Talking Points

One of the best ways to promote your business (any business) is to give short talks and presentations. Unfortunately, speaking in public remains the number one fear in the country. Fear of dying only ranks number 6. The good news is that if you give a speech and die of fright, you immediately drop from number 1 to number 6. At a funeral, most people would rather be the person in the coffin than the one giving the eulogy. :)

The best way to get past your fear of public speaking is to do it as often as possible. I recommend joining Toastmasters International which operates low-cost local clubs all over the world. You will have the opportunity to learn and practice public speaking in a supportive environment, giving you the confidence to graduate to speaking to service groups, professional and other organizations about your products or services.

I’ll be posting more tips over the next few days, but here are two for today:

1. Pick a topic that you find fascinating and show your enthusiasm. If you are bored with your topic, the audience will be, too.
2. Start with an introduction to grab the audience’s attention. This might be an anecdote, a startling fact or statistic or a related quotation.

Of course, the very best way to make sure your presentation works is to practice, practice, practice.

©2006 Dixie Darr. All rights reserved.