Public Speaking Strategies - Your Toolbox for a Successful Public Speaking Career

Hello everyone. It's Lee from Public Speaking Strategies. I just wanted to tell you a little about this blog, so you can get the most out of it.

I was first thrown into public speaking (somewhat unwillingly) several years ago when I was starting out in the insurance field. I would fly to state Insurance Departments, and sell them on the idea of having my company write nonstandard (high risk) auto insurance in their states.

It was a bit of a tough sell - Insurance Departments were used to the State Farms and the Allstates of the insurance industry, and they were more than a little confused by a company that was not only willing to write high risk business, but that wanted to actively pursue this business.

So here I was, fresh out of college, standing in front of a room full of insurance regulators, trying to convince them that a high risk insurance company was a good idea. The first couple of times, it was not a pleasant experience. These regulators could sense that I wasn't confident - my words and actions worked against me. I would have actually lost one state if not for the promotional videos I had brought with me. I guess they figured the company had it together, even if I didn't.

You see, I knew nothing about the ins and outs of public speaking. I thought that if I just had a few note cards with my main points jotted on them, I would be okay. But even once I got the words right, I could still tell that I was making my audience uneasy.

It took wading through dozens of books and watching countless videos for me to finally learn the details of public speaking. Once I learned the strategies necessary to speak effectively, my presentations started going much better. The regulators were actually excited about having a high risk auto insurance company writing business in their states.

It really would have saved me a lot of time (and more than a few headaches) if I had been able to find one single source for all of the tips and strategies I learned. I could have spent a lot more time with my family, and a lot less time at the library. (Maybe some of you are happy when the librarian knows you by name. I wasn't quite as thrilled with it.)

So that's why I started this blog. There's a ton of great information on the Internet that can help you learn to start public speaking or improve your skills as a public speaker, but the problem is that you have to wade through lots of misinformation to find it.

So I'm doing all of the digging for you, and finding the best articles out there with the most useful tips and strategies to help you achieve public speaking success.

Whether you're trying to get over the fear of public speaking, learn how to more effectively structure your speeches, or use your motions and facial expressions to your advantage, you'll find what you're looking for here. I'll be adding lots of new information over the coming weeks, so be sure to check back often!

I hope that this blog is an excellent resource for you, no matter where you are on your public speaking journey.

Public Speaking Introvert, Extrovert, Can You Be Both? - Public Speaking Training

Public Speaking Introvert, Extrovert, Can You Be Both? - Public Speaking Training
By Amanda Blue

At Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors we are often asked, "Aren't most actors extroverts?" The answer, hard as it may be to believe, is, "No."

People assume their favorite actors perform brilliantly because they are extroverts, uninhibited, have no stage fright or reluctance to exhibit their deepest feelings in public, and conclude that if only they too were fearless extroverts they would excel at public speaking.

These are misconceptions:

The actors whom audiences particularly admire for their depth or originality are frequently introverts. They are sensitive people who are shy, insecure, find it hard to express themselves in life and for that reason turn to acting as a profession. They explain it is only onstage, in front of a camera, or hidden in the guise of a character not themselves that they are able to be expressive.

And some reticence about public speaking shows intelligence and awareness since making a presentation is not a casual matter but an important and heightened occasion at which people have gathered to hear what the speaker has to say.

Marilyn Monroe was a striking introvert/extrovert. Several of the actor-trainers in our company knew her. One likened her to a gardenia she was so easily bruised. Introverted and shy, she had difficulty looking people in the eye when in conversation and usually voiced feelings of inadequacy when discussing her work as an actress. Yet hours later, she would be seen in her public "persona" at a premiere, wearing a fur coat off her shoulders and grazing the floor, exuding charm, sex appeal and humor, the epitome of an extrovert.

And the Italian actress, Eleonora Duse, who lived from 1858 to 1924 and is considered by many to have been the greatest actress who has ever lived, while on an American tour in Pittsburgh, at the height of her dizzying international fame, was caught in the rain outside a locked stage door and too shy to insist that someone be found to let her in became soaked to the bone and soon after died of pneumonia.

There are many such examples.

Introversion and extroversion are opposite sides of the same coin. And those who are introverted in daily life, can, under the controlled circumstances of a rehearsed performance uninhibitedly express themselves.

This includes you. You may be convinced that you are an introvert and still become an extroverted public speaker through exploring the "opposite side of the coin" within yourself.

"But," you may ask, "aren't actors trained to accomplish this? Haven't they been taught various techniques to use in rehearsal and performance?"

Yes, but many of these techniques are not difficult to learn and are available to you. Our actor-trainers employ them when working with clients.

All forms of performance have much in common, whether they take place on a stage, in a classroom, boardroom or at a lectern and certain acting techniques have to do with things that concern public speakers most: the overcoming of tensions, fears, inhibitions; the powerful use of language and gesture; and how best to rehearse and prepare for a speech.

So if you feel stopped from expressing yourself freely at the podium consider working on some of these with a coach. These methods can be helpful even if you have no trepidation about public speaking.

It has been our experience at Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors that public speaking introverts, like their shy actor counterparts, can, with some application, become mesmerizing presenters, so take heart, persevere and enjoy the rewards that await you.

Copyright 2007 Amanda Blue

Amanda Blue is Administrative Director of Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors, a New York City based company of leading actors who give private training and workshops in confident publuc speaking.

To visit the Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors web site go to:

Broadway Actors

http://www.broadwayactors.net

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