The Top 7 - How Well do you Speak?

The ability to speak well can enhance your career, clinch a sale, sell a point of view and increase an executive's productivity. Coach Sandra Schrift, founder of the first national speakers?bureau in San Diego, shares a few insights on making a presentation.

1. The most important objective of any speaker is to appear credible and knowledgeable about their subject. Speak to your audience as if you were having a conversation.

2. Grab the audience's attention in the first few minutes with a question, starting comment, inspiring story, a funny experience. This will help you connect immediately with everyone and reduce the tension. Stay away from jokes!

3. Reduce your nervousness by taking several deep breaths immediately before you 're introduced. And for you chocaholics..eat some chocolate to relax your vocal chords.

4. When making a presentation, look at one person long enough to deliver one complete thought, then move to another individual and repeat the process. Everyone else in the audience will also feel attended to.

5. Use visual aids to increase audience retention of your message. But NEVER become a master of ceremonies to your overheads.

6. Avoid the # one mistake in the speaking business - failing to check your audio-visual equipment before your presentation. Show up early to check out the sound system and any other equipment you will be using.

7. Personal benefits from acquiring excellent speaking skills include: more self-confidence, becoming more persuasive and evolving into a magnetic or dynamic speaker. nnnn