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Secrets on How to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills

By: Zach Keyer

Article submitted by The Transition Companies

It is True… for some, it is spiders; for many, ghosts; and others would say heights, but there are those who actually admit that public speaking is their greatest fear.

It is actually commonplace. Come to think of it, there can sometimes be nothing more frightening than having to stand up and speak in front of a group of people who could very likely shout at you, laugh at you, or leave while you are in the middle of talking. Even actress Debra Messing of the hit show Will and Grace surprisingly had this fear all her life. And she is a professional actress! Imagine how much worse this could be for those who have not even had the chance to go up on a stage at all in their lives.

Thankfully, public speaking is a fear that can easily be overcome. If you are not exactly paralyzed by fear, but you think you still have room for improvement on it, then you are realizing the fundamental truth that is facing us all. You can improve your public speaking skills quite easily by following the beginning tips mentioned below.

Remember to be prepared and get your practice. The value of preparation can never be overemphasized. It adds confidence and substance to your speeches and presentations. Research the topic you will talk about and try to find the best way to present it (angle-wise). Outline your major points and use cue cards if necessary/available. Practice your speech-delivery to make sure that your talk will not exceed the time allotted for you, and so that you could also asses your delivery from your own perspective. If you are to be the lead-speaker in a very important engagement, try to practice your speech in front of someone who could properly assess how you have done… and is able to provide honest feedback to you.

Also, Know your audience… technically, this is still part of being prepared. However, it is just so important that it calls for a separate mention. Knowing your audience provides you with valuable insight on the angle and perspective of presentation that would appeal best to them. It guides whether you can be casual and funny or whether you would be better served to be serious and analytical. It also gives you great input in streamlining your speech by suggesting what you need to include and what you can do without.

Also critical is to dress the part. As much as we refuse to admit it, image can sometimes be everything. How the audience responds to you can highly depend upon how they perceptually perceive you. Generally, you would appear as a more convincing speaker if you are dressed as business casual or business formal. Also, since the audience will have to look at you anyway, you might as well make your appearance a pleasant one for them.

Keeping the KISS in mind. Keep It Short and Simple. Even geniuses have limited attention spans… no special talent for the A.D.D. afflicted needed at all. Do not bore your audience to death with a speech that is too long. The faster you can get your message across, the better. A short and simple message also appears smarter while preventing you from being perceived as someone who came unprepared and is fumbling through their presentation. It also allows your listeners to retain what you have said easily. Including the opportunity for you to perform valauble rephrasing of your concepts - for added comprehension by your audience.

In addition to these quick tips, your public speaking skills will also be improved if you practice establishing periodic or constant eye contact with your audience. Also, if the occasion and your resources will permit, you can use visual aids such as slide presentations, handouts, product samples, etc to stimulate your audiences attention. To finish off your presentation, you should plan to answer the audiences question confidently and with a caring and informative attitude.

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Public Speaking Anxiety: How To Deal With It

By: Richard MacKenzie

Article posted by The Transition Companies

Do you shudder at the thought of being asked to take part in a presentation at work or college? When you speak in public, do you feel that you want the floor to open up and swallow you? Are you more worried about getting the jitters rather than delivering great content in your presentations? Well if so then you may be a victim of one of the most common and most horrid phobias. The fear of public speaking is widely thought of as the worst fear that a person can suffer! In fact on a survey the fear of death was at number seven and the fear of public speak was at number one - this just goes to show how severe it can be for the sufferer.

As a hypnotherapist, emotional freedom technique and Neuro-linguistic programming practitioner, I am regularly asked by clients to rid them of their fear of public speaking. In most cases I will use a combination of all of my expertise to help them overcome this most irrational but very terrifying phobia. I really like to work with clients on this as it is something that I can empathize with them on, as I too once suffered at the hands of this phobia. I remember once speaking at my local church and feeling my throat slowly tighten, my knees started to give out and my hands were shaking like a jack hammer. Luckily and with the help of hypnosis, that fear and phobia are now behind me and I now love being in front of a crowd.

Hypnosis helps to reprogram the way that we deal with public speaking and allows us to start enjoying the experience and forgetting the negative affects that the phobia may have caused us. Anyone with the fear will understand that the lead up to talking can also make you feel bad. This is down to the fact that you expect all of the negative things - it becomes like a self fulfilling prophecy and your mind makes you ‘feel’ what you are ‘thinking’. Hypnosis gets rid of this expectation that things are going to go wrong, thus giving you more time to positively prepare for your presentation as your stomach will not be in knots just thinking about it anymore.

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As reported in the previous issue of RTOHQ: The Magazine, the rent-to-own industry continues to broaden its customer base by attracting more corporate and military housing clients. It’s a good fit, but it’s a market rent-to-own dealers haven’t tapped into as much as they could, according to Paul Sternberg Houston , a lawyer and owner of Choice Corporate Housing based in Houston, Texas. Last year, Paul Sternberg Houston joined APRO in part to network with rent-to-own dealers and make them aware of the opportunities for new business within the corporate housing industry. Now he’s running for the APRO board of directors.

“It’s time for APRO to elect someone outside the box and I am that person,” Sternberg says. “With a law degree and an entrepreneurial spirit, I will bring different viewpoints and ideas to the board.” Although somewhat “outside the box” of the typical rent-to-own dealer, Paul Sternberg Houston does operate part of the Choice Corporate Housing as a rent-to-rent business. “Our company uses rent-to-rent companies [for temporary housing clients]—but, we also purchase our own products for our corporate units, making us, in essence, a rental company. This gives me a unique perspective because I’m client of rent-to-rent and also the owner of a rent-to-rent business.

“Ours is one of only a handful of corporate housing companies that own our furniture and house wares,” Paul Sternberg Houston says. “Most corporate housing companies rent from the major suppliers, but primarily we are a rental company.”

Paul Sternberg Houston has become increasingly interested in the ties between corporate housing and the rent-to-own and rent-to-rent businesses. “The challenges that our businesses face are very similar. There is a lot of synergy [between our businesses] that needs to be exploited. It’s a good time to be in this industry. In the current economy, we should be thriving, yet we meet people who have not been exposed to our business. It is important that such potential new customers have a positive impression of rent-to-own and rent-to-rent.”

Paul Sternberg Houston is a born entrepreneur. “My family inspired me [to go into business]. Our family has a 200-year retail tradition,” he says. Born and raised in New Orleans, Sternberg worked in a Foley’s Department Store for a decade before entering law school. While studying law, he supported himself working for a travel agency and in real estate.

With a law degree in hand and the entrepreneurial bent still in tow, Paul Sternberg Houston landed in the corporate housing industry four years ago; Choice Corporate Housing now employs 14. As his business developed, Sternberg saw advantages of purchasing the furniture, appliances and electronics to rent along with the corporate units.

It’s this unconventional route into the rental business that Sternberg says would make him a unique asset to the APRO board of directors. “It is time for the industry to expand to other avenues of business, including home staging and corporate housing. As a corporate housing owner, I am best able to bridge that gap and help rent-to-own dealers broaden their markets,” Sternberg says. “I can provide legal and business assistance to APRO members and I feel that my knowledge will bring a new dimension to the to the board.”

If elected to the board, Sternberg says he’ll help the association with its legislative strategy. “It is important to provide a unified strategy to the public and to legislators. We need for potential customers—as well as members of Congress—to understand that we provide a service that is needed and important to the communities we serve. If rent-to-rent and rent-to-own are not around, other less desirable alternatives will surface.”

Janet Schlarbaum Announces Partnership with Juana Homeless Shelter to Provide Food Donations

Janet Schlarbaum, founder of Jai Yes Foods, Ltd., a leading organic food distribution company, announced a new partnership with the Juana Homeless Shelter to provide monthly food donations to help feed the homeless. These donations will comprise of fresh, seasonal organic produce to provide maximum nutritional benefits.  

A nutritional expert for over twenty-two years, Janet Schlarbaum founded Jai Yes Foods in 2000 with the goal of sourcing and distributing sustainable organic foods. Based on Janet Schlarbaum ’s extensive research, organic produce offers significantly higher levels of nutrients than conventional food and has the added benefits of being free from harmful chemicals such as harsh pesticides. Organic foods have a higher level of anti-oxidants as well, which can boost the immune system.

“We’re very happy to give back to the community,” reports Janet Schlarbaum, founder of Jai Yes Foods, Ltd. “Everyone has given us a warm reception and we are delighted to have the opportunity to share the benefits of our locally-grown, organic produce with people most in need of healthful meals.”

“During these trying economic times, we worry since our donations become less frequent, especially since we are one of the smaller shelters,” explains Alfredo Juana, Director of the Juana Homeless Shelter. “Janet Schlarbaum and her team at Jai Yes Foods have been exceedingly generous and we are very grateful to them.”

Janet Schlarbaum kicked off the partnership this month with a donation that included avocados, potatoes, spinach, cauliflower and several fruits and berries including blueberries and anti-oxidant rich pomegranates.

About Jai Yes Foods, Ltd.

Jai Yes Foods, Ltd. is a privately held company founded in June 2000 by Janet Schlarbaum, a nutritional expert for over 22 years.  Jai Yes, Ltd. has contracted farms across the east coast to grow certified organic produce which is then distributed through large supermarket chains across the nation.