Ten Speech Tips for Writing Powerful and Persuasive Presentation

Have you ever had to give a speech?

Do you remember that feeling? A knot in the stomach, sweaty palms and a panic attack!

Not a very pleasant experience. And yet, I'm sure your speech was a success because 90 per cent of a typical audience want the speaker to succeed.

Ten Speech Tips for Writing Powerful and Persuasive Presentation

Yet according to The Book of Lists, speaking in public is one of our greatest fears.

Much of this anxiety is due to a lack of confidence in writing and preparing a speech rather than in the delivery.

Giving a presentation can be a great way to build your business, influence public opinion or kick-start your career.

It is an excellent way to stand out from the crowd and make a real difference in people's lives.

What are the secrets of writing a powerful and persuasive speech for any occasion?

Here are 10 tips for turning a good speech into a great one!

1. Have a plan and set some objectives & outcomes.

There is nothing worse than not knowing what you want to achieve. Do you want to educate the audience, inform, inspire, motivate or touch their emotions? Always work out what you want to achieve before beginning the speech process.

2. Have a formal structure - beginning, middle and end.

Audiences love structure and the best speeches stick to this tried and true rule. As they say: "tell them what you're going to say, tell them and then tell them again".

3. Avoid having too much content.

Hands up those that are guilty of this sin. I know I am. I have lost count the number of technical presentations given by CEO's, managers, scientists, engineers, geologists and other professionals who have just put too much content into their presentations. Far too much for an audience to absorb - remember even the best audiences face information overload after 20 minutes.
How do you overcome the content crisis? See Tip # 8.

4. Define who your audience is and use the most appropriate communication
channels to reach them.

Analyse how your audience likes to take in information - do they like to be visually stimulated or do they enjoy just sitting back and listening. Or do they like to get involved, to touch and feel in a kinaesthetic way. Work out the best mix of visual, audio and kinaesthetic and use this in your speechwriting.

5. Research your speech using a range of sources.

Be a keen observer of the trends your audience is likely to be interested in and keep a file of interesting articles and information. If you are time poor- a few quick questions when meeting an audience just prior to a speech, such as "what are the issues facing your business/industry/association at the moment?" can really help target your presentation and build rapport.

6. Use personal stories, examples and metaphors to make intangible concepts
tangible.

In many cases you are trying to sell ideas and concepts in a speech. These are intangible and often difficult for the audience to grasp. Personal stories, examples and metaphors make the invisible visible.

7. Have a strong opening and closing.

People remember the opening - first impressions count! The closing is important as it should reinforce the key message you want the audience to go away with in their head after they have heard the presentation. Ending with a 'call to action' can be a powerful way to get your audience to act on your message.

8. Add value and extra detail through a handout.

Here's a tip: if you want to provide detail - put it in a handout! You can get far more content across in the written form than in a speech. Always refer to this in your presentation but hand it out after your speech so the audience is not distracted reading through it while you talk. There is nothing more soul destroying for a presenter to see the audience leafing through written notes rather than looking at you!

9. Use short words and plain English.

The short words are always the best words. Avoid jargon. Use active words instead of passive. This has far more impact in the minds of your listeners.

10. Evaluate and review on a regular basis.

There's nothing more powerful than to hear back a speech you've written. If you are writing a speech for someone else always try and hear the speech or at least get some feedback. Recording and listening back to a presentation is the fastest way to improve your skills.

Ten Speech Tips for Writing Powerful and Persuasive Presentation
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Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries. You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com. Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom's blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com

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Good Feature Writing Examples Get You Closer To Your Byline

It is the dream of many of us that write to be featured above the fold on a leading publication, website or newspaper. For many it remains a dream, but for others who turns dreams into action it can become a reality.

Gone are the days when few of us had a voice. Today, with the Internet, blogs and other news gathering sites, we can quickly and easily become published feature writers, although getting paid for it is another matter. The good news is that having your blog featured on Feedburner, or your article on the front page of Digg or Netscape will generate so much traffic and word of mouth that paying for the same advertising would be akin to buying commercial time on the Super Bowl, and beyond the reach of most.

A feature article can be about anything at all, but it helps if it is newsworthy. I have written an article or two about my dog, and while it brought personal fulfillment, it did not generate much traffic. In the newspaper field (and true also on the Internet) the headline "Dog Bites Man" garners little attention since it is an everyday occurrence, while the title "Man Bites Dog" makes us all sit up and take notice.

Good Feature Writing Examples Get You Closer To Your Byline

If you are going to write a feature article on anything, give it a unique perspective, and do not copy and paste something you read. That would be plagiarism, and the search engines tend to ignore what they identify as duplicate content.

Case studies are often provide very good feature articles examples, especially if the study concerns something or someone that could affect all our lives or the economy. When Alan Greenspan, head of the Federal Reserve of the United States from 1987 to 2006, made a statement people around the World took note. Was it because he was a great writer? Rather it was because what he said affected the lives of millions, billions around the world.

Choose what you want to write about, write it well, but be certain you have an audience. If someone can read your feature article, and find it improves their life or teaches them something they did not know before, you have the very real possibility of achieving "above the fold" placement.

A proven successful feature article model is the "How To" article. Some examples are:

"How To Lose Weight and Keep It Off"

"How To Make So Much Money Even Your Mother-in-Law Will Think You Are Made Of Gold"

"How To Live To One Hundred and Remain Healthy and Fit"

When Winston Churchill uttered the famous words, "Never, never, never give up" he was talking about World War II. But the same holds true in getting your first featured article published. Never give up: if your article is rejected, revise it, write another one, or submit it to somewhere new. Rejection is part of life, and certainly part of any writer's life.

Know your market. This sounds simplistic, but it is crucial. Do not submit your articles to publications or websites about dogs if your article is about cats. Despite your talent, your work must fit the market where it is submitted or publication will be an elusive dream.

If you are a writer, then you have the potential within to be a feature writer. Research, refine, then listen if you get a rejection notice: often those editors will guide you toward ultimate success.

Good Feature Writing Examples Get You Closer To Your Byline
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Andrew Morris helps writers turn their passions into profits, and uncover hidden gems of income generation by...

http://www.articlewritingzen.com

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Write Your Family History - 50 Questions You Must Ask Parents Or Grandparents Before They Die

No one expected it.

While climbing into his hot tub, my healthy 87- year-old father-in-law slipped, fell, and broke a rib. He began internal bleeding that the doctors couldn't stop. In two weeks, Gene was gone.

Fortunately, we had taken time a few months earlier to record Gene's life story, and discovered some amazing facts. He was a semi-pro baseball player, a fine watercolorist, and a US Marine. As a marketing executive for Kaiser and later Del Monte, he worked on national advertising campaigns with mega-stars of his day, including Joan Crawford, Debbie Reynolds, Stan Musial, Lloyd Bridges and others.

Write Your Family History - 50 Questions You Must Ask Parents Or Grandparents Before They Die

We recorded Gene's life story on two occasions: once at a small family dinner, then during a living-room interview a few months later.

We transcribed the audio files of the recordings, added pictures, and then uploaded the whole package to a new free web site that helps people write great personal and family stories. (See resource section,below). Gene's family and friends can view his story and add comments or photos if they wish. The profile that we co-created with Gene is a celebration of his life. It's also a direct, meaningful connection with his daughters and their grandchildren. Anyone can create a life story for themselves or a loved one. It's as simple as setting aside some time and doing some careful listening.

I've helped hundreds of people across the US, Canada, and Mexico capture their life stories. Based on hundreds of hours of interviews, I've boiled down my experience into three key tips, and the 50 most productive questions you can use for success.

Success Tip #1: Pre-Interview Preparation is Key

To get the most from your family history session, be as prepared as possible.

. Inform the subject of the purpose of the interview, who will see it, and how it will be used · Prepare your questions in advance · Set aside a quiet time and place free from interruptions

· It's a good idea to use a voice or video recorder; test all equipment thoroughly before starting

· It's often useful to use a tape or digital recorder and transcribe the dictation

· Photos, mementos, or other visual aids are great memory-joggers. Ask your subject to prepare some in advance

· Listen attentively and gently; ask questions of clarification

· Don't try to force the subject into something they are uncomfortable discussing

Success Tip #2: Be Flexible and Creative

When I first started doing life story interviews, it seemed as if people spent the majority of time talking about their early days. As I got more experience, I began to realize that most people have one, two or possibly three key defining times in their lives. For many, it's childhood. For a lot of men, it's WWII, Korea, or Vietnam. The defining moments emerge like finding a gold nugget in a streambed. Be sensitive to these defining moments and episodes. Listen extra-carefully, and ask questions. Often a deeper portrait of an individual emerges, laden with rich experiences, values, beliefs, and layers of complexity. If you don't complete the interview in one sitting, set a date to resume your conversation later

Success Tip #3: Organize Life Stories into Chapters

Most people (yes, even shy ones) love to be the center of attention and share stories from their lives. There are two challenges for a family historian. The first is to capture the stories in a structured, logical way. The second is to make sure that the stories are as complete as possible and contain facts (names, dates, places), fully-drawn characters, a story line, and perhaps even a finale. The GreatLifeStories web site divides the life experience into 12 "chapters" that follow the progression of many lives. On the web site, each chapter contains anywhere from 10 to 25 questions. (Below, I've selected the 50 questions that usually get the best results). Don't worry; you don't have to ask them all. In fact, after one or two questions, you may not have to ask anymore-the interview takes on a life of its own.

The most important objective is to make sure you cover as many of the chapter headings as possible. The chapter headings are logical and somewhat chronological in order: Beginnings, School Days, Off to Work, Romance and Marriage, and so forth. Feel free to add your own chapters, as well. The 12-chapter system is a great way to organize both the interview, as well as the life story write up, video, or audio recording.

CHAPTER 1: In the Beginning

1. What were your parents and grandparents full names, dates of birth, places of birth.

2. What were the occupations of your parents?

3. How many children were in your family? Where were you in the lineup?

4. Generally speaking, what was your childhood like?

5. What one or two stories do you remember most clearly about your childhood?

6. Are there any particularly happy, funny, sad or instructive lessons you learned while growing up?

CHAPTER 2: In Your Neighborhood

1. What was it like where you grew up?

2. Describe your most important friendships

3. Where and how did "news of your neighborhood" usually flow?

CHAPTER 3 School Days

1. Be sure to capture names and dates attended of grammar, high, colleges, trade or technical schools

2. What are your earliest school day memories?

3. Are there any teachers or subjects you particularly liked or disliked?

4. What did you learn in those first years of school that you would like to pass along to the next generation?

5. Were you involved in sports, music, drama, or other extra-curricular activities?

CHAPTER 4: Off to Work

1. What did you want to be when you grew up?

2. What was your first job, and how did you get it?

3. What was your first boss like? What did you learn from him or her?

4. Did you leave? Quit? Get promoted? Get fired?

5. Were you ever out of work for a long time? If so, how did you handle it?

CHAPTER 5 Romance & Marriage

1. What do you recall about your first date?

2. How did you know you were really in love?

3. Tell me how you "popped the question," or how it was popped to you.

4. Tell me about your wedding ceremony. What year? Where? How many attended? Honeymoon?

5. Tell me about starting your family.

6. Were you married more than once? How often?

CHAPTER 6: Leisure and Travel

1. What were the most memorable family vacations or trips you can recall?

2. What leisure time activities are you involved with?

3. What are your greatest accomplishments in this field?

CHAPTER 7: Places of Worship

1. Do you follow any religious tradition?

2. If so which one, and what is it like?

3. Have you ever changed faiths?

4. What role do your beliefs play in your life today?

5. What would you tell your children about your faith?

CHAPTER 8 War & Peace

1. Were you a volunteer, drafted or a conscientious objector?

2. If you didn't serve, what do you recall about being on the home front during the war?

3. What key moments do you recall about your service?

4. What would you tell today's young soldiers, sailors and fliers?

CHAPTER 9 Triumph and Tragedy

1. What were the most joyous, fulfilling times of your life?

2. Any sad, tragic or difficult times you'd care to share such as losing a loved one, a job, or something you cared about?

3. What lifelong lessons did you learn from these tough times? Joyous times?

4. Were there any moments you recall as true breakthroughs in any area of your life?

5. If you could do one thing differently in your life, what would that be?

CHAPTER 10 Words of Wisdom

1. What have you learned over your lifetime that you'd like to share with the younger generation?

2. People will sometimes repeat aphorisms such as "honesty is the best policy." If they do, be sure to ask how they learned that life lesson.

CHAPTER 11: Funnybones

1. What were your family's favorite jokes or pranks?

2. Who is, or was, the family comedian? "Straight" man?

3. What's the funniest family story you remember?

CHAPTER 12 Thank You

1. What are you most grateful for you your life?

2. How have you taught your children to be grateful?

3. Are there items or places that mark special gratitude for the ones you love? What are they? What are their stories?

In closing, it is always a good idea to ask an open-ended question such as:" Is there anything I haven't asked about that you would care to comment on?" You'll often be surprised and delighted at the answers!

RESOURCES:

For many more tips on how to capture precious family history, visit www.GreatLifeStories.com

Write Your Family History - 50 Questions You Must Ask Parents Or Grandparents Before They Die
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Mike Brozda is one of the founding members of the GreatLifeStories team. A veteran journalist, he has more than 30 years experience writing for national and international publications.

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Writing an Author Bio - Examples of Professional Bios

Not only is it useful to know what you need to include in an author bio, it is also useful to see examples of how your vital information should look. This article will cover both what you need to include in your author bio and some examples of tight professional bios.

The Six Rules You Should Use to Write a Professional Bio
Always write in the third person. Your professional bio is not an autobiography. You don't say, "I have been a ghost writer for four years." You say, "Jane Doe has been a ghost writer for four years." It's easier to trust a bio that appears to have been written by an objective observer. List provable facts. Don't waste time sharing your dreams. "Jane Doe has always wanted to pursue writing as a career." That's not appropriate here. Only include information that you can back up with proof. "Jane Doe has provided her services independently and through the online employment forums oDesk and Elance." These are facts that can be confirmed by a search on these forums. Include pertinent education and experience. If you have taken courses, you may want to include this, especially if your list of provable facts is difficult to confirm independently. Example later. Bring in memberships. Mention any memberships you have in writing clubs, business groups, etc. Keep the writing tight. Don't get wordy. Display your best writing skills. Keep sentences short. Make sure every sentence really needs to be there. Hook, grab and hold. Make sure your bio includes something that is unique about you. Give the reader something to remember about you.

These rules don't have to be applied in the order given. All you really need to do is include as many of them as possible. You may not have any education. Don't fret over it. Build up your experience so you can change your bio.

Writing an Author Bio - Examples of Professional Bios

Examples of These Rules in Action

"Denise Rutledge has been working with writing challenged clients for over four years. (How long you've been providing a service is useful information.) She provides ghost writing, coaching and ghost editing services. (What your services are is also useful) Her educational background in family science and journalism has given her a broad base from which to approach many topics. (Education and experience.) Her writing skills may be confirmed independently on oDesk.com and Elance.com. (Provable facts.) She especially enjoys preparing resumes for individuals who are changing careers. (Hook, grab and hold.) You may learn more about her services at Writing as a Ghost.com. (Second hook, grab and hold.)"

"Writing challenged clients" in the opening sentence is also a potential hook, grab and hold.

"Jane Doe writes SEO articles for businesses that want to see their Google search rankings surge.(What she does.) Her articles have appeared in a number of e-zine sites, including EzineArticles.com, ArticlesBase.com, HubPages.com and TRCB.com. (Way to confirm her skills.) She contributes articles about SEO techniques regularly to Site-Reference Newletter.com. (Her experience level.) Her articles focus on balancing informative with SEO needs--but never at the expense of providing an entertaining read. (There's the hook.) Learn more about how Jane's SEO articles could grow your business by visiting her blog at JaneDoeSEOArticlesBlog.com."

You might notice that neither example includes a membership. If a rule doesn't apply, don't worry about it. If you have to weigh which is more valuable, experience always wins.

Writing an Author Bio - Examples of Professional Bios
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Denise Rutledge provides ghostwriting, SEO article, website content, eBook and resume services through http://writingasaghost.com. Her professional bio is purposely short for this article.

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How to Write About Yourself - Generating Writing Ideas From Your Everyday Life

New writers often complain that their lives aren't exciting enough to write about. If they haven't had a traumatic childhood, climbed a mountain or battled a life threatening illness, they believe no one will want to hear what they have to say. This is not true. Everybody's life history is unique and a successful writer will exploit their particular set of circumstances and experiences to generate fresh writing ideas and create sellable articles or exciting stories.

Who are you?

Everything about you is a potential source of inspiration. What do you look like? How old are you? What is your ethnicity? Do you have brothers and sisters? Are you healthy? What is the most vivid memory you have from childhood? However mundane you feel your responses are to such questions, your answers will be unlike anyone else's.

How to Write About Yourself - Generating Writing Ideas From Your Everyday Life

What do you do?

Are you working right now? What job do you do? Are you planning to start your own business, retired or struggling to find the right career? There are stories to be told in all of these situations. What about your free time? Are you talented at a particular sport or do you play a musical instrument? What sort of company do you keep? Where do you like to hang out? Where do you take your vacations? Ask yourself questions like this and then think of how your answers could generate ideas for articles or stories.

Where do you live?

Where ever you live, your locality should provide you with plenty of inspiration. What is the latest gossip and are there any big issues affecting your home town right now? What facilities are on offer to residents and visitors? Are there any significant buildings with interesting histories? What are the people like? What do they do to earn a living and how do they spend their freetime? Is it a good place to live and why? Remember that relevant photographs make a feature much more sellable, so get out and about and see what you can find on your doorstep.

Who do you know?

You may feel you are not interesting enough to write about but what about other people? Perhaps some of your friends or family have a story to tell. What about famous people living in your area or somebody who has achieved something special? There are lots of people out their keen to share their experiences and most of them will be only too pleased to be interviewed if asked.

What do you love?

We often write articles that sell when we feel a connection with our subject. If you find something you feel strongly about - write about it. If a news item makes you angry or a newspaper story leaves you in tears - write about it. Write about the things you love to do or the things you would love to have a go at. Being a writer is a great excuse for trying out new experiences or researching subjects you have always wanted to know more about. Immerse yourself in the world around you. Be alert to new sensations and experiences. Just remember to carry a notebook around with you so can get it all down on paper!

How to Write About Yourself - Generating Writing Ideas From Your Everyday Life
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Louise Dop is a successful Freelance Writer and Technical Author. With a degree in Physics and a career history in science and technology she writes about popular science, the craft and business of writing and family and health issues. Keeping up with emerging technologies and topical subjects, she enjoys observing and commenting on all aspects of modern life.

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