Caroline "You Know" Kennedy

Is Caroline "you know" Kennedy leadership material?



If leaders in general and political leaders in particular need to be powerful speakers, then Caroline Kennedy is not ready to lead.

Listen to this interview with Caroline Kennedy. I dare you to subject yourself to listening more than once. I appears that the US has found it's new tool of torture - listening to Caroline "you know" Kennedy speak for two minutes.

Listen to this interview and try counting the "you knows". Before you start, write down a number of "you knows" that you think would be acceptable for the average person to use in a two minutes. Then compare this with the actual.




How many "you knows" did you count. I got 30 - plus at least 5 ahs.

And what about that voice. It sounds tired and detached.

Do you even remember what she said? Her words are disjointed. What was her message? What is she passionate about? Would you follow this speaker?

Now there is a challenge for some speaking coach - "How to teach Caroline to speak like a Kennedy?"

Apparently Guantanomo is being closed and the US will not engage in any form of inhumane torture. Sorry Caroline - there goes that gig too.


George Torok
Speech Coach for Executives



Executive Speech Coach, Business presentation tips from George Torok, the Speech Coach for Executives.

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President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address

President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address

This is a speech that is worth watching several times. Notice the subtlies, clear language, cadence, boldness, inclusiveness, pausing and promise of a new direction. This is the speech of a powerful leader.





George Torok

Speech Coach for Executives



Executive Speech Coach, Business presentation tips from George Torok, the Speech Coach for Executives

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The 50 Best Career Coach Blogs

You will find this post helpful if you are looking to improve your career by improving your job skills. This post on the "Online Univeristy Reviews" blog list the 50 best career coach blogs. The Executive Speech Coach blog is included on the list.
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The 50 Best Career Coach Blogs

With predictions of US unemployment approaching 10% by the end of 2008, there is no more important time than now to take interest in your career prospects and professional marketability.

Finding a new career, or simply preparing for a potential layoff, can often be an overwhelming task. Thankfully, whether you are seeking a fresh career straight from college or are in a transitional phase, you can collect a great deal of useful information from the top career related blogs. From interview tips, to resume writing, to employee workplace experiences, these personal, shared, and sometimes anonymous blogs offer pertinent and honest advice that is often based on very personal experiences.

While there are hundreds of career and job blogs on the internet today, we have selected what we believe to be the 50 best...
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George Torok



Executive Speech Coach, Business presentation tips from George Torok, the Speech Coach for Executives.

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Center yourself before you present

Center yourself before you start speaking.

Here is a simple yet helpful technique to center yourself before you start your presentation. I learned this technique from fellow professional speaker, Paul Huschilt. As well as being a professional speaker who specializes in wrapping up conferences and conventions, Paul Huschilt is also trained as an actor and an opera singer. So he knows some things about performing on stage and how to get ready for your presentation.


Here is the technique. You can do this just before you are introduced. It's a calming technique that might have zen roots.

Breathe slowly and deeply and get your mind into a calm state.

Then say these four statements silently while feeling the power in them.

1. I'm glad I'm here.

2. I'm glad that you're here.

3. I care about you.

4. I know what I know.


Go ahead and try it the next time that you speak.


George Torok

Speech Coach for Executives

Presentation Skills Training



Executive Speech Coach, Business presentation tips from George Torok, the Speech Coach for Executives.

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PowerPoint slide design survey

What would you like to see in PowerPoint slide design in 2009?


Hurray to Oivia Mitchell, presentation trainer and blogger from Wellington, New Zealand for posing the above question and collecting responses from 40 experts. Of course there are some disagreements and some common issues.


Here is a list of all the blog posts in reply to this question.

Here are the email replies received.

Hightlights of the blog posts.

Read my reply on this blog.


George Torok

Speach Coach for Executives

Public Speaking Pro


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Power Presentations Tip 17: In Closing

Power Presentations Tip 17

In Closing


The previous tip offered help on how to open your presentation. Now let's look at how to close.

The closing to your presentation could be the most important part. Why? Because it is the last words that your audience hears and we tend to remember the last thing the best.

For that reason craft your close with purpose and deliver it strongly. And rehearse it more than the rest of your presentation. Never read your close.


Transition phrases
Use these phrases to announce your close:

In closing my presentation...

I want to leave you with...

In summary...


The last words that you say
Here are three ways to close:

State a call to action.
This is one of the best ways to close because if they only remember the last words you spoke it will be your call to action. It will be more effective if you also stated your call to action earlier in your presentation, then this closing call to action becomes reinforcement - not a new idea.
Example: "Don't waste time, invest in yourself now."

Deliver a strong statement
You might reinforce the importance of customer service, the value of your proposal or the contribution your listeners can make to the cause.
Example: "When you demonstrate that you appreciate your customers - they will buy again."

Pose a rhetorical question
This is an effective way to close if you want to move their viewpoint or appeal to their emotions.
Example: "If you don't act today how many children will go hungry tonight?"


Final point
Don't end on "thank you". Save your thank you for after their applause. Here is the sequence. You give the gift of your presentation. They thank you with their applause and then you thank them for the applause.

It's not wrong to end on thank you. It's just a weak close and not the words that you want resonating in their heads. Too many speakers end on thank you because they didn't plan a good close.

Close strong - it's your lasting impression.


George Torok

PS: tell me how this tip helps you.

PPS: Thanks for your comments and feedback.


Feedback

"George Torok proves that public speaking can be entertaining, to the point and completed on time."

Kathleen D'Amico, McMaster Alumni Association


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Step away from that PowerPoint or someone might get hurt

Step away from that PowerPoint or someone might get hurt


It’s 2009. PowerPoint Presentations gotta change – or else.

How did we let this happen? How did we let PowerPoint ruin so many presentations?

Apparently, PowerPoint first appeared on the Mac in 1987 and on the PC in 1990. That was around the time that the Berlin Wall fell. Depending on your frame of reference PowerPoint is about 10 years old. So you’d think that we’d have gotten over the novelty of it by now. You’d think that more normally intelligent people would scream in protest, “Either fix it or stop using PowerPoint!”

In this case, “Fix it” refers to the presentation – not the software. In 2009 the presenters who shine will change their approach to the design and delivery of their presentation.

We can understand the novelty factor in the beginning. But how did so many people get seduced by the PowerPoint narcotic for close to a decade? How did we let the word “presentation” become synonymous with “PowerPoint”? I believe that the answer lies in the fact that PowerPoint is software that an idiot can use it. Unfortunately when normally intelligent people use PowerPoint they seem to check their brains at the door.

It’s easy and quick to type your presentation notes into PowerPoint then read them to your audience. Most of us are lazy most of the time so you can see the attraction. In today’s fast paced world many of us are seduced by the pleasure of the moment versus investing our limited resources now for a better long term result.

The first thing that presenters need to do, in 2009, is to ask these important questions before creating their presentation.

What’s the purpose of your presentation? What do you want your audience to do because of your presentation?

What message do you want to deliver that will help you achieve that purpose?

What tools should you use to deliver that message in the most effective way? Consider the presentation tools you might

If PowerPoint is one of those tools, how can you make the best use of the visual aspect of PowerPoint? (Images are visual. Words on a screen are not visual. Those are processed by different areas of our brain.)

When selecting your images how will you find images that don’t look like everyone else’s presentation? Don’t use clipart. You can design your own charts, take photos with your camera, hire a sketch artist or use images from a stock photo site like http://www.bigstockphoto.com/. I like this one because:
1) they have over 2 million images searchable by category and key words,
2) the images only cost between $1 and $2 and,
3) each image shows the number of times it has been purchased so you can avoid the overused ones.

How will you make the best use of your most important presentation resources? That includes your voice, vocabulary, body language, personality and delivery style. Those are the things that make you unique. If those things need improvement, what will you do to improve them?


Are you ready to deliver better presentations in 2009?

George Torok

PS: This post was inspired by Olivia Mitchell at Speaking about Presenting

PPS: Register for free Power Presentation Tips


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