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Welcome Message
 This month, I had the honour--and the pleasure--to speak to over 250 people about how to create and deliver a reputation-enhancing, career-building presentation. The audiences were varied, and included entrepreneurs, students and business professionals. Yet all shared the same concerns and motivations regarding their public speaking goals: to become competent, confident, and controlled speakers.
For that reason, it seemed like a good time to feature a "regular" speaker (as opposed to professional speakers, celebrities and presidents, as were featured in past newsletters). This month's video shows a speech given by Evan Williams, one of the founders of Twitter. And just like any "regular" speaker, there are some things that he does well, and things that he could do to become a more effective speaker. Watch it for yourself and feel free to share any of your insights with me via email.
In other features, the Question of the Month addresses an issue that I've been asked several times by second-language English speakers.
Finally, I'd like to wish a big, warm "welcome!" to all the new subscribers of this newsletter. Enjoy!
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What People Are Saying...
"Suzannah's return participation as a presenter of one of our Leadership Skills Development Workshop Series was one of the highlights of this year's programming. Her workshop was informative, entertaining, and full of helpful tips that gave all of the participants the tools that they needed to get started with developing their public speaking and presentation skills... It was a complete success, and we look forward to having Suzannah back again next year!"
- Leslie Copeland, First Year Coordinator, McGill University
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Upcoming Events
Find YOUR way to public speaking excellence at the following public workshops:
Dawson College, 3040 Sherbrooke St. W.
March 28, 2009 9:00am-5:00pm
Dorval Hilton Hotel, Dorval QC
June 3, 2009
11:30am-1:30pm
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New Marketing Writing Clients
This month, Suzannah has been working on marketing writing projects for clients that include: 
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Cool Quote
"There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave."
-- Dale Carnegie
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About Us
Bring power to your words with public speaking training, presentation coaching, and marketing writing services. Find out more... |
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HE CAN TWEET - BUT HOW DOES HE SPEAK?
 This month's speaker - Evan Williams - is one of the co-founders of Twitter, one the most talked-about social networking tools around today. As a result, he's probably invited to speak to tell his story and share his insights to all sorts of audiences. So how did he do in this 7-minute speech at the prestigious TED Conference? What was good, and what needs to be improved the next time he takes the stage ?
WHAT HE DID WELL:
Introduction: He wasted no time, and went straight into the speech with a personal story about the origins of Twitter. The story was interesting enough, and was an effective way to start the speech.
Transitions and photos: He made an obvious transition out of the introduction and into the 'body' of the speech with the facts of what Twitter is and how it's used. The photos and images used backed up his points and the accompanying stories extremely well.
WHAT CAN BE IMPROVED:
Smile and enthusiasm: We can assume that since Evan co-founded the company, he is passionate about the topic. So he should look passionate about it. Smile! Be excited! Lose the serious face. As an added bonus, smiling would have made him look more relaxed and confident. Movement and eye contact: Evan spoke on a big stage with lots of room to move, but he stayed rooted at the centre of it. He took a step forward, a step back, and steps from side-to-side, but there was not a lot of purpose to his movements. He could have used the space more effectively by "working the stage," i.e. walking from one end of the stage to the other, and making eye contact with people at all sides of the room. And regarding eye contact, on a scale of 1 to 10, I would have rated it around 7.5 -- it's another area of his speaking style that can be improved. Conclusion: The conclusion started well enough. Following a pause, Evan said "I have no idea what will happen next with Twitter. » Interesting. Tell me more. « I've learned to follow the hunch but never assume where it'll go. Thank you. » Hmmm... That was a little anti-climactic. The speech content was quite strong, and really could have benefited from a more stirring conclusion. The purpose of a conclusion is to wrap up the main points of the speech, and leave the audience with something to remember. Next time, if he adds a few more concluding sentences that help the speech end with greater impact, it would probably have made a stronger impression. Overall, Evan's content is solid. His advantage is that he's the co-founder of one of the hottest companies around, and will likely have many more opportunities to sharpen his speaking style. Once he adds more spark to his delivery, his audiences will be begging him for more! What did you think of Evan's speech? Email me and let me know! Watch Evan's full speech.
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WHERE WAS I LAST MONTH?
 At the McGill CAPS Graduate Career Week 2009 Event, giving a speech on "Concrete Steps to Public Speaking Excellence."
 At the Women's Entrepreneurial Exchange, speaking about "Easy Steps to Presentation Excellence."
 At the McGill Alumni Backpack to Briefcase 2009, speaking about "Seven Ways to Create and Deliver an Effective Presentation."
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REACH NEW HEIGHTS IN YOUR PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS -- SCHEDULE A TRAINING WORKSHOP!
 Treat your employees or the members of your association to a dynamic, interactive and fun training session on the simple ways to become a great speaker! Customized workshops available.
Email today for more information. |
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH
 "English is not my first language, so I really want to make sure that my audience understands me. As a result, I often read my whole presentation from my notes so that my grammar and vocabulary is precise. However, this means that I'm not making eye contact with the audience, and I know that's important as well. What should I focus on more -- making sure that my content is grammatically correct, or looking at the audience?"
- Ling, Montreal, QC
It's far more important for you to make eye contact with your audience. Technically, if you're simply reading your content word for word, you've gone from being a 'speaker' to being a 'reader.' It's the easier way out, and you'll be assured that your grammar is correct, but there's a much greater chance that you'll lose your audience's attention this way.
Try this exercise -- imagine yourself in an audience where the speaker reads their full speech and doesn't look up once to make eye contact with you (the "reader"). Then imagine yourself listening to a speaker who makes the occasional grammatical error or takes an extra second to search for the right words -- but they are making the effort and really trying to connect with you (the "speaker"). Which one is more engaging? Which one would you rather listen to? Most people would choose the speaker, even if they have to put up with some errors. The truth is, audiences don't expect a speaker to be perfect. But faced with a speaker who has put in some obvious preparation time and is clearly making an effort, versus a reader who hides behind their notes... I'd bet on the speaker every time.
That being said, you may have to put more time into speech preparation -- and practice -- to ensure that you're comfortable with what you want to say and how you want to say it. But you'll make a better impression every time.
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