Inspired by Copyblogger, I have decided to do a round-up of this year’s best received posts with a little running commentary of what is notable for each month.

This would also be an excellent opportunity for you to do some catching up or revisit some of your favorite posts of the year. So come walk with me… there’s something I want to show you, something that I want you to touch. And it’s not very far away. In fact, it is just a scroll away. Shall we?

January

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(You will understand why I use this picture for this post later… so read on)

One of the common headaches that speakers face is not knowing what to say. They know that their speech has to have solid content and high speech value. They know that their speech has to be engaging and entertaining. But HOW exactly do you come up with killer content without having to break any sweat?

The solution is in the article below, written by Patricia Fripp, a highly well respected executive speech coach in USA, and also a contributor to The FAQ Book on Public Speaking’s fast action bonus gift.

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With the holidays around the corner (New Year Day & Chinese New Year), the timing is simply perfect for me to share with you this quick tip that is short yet powerful. Before I reveal it to you, let me first set up the context.

One of the most powerful ways a speaker can connect with their audience is through personal stories. Here’s why. Stories are sticky and highly memorable. When you frame your lessons or messages in a story, your audience remembers them better. Stories are also easy to tell (think bedtime stories and Chicken Soup). Audience also relate better especially if your stories are personal.

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Ans: Get yourself as many FAQ books as you can!

Here’s wishing you a Merry X’mas and may you become a Fanta-Bulous speaker in the coming year 2008!

Click PLAY to receive a very special message from your public speaking coach.

Ok.. and now for the REAL message. Click here.

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After nine months of waiting, we were told by our doctor a.k.a The Publisher that our baby will be due on 21st Dec 2007 at 5pm sharp. You should see the excitement and anticipation on our faces as we waited impatiently for the delivery of our baby. And when she finally arrived in our hands, both Andrew and I were overwhelmed with joy.

She is PRETTIEST thing in the whole wide world.

Yes, both the book and the babe (my sis!)

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Spectacular presenting is not an accident. It’s not just going to happen any more than you can pick up a guitar and play it from first strum. Just like an instrument, our speaking and presenting can get out of tune if we do not continue to learn and apply.

I’ll have to admit that two things amaze me about speakers and presenters.

First, many speakers live with ongoing unnecessary fear. They “claim” they do not want to be afraid. They “say” they want to step before the crowd with confidence and assurance. However, I don’t think that is true, which brings us to…

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I get this question a lot from my clients, my readers and even my mum - how do you clock stage time even if you don’t get to do presentations everyday? But before I share with you how, let me explain what stage time is to the newly initiated.

Stage time - in my definition - is the number of opportunities you have to get in front of a real audience.

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This outrageously informative article was written by John Kinde, a household name in The Public Speaking Blog. Some of the tips he shared (like colour-coding your speech or using punch words even for non-funny lines) are new to me and I am definitely going to try them out. A must read for anyone who wants to deliver a powerful speech! Over to you, John.
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If you want to improve a speech, you need to record it so you can analyze it. This means making an audio recording, or better yet a video recording. And also making a manuscript of what you actually delivered to a live audience. Then you’re able to do an in-depth review of your speech content, structure and delivery.

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First of all, don’t tell jokes.

Here’s why.

Jokes are stale and overused. When you tell a joke, there is a 87.3% chance that one of your audience have heard it.

In fact, one time when I attended the Division Humorous Contest at Sri Lanka, two of the contestants told the same joke! It was embarassing for both the second speaker and the audience. Can you imagine if the third speaker tell the same joke?

To make sure that this won’t happen to you and to ensure a higher percentage chance that your audience will laugh, Doug Stevenson, a guru in storytelling advised speakers to tell an imbroglio story.

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A month back, Andrew and I was invited to The Living Room (one of the more popular radio programs in Singapore) to share about our soon to be released book “The FAQ Book on Public Speaking”.

We had so much fun bantering with Stanley that the segment was extended from 15 minutes to 30 minutes, with a good half of the session jam packed with public speaking tips.

Click here to download the recording.

If you have listened to us, you will know that we had a lot of fun on radio. Here are some pictures that were taken during the break.

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