3 Key Public Speaking Touch Points

When speaking to an audience, consider the touch points. These are points when you touch their hearts. Even if you are sharing a highly technical subject, do not forget you are STILL talking to human beings. We ALL have hearts and emotions. In sales, we say they ‘justify’ with logic, but ‘buy’ with emotion. In public speaking, this rule applies too. They come for the data, but they remember the story. They remember the time you touched their hearts, their emotions. These are touch-points.

Public Speaking Touch Point #1: As our example, let’s say you are speaking to engineers, VERY data-intensive people. After 10 slides of data, they are tuned-out from your words and are thinking deeply about the data you have presented.

Instead of giving them another 10 slides of data, at the end of the first 2 slides, ask them a question requiring them to reflect on their past. Something like, “Do you remember the first time you were taught XXX? Was it in secondary school, poly or university?” The interactive question wakes them up and simultaneously gives them an emotional response to the current information. It also aids memory as it connects past, present and future to make a memory that lasts (We cover this in our courses in public speaking and training in great depth.) This touchpoint is an emotional connection to their past, usually a warm and pleasant feeling from their life.

Public Speaking Touch Point #2: Later, ask them to share their greatest frustration with the subject matter or some problem they have incurred with it. This brings out a very powerful emotion of anger or frustration. After recognizing their frustration or anger, either share the solution for them (ideal) or at least empathize with them and you win them over… another key touch-point.

Public Speaking

Public Speaking Touch Point #3: Finally, at your close, rather than just summarize your presentation, ask THEM what were the most important points of the talk. If you are afraid you will get silence, take a tip from our Facilitation Skills programme and ask them to write down the 3 most important take-aways from the speech. Ask them then to quickly share their 3 points with someone next to them in less than 1 minute. Then simply ask, “How many of you had a similar point to a partner, please raise your hand.” All the hands raised are ‘volunteers’ to share their points. The audience summarizes FOR you. They are engaged and they believe the message more as it comes from their colleagues. The touch-point is the BELIEF in what you shared, not just the data itself.

There are dozens of touch-points in a great presentation and literally HUNDREDS of ways to make them. These are just 3 key touch-points you should incorporate to make your next presentation not only memorable, but one where the information gets USED. Enjoy connecting with your audiences using touch-points.

I will share dozens of great secrets like this in our upcoming programme, Public Speaking as Easy as ABCD! this coming March 25th and 26th. Hope to see you there so I can share more with you.

Upcoming Event

Public Speaking as easy as ABCD!
Public  Speaking  Seminar with Michael Podolinsky CSP in Singapore (25 - 26 March 2010)

Have you signed up for my Public  Speaking  Seminar yet?

For the first time I’m conducting a 1 or 2 day programme on public speaking for the public. The first day is solid content from a full time professional speaker on how to speak professionally.

As I’m sure you have noticed, most public speaking courses are taught by trainers… trainers who never speak. Well… my ABCD system actually works and works well for people at all levels.

The dates are March 25 2010 for the general class and then we are scheduling half days for video taping, coaching by myself, feedback from up to 10 peers (maximum). This second day is optional.

You will learn to speak confidently, articulately and eloquently.

Click Here for Online Registration.

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Got comments or questions about public speaking touch points? Just leave your comments here.

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Public speaking is something everyone has to do from time to time. For some, it is a joy and an opportunity to shine. For others, a torment and a drudgery. Here are 3 quick tips to help you overcome the FEAR of public speaking.

First, remember FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. We think they, the audience, is not on our side. RUBBISH! I have never gone before ANY audience that was hoping I would be bad. Every audience wants you to be GOOD and wants you to be effective and interesting. In other words, they are on your side!

Second, NEVER EVER speak to a CROWD. Crowds are tough audiences. Speak to INDIVIDUALS. It is easy for most of us to speak to one person at a time.  That is, speak to just one person in the audience at a time. Speak to a friendly face for 30 seconds. Then look towards another friendly face and speak to him or her for 30 seconds. By speaking to just ONE person at a time, you minimise your fear and maximise the impact upon your audience.

Third, look at those who smile more. Happy, pleasant people feed you energy and relax you. Never look at those who appear to be sucking on a lime. They are the black-holes of your energy and enthusiasm.

If you focus on these 3 suggestions,  you are instantly a more confident and capable speaker. In future blogs we’ll cover dozens more ideas for speaking and presenting as well as ideas for career development, sales, time and stress management, leadership and team building.

Smile Maker: How can a wife tell when her husband is dead?

The TV is still on but no more beer is getting drunk.

You still don’t see him but the pay checks stop.

He starts to smell worse than his socks.

He no longer breaks wind.

You finally get caught-up with the dirty laundry.

You get your first good night’s sleep in years!

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To be an MC, I asked the masters, Ty Boyd CSP, CPAE and Joe Larson CSP, CPAE back in the mid 80’s.

Here’s what they told me:

1. Prepare well ahead of time and talk to everyone before hand to know what they will share, how long they will take, what AV they will need, etc. Get a feel for them as to speaking ability.

2. Develop a block of material to go with the theme, the titles of the speakers talks and to keep the energy up, without you becoming the whole show.

3. Know every piece of equipment and AV to guarantee their are no problems, it’s part of your responsibility.

4. Put all your notes for each intro and outro on index cards and number then so you can change on the fly. Practice so you don’t really have to have the notes.

5. Plan jokes, segways, stretch breaks into your sections to keep energy up.

6. Practice with any event organizer or show provider for lighting, cueing AV and where presenters will enter and exit from.

7. It’s helpful if you have some material planned in case of a no-show or some short presenters.

8. Refer back to previous speakers when introducing the next speaker. Help to weave a thread so its one continuous event rather than just separate speeches.

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One of the biggest myths about public speaking is the whole notion of stage fright. Stage fright DOES NOT EXIST! If you doubt me, have you ever seen anyone go into a meeting room, auditorium or lecture hall and come out screaming, “Oh no! There is a stage in there. Run for your lives!”??? Never! What happens is, when people start speaking, they never are afraid of ‘the stage’. They only get afraid of people. It is not stage fright, it’s people fright.

ONE: How many people do you need in your audience before you get ‘afraid’? If you speak one-on-one, are you afraid? No? two on one? Five on one? How about 10 people in your ‘audience’? 20? 50? 100? 1000? There comes a point for most people when the NUMBER of people is what makes them nervous.

TWO: Sometimes it is WHO is in the audience. If you are with your best friends, are you nervous speaking? No? What about your top 5 bosses? A critical group of peers? A group of top clients? Celebrities? Sometimes people are afraid of individuals in the audience, another form of people fright.

THREE: Another common fear is from not knowing the subject matter. You are speaking to your church, temple, mosque, school or some other group of friendly people but you did not prepare your remarks. You think you will make a fool of yourself. Again, that is not stage fright, it’s people fright.

Get rid of the myth of stage fright and you can begin to work on what is REALLY the matter, your fear of people. In future blogs, we will address how to cope with people fright when speaking.

SMILE MAKER: 5 Little Known Facts
1. It is impossible to lick your elbow.
2. A shrimp’s heart is in its head.
3. In a study of 200,000 ostriches over a period of 80 years, no one reported a single case where an ostrich buried its head in the sand.
4. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants.
5. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.

To your success and find out how Michael Podolinsky will help you and your organization by browsing through the links below:

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