Another insightful entry by Darren La Croix, 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking.

On the note of building rapport, it has been a habit for me to get to know my audience before my speech. I will go around introducing myself and getting to know them. For example, I will ask about their job, find out what got them to attend the talk and take note of any interesting things about them. This is also a great opportunity for them to get to know me, so that when I get up on stage to speak, it won’t be a group of strangers I am speaking to. Instead, I will be relating to new-found friends. Believe me, this makes all the difference when it comes to delivering a winning speech.

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In a couple of hours time, I will be flying on SQ to Sri Lanka for my six months overseas assignment. For those of you who have been loyal supporters of The Public Speaking Blog, you will know that I have only been back in Singapore for one year. The year before was spent in Philadelphia, US where this blog was first created.

Thought it will be good (for me) to reflect on what I have done so far in the past one year before I embark on my next journey to Sri Lanka, the Pearl of India.

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Many months ago, I wrote an entry encouraging you to go naked at your presentations. How is it coming along?

In case you are wondering if I have gone out of my mind, the answer is YES… and NO. Yes, because there is still so much to pack for my trip to Sri Lanka and no in the context of this entry. Going naked in your presentation is about stripping back to the bare necessities… here is Garr and my list combined of how you can go naked in your next presentation. If you are lazy, you can watch a quick summary of some of the pointers via the video presentation below.

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That’s right… the book you are seeing (below) has been a secret project for the past two months. It has been excruitiating for me to keep it a secret since I had so much fun creating it. The wait has been an arduous but worthy one. And I’m thrilled to finally be able to introduce to you my secret project — “The FAQ Book on Public Speaking”.

Click on the image to enter The FAQ Website. Over there, you can download - for free - a sample chapter of the book that is bursting with juicy tips to help you become a successful public speaker!

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Chanced upon this video at Ross’s website - Public Speaking Sucker. Was so touched by it that I had to write you an entry even though it is 1AM in Singapore.

The unknowing star of the video is a mobile phone salesman - Paul Potts - who doesn’t look or act like one. Though his job was mediocre, his dream was big. Paul wanted to be a singer and he has been longing to be one with every fibre of his soul. In spite of his fear, Paul knew deep down that a dream was meant to be lived… and so he did. Below is a tribute to this ordinary man who dreamt big. His song was one of inspiration and hope, a reminder to all of us that it’s never too late to dream.

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I was invited by Zubi, the COO of Active Channel (an online TV site), to conduct an interview with possibly the happiest man on Earth. He is none other than Andrew Matthews. On top of being an author of six international best-sellers (including Being Happy and Follow Your Heart), his books have been translated to over 35 languages and he has been on 3000 radio and TV programs till date. For those of you who attended the National Achievers Congress, you will remember him as the speaker who drew lightning fast cartoons as he dished out pearly wisdom of life.

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I am sure all of you have heard and watch American/Singapore Idol like umpteen times. But have you ever thought of a Speaker Idol? Same concept, except contestants speak instead of sing.

And guess what, Speaker Idol is going to be a reality… sooner than you think.

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How To Create A Technical Presentation That Makes Steve Jobs Green With Envy
Top post for July which quadrupled my traffic within three days. The entry was featured on various A-list websites including Life Hacker and was digged for a whooping 620 times till date. A must read for technical presenters!

Do You As A Speaker Leverage?
An ingenious tip from Darren La Croix on how you can leverage on the moments that the audience has already emotionally connected with to create lasting impact.

Who Says You Have To Face The Audience When You Speak
Watch live how a speaker breaks all the rules of speaking and still wins the speech contest!

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Surely by now you know how important it is to start strong but how exactly do we start our presentation with a bang? Here’s 7 sure-fire ways to start your presentation that will guarantee to knock the socks off your audience.

1. Open with a humorous/emotional story that leads to your key message
I have seen that been done a lot of times - especially by speech champions - with almost guranteed success. We love stories, especially those that makes us laugh and have valuable lessons to teach. So when you start with one, we immediately get drawn into it like moth to the flame. Your personal anecdote gives us the opportunity to know you at a deeper level and it adds memorability to your message. Even weeks after your presentation, we will still remember your message because of the story you share.

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