“The man who writes out and memorises his talks is wasting his time and energy and courting disaster” – Dale Carnegie
During my development as a public speaker I have often wrestled with whether I should memorise my speeches or not. Continue reading
Jan 23
Lessons from President Obama’s Inaugural Speech
Here’s the inaugural speech of President Obama. (Note: the full transcript is available below)
I don’t really want to say too much about it as a lot of people have given their two pence worth already. But I never want it to be said that the Pro Humorist didn’t chip in on this momentous occasion! Continue reading
Jan 21
“Could you read this out loud for me?”
There are occasionally times that our speaking in public we will be a reading. This may occur in a situation like a wedding or a funeral.
You could be asked to read from anything including, but not limited to, Shakespeare (his plays or sonnets), poetry, prose (novels, short stories, etc), theatre play-scripts and so on. I’ll provide you with a few sources where you can find examples of text to read out loud to a friend… you know for practise.
If you are a member of Toastmasters International one of the advanced manuals is actually an interpretive reading manual.
Reading or interpreting text out loud is easier than it sounds. I’m going to highlight some of the pitfalls that I have come across and try to provide appropriate solutions too.
Jan 19
Public Speaking Tip: room set-up
You’re in a room, giving a presentation that you know like the back of your hand, everything’s going well. And then the sun sets… and sunlight pours through the window and washes out your PowerPoint presentation. Argh! What to do? Draw the blinds! WHAT? There are NO BLINDS? Egad, now what?
Continue reading
Jan 17
Speakers – Embrace your Inner Actor!
Here’s something that’s been floating around in the back of my head for a number of months. When you get up and present are you acting? You might think that you’re not. But I’d suggest that if you’re not using acting and theatre techniques when you present, then you’re seriously missing out on taking your presentation skills to the next level. Continue reading
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