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Welcome Message
This month's video is pure entertainment. June is graduation season and as such, this month's video features Ellen DeGeneres' hilarious 9-minute commencement address to the graduates of Tulane University. It was certainly a more challenging one to evaluate, but Ellen, if you're out there - I do have one teeny, tiny suggestion for the next time. But it doesn't mean that I don't think you're hilarious!
The fact that school is out for the summer doesn't mean that the learning should stop! Keep your brain working and your motivation sky-high at the Empowered Entrepreneur event on July 14, where I'll be sharing the stage with a series of very talented speakers who will be talking about guerrilla marketing, raising capital, neuro-linguistic programming and -- of course -- public speaking. Get new ideas, network with your peers, and enjoy everything this day has to offer.
Many readers of last month's newsletter remarked that the featured speaker had a lot of 'um's at the beginning of his speech - so many, in fact, that some of them were distracted from his message. So the Question of the Month addresses this issue, including tips on how to control when you feel "filler words" are taking over your presentation.
Finally, please take note that there will only be one combined newsletter for July and August. Monthly newsletters will re-start in September. Have a fantastic summer!
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"...You were completely engaging with your storytelling abilities and your generous sense of humor, which makes your audience that much more receptive to your message...The useful tips we learned were practical enough to start immediately putting them into practice. All of your passion for your subject came through, and after a welcomed Q & A, we left feeling inspired and encouraged to better ourselves by rising to the challenge of public speaking. We look forward to the chance of having you return to our group for another great talk! "
- Sarena Miller, We2 - The Women's Entrepreneurial Exchange
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Upcoming Speaking Engagement
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Cool Quote
"Make sure you have finished speaking before your audience has finished listening."
-- Dorothy Sarnoff
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CALLING ALL ENTREPRENEURS!
- Hear from experienced speakers on topics ranging from Marketing, Public Speaking Skills, NLP and Neuro-Semantics, Raising Capital, and more
- Network with like-minded individuals
- Get new ideas, tips, and brainstorming opportunities to take your business to the next level
And yes, that will be ME speaking about "Easy Steps to Public Speaking Excellence." Get a public speaking 'refresher' - and count yourself among the empowered entrepreneurs in the audience!
WHEN: July 14, 2009
WHERE: Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, Montreal QC
8:00am-7:30pm
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ELLEN GRADUATES THE CLASS OF '09
 Ellen DeGeneres' speech to the Class of 2009 at Tulane University is an excellent example of how to deliver a serious message with humour. This 9-minute speech has humour, it has relevant stories, it has an inspirational message, and it has a call-to-action to set her listeners on the right foot as they leave university for the real world.
Ellen is blessed with a deadpan humour that leaves her audience in stitches (especially the man sitting to her right, who is seen laughing throughout most of the video). In the first two minutes of the speech, she doesn't actually say much of anything - but her jokes and funny delivery warm up her audience and leaves them wanting more. And isn't that the purpose of any speech introduction anyway?
In the body of the speech, the more serious topics come out. She tells stories about difficulties encountered while growing up, living in a flea-ridden apartment, conversations with God, and friends dying. Yet she peppers these serious stories with light humour. This ensures that her speech never gets too heavy, but at the same time, the humour never takes away from the impact of these stories. The core messages of these stories are never too far behind - that some of the most devastating things will teach you the most, that visions of success change as you grow and evolve, and that it's important to follow your dreams and be true to yourself.
She wraps up the speech with reminders of her core messages and inspired calls-to-action, all the while cracking jokes and keeping her audience hanging on her every word.
Could she have done anything differently? My only suggestion would be that she could have smiled once she concluded her speech. When receiving the very appreciative applause of an audience, it's just natural to smile. I was left wondering if she was actually suppressing it. That being said, dancing on the stage and then running down the aisle may have made up for it...
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WHERE WAS I LAST MONTH?
Speaking to the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association of Canada (HBAC)
Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) - Power Partners Weekend:
With Nabil Doss, current President, and Toni Newman, past President of the CAPS Montreal Chapter
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH
 "I've been told that I say the words "um" and "uh" throughout my presentation. Most of the time I don't even notice that I say them. How do I get rid of this habit?"
- Josh, Montreal QC
Dear Josh,
I've got good news for you - the very fact that you're aware that you're using these "filler words" will get you that much closer to stopping it. Here are a few things to try to eliminate - or at the very least, reduce - these words from your speaking vocabulary:
1. Practice! When you are using the "um" "ah" "like" or any other filler word, it's typically because you are thinking "on the spot". A well-rehearsed speech, knowing your material well, and practicing out loud will help you avoid having to do your thinking during delivery.
2. Record yourself while practicing so you can hear where you tend to "um" and "ah" the most. Then you'll know when they're most likely to occur so that you can address them before they happen.
3. Instead of a using filler word, pause. As soon as you think you're about to say one, simply pause, let the filler word pass in silence, and then continue your speech. The added bonus of pausing is that it helps a speaker emphasize a point, and can add impact to a speech.
Fretting over one or two "um's" in a longer presentation is not anything to worry about. The time to get concerned is when your audience is so distracted by your "um's" that they stop paying attention to your message. So fix what you can, give yourself a break, and keep on speaking!
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Free 30-minute consultation!
Contact me today for a no-charge, no-commitment 30-minute consultation, where we will talk to determine what your public speaking needs are and how I might be able to help.
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