How Speakers Are Like Musicians

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TITLE: How Speakers Are Like Musicians

AUTHOR: Sandra Schrift

CONTACT: sandra@schrift.com

COPYRIGHT: ©2006 by Sandra Schrift. All rights reserved

FORMAT: 60 Characters per line

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How Speakers Are Like Musicians



Emerging speakers can learn a great deal from great

musicians. They can learn to connect their heart with their

listeners, their audience. A great musician does not merely

play notes. A great speaker does not merely utter words.

They use their instrument, their voice, to communicate

feelings of sadness,joy, drama,and curiosity.



Great speakers use their words to help their audiences

connect with their emotions. In a short time, the audience

is not just listening to the speaker's message but feeling

and experiencing it.



Here are a few tips to create a great performance:



1. You want to be nervous.

Get your butterflies to fly in formation. Some tension brings

about a great speech. You usually don't look as nervous as

you feel.



Be prepared, be relaxed.

Practice, practice, practice. Use visualization

techniques. One speaker suggests that you curl your toes

and get rid of your adrenalin. Get out of your head and in to

your heart. Reduce nervousness with self talk.



Your mantra might be - "I am a relaxed, confident speaker."



2. Great speeches have great stories.

Sprinkle them throughout your presentation. We delineate our

thoughts visually and your audience needs to "see" what they

"hear."



3. Your voice is the source of power.

FDR, Martin Luther King, Churchill used the power of their

voice. Remember people need to see what they hear. Slow down,

add a pause, whisper . . .use your voice to change tones, be

loud or soft as needed.



4. Use your eyes - to make contact with audience.

Focus on one person at a time and all the other people will

feel as if you are talking to them also. This will help you

to connect with people and make them feel you are there for

them.



5. Interact

provide your audience with short role plays or partnering

exercises. This gives them an opportunity to practice what

you are telling them to do. Give them an opportunity to tell

someone about their challenge and get some feedback as to how

to resolve it. Then they can walk out the door at the end of

the program ready to think or act differently. This is what

every great speaker wants!



New! Do you want to learn how to give a compelling speech?

Would you like to know what sets leaders apart? Are you ready

to prepare a speech that hits your audience's hot buttons?

Now you can. Buy the audio CD (available as an MP3 download).

"POWER PRESENTATIONS FOR PROFESSIONALS" at

http://www.schrift.com/power_presentations_for_professionals/


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Sandra Schrift 13 year speaker bureau owner and now career

coach to emerging and veteran public speakers who want to

"grow" a profitable speaking business. I also work with

business professionals and organizations who want to

master their presentations. Get more speaking skills at our

"Summer Sizzle" webpage: http://www.schrift.com/summer_sizzle.htm

Join my free bi-weekly Monday Morning Mindfulness ezine

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