Lessons from the Debates for Public Speakers

Debates are not just for politicians. Debates happen in meetings, in schools, and in personal settings when sparring with a friend. There are techniques from debates that apply to win others to a different point of view. While everyday situations don’t follow formal debate rules, we can take a lesson from watching debates.

Staging is important. The decision to stand or sit can have an impact on the process. Standing will definitely increase energy; however a seated position will create a more intimate feeling and will work to control more volatile personalities. In a meeting or panel discussion, be intentional about seating order.

Show some passion. How you speak is as important as what you say. The best idea won’t land unless it’s spoken with conviction. Soft spoken people need to push their energy.

Mind your facial expressions. In a contentious debate, it’s common for the opponents to smirk, shake their head, or roll their eyes. On a panel, or in a meeting this is unacceptable. Be cognizant of too much smiling. Even when smiling is meant to be condescending to the person speaking, it can backfire. This is especially true for women because of a double standard. Use it sparingly. It’s better to discredit the other person with logical statements and evidence.

Respect the rules. As in a debate, meetings and panel discussions are timed. When presenters interrupt or go over their time, it’s disrespectful to the listeners. Cut off interrupters by saying, “Excuse me, I wasn’t finished.” “My time isn’t up.” “Let me finish my point.” “Please don’t interrupt.” Talking over someone to shut them down, will cause valuable ideas and information to be lost. And the listeners will feel resentful.

The moderator is EVERYTHING. A debate is only as good as the moderator. The role of the moderator is to establish rules and expectations, manage the timing, make transitions, ask thought provoking questions, keep the debate focused, and manage personalities. A debate or meeting can quickly derail if the moderator is weak. And a lackluster moderator can create a boring experience. Be sure to vet the moderator and choose the most skilled, confident and versatile person to lead the debate or meeting.

Engage Your Audience with High Tech Tools

How do you grab your audience and keep their attention? In this digital world, attention is the in- demand currency. And that may require new skills and tools to wow your audience. Laurie Brown, a professional speaker, facilitated a discussion to gather tools to engage your audience. The good news is there is a tool for every technical level.

In this article we’ll address high tech tools most of which will be used for virtual presentations.

Kahoot-This application allows the presenter to create games online and in person. It’s a game based learning application used for elearning, interactive presentations, training, and events.

PowerPoint-Still the standard, if used effectively, slides can add pictures, graphs, charts, and video to engage an audience.

Streamyard-A live streaming studio that allows you to share your screen and live stream directly to facebook, youtube, linkedin and other platforms.

Google doc slides -Create, edit and collaborate from wherever you are. Easy to access. No files to remember.

Canva -Online design made easy. Choose from thousands of templates for social media, presentations, posters and other visual content. Create eye catching promotions.

Rushak Creative -Download online PowerPoint games such as Family Feud, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune and others.

eCamm - A leading provider of Mac software. Allows users to wirelessly mirror their device for a larger display for everyone to see. Animate and time all objects with a user friendly timeline. For Mac computers only.

Miro -A collaborative whiteboard for teams which includes sticky notes and diagrams .Or create your own template. You can integrate all your files directly into Miro for timely group collaboration.

Poll anywhere- Real time audience polling that can be used with in-person audiences or online.

If attention is the currency, your biggest competitor is the smart phone. Online or virtual presentations can tire an audience. Eliminate Zoom fatigue by using these high tech tools. You’ll grab their attention, get them off their phones and keep them engaged!

Press release: Speaking Expert, Diane DiResta Awarded Certified Virtual Presenter Designation.

NEW YORK, NY -- (June 4, 2020) -- Diane DiResta has been certified as a virtual presenter.

As the meetings industry and companies have begun working remotely, presentations and conferences have become virtual. Meeting planners want a way to identify professional speakers who can master the virtual platform.

The Certified Virtual Presenter is a new designation offered by eSpeakers.  As the Internet became the way we all do business, eSpeakers provided for another need in the industry: a way for event organizers to easily find the perfect speaker, among thousands, for each audience they are responsible for. Several years later, thousands of successful speakers, trainers and coaches use eSpeakers to build their businesses and manage their calendars. 

 eSpeakers is the premiere spot for event planners, associations, speakers bureaus and organizations who are in search of a professional speaker.

The certification evaluates the speaker’s environment, equipment, and skills. When the speaker displays the Certified Virtual Presenter badge, it tells the world that they can expect a high quality remote experience with you, free from technical issues and with an easy-to-see and easy-to-hear presenter. eSpeakers evaluators tend to focus on specific details so that a high standard  is upheld and is consistent for everyone. Presenters are assessed on their internet connection, audio quality, microphones, lighting, backdrop, screen staging and presence, eye contact, interaction, and presentation skills.

ABOUT DIANE DIRESTA

DiResta is the Founder of DiResta Communications, Inc, a New York City communication skills consultancy serving business leaders who give high stakes presentations, whether one-on-one, to a large audience, or from an electronic platform. She's the author of the amazon best selling book, Knockout Presentations. .

Tagged: virtual presentations, certification, virtual speaker

0 Likes Share

How to Rock a Virtual Panel

This month I was part of a panel entitled, Become an Author: The Time is Now. My two colleagues, Anne Akers and Sue Matthews were panelists. And I was the producer, moderator and a 3rd panelist. (Not recommended. You have to be super coordinated). Speaking on panels is an excellent opportunity to broadcast your message, build your brand, and increase your leadership and visibility. In the current digital marketplace, Virtual panel presentations are no longer optional. Leaders and public speakers must master this medium. Even seasoned panelists won’t excel online unless they learn the difference between virtual and live panels.

Roles: Every virtual panel has a producer, a moderator or Emcee, and speakers.

The producer must be experienced with the online platform of choice. This person is behind the scenes operating the controls. A producer may manage the chat function, handle technical glitches such as sound or video issues, and any other technical details that will free the moderator to conduct the panel.

The moderator makes strategic decisions before the event such as requiring audience members to wait to be invited into the meeting, choosing a backdrop, whether there will be visual aids, or if the event will be recorded. It’s even more important to cover ‘housekeeping” items in terms of how to use the technology and rules of audience participation. As in live events, the moderator keeps the meeting on point and manages the panelists. Introductions should be shorter. Two or three sentences per presenter is more effective than listening to a lengthier introduction. The major difference is the moderator needs to build in more frequent interaction.

The panelists need to keep their presentations and answers brief. A speaker who goes over the time could result in the meeting being prematurely disconnected. It’s critical to rehearse in advance and to err on the side of less information because the actual presentation will take longer with audience interaction. And if the panel finishes early , the audience will always value more time to ask questions.

Interaction: Here is where the producer and moderator can collaborate. Build in polls, make use of the chat, and encourage participation through icons-raised hand, applause, thumbs up. When the moderator is asking questions, the producer can monitor the comments in the chat room and respond individually or alert the moderator when their are questions.

Frequent interaction will engage the audience and prevent them from multitasking. A good rule of thumb is to interact with the audience when a panelist has finished a topic.

The moderator can maximize the chat by asking the audience for short responses. For example, during our publishing panel, I asked the audience if they preferred traditional or self publishing. I directed them to type a /T/ or an /S/ in the chat. It was fast and fun.

Screen presence: Color coordination is important consideration when dressing for virtual panels. Jewel colors work best on screen. We chose colors that complimented each other with royal blue, aqua, and purple. Since panelists may be dialing in from different places be sure that each panelist has an attractive background. One way to create uniformity is to agree to use the same backdrop. And when speaking as a panelist or moderator, be sure to look directly at the lens and not at the speakers.

Virtual presentations are the new normal.

How to Deliver Bad News-Lessons from Marriott's CEO

It was a message that no CEO or business owner wants to deliver. Arne Sorenson, CEO of Marriott International, had to inform his employees of the impact that Corona virus would have on them and the company. He started out on the right foot with the title of the talk. It simply said, A Message from Arne. Not a Town Hall, not a Message from the CEO, but a message from Arne. He established a personal connection before he spoke his first word with his informal title.

Striking a serous tone, he began with a direct statement. “I”m here to give you an update on the effects of Covid-19 on our business and the steps we are taking to respond to it. Direct and to the point is the best way to deliver bad news. People are feeling anxious and want to know the topic and agenda of the talk. He also said “This is the most difficult video message we have ever pulled together.” The CEO established his humanity and authenticity with this statement. In other words, this would not be corporate speak.

Mr. Sorenson then injected some mild, appropriate humor to relax the audience. “Our team was a bit concerned about using video because of my new bald look. Let me say my bald look is exactly what we expected because of my medical treatments.” He acknowledged his changed appearance to assure people he was all right. Again, this humanized him as a leader and speaker and the personal reference created a connection with the audience. And he assured them that he was healthy and able to lead. He let it be known that he was focused on the Covid-19 crisis.

After establishing the purpose and establishing rapport, he delivered an excellent transition- “Now let’s talk about that crisis.” As a public speaker he got right to the point. He talked about how he felt, Next, he acknowledged the elephant in the room-his baldness and let people know he was ready to lead them through the crisis. Only then would the audience be ready to hear his strategy. He stayed away from abstractions and made the impact of the virus concrete. Effective leaders and public speakers create a picture for the audience and he did so with the next statement. “Covid 19 has had greater financial impact than 911 and the economic crisis combined.” He followed up with numbers. We’ve seen a 90% decrease in our business in China.”

He moved on to list the strategies and cost containment approaches that would occur, as well as the salary cuts he and his executive team would be taking. This decision demonstrated his leadership once again. He was not above the fray and would personally experience a temporary financial loss along with his employees.

Mr. Sorenson mentioned the positive signs of China’s recovery and once again relayed how it felt to give this news to valued employees. He talked about his eight years as CEO and the highs and lows of his tenure. There was a slight quiver in his voice as he was feeling the pain of this message. Mr. Sorenson assured his employees that “Together we can and we will overcome this and we’ll thrive once again.” And while he didn’t minimize the crisis, he ended with a message of hope and confidence. His entire speech was five minutes and 48 seconds. It was long enough to present the full picture and short enough to maintain attention. It was an exercise in executive presence. And that’s how to deliver bad news.

8 Ways to Scale the Stage

Speaking on stage is a privilege. But being a road warrior can be a nightmare. And giving one keynote speech after another is not a sustainable business model whether you are a professional speaker or want to be one.

Keynote speaking is not a business. It’s one revenue source. When you build a business exclusively with keynote speaking, you are the business. You only have 24 hours a day and that puts a cap on income potential. It’s also economy dependent. When the economy is slow, meetings and conventions get cut. Without another source of income, a professional speaker can go broke. In a good economy, it means you are constantly on the road which can lead to burnout. If you burnout, your ability to generate income will be compromised.

There’s a better solution. By scaling your business you’ll have additional streams of income, which will give you more time to enjoy your life and you’ll ultimately have peace of mind during an economic downturn.

Allison Mason, author of Scale or Fail, identified five stages of scaling:

1. The Seeker

2. The Pioneer

3. The Ringleader

4. The Co-Creator

5. The Visionary.

Once you decide to expand beyond keynote speaking, there are a number of ways to add revenue streams to your business. Here are 8 ways to scale the stage:

Digital products-A digital product can be an Ebook or audio file that customers can purchase from your website.

Online classes-These classes are usually a series of videos and require some back office technology. A quicker and easier alternative is to offer videos on an existing portal that sells online learning.

Membership Programs-This requires building a community. Customers pay a monthly charge and meet with you on a weekly or monthly basis to learn from your expertise and to share knowledge and feedback with their peers. It requires an all-in-one platform that can create email funnels, create pdf or audio files and track the database.

Licensing-A speaker can sell programs to a company and then train them to do it in-house for a fee. The company pays to use the intellectual property.

Certification-A speaker or expert can train others in their process. Let’s say a keynote speaker wants to learn coaching skills. They can pay you for your knowledge and they’ll receive a certificate. They’ll then be able to start coaching their own clients with their newly acquired skills.

Subcontracting-Here is where the speaker can duplicate themselves by hiring other trainers to deliver their programs. The speaker who owns the program pays each subcontractor and takes a percentage of the fee.

Sponsorship-A speaker may offer a public program where other experts would love to have access to the audience. The speaker can then charge the experts to give a commercial or buy an ad.

Franchising-When a professional speaker has a robust, growing business complete with employees and replicable systems. it may be time to consider a second location by offering a franchise. This allows for expansion nationally and internationally.

The time to start scaling is now. By scaling the stage you’ll have additional revenue sources and greater opportunities to grow.

How will you scale?