Tag Archives: Communication Skills

Communication Skills Workshop by Mr. Kwong Yue Yang

Mr. Kwong Yue Yang is the 2011 and 2014 World Champion of Public Speaking first runner-up.  He conducted a speaking enhancement workshop in 2012 for the youth in Hong Kong.

communication

The workshop is about communication. How do we communicate better in English? How can we get our ideas across to reach others in a more effective way? Even though the workshop was conducted for secondary school students, I think you should get some really good public speaking tips by watching it.

Check out the live videos from the workshop.

English Public Speaking Contest 2012 Speaking Enhancement Workshop (Session 2: Mr Kwong Yue Yang)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Join Toastmasters and find a club that you like to practise your speeches in a friendly environments. You are welcome to visit our Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore.

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Public Speaking Tips : 10 Strategies to Wow and Win Audiences

10 Strategies to Wow and Win Audiences

good presentations

Speaking in public provides you the opportunity to promote your brand, your company and yourself. It enables you to expand your circle of influence. Yet many people are reluctant to speak before an audience. Here are ten strategies to help you wow and win over audiences, and become a better speaker.

Practice is the key to helping you improve in public speaking.

Join Toastmasters and find a club that you like to practise your speeches in a friendly environment. You are welcome to visit our Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore.

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Power Speaking – 10 Strategies to Wow and Win Audiences
By Dawne Simmons

You know the feeling. Your mouth dries. Your palms moisten. Your heartbeat pounds in your ears. Butterflies swoop and soar in your stomach. What’s the cause? You’re about to give a speech. Several studies report that public speaking ranks top among people’s fears. Yet, public speaking also affords you the opportunity to promote your brand, your company and yourself. It enables you to expand your circle of influence. More importantly, public speaking remains a powerful communication tool for your strategic business messages. Here are 10 tips to help you wow and win your audiences, and become a better public speaker.

1. Have something to say. Sounds simple enough. Yet too many speakers merely present encyclopedic reports of facts and figures. Take a stand. Express an opinion. Put your facts in context.

2. Use gentle humor. No, this is not the time to practice your stand-up routine. Try instead to use humorous stories and anecdotes. They can evoke smiles that relax your audience and make them more receptive to your message.

3. Share your personal experiences. You’ve been invited to speak because of your knowledge about a subject. Your experiences – both the successes and stumbles, as well as what you’ve learned from each – add an important human touch.

4. Stay within your allotted time – or even shorter. On the subject of making speeches, Franklin Roosevelt once advised, “Be sincere; be brief; be seated.” Your audience will appreciate your consideration of their time.

5. Allow your personality to shine. Everyone has a personal style – especially you. Allow your manner of speaking to reflect the real you. Are you soft spoken with understated wit? Then don’t try to emulate Carol Burnett or Eddie Murphy. Are you an extrovert with lots of pizzazz? Then it’s a mistake to take on the persona of Queen Elizabeth or Mother Teresa. Make sure it’s your personality that shines in the limelight.

6. Engage your entire body. Use hand gestures, eye contact and facial expressions to get your point across. Whenever possible, move around the stage. Vary your voice with stage whispers or muted yells. Your speech must be more than a dry recitation of facts and opinions. Effective public speaking is a performance that engages the audience. They will appreciate your efforts to keep them entertained.

7. Research your audience. Why is your subject important to them? How will the issue affect their lives? Knowing the answer to those questions enables you to tailor your presentation to the audience’s specific needs.

8. Understand your goals. How do you want your audience to feel after your conclusion? Speeches have the power to persuade, inform, inspire, entertain or move your audience to action. Tailor your remarks to meet both your goals and the audiences’.

9. Practice, practice, practice. Whether you use a full written text, talking points or brief notes, rehearse your remarks. Mark Twain explained that it took him more than three weeks to prepare an impromptu speech. Don’t just read it silently. Speak it aloud. This gives you the opportunity to time your talk and to change words or phrases that trip you up. An added bonus: Practice enables you to transform your anxiety into a poised high-energy performance.

10. Enjoy yourself. Your attitude determines whether public speaking presents stumbling blocks or stepping-stones. Have fun. The more speaking opportunities you accept, the better you’ll become. Like any roller coaster ride, public speaking provides both chills and thrills. Climb aboard. The experience is worth the trip.

© 2009 WordStorm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

Dawne Y. Simmons is president and founder of WordStorm Communications, Inc. With more than 20 years of experience in all areas of corporate communications, she assists company leaders develop and promote their strategic messages. For the last 10 years, she has written speeches, presentations, scripts and other business materials for high-level executives in the corporate, government and not-for-profit sectors. An award-winning speaker, Ms. Simmons assists executives improve their on-stage presence. She provides confidential, private coaching sessions that help business leaders quickly improve their presentation skills.

Be sure to visit her website at http://www.wordstormcom.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dawne_Simmons
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Learn How To Write Better

Learn how to write better is important for your career or studies. How to improve your writing skills and communication skills?

The following article and videos will show you some tips on how to write better. Be a better communicator!

1.  10 top writing tips and the psychology behind them

“There are plenty of folks happy to tell you how to write better, just as any doctor will tell you to “eat right and exercise.” But changing your writing (or eating) habits only happens when you understand why you do what you do. I can help you with that…”Top10 Writing Tips

2. Scott Berkun – How to write well, instantly, every time
The video teaches us some of the techniques Scott Berkun uses to write well. In the background is a time-lapse video of him writing an essay – from start to finish.

 

3. How to Write Better- Writing Tips on Voice, Tense, Perspective, Cliché and Wordiness  
The above video discusses how to correct the most common mistakes made in writing. Whether you are writing fiction, non-fiction, or in an academic setting, these tips are a vital foundation for good writing.
– Passive and Active Voice
– Tense- Past, Present, Future
– Perspective, Point of View- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Person Perspective
– Cliché
– Economy of Language- wordiness, modifiers, phrase

 

4.  5 tips to Improve Your Writing
The video shares 5 easy and quick tips that will improve writing in formal and academic settings. If you’re in college or university or plan to study overseas, this video is for you!

Practice is the key to helping you improve on your communication and presentation skills. Join Toastmasters and find a club that you like to practise your speeches in a friendly environment.  You are welcome to visit our Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore.

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Can Toastmasters Help You Be a Better Public Speaker?

Have you heard of toastmasters?
Can Toastmasters help you to be a better speaker?

why join toastmasters

If you are or were a toastmaster, I think your answer to the above question is YES.
If you don’t know what toastmasters are. Check out the below videos.

“Why Join Toastmasters?”

The Schwan Food Company’s Chief Executive Officer from 2008 to 2013, Greg Flack, gave his personal testimony on the value of the Toastmasters program and explained how participating in Toastmasters helps people grow professionally and personally.

Why Toastmasters?

Tom Dowd presents at an open house at Lewiston-Auburn Toastmasters on February 7, 2012 about how Toastmasters International has made a profound difference in his life and career.

What is Toastmasters?

Also, you can check out the below article “Can Toastmasters Help You Be a Better Public Speaker” written by George Torok.

If you want to overcome stage fright and learn to speak with confidence, join a toastmasters club.

You are welcome to visit our Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore.

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Can Toastmasters Help You Be a Better Public Speaker?
By George Torok

The short answer is yes.

Toastmasters can help you improve your presentation skills. Toastmasters has helped hundreds of thousands of people around the world improve their presentation, public speaking, and communication skills. Continue reading →

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Public Speaking Tips: What is Your Message?

Public Speaking Tips: What is Your Message?

When you are preparing a presentation, one of the first things to do is to focus on your message.  Think of your message as the one thing you would like the audience to remember from your presentation.

For more information, check out the below article “Presentation Skills: What Is Your Message?”

If you want to overcome stage fright and learn to speak with confidence, join a toastmasters club.  You are welcome to visit our Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore.

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Presentation Skills: What Is Your Message?
By Gilda Bonanno

When you are preparing a presentation, one of the first things to do is to focus on your message.

Think of your message as the one thing you’d like the audience to remember from your presentation. State it in one sentence, if you can – think of it as fitting on a headline of a newspaper or a billboard.

What’s the one thing stated, succinctly, in one sentence, that you’d like the audience to take away from your presentation? Whether you are talking for ten minutes or an hour, what would you like the audience to remember?

If we were to interview the audience after your presentation and ask, “What was the point of that presentation? What was the message?” would they all say the same thing? They may describe it using different words, but in essence, it should be the same content.

We’d want them to say, “Well, the point of that was to understand the three reasons for not moving ahead with this project now.” Or,”Well, the purpose of that presentation was so he could explain his management philosophy, and how he’s going to lead the team.” Or, “The purpose of that was to explain the first quarter numbers, and why they are not as good as we expected.”

So before you start putting together your material, your outline, and your slides, it’s important for you to be clear on your message. State it in one or two sentences and write it on the top of your notes or outline.

Because, if you’re not clear about exactly what you’re trying to communicate, it’s going to be very difficult for the audience to understand it.

To get more tips you can use immediately to improve your presentation skills, sign up for Gilda Bonanno’s free twice-monthly e-newsletter by visiting http://www.gildabonanno.com/Pages/newsletter.aspx and entering your email address.  Copyright 2013

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gilda_Bonanno

http://EzineArticles.com/?Presentation-Skills:-What-Is-Your-Message?&id=7806797

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Project 10: My Toastmasters Journey

Project 10: My Toastmasters Journey
By Ramana Boyani

On 23rd March 2010, I started my Toast masters journey, with my Project 1 Ice breaker. On that day I spoke about my 4D principle.

DESIRE…. DECISION……….DETERMINATION …and…….. DESTINATION……

A splendid good evening to my fellow Toastmasters and Guests…

Today I have reached my first milestone in the Toastmaster’s journey. My 4D rule really worked, in achieving this goal.

Because, I had a very strong DESIRE to overcome the fear of public speaking… I took a DECISION to join the Toastmaster club. On my first day itself, I signed-up as a member. I took the challenge of completing 10 projects in 12 months with a strong DETERMINATION…. With a blink of an eye, 12 months have passed. Today, I am at my DESTINATION of completing my final project to become a Competent Communicator.

Many people think that, they are not good at speaking …. They feel shy to talk to others. But I feel that every person has got a talent. Every person is like a diamond. Some are kept on the show like our US President Obama, and some are lying in the mud like us. The more you polish the diamond, the more it shines. Toastmaster is the best mechanism to polish your communication skills.

Toastmaster’s journey has changed my life in 2 aspects. :

1) Personally
2) Professionally

Personally… To do projects we have to read lot. Through that, we will gain knowledge. By giving speeches consistently, we can correct our mistakes with the help of, our excellent evaluators. Apart from that, we also learn time management and leadership skills

Professionally… Few months back, I attended a seminar on Construction law. During the tea break, I had a chat with the speaker Mr.Jonathan Choo, who is one of the leading Arbitrators in Singapore.

After few days, I sent an email to him asking whether he was willing to visit our office, to conduct a seminar on construction law. I know he is very busy man and a very expensive lawyer. To my surprise, he accepted my invitation and agreed to conduct the seminar at our office without any charges. I sent an invitation to all my colleagues, including our CEO.

With my Toastmasters experience, I arranged the meeting successfully. I did all roles like Toastmaster of the Day by introducing the speaker, Timer to help the speaker on his timing, Sergeant at Arms to arrange snacks for my colleagues, and Vice President Education, arrange the program,. I was very glad that my busy CEO attended the seminar.

Because I was very proactive, I secured more points in my Appraisal and received a big bonus during this Chinese New Year. I take this opportunity to give a big ‘Thank You’ to my Toastmaster club.

I strongly believe that, to achieve something you must be with the right people. The people around you must be very positive, supportive and have a lot of initiative. If you are with pessimistic people, you will never grow. Even if you want to improve yourself, the people around you will not encourage you.

There is an interesting story about this.

One day, a boy found an eagle egg, and put it into the nest of a prairie chicken. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks, and grew up with them.

Thinking he was a prairie chicken all his life, the changeling eagle did what the other prairie chickens did.

He scratched in the dirt for seeds and insects, to eat. He clucked and cackled. He could fly a little height from the ground with thrashing wings. After all, that’s how prairie chickens were supposed to fly.

Years passed, and the changeling eagle grew older. One day, he saw a majestic bird flying in the sky, with its golden wings.

“What a beautiful bird…What is that? He asked his neighbor.

“That’s an Eagle, the chief of birds”… “But don’t give a second thought. You could never become like him” advised the neighbor chicken.

The changeling eagle listened to his neighbor and never gave it a second thought. After some years, he ends his life thinking he was a prairie chicken.

What about you? Are you content to scratch in the dirt, or would you rather soar in the sky? If you would prefer to soar, you have to be with the right people. If you stay with successful people, you will become successful.

To conclude, I suggest our guests to join us and be part of this wonderful Toastmasters journey. Dear my seniors, please continue your projects and polish your speaking skills by attending the toastmasters meetings regularly and consistently.

Friends… I assure you… you are with the right people at the right place…that is….our Kowloon Singapore Toastmasters Club.

Back to Toastmaster of the evening….

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You are welcome to visit our Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club (KSTMC) if you are living in Singapore.

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