http://speechcoachblog.com Patti Wood MA, CSP, motivational speaker and professional speech coach Fri, 19 Oct 2007 19:13:14 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en One of the best ways to create humor in your speech is to tell a story. You can always find a story: about a happy client, how a product was developed or how a project was carried out. A story draws us in. And then you add details. Details ... http://speechcoachblog.com/2007/10/19/how-to-make-your-next-speech-funny-or-funnier/ There is nothing like sharing a personal story in your speech that ties in with something hot in the news. It accomplishes several things. It makes you human in the eyes of your audience which helps them connect with you. It let’s them know you are hip and current with ... http://speechcoachblog.com/2007/07/19/know-your-audience-know-the-news/ I have had a rough two weeks. A lot of really difficult and challenging things have happened. But like all motivational speakers and all really good speakers on any topic, I have been trying to see what I can learn from these experiences that I can eventually share ... http://speechcoachblog.com/2007/07/18/when-bad-things-happen/ Yesterday I recommended that you speak the truth, today I want to discuss with you how to respond to truths you may hear. My first regular speaking client was the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. I did a three day workshop that had gone extremely well; I got back my ... http://speechcoachblog.com/2007/07/17/recieving-difficult-truth/ I was reading a news letter from speaker Randy Gage. He just keynoted at the National Speaker Convention. He had a speaking experience that you may have had or may have with your audience. The majority of the audience loved him; about 10 percent were deeply offended by him. Here ... http://speechcoachblog.com/2007/07/16/speak-the-truth/ Your group is tired and bored and needs something to get them energized. Perhaps you have been working a while on a serious project in your meeting and now you need a humor break or exercise the get the creative juices flowing. Or maybe you want your team to ... http://speechcoachblog.com/2007/07/02/laugh-a-little/ I am a reader who finds a great author and reads everything she or he has written and devours it. One of those easy to read good authors is by Adriana Trigiani; her first and best book is Big Stone Gap. Other titles from her include Big Cherry ... http://speechcoachblog.com/2007/06/26/adriana-trigiani/ Good writers know how to choose the perfect word. They know how to phrase a sentence so that it has the right rhythm to hit your subconscious. They can grab you in the first sentence of a book and draw you into a story. They can create an image that ... http://speechcoachblog.com/2007/06/21/read-well-to-speak-well/ Your job is not just to compile material and merely repeat it back to your audience. Your ultimate job, your mission if you choose to accept it, is to connect with your audience. That means you need to: stay focused on the audience, be aware of their body language, ... http://speechcoachblog.com/2007/06/14/mission-connection/ That fact that women speak differently than men is not surprise. What is enlightening is to discover how those differences effect the way women's messages are perceived. Unfortunately they are often perceived as less credible and less persuasive. My first paid speech 26 years ago was on gender differences ... http://speechcoachblog.com/2007/06/09/don%e2%80%99t-be-so-emotional-how-women%e2%80%99s-voices-sound-to-men/