing but theory becomes an exercise in mental gymnastics. It’s not especially interesting and it’s difficult to link the theory to real-life examples. You’ve probably heard the E.B. White quote, “Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.”

So the question becomes, “how to teach and learn humor without feeling like you’re in a lecture hall?” I use observational humor monologues as a teaching tool. Hopefully it’s a vehicle which brings humor techniques to life with real-world examples of humor in action.

My improv troupe had a workshop last week. Ten of us met to practice the principles of good improv comedy. Nobody in the group has a dream of becoming a main-stage player at Second City or being discovered by Saturday Night Live. Most people take improv classes because they are fun, because they teach skills which apply to success in life, and because they help people become better public speakers. It’s not about the improv…it’s so much more than that.

Likewise, members of a Toastmasters Club did not join because they intend to become a professional speaker. They join for the fun and to gain some skills that will make them more productive and competitive in the workplace. It’s not primarily about public speaking, it’s about leadership, growth, and personal communication.

Within a Toastmasters Club, members have the opportunity to compete in several contests every year. It’s not about the contests, it’s not about winning. People participate in the contests to improve their skills.

You don’t enter a Cartoon Caption Contest or a Joke Contest with the intent of becoming a professional writer. You most likely do it to sharpen your creative skills. Maybe you do it just to have fun.

People don’t go to the gym to become a body builder. They go to the gym simply to be in a little better shape than they are today.

So it is with studying Observational Humor Monologues. It’s not about creating the monologue. It’s about discovering the Ah-Ha’s which help you make the connections needed to create your own fresh humor. It’s about the possibility of closing a PTA meeting with just one observational humor line. It’s about brightening a staff meeting with just one small quip which you create out of nothing. It’s about relaxing a prospect at a sales presentation because you can react naturally with humor, even if it’s only once. It’s about opening a speech with just one observational humor line. It’s about becoming better at using humor…just a little bit. Studying Observational Humor Monologues, you slowly begin to see how humor connections are made. One step at a time. We grow in baby steps. And the exciting thing is…the better you get…the faster you get better.

So remember, it’s not about the monologue. It’s about something much more important…you and your skills.

***

Apologies for not updating my blog for an awfully long time!Been absolutely swamped with training these days BUT I promise I’ll never neglect you again for such atrocious long periods of time. Promise!

Got much speaking tips and secrets to share so don’t forget to visit me often *winks*

Cheers,
Eric Feng
Your Public Speaking Coach

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Photo credits to Neville

I finally finished reading a book written by a magician. No, I am not switching careers. More importantly, Steve Cohen who is famously known as the Millionaire’s Magician (for obvious reasons) writes about his secrets to a winning delivery of his magic performances in his book “Win The Crowd”

Reading the book, I was pleasantly surprised that even as a magician and performer of his calibre, he still religiously practices the techniques that I have often shared with you in my earlier blog entries. The overlaps in techniques are especially evident in a particular chapter, where he writes about “Building Confidence before the Curtain Rises”.

These techniques, that by now you would have been familiar with include practicing intensively before the actual presentation and dropping snippets of your presentation into your daily conversations so that your presentation doesn’t sound alien to you when its time to deliver.

But this time, I am going to write about something rather unfamiliar and I’m convinced that his secret will do the trick for your next presentation!

Steve shares some interesting and fresh ideas on how to command a room in one of the chapters and here, I’m going to do you a favour and divulge you 3 of these!

1. How To Float Into A Room

Steve tells us how to do this; before you step in front of an audience, take a deep breath. Not just your regular kind of “deep breath”. Fill your lungs with oxygen until they are ready to burst. Really. Once you feel that the air has reached the top of your chest cavity, hold it in. Then and only then, walk into the room.

Once you’ve entered the room and start to speak, you will naturally exhale in order to start your presentation. This is a much more powerful entrance than if you were to walk in with your lungs deflated. The deep inhalation will increase the blood flow to your face, and you’ll appear more radiant and more lively.

2. “Maxim 1: be Bold”

This is one of the 5 maxims that Steve calls, The rules of magic. Here, he says that when you’re bold, you will get results that you’ve never had before, because you’re doing things that you’ve never done before.

I’d like to add a disclaimer here by saying that both Steve and I don’t mean that you should go rob a bank. And I think this Maxim is especially significant in our Singaporean society. The lack of boldness( or even initiative sometimes ) handicaps us and puts our presentations in a lull even before we begin. Now you may ask, “How can I become bolder?”

Steve suggests making “elevator friends” as your very first step. The next time you’re in a lift with a neighbour you’ve never spoken to or a member of staff working in the same building, break the silence and and compliment them! Find something noteworthy about that person and say it.

“That’s an exquisite looking brooch you’ve got there!” or

“Hey, I can’t help it, but I think that tie you’re wearing is really cool” or

“Is that a new wig? I like it!”

Now unless you want a huge slap across your face, I suggest you skip the last one, but you get the drift by now don’t you? Aim to say hello or offer compliments to 5 people everyday. To hit the target 5, you obviously have to do this outside the lifts of which, by then, you should be getting a hang of this. Make it a DAILY DAMNIT!

He explains that, people are fascinated by someone who is larger than life. You’ll become more attractive and your interactions with them will become more dynamic. And this is because you are unknowingly becoming what others desire to become themselves.

3. Charisma

Always envied that insanely charismatic guy or lady who has the whole room talking? Steve offers 6 observations of what qualities famous and charismatic people possess and they are

Enthusiastic
Confident
Comfortable in their own skins
Unconcerned about what other think of them
Masters of their subject matters
Symbols of something others desire

Out of the 6, I think the 5th one, being a master of your subject matter is the easiest to achieve and instantly up your charisma by a thousand times.

Jerr Dunn said,

“Be so good, they can’t ignore you.”

Audiences will always applaud skill. Why do you think the Olympic games never fail to enchant and inspire us? BUT, be sure to keep your ego in check. Never show off to simply make yourself look good. Instead, follow the Japanese proverb, “The clever hawk hides its claws.” Be understated about your abilities. Reveal your skill only when appropriate. People will be more impressed when they discover what you’re capable of on their own. This is especially so when you get yourself some ‘flesh-time’ with your audiences before you begin your presentation.

So there you go! I suggest you still read the book, Win The Crowd by Steve Cohen. In the book he teaches you a little magic that you can use to impress your date *winks*

Cheers,
Eric Feng
Your Public Speaking Coach

P.S. Due to an overwhelming response for “Take The Stage” which just took place on the 6th and 7th of September, I am pleased to announce that we’re going for seconds!

But this time, I’m holding a 3-hour workshop first on 1st of October to reward the participants who signed up early and to also give them a headstart.

And guess what! You are invited to attend as well at a token sum of $50. Bring a friend along and each of you will only pay $30. No friends? Why then, sign up now to pay $30 as part of our early-bird discount.

To sign up, fill up your name, email address & contact number in this page. You will receive a 24 page quick fix report as a thank you –> http://www.takethestagenow.com/fastresults

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The guy you see above is Jonathon Harris, an artist and computer scientist. In his TED presentation, he shared about his passion of collecting stories around the world. Leveraging on technology, he was able to scan the world’s blogs to capture snapshots of the writer’s feelings, through pictures and words. In one of his project, he even went to Butan to interview 113 people, capturing their stories, emotions and wishes through pictures. (from 11′36″ onwards)

Check out some of the original pictures he took here.

She wants to keep farming till she die.

He wants to be able to go to school.

16 year old girl who wants to be independent because in Butan, getting married means losing freedom and independence.

What was extremely inspiring is his personal encounters with people in Butan. In one of his slides, he spoke about this little boy who yearns to go to school so that he can read and write. And a 26 year old nun who wants to spend her next 40 years in the cave… and then die because she has lived enough. Every person he captures tells a unique story and I found myself glued to his presentation EVEN THOUGH it was just a simple, no frill presentation.

Talk about the power of stories!

What made his stories come alive were the pictures. They weren’t even taken professionally. Just your usual pictures. Yet they worked like magic in Jonathon’s presentation. The pictures are like the oasis in the desert. They quench your thirst of curiosity. They bring life and colour to the stories he told. They draw you into Butan like moth to flame.

After watching his presentation, I was compelled to share it with you and to remind you about the power of stories. Not just borrowed stories. But personal encounters. If really helped a lot if you have an interesting life of course. And remember to back them up with pictures! Or even a prop, if you have one.

So to sum up,

1. Live an interesting life (one that allows you to have stories to tell!)
2. Bring a digital camera and a note book along - the camera to take pictures, the notebook to jot down your adventures
3. Spice up your next presentation with a story or two.

This brings me to the free ticket giveaway. This coming weekend, I will be conducting an intensive two-day public speaking seminar. This is a great opportunity for you to receive personal attention and get solid coaching that will help you become more confident and charismatic. You can read all about it here.

So how do you get the free ticket, you wonder.

Simple.

Since we are on the topic of pictures, I would like you to send me one of the most inspiring pictures that you have personally taken. Tell me a little bit about the picture and why you think it is inspiring (i.e. the story behind the picture) Here’s an example.

This is a recent picture taken at my dad’s 60th birthday. It has been a while since our family of 4 got together. My dad is a man of few words. He worked really hard to support my sister and I in school. To see him smile for the longest of time… that was priceless.

How about you?

Have you capture a moment where it is the most priceless, a picture that has a great story to tell, a powerful lesson to teach?

If yes, send them to me in the next 24 hours (eric@ericfeng.com) and the best one will win yourself a S$397 ticket to my public speaking seminar, as a thank you. Even if you are not from Singapore, I will personally mail you the DVD recording of my seminar.

Hurry, send me your picture now!

Cheers,
Eric Feng
Your Public Speaking Coach

P.S. If you want to improve your public speaking skills by ten folds, I suggest you start watching other speakers present on a daily basis. Make it a daily damnit. For starters, try www.ted.com

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This week, I’m featuring another article from a fellow friend of mine… and a very funny man — John Kinde

But before you go on to reading his article, let me spoil it for you by telling you why I liked this one.

Take it away John!

What Makes You Funny?

Does it help to look funny when presenting humor from the platform?Yes. But the good news is that if you don’t look funny, that can help you deliver your humor too!

1. Physical appearance. If you look funny, that’s a plus when it comes to delivering humor. Jay Leno has this going for him. Compared to Dave Letterman, Leno is a funny looking guy with a caricature-like and almost cartoonish face. If you have a large nose, high forehead, ears that stick out, or some other characteristic that makes you look different from the norm, you have the possibility of bringing a smile to someone’s face before you say or do anything.

2. Props. You can alter your physical appearance by what you wear, your makeup, and your props. Lucille Ball, already gifted with a funny look (don’t equate funny-looking with not-attractive), accentuated her humor appeal with makeup which made her eyes look even larger than they were. Clowns are a great example of apparel, makeup and props to create the funny look. Some improv troupes depend to a certain extent on apparel and props to generate laughs.

The players wear off-beat outfits and they use wigs and other props to enhance their stage work. My improv troupe makes an artistic choice to be prop-neutral and clothing-neutral. We wear totally black outfits. This choice challenges us to make the strength of our performance depend on our fundamental improv skills. This is the same choice we make when we always keep our material clean. Props and blue material might both get laughs, maybe even more laughs, but we deliberately choose not to use them. It forces us to be better.

3. Your reputation. Most good humor presenters have this element working for them. A classic example is Bob Hope. The band would hit his theme song, “Thanks For The Memories,” and as Bob would walk onstage the laughter would begin without him doing or saying anything. His reputation preceded him. And by the way, he had physical looks which were funny too. Think of your favorite comic.

The audience also probably laughs at him or her just watching the person take the stage. You can LOOK funny because they EXPECT you to be funny. Your positive track record gives you an edge. This advantage will help you get stronger laughs with weaker, lines than someone who is totally unknown to an audience. This is a plus I have working for me in my local Toastmasters club. People expect me to be funny based on my past performance. Know when you have this working for you and let it give you confidence.

4. Your actions. Your mannerisms, gestures and pacing can also make you look funny. Many humorous speakers depend primarily on this factor to help them look funny. Facial expression and the use of the pause are the two most important delivery elements that give you an advantage on the platform. Some coaches recommend that being BIG with your voice and movement is the key to getting laughs. But if that isn’t you, and being genuinely you is critical, you can apply the rule of less-is-more. I’ve found that what you DON’T do can get laughs. I’m in the contest cycle for Tall Tales in Toastmasters. In my speech I say the most off-the-wall things with a totally straight face. It works perfectly. Nothing big. Huge laughs. Identify your own style and use it to your advantage.

5. The non-funny look. This is also a plus. Humor primarily works because of relationships, connections and lack of those elements. Therefore if you ARE funny, having mastered both structural content and delivery techniques, the fact that you don’t look funny is a plus. In fact, it’s a significant advantage, just as looking funny is as significant advantage. How wonderful. You win either way. I have this element working for me when I speak to a group who doesn’t know me. They’re thinking, “this guy doesn’t LOOK funny.” And the pleasant surprise comes when I am funny. It magnifies the humor.

6. Me and You. Where do we fit into this equation? I don’t look particularly funny. Think: Generic guy-next-door. Think: Mr Rogers. Check out my web site (www.HumorPower.com) if you don’t believe me. (Don’t equate not-funny-looking with not-attractive.) I don’t especially rely on props. Occasionally I’ll wear a subtle Mickey Mouse necktie, but nothing over-the-top to get a laugh. My reputation works for me in the local area. As a minor-celebrity, not famous mind you, many of my audiences expect me to be funny and behave in a way that ensures they will not be disappointed. This may happen to you, for example, in staff meetings at work or at Toastmasters meetings, if you are consistently funny. My physical delivery work for me. After twenty-five years of studying humor, I’ve become an overnight success in doing the right things, from a delivery standpoint, to make me look funny. The skills are pretty much internalized and come almost automatically. And the non-funny look is definitely an asset when I need to win over an audience of strangers. I’ve often had the comment, “Looking at you before the talk I had a hard time believing you could be funny.” This magnifies the effectiveness of my humor. Your set of skills and assets will be different. That is neither good or bad. But used well, your skills and assets are a plus for you too.

7. An evaluation. Run through paragraphs one through five and analyze where your strengths are. Is there anything you can do to tap into any of the areas to strengthen your skills at winning the laughter? Can you look funnier? Can you add more punch to your delivery? If you don’t look funny, can you develop a dead-pan skill to take advantage of this trait? As you become better at humor, your reputation will start to give you an edge with audiences which have already been treated to your humor.

8. Be funny. Have fun.

***

Cheers,
Eric Feng
Your Public Speaking Coach

Pssst! I have written quite extensively on the topic on how to be funny. In fact, there is a whole category of laugh-out-loud articles for you to check it out.

If You Want To Become A Funny Speaker, You Gotta Know This…
Here’s How To Be Funny Even If You Are Not

Pssssssssssssst!! I’m conducting THE Public Speaking Workshop this coming weekend on the 6th and 7th of September from 10am to 5pm. Its called Take The Stage and I’m extending this exclusive invite to you! Seats are very limited.

In 2 days, you will learn the insider secrets, tips and tactics that took 10 years for champion speakers to pick up. Still reading this?
Click HERE!

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When there’s a storm, the grass bends over and lives to see another day. The oak tree that stands upright and unyielding will eventually be uprooted.

The same goes for public speaking. Don’t antagonize your audience – they’re not there to be offended. And if you do offend them, then you’ve just lost any chance you ever had of persuading them of your point of view.

In a sense, it’s very much like ju-jitsu or judo. Instead of rushing headlong at your opponent (and getting said head cracked open), use your opponent’s energy and momentum against him.

If you’re preaching to the converted, you have an easier job, of course. But even if your audience isn’t entirely convinced or even skeptical, your attempts at persuasion shouldn’t be obvious – because otherwise, they’ll fail. Acknowledge your audience’s beliefs and work from it.

Here are three major steps that will have even a hostile audience warming up to you.

1. Start from a COMMON GROUND.

People have lots of different identities. At any one time, you’re someone’s child, but you’re also someone’s spouse and someone’s parent. You could be defined by your job – teacher, engineer, telemarketer, manager, salesperson. You could be defined by your religion – Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist. You could also be defined by your lack of religion – atheist. You could be defined by ethnic group or by gender, or even by age.

Use that! Find a common ground that you can share with a majority of your audience – and better still, relate your topic to it. Talk about your own personal experiences and share them with the audience to build rapport.

In short, understand your audience.

If you’re addressing a bunch of people who come from different faiths, talk about how faith in general can impact people by giving them spiritual support. If you’re addressing people from different ethnic groups, identify an issue that they can all relate to – for instance, the rising costs of living.

If you know your audience is particularly hostile on one particular identity, then try and shift the focus away from it.

Imagine, for instance, that you have to give a pro-abortion talk to a fervent group of anti-abortionists. Don’t jump straight into it and say that they’re wrong. Start by identifying with them. Talk about your experiences with raising your own children and the joy and the trouble that they’ve given you. In short, change your main identity – not pro-abortionist, but parent.

A common ground encourages understanding and emotional connection, which will soften their stance towards you – thus giving you an opening in their defenses, through which you can deliver your main points.

2. Address COMMON VALUES / GOALS.

Of course, after you’ve identified the common ground, it’s only logical to talk about common goals.

Life, after all, is about how we strive to achieve goals despite the obstacles in the way. And telling people that you want to help them achieve those goals is a great way to garner more support.

It’s important to show that you understand someone’s goals.

For instance, the anti-abortionists want to preserve life and they often cherish the idea of a family. So talk to them about it. Acknowledge this goal and show that you’re not at odds with it.

For instance, you can say that you want what’s best for families, both children and parents. It’s a goal that most people would agree with (I should hope so, who wouldn’t?) and you can then show how allowing abortion under certain circumstances may actually help this, possibly by ensuring that the children who are born are genuinely wanted and receive a higher quality of life.

Of course, your audience may not be hostile. Better still, then! If you’re attempting to sell something at a product demonstration, for instance, just demonstrate how your product meets the needs of your potential customer. You see it all the time in persuasive marketing, and here’s a basic example – shampoo.

Most shampoo brands will have variations of their product. There’ll be one for dry hair, for dyed hair, one for extra-moisturising properties, one for straight hair, one for curly hair… and so on.

The company wants to help you make your hair look good – which is why you buy their product.

Of course, that’s not really the case, is it? The company wants to make money. But no company’s going to actually say that – and the take-away from that is that neither should you. Focus on what your audience wants, and show them how you can help them achieve it.

3. Stay CALM. Avoid being too aggressive.

As a rule of thumb, people don’t like being pushed to do things. We like to think of ourselves as independent people who are capable of making our own decisions, so if you get too pushy, you might alienate people.

Sometimes, it’s as easy as acknowledging this fact. Simply say that you understand that not all members of the audience may agree with you, but that you respect their opinions and you hope that you’ll receive that same respect. Chances are, you will.

But of course, life’s not always that pleasant.

For instance, if you’re dealing with a hostile question from the audience, remain calm. Never, ever get defensive or worse, antagonistic. Things will go very rapidly downhill from that point.

Instead, try and defuse the situation. If the question is extremely hostile or even rude, a humorous quip tends to amuse other members of the audience and bring the hostility down – for instance:

‘Did my ex-husband/wife/mother-in-law send you?’

But also, thank them for their points and appreciate them. Devote some time to it – unless, of course, they’re just heckling you, you can simply note the concern and move on to more serious questions.

Some presentations are lost causes – you can talk till the cows – and even the sheep and the sheepdogs – come home, but you still won’t change anyone’s core values.

But with the above three tips, you can certainly make it a more pleasant and rewarding experience for everyone involved – most of all, yourself!

Cheers,
Eric Feng
Your Public Speaking Coach

P.S: Need to be more persuasive? Then check out the following entries too!

Art of Persuasion: How Do You Get People To Say Yes To You
Here’s How You Be Right All The Time
Ten Timeless Persuasive Speaking Techniques

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Let’s set things straight. There is absolutely NO way you can learn how to swim or cook from just reading a book or attending a seminar unless you are a genius. Yes?

And there’s a reason why there are still a gazillion number of people who are not rich in spite of the number of books on how to get rich. Yes?

If you have realized by now, the fastest and most effective way in mastering a skill is by DOING it. As the saying goes:

Wisdom is knowing what to do next, skills is knowing how to do it and virtue is doing it.

But Eric, I don’t deliver presentations everyday! No worries, you can still clock stage time if you adopt this insider strategy practiced by many top leaders and speakers in our world.

And here’s the barring truth - champions never turn down stage time. So instead of harping on it, I shall share with you 15 more ways to take the stage and sharpen your public speaking skills. If you have other brilliant ideas, please share them with me under the comments section.

1. Volunteer to emcee at your company’s event or your child’s birthday party
2. Give a toast at your friend’s wedding
3. Ask a question at a conference (during the Q&A session)
4. Join a Toastmasters meeting (speak at the Table Topics segment)
5. Conduct a mini workshop for your friends on a topic that you are an expert on (say cooking)
6. Speak up at your department’s meeting
7. Volunteer to deliver a presentation on behalf of your team in school
8. Attend a business networking event - find opportunities to speak up
9. Say hello to strangers on the way to work or school
10. Volunteer to teach at a non-profit organization
11. Videotaped yourself delivering a speech and then get professional feedback
12. Search for speeches and scripts on youtube and then recreate them.
13. Do a stand up comedy gig (warning: not for the faint hearted)
14. Have a boys or girls night out and take the chance to share some of your juicy stories with them.
15. Attend a public speaking program!

And I have just the right program to recommend you, especially if you are in Singapore!

It’s no ordinary program because it has taken close to a year to develop.

It combines years of experience and wisdom from all my mentors and speech coaches.

The process that we are adopting in this program has been fine-tuned over the past three years, with many success stories to boast of, including mine! (grins)

If you are curious enough to find out why this program can help you become confident, compelling and charismatic speakers in two days, CLICK HERE. Psst… there is a free prize inside.

Cheers,
Eric Feng
Your Public Speaking Coach

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