Blog
Category: Speech
Training
Are You Relying Too Much on PowerPoint?
Posted
September 5, 2009
PowerPoint is a very popular presentation medium with loyal
users who swear by the program. Some people would no more consider
giving a presentation without PowerPoint than they would consider
presenting without wearing clothes. Unfortunately, PowerPoint can
become a crutch, preventing you from achieving your full potential as a
speaker.
The following excerpt from a British blogger makes clear the
pitfalls of relying on a computer program when presenting. No program
can match the energy and enthusiasm a really good speaker brings to the
podium.
“I once gave a presentation which told, in
fine detail, the life and works of Jane Austen. I was extremely
prepared with my computerised slides, my hard copies to hand out at the
end, and my little word cards to help me along.
”Afterwards I was told that I might as well
have sat down with everyone else.
”My presence at the front of the room was
not essential to the presentation itself. I merely insulted my audience
by undermining their intelligence; everything I had said could have
been read from the slides.
”A bit harsh, perhaps, but quite true.”
Comments
Bravo - well said!! It is so frustrating when
people mistake “Presentation” for “PowerPoint slides”.
The reality is that PowerPoint, when used
properly, can be a wonderful communication tool. It can work
interactively, it can simplify (but not dumb down) complex messages and
can form the basis of clear and focused messaging. It can do all of
those things (and more) if you refine one part of the “application
experience”… What is the element? The human being driving it.
Don’t blame the tool…that’s too easy. Work on figuring quite
what you’re looking to communicate, to whom and IF PowerPoint can help
you deliver that. Engage the brain before double clicking on the
PowerPoint icon - that’s the best way of addressing the scourge of
“Death by PowerPoint”
— Simon Morton
Category: Speech Training
Tags:
coaching,
communications
skills, confidence, education, overcoming fear, presentations, public speaking tips, speech, speeches, training, workshops.
See the speech training
page for more information about Trimount’s SpeakOut Training
Program.
Communications
Skills
Posted July 9, 2009
Have you ever noticed that the most successful people are
usually the ones who communicate well? It’s true that there are
exceptions—successful people whose communications skills aren't as good
as they could be. However, men and women who speak and write well
maintain a distinct, competitive advantage over colleagues who don’t
have a solid command of the English language.
The most accomplished people use language to advance their
professional goals. Unfortunately,
too many people view public speaking
and writing as stumbling blocks which can’t be overcome. They don’t
realize that almost everyone can improve these skills with a determined
effort. The real stumbling block for these folks is facing their fears.
Once they do that they can find the help they need to improve, whether it’s enrolling in classes or receiving
private instruction.
With training and practice,
people can enhance their abilities to speak and write effectively—advancing their careers in the bargain!
Category:
Speech Training, Writing Training
Tags: coaching,
communications
skills, confidence, education, overcoming fear, presentations, public speaking tips, speech, speeches, training, workshops. Also see business
writing, communications,
confidence, course, direct mail, e-mails, letters, newsletters, overcoming fear, presentations, proposals, reports, seminar, speeches, training, websites, workshops, writing
See the speech
training and writing training pages for more information about Trimount’s SpeakOut
and WriteNow Training Programs.
Virtual Reality
Posted April 3, 2009
Earlier this week, I participated in a series
of online seminars held by Suffolk University at SecondLife.Com. For
those of you who are not familiar with Second Life, it is a virtual
reality, or alternate world with computer-generated facsimiles of
earth, sky, buildings and people. The people, or avatars, populate
meetings, walk down streets, and on occasion, fly through the air (with
virtual reality, gravity looses its hold. Avatars can soar in a way
that we, as mere humans, can only dream of doing).
Learning how to navigate an avatar (Second
Life offers a selection of customizable figures from which to choose)
isn’t difficult. In no time I was walking, talking, sitting and flying
(actually, flying is a little bit more difficult than you might
imagine). What was difficult was taking part in a seminar without being
able to see the other people. I would have preferred to see the faces
of the other participants. Voicing my concern (avatars use microphones
to talk), I was reminded that virtual reality offers economical and
practical alternatives not possible in the real world. Flight
simulators have become so advanced that pilots can quality to fly
aircraft using virtual reality—without actually flying the aircraft.
It’s all done virtually.
As a coach and trainer, I see the value of
using online methods to reach clients who might not be geographically
nearby. As virtual reality becomes more sophisticated, it will
undoubtedly become more common in the classroom. One Suffolk professor
already uses Second Life to teach classes early in the semester and
then moves into a real-world classroom as his courses unfold. A
university in Australia is building an entire virtual campus to
complement is brick-and-mortar classrooms.
However, some training demands the instructor
be visible from the outset. Public speaking is a great example. When I
train someone, I act out the correct way to give a presentation. If
clients can only hear me, then they miss out on an important component
in the training. Equally important, if I can’t see clients giving
presentations, I can’t critique their performances.
High-quality video conferencing offers the best alternative
when direct, person-to-person training is not viable. Of course,
participants have to have sufficient bandwidth and camera-equipped
computers to take part (video conferencing among several people in
different locations can be expensive. Second Life offers a free or
low-cost alternative by creating a virtual world, albeit one where
face-to-face contact is not available).
As video conferencing takes hold, more training will
undoubtedly move online. Video
conferencing and virtual reality—or
perhaps a hybrid combining the best of both technologies—offers training options which could not
have been imagined a generation ago.
Chris Dingman
Category: Speech Training
Tags: coaching,
communications
skills, confidence, education, overcoming fear, presentations, public speaking tips, speech, speeches, training, workshops
See the speech training page for more information about
Trimount’s SpeakOut Training Program.
Hand Placement
Posted March 6, 2009
Have you ever wondered “what
should I do with my hands?” when giving a speech? You’re not alone.
Every speaker has faced that challenge at some point.
If there’s a podium available
(we’ll have a future posting about the pitfalls of using podiums), you
can allow your hands to rest on it—although it’s essential that you use
hand gestures to punctuate important points in your speech.
For those of you who have to
speak without a podium, there are some tricks of the trade which can be
very helpful.
You were probably taught as a
student to let your hands hang by your sides when speaking before a
group. This isn’t nearly as easy as it sounds, especially if you’re
frightened (public speaking ranks as one of the Top Ten fears for most
Americans). Why not use a pen—something you can hold onto as you speak.
Think of the pen as a de facto security blanket and ease your fear.
There are other ways to break the
rules we learned in school and be less afraid. Put one hand in a pants
pocket—just the way some anchors do on national newscasts. With one
hand “out of the way,” you’ll feel more relaxed and give a better
speech.
Category: Speech Training
Tags: coaching,
communications
skills, confidence, overcoming fear, presentations, public speaking tips, speech, speeches, training, workshops
See the speech training page for more information about Trimount’s SpeakOut
Training Program.
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