Speaker's ToolsWrite a Better Speech by Finding Better Information  In the past two weeks I have spoken to employees of SBC Communications, Bank Of America, and Clorox. I have said the same thing to the audience members of these diverse industries: “Before you speak, have something of value to say.”
To get ‘something of value to say” when you're researching a topic your instinct might be to use of the search engines or directories. They are good and they can provide you with a wealth of material. But don't you sometimes wish you could just talk to someone who could help you make sense of the massive amount of information available. Well I’ve found a resource for you that will put you in touch with living, breathing, walking, talking experts. And their service is free. Well, not actually free - they are the librarians who work at the U.S. Library and have been paid for by American taxpayers. They're available online to answer your questions by chat or email. Start your focused research here: Ask a Librarian |
Use the Right Word 
Sometimes when you do research on the web for your presentation you might run across an article or essay written by an expert who uses terms you’re not exactly familiar with. How can you be sure you properly understand the meaning of all the words that you might want to use in a talk?
Here’s an unbelievably useful tool that turns every word on a webpage into a link so you can click on it to look it up on the dictionary or a thesaurus. And this can be exceptional useful when you’re reading an essay that contains scientific or medical terms. Tip: If you have you own web site, you can upload you speech to an unpublicized page, add use voycabulary to do editing (use thesaurus to find more precise words, etc.) and then delete it. This has much more capability than your average spell check program. This is a great tool! What Does That Word Mean? |
The Path to Profitable Speaking Every month I receive numerous emails from people all over North America asking how I got into the speaking business and how they can too. To respond to these many inquiries I wrote Public Speaking for Profit and Pleasure. Here are ten timely tips, from my manual, to get you started on the path to profitable speaking. Mike Moore is an international voice on the role of appreciation, praise and humorous in performance motivation and human potential. He has spoken to businesses and organizations throughout North America. |
Let Toastmasters Take the 'Fright' out of 'Stage Fright.'Many professional communicators developed their skills in Toastmasters (Tim Allen, Harvey McKay, Ann Landers, to name a few.) So if this is the year you have decided to finally get comfortable speaking and you want to develop, hone, and polish your platform skills, then join a Toastmasters club.
Note, while all clubs follow a certain basic format, each club has its own personality. Some are quite formal and business-like while others are looser with a lighter, more casual approach. And some have a subtext for membership (members may have a metaphysical bent, or be from the world of advertising, or be made up of accountants, etc.) I suggest visiting at least three clubs to get a full sense of the value of a Toastmasters club for you. |
| Avoid the Tendency to Data Dump on Your Audience
One More from Mike Moore
When I first started my speaking career I had to fight constantly the urge to tell my audience everything I knew on the subject at hand within the one hour assigned to me. After the contract had been signed and the topic defined the conflict began. What content should I include? Which stories should I tell? What humorous anecdotes should I select? My answer to these questions was always, " Why not tell them everything you know?" When I prepared a speech I had so much good resource material that I was easily seduced into giving the audience the whole works in one sitting. My rationale usually centered around the fact that I might only have one opportunity to share my accumulated wisdom with these people so I wanted to give them the whole package while I had the chance. This kind of thinking can get a speaker into difficulty on a few fronts: |
And last but not least Cantu’s own: Be Funnier and Get Paid to Make People Laugh... 
Here's a great resource for using humor to earn more money, get more clients -- and even become funnier -- even if you can't tell a joke! It's called:
"Getting Paid to Make People Laugh (Without Being a Comedian): The Fun, Fail-Safe Approach to Earning an Extra $700 to $7,000 a Month With Humor." Humor coach John Cantu is somewhat of a legend in the humor biz. He has showcased people like Robin Williams, Paula Poundstone, Kevin Meany, Rob Schneider, and Dana Carvey. He reveals the secrets of earning money with humor, becoming The tips on how to be funnier in professional and social situations are terrific. "It's the most fun way to earn an extra $700 to $7,000 a month -- especially if you have no desire to be a comedian." |
Public Speaking
by John Cantu ©-2001-2011Do you relish the thought of speaking to an audience? Or is the thought of giving even a five minute presentation your severest form of mental torture? Whether you have to speak for five minutes giving a summary report or do multi-day training sessions, you can think of HumorMall as your personal speaking coach with practical advice on delivering effective talks, speeches, and presentations.
Remember: “All speaking is public speaking.” (Patricia Fripp)
John wrote a Public Speaking 45-Second Newsletter. Short reads on a variety of speaking topics. Here are a few of them.
