| ||
| ||
|
Public Speaking Information | |
|
|
Making Transitions
Ever notice how smoothly some speakers or writers move you through their speech or memo? It seems they effortlessly take you from start to finish without making you strain to follow. Yet, while the reading may be effortless, the writing probably took some extra work and attention to detail. In fact, some writers would say you should work as hard on the transitions between ideas as you do on the ideas themselves. Consider copywriting guru Joe Sugarman, who says the job of each piece of copy, from the headline down, is to get you to read the next paragraph. And the paragraph after that. And to keep on reading them until you get to the 'offer,' where you're asked to order the featured product. To get readers from one paragraph to the next, or from one idea to the next, we use transitions, words or phrases that 'pull' the reader along, or in the case of speeches, pull the listener along. For examples, take a look at the opening words to the second, third, and fourth paragraphs above. The second paragraph opens with 'Yet,' which implies that the idea you read in the first paragraph wasn't complete. It should 'pull' you into the second paragraph. You'll notice that the third and fourth paragraphs also aim to pull you along. Later, we'll look at ways of constructing transitions, but for now let's focus on their strategic use. First, and touching on an idea we explored above, transitions help ensure that readers or listeners get the complete message. For readers, in particular, it means they're less likely to stop after reading the headline, subject line, or first paragraph. Granted, you still need good content that compels to some degree. But, whatever the content, your chances of getting the reader to go all the way to the end of the document, or the 'offer,' increases significantly with effective transitions. Second, smooth transactions allow the reader or the person listening to your speech to concentrate on the message, rather than its delivery. You know from experience how hard it is to take in the message when each new paragraph seems to abruptly introduce a new idea. It's a bit like driving along a street and having to stop for red lights at many successive intersections. Third, and this relates to the second point, you'll become a stronger writer if you use transitions. Not just because of the transitions, but because their use forces you to manage the ideas in your document or speech. The process of starting each new paragraph with a transitional word or phrase can't help but lead to you to link the idea in that paragraph to the preceding paragraph. That's true even when you make a major shift, because in that case you'd use a transition signal of some kind. Remember "And now for something completely different," made famous by Monty Python's Flying Circus? In summary (another transitional signal), transitions from one paragraph to another, or from one idea to another, make our communication more effective. About The Author Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott's Communication Letter. Each week subscribers receive, at no charge, a new communication tip that helps them lead or manage more effectively. Click here for more information: http://www.CommunicationNewsletter.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Public-Speaking - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How to Gracefully Leave After a Seminar or Speech When Someone is Hogging Your Time! Meeting planners know the value of meticulous planning. They are responsible for selecting and contracting with the speaker, promoting the event, booking the hotel for the speaker, arranging transportation for the speaker and ensuring that the facilities are set up perfectly on the day of the seminar, writing and presenting an introduction of the speaker. 10 Worst Tips To Give A Speaker 1. Learn the speech by heart or read it from a script. A Simple Guide to Writing (and Giving) a Speech Nearly as dreaded as snakes and spiders, public speaking ranks high in causing fear in many of us.Whether your motivation is a desire to learn or simple necessity, here is a really simple guide to writing and giving a speech. Public Speaking: Getting the Room Set-up Right I don't know why it is, but no matter how carefully I brief a hotel on the room set-up I want for my seminars, workshops and training meetings, more often than not when I arrive, they have provided a standard hotel room set up. What I find even more alarming is the number of times that I attend a meeting either as a guest speaker or audience member to find that the meeting planner or speaker has not bothered to think beyond this standard room set-up which is often quite hostile to the audience. Speak Up or Sit Down Last night the phone rang; my wife said, "I hope it's for you". When I answered, the caller asked, "Ray, would you speak to the Lions Club next month?" First my gut said, "No"; however, my head said, "Do it". Conquer Presentation Anxiety: Olympic Athletes Show Us How Whether going for the gold or giving a presentation, the beast of performance anxiety rears its ugly head. Your hands are clammy, your knees wobbly and your heart is pounding. Speakers Learn How to Define Your Niche This is one of the hardest things speakers have to do - defining their niche, and in most cases, it can stop them dead in their tracks. Inexperienced speakers have a tendency to generalize themselves and that won't lead to those successful paid speaking engagements. How to Create a Compelling Media Kit A well-built media kit is vital for effective marketing. Without it, all your promotional efforts could be wasted. Speaker Partnership Offers Trade Show Value Want to gain added exposure at a trade show? Consider sponsoring a professional speaker at the attendees meeting. But don't just settle for a banner on the stage with your company name. Public Speaking Tips 1. No speech is ever perfect. How To Handle Audience Questions Effectively For some reason, the prospect of having to answer audience questions fills many presenters with dread and fear. Looking at it in a positive way however, it's an ideal opportunity for you to satisfy the audience further, and you can continue to drive your main points home adding emphasis to your talk. Speaking On Your Feet Your ability to communicate effectively will account for most of your success in life. As we move farther into the communication age, we are becoming more and more dependant on being able to communicate and interact effectively with others. Lose Stagefright Over Your Lunch Hour While teaching a two-day Speaking Confidence program to a group of 25 government secretaries, I wanted to give them practice using their personal experience to help others. So I gave them a simple assignment to ponder over their lunch hour: Think of a lesson they'd learned in life and share that lesson with the group when they came back. Opening Your Speech Imagine yourself at mission control; 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - Speak!When the space shuttle blasts off - those first few seconds of lift are critical. It comprises a small portion of the total journey, yet if someone errors - they crash and burn. A Powerful Vocabulary Will Transform Your Life Studies show that your word-power determines your earning power, that your skill in self-expression determines your status in life.The link between your vocabulary and your income is universally recognized. The Ps and Qs of Public Speaking Avoid the painWhich would you prefer - root canal dental surgery withoutan anaesthetic or a bit of public speaking? According to thepeople who research these things, most of us would preferthe former.Public speaking is still one of our greatest fears and itturns grown men and women into nervous wrecks. 15 Ways for Speakers to Earn More Profits There is huge potential to create additional profits from your speeches by partnering with a professional transcriptionist to convert your audio recordings into text transcripts.1) Speakers and consultants often deliver their presentations via teleconference calls and record them for sale later. Shortcuts to Eloquence You have probably had the experience of listening to a speaker who, even if you did not agree with that person's message, caused you to think, "this is an outstanding speaker." That speaker was probably using certain rhetorical devices that touched an internal chord, that made him or her sound eloquent. Is Information Delivery Instruction? Do you work for one of those organisations whose "training" invariably consists of someone standing up in front of a group and saying something? If you answered 'yes', you're not alone. It's a common practice which leads to a widely held perception among many that it's training. Executive Public Speaking for English as a Second Language (ESL) Public Speaking is a challenging skill. It is TOUGH! For some of you, it's probably the hardest thing you will ever do; and I can sympathize.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
