Speaker ka. Nag-joke ka. Walang Tumawa. Papano na???

Ilang tips sa paggamit ng joke o humour sa speech o presentation mo.

Una, dapat related sa topic mo ang joke o humor.

Pangalawa, pagkatapos mong mag-joke, huwag na huwag mong sasabihin ang mga ito:

1. "Kidding aside"
2. "Seriously now"

Ito ang dahilan: ang audience mo, nagpunta para makinig ng speech o presentation. Hindi sila nagpunta para manood ng stand-up comedy act. Para sa kanila, seryoso ang pakikinig.

Pagkatapos mong ibagsak ang joke mo, ready ka na to proceed to the subject matter.

Anong gagawin mo pagkatapos mo gumamit ng joke o humor?

Well, dalawang possibilities.

Una, tatawa ang audience.

Pangalawa, hindi nila gets ang joke. Resulta: nakakabinging silence.

Anong gagawin mo.

Ilang payo.

Una, 'pag tumawa ang audience, huwag kang tatawa. Pause ka lang. Medyo poker face. Hayaan mong i-enjoy nila joke mo. 'Pag tapos na ang tawanan, proceed ka na sa speech o presentation proper mo.

Pangalawa, 'pag walang tumawa, lalong huwag na huwag kang tatawa. Huwag kang tatawa sa sarili mong joke. Dedma ka lang. Kunwari, hindi mo nahalata na hindi nila gets ang joke mo. Tigil ka sandali. Then, proceed ka na sa speech o presentation proper mo. Parang walang nangyari.

Pagkatapos mo, saka mo na lang lunurin sa kain ang embarassment.

Kung ako ang tatanungin mo, iiwasan ko ang paggamit ng joke sa umpisa ng speech o presentation.

May risk kasi na isipin nila na hindi ka seryoso sa speaking o presentation task mo. O kaya, baka magmukhang lightweight ang presence mo. Exception na lang kung speech to entertain talaga ang peg ng pagsasalita mo.

People listen to you to benefit from what you have to say. They invest precious time and energy to listen to something worthwhile.

Let's take that seriously.

Two (2) Things Audiences want from Speakers

Imagine this. You're the Guest Speaker in an important event. You want to make a good impression and leave your audience with a great and lasting memory of your speech.

As you walk towards the microphone, you wonder: How am I going to do that?

Well, for starters, it will help to know what the audience wants from us, Speakers.

Most audiences are not demanding. All they want from us are two (2) simple things. If we can give them these two things, then we are on the way to making a good impression and leaving them with a great and lasting memory of our speech.

Here are the two things they want from us:

First, that the ideas we are to present to them BE ORGANIZED.

Second, that as we stand before them to speak, we BE CONNECTED to them.

Be organised. Be connected.

Two simple things they want from us. It's not too big a favour.  Not difficult to give, are they?

By "organised", they mean they want to know …

… what we will cover;
… what our main ideas are;
…  how they will know we have come to the climax and to the end of our speech.


By "connected", our audiences mean they want to feel that …

… we are speaking not just from the head but also from the heart; and
… we are speaking to them, personally … even if there are a thousand people in the audience.

Here's how I make sure the ideas in my oral presentation or speech are organised.

I follow this timeless, simple yet powerful formula. Here's how the formula goes:

"First, tell them what you are about to tell them (audience). Then, tell them. And then, tell them again what you just told them."

The principle tells me that there are three (3) important items that must be present in the speech or presentation material.

One, the OVERVIEW ( I tell them what I am about to tell them).

Two, the PRESENTATION PROPER (I tell them).

Three, the SUMMARY (I tell them again what I just told them).

The Overview excites my audience. The Presentation Proper enriches my audience. The Summary … well … makes my audience very happy to know that I have reached the end of my presentation.

Seriously, the Summary tells the again what I have just covered and reminds them what ideas are important to remember.

How much more organised can one be?

Next week: Three (3) powerful tools that connect us to our audiences.

Three (3) Things that Make Your Audiences REALLY Happy

After every workshop or speaking engagement, I make it a point to get feedback from several people from my audience.

Two things I make sure I find out from them:

1. Among the things I said, which one was most significant and useful to them; and
2. How did they feel after listening to me.

This habit has made me understand my audiences better. Today, I can say I know what works with audiences and what does not.

I also know what make them happy. Really happy.

Here are three (3) things audiences appreciate much.

1.  A clear Purpose
2. A crisp Overview
3. A coherent Flow

They love it when you say right at the start why you are there, why you are making the presentation or delivering a speech. They appreciate a clear statement of the Purpose. They say it helps them "tune in" to the speaker or presenter. It helps them understand how they should listen, what items in the speech or presentation they should pay close attention to and what they are expected to do at afterwards.

Here's another winner - a crisp Overview. Overview is "telling the audience what we are about to tell them". My audiences say the Overview helps them organise the ideas in their head. A crisp Overview is their "mental map" of the presentation or speech. If the Overview tells them that the speaker or presenter intends to cover Three Points, then they know that when Point 1 is done, Point 2 follows. And they know that when Point 3 has been covered, that's the end.

Overview is a forgotten yet powerful tool. Let's start using it again.

Lastly, a coherent Flow. This is a no-brainer. Our listeners "demand" two things from us. One, that each and every part of the speech or presentation be related. It has to be a "family of clearly connected ideas", not a neighbourhood of strangers. Two, that the train of ideas makes sense, follows a pattern, and comes to a logical conclusion.

Purpose. Overview. Flow. They make the speech or presentation seem like going on a smooth journey. You leave port with a clear destination. You have a good view of how the whole journey will proceed. Then, you sail with the current and with the cool, gentle wind behind you.

Three Things Standout Speakers "Own"

We've heard public speaking mentors say we must "own the room" if we want to command the audience's attention and hold it to the end of our speech.

That's true. I have seen standout speakers delight, inspire and move their audiences using varying styles and with one thing in common - they all "own the room".

Public speaking mentor Timothy J. Koegel, in his book "The Exceptional Presenter" (Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2007), defines "owning the room" as a originally used to describe " an actor who is so completely in character that he walks on stage with total confidence".

Well, "the room" is just one of three things every standout speaker must "own".

Here are the other two:

1. The standout speaker "owns the message"

2. The standout speaker "owns the communication process"

Why "own the message"? It is because audiences expect the speaker to be an authority on what he is telling them. Otherwise, it would be better for them to just read up on the subject matter or google the net to find out what others have already said about it.

We listen to a speaker because, no matter what the subject matter is, at that particular moment, the message is his.

Here are the three elements in a speech or presentation that tells the audience that the speaker truly "owns the message":

1. The speaker "feels" the message. 

    The movements in his  face, voice and body reflect his the importance of what he is saying and that he, himself, believes  it.

2.  The speaker "knows" the subject matter of the message.

    He knows it so well that he can highlight the points that truly matter to the audience, can use simple words to express them, and can present them from the "first person"viewpoint.

3. The speaker "lives" the message.

   He can explain the message using examples from real-life experience, and  enrich the message by injecting his personal insights and viewpoints.

I will share my insights on  "owning the communication process" in the next post.

[Archie Inlong helps speakers "own" the room, the message and the process through workshops or personal coaching. For information, email archie_inlong@yahoo.com]

THE POWER OF AFFIRMATION

People often ask me, how did you get to be such a powerful speaker?

Let me share the secret. The reason was not Dale Carnegie. The Dale Carnegie course simply confirmed that the way I have been doing and teaching Public Speaking was correct.

The secret is the POWER OF AFFIRMATION.

And I first experienced that from that one person who had one of the biggest impact in my life: my grade school speech teacher, Mrs. SYLVIA FERNANDEZ.

In 1964 (whew, nearly half a century ago), I was in Second Grade at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Elementary School. Mrs. Fernandez conducted a twice-a-week English Speech class for us. I always looked forward to attending her class. Because she was classy. She had class. She spoke impeccable English.

Many of my classmates were afraid of her. She was strict. Sometimes, she ran out of patience. When she did, she roared. In impeccable, classy English, of course.

But I decided I would not be afraid of her. I decided I would love her and learn everything she had to share. I listened to her. Imitated every phonetic sound that came out of her mind. I mimicked the movement of her lips. I aped the sound of her voice.

She noticed. Then, she AFFIRMED me. In that one moment of clear and powerful AFFIRMATION, she changed me and set me off to a journey in life that I will never forget.

Here was how she AFFIRMED me.

1. She TOLD me I am good. No, she told me I am "great".

She proudly announced to the class that she was impressed by how - at the age of 8 - I could excellently pronounce by "soft TH" (as in THin), my "hard TH", ( as in THe), and my "short A" ( as in the "A" in Apple). I blushed the first time she did. I never blushed again the many times she did that thereafter.

2. She REWARDED me

Mrs. Fernandez used to allow me to leave the class earlier than the rest of my classmates. She would always say, "You are good, you can go home now. Everybody else, stay for further drills".
Wow! Early on, I knew that Excellence pays off. And that someday, you can get paid much for being excellent.


3. She OPENED UP OPPORTUNITIES for me.

Mrs. Fernandez treated me like her Star. Like a Star. Four years after she discovered me, she chose me to recite a poem before the entire Grade School assembly. I was an intermission number. I stood at the stage for just about three minutes. Then, I got my first big audience APPLAUSE. She gave me my FIRST OPPORTUNITY to shine.

THE POWER OF AFFIRMATION: telling others about their tremendous potentials; rewarding them; giving them opportunities to shine.

THE POWER OF AFFIRMATION - the power of One Teacher's Faith in one kid.

In 1987, I was in a conversation with the public affairs director of the Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. She remarked : "You speak very good English!". Twenty three years after Mrs. Fernandez first applied the POWER OF AFFIRMATION, the international audience recognized the ability.

Over the past 25 years, I have been coaching and training people in Public Speaking, Oral Presentation and Managing Media Appearances. My training programs consistently transform people's lives, personalities, careers and businesses.

Those training programs have a common foundation: THE POWER OF AFFIRMATION. I learned that from a direct experience of such Power from a Grade II Speech Teacher.

Thank you, Mrs. Sylvia Fernandez.

People Speaking With Power

I received a good number of email as a result of the blog I posted yesterday titled “Speak with Power”.

Some asked me for proof that the “Speak with Power” workshop and my “SpeakRight” formula works.

So, let me share what some of those whom I had the privilege of coaching and mentoring on public speaking and oral presentation say.

Dr. Felix Trongco, Department of Education (DepEd) director for Alternative Learning Systems, texted the following message to me just a few days after he completed this workshop I conducted in Cagayan de Oro. He said:

“"At the 11th hour today, I was asked to represent my absent chief in a meeting w/ DedEd NCR top brass and present concerns/issues in 3 minutes. God! 3 x 3 is very powerful, delivered with ease, confidence and credibility".

“Three by three” is part of the “SpeakRight” formula my students learn under my mentorship and coaching.

Early this year, I received a similar message via email from the Cagayan Valley Regional Director of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Mrs. Mila Rimando. She wrote:

“In the afternoon, right after the seminar, I was asked to speak before members of the press from Manila who were visiting Tuguegarao. I was not told that I was to speak to the group, but I did so with flying color, thanks to what I have learned from you. Now, I have no more fear of speaking before publics even if given only little time to prepare.”

Ambassador Alexander Yano, former Armed Forces Chief of Staff who was later named envoy to Brunei, had invited me to conduct workshops for Army Officers nationwide. He had this observation after I completed the rounds:

““Archie has helped many of our senior officers in the AFP conquer their fear of public speaking and facing the media. This has resulted in a better image both for our officers and the AFP as a whole.”

From the private sector, popular stock market analyst Astro del Castillo (also president of First Grade Holdings), made the following comment after gracing many of my mentoring and coaching activities:

“Mr. Inlong works wonders with the speaking abilities of his students. They have become not just confident speakers but powerful communicators.”

Meanwhile, a dedicated and hardworking principal from Iloilo province, Miss May Baustista, posted this message for me in FaceBook after taking part in the workshop. She said:

““ I am proud to say that ‘I am not afraid anymore’. Thanks, Archie, for the encouragement.”

“I am not afraid anymore!” is what most participants shout on Day 2 of the workshop. Usually, the jubilant shout is blurted out after discovering that the “SpeakRight” formula works for them, too.

Finally, may I share what a former president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) says about the workshop, the skills and the processes I share with my students. Lawyer Jovy Salazar is an Undersecretary in the Department of Justice today and this is what he says:

“I believe that Mr. Inlong is one of the leading mentors in public speaking in the country today. His techniques and processes may be simple, but definitely world-class. Take it from one who has used his methods in international forums.”

Undersecretary Salazar made an important point. The techniques and processes I share are very, very simple. I shun the complicated. What is complex does not work in today’s world. And these simple techniques and processes are applauded even in the global setting.

I have shared these learning and experience I have acquired over the past three decades with members of the Cabinet, Ambassadors, Chiefs of Staff and senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, business and political leaders, local government executives and some of our Legislators. I believe they have found what I have shared very useful.

Several government and business organizations have also benefitted from this workshop which I have done mostly in collaboration with the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication. These include the National Economic Development Authority, the Department of Education, the Department of Agrarian Reform, the Department of Health, United Laboratories, Monsanto, the Cagayan Valley Association of Regional Directors, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the Bases Conversion Development Authority, the League of Cities of the Philippines and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines.

The Board of Directors of my company has decided that the workshop should no longer be exclusive to a select group of personalities.

As a result of the decision, we are planning a series of public seminars. Hopefully, we can help many ordinary people Speak with Power and thus improve their careers, their service to God and people, and their lives in general.

SPEAK WITH POWER!

When we speak before audiences, we need more than just confidence.

We need to be able to speak with power. With impact.

There are confident speakers; but confidence is not an assurance that their speech or presentation would hit the mark. We need to be more than just confident. We need to be able to speak with power.

Come to think of it. our professional careers are enhanced by our ability to get the audience to see things from our perspective - and to affect the decisions they make. That’s how we win business. That’s how we impress our organizations, our bosses and our clients. That’s what sets us apart.

After all, when we speak, we do not just convey information. We inspire. We persuade. We move people.

I have compiled all the products of 34 years of education, experience and exchange with other experts on public speaking into one workshop called "Speak with Power".

Through this two-day High-impact Oral Presentation and Public Speaking workshop, I transform individuals into persons who can “speak with power before any audience, about any topic, anytime, anywhere”.

That’s not just a promise. That is a direct quote from my participants.

By the way, you will experience the transformation in a fun, fun way. That’s the way it always is with my workshops.

What will you learn from this workshop?

1. The 5 skills necessary for high-impact oral communication;
2. My 6-step Oral Presentation process; and
3. The three “Cs” that make for powerful public speaking.

The Five Skills of a high-impact communicator

I will re-introduce you to the skills that really matter in public speaking. It might surprise you to know that three of those skills do not have anything to do with the actual delivery. It is what we do before we go up the stage that account for much of the power in public speaking.

One of the five skills deal with managing difficult questions and difficult audiences. The key word is “manage”, not “answer”. Let me share my proven techniques with you so that you emerge out of difficult public speaking situations with a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction.

The High-impact Oral Presentation Process

I developed a six-step oral presentation process that has worked for me both in my business-related and public service engagements.

The process follows the natural rhythm of human interaction. It therefore assures me that I do not only convey, but also connect to my audiences.

The process is easy to understand, apply and remember. It also assures you that no matter what happens in the course of your presentation or speech, you can always get back on track.

I will also share with you my secret “SpeakRight” formula that has wowed my workshop participants. This is the secret to their ability to speak with power before any audience, on any topic, anytime, anywhere – even with only a moment’s notice.

You will marvel at yourself when you get to apply this formula during the workshop.

The Three “Cs” of powerful Public Speaking

I define public speaking as “using the power of your physical presence to convey facts and ideas to achieve a specific purpose”. The “power of your physical presence” is based on the three “Cs” which the workshop helps you attain.

The three “Cs” add up to a fourth “C” – Credibility.

At the end of the day, the proof of the power of our speech lies there – that after hearing us, our audience believed us.

This workshop is for you if you are:

- leaders of business, political or public service organizations
- executives on the rise
- Young professionals who wants to get ahead in the race
- Sales or marketing groups who want to further enhance performance
- Advocates of social and political change
- Government employees and public servants who want to do their service mission well
- Preachers and lay leaders who want more power in the delivery of the Good News
- Lawyers who want to win in the court of public opinion
- Individuals who want to attain tap their human communication potentials to the fullest

Ask me about this workshop:

Email: archie_inlong@yahoo.com
Cell: 09088642647
Landline: 753-11-96