Me in 30 Seconds

Ever walk away from an unexpected encounter with somebody you'd like to work for, or somebody you'd like to win as a customer or client, wishing you could go back and have the conversation over again? Wishing you had known what to say, instead of trying to make it up while you were saying it?

That's what a"Me in 30 Seconds" statement does for you. This little jewel is prepared in advance and can be used at a moment's notice when you just happen to bump into somebody important on an elevator, in the restroom, at the water cooler, or standing in line at the book store. It's also a great way to begin a job interview.

It's a very brief introduction to who you are, what you're doing, and where you're going (in a professional sense). The statement is brief because 30 seconds is about all the time a listener will give you before he/she starts thinking about something else.

Your Assignment

Create, practice, and present your Me in 30 Seconds statement to the class. We'll hear these in class on Tuesday, August 30. Here are some suggestions.

1. Watch the sample video below. I'll show you how your statement can sound. We played around with this on the first day of class, so it won't be new to you, but could serve as a reminder.

2. Write out your statement. Three or four short sentences. Sentence one: what have you done to be proud of so far? Sentence two: what are you doing now that is important? Sentence three: how can your experience and abilities benefit your listener?

Important tip: Be sure that there is a clear connection between sentence one and sentence three. That will help your listener see how your past experiences have prepared you to benefit him/her. For example, if you plan to become a nurse, emphasize past experiences that will aid you in excelling as a nurse. Then finish with a clear statement explaining how your background and present pursuits can benefit the listener.

3. Time it. If it goes over 30 seconds in three or four recitations, cut it down. Remember, listeners will only stay with you that long. Anything else you say is wasted breath (unless you've got a story to tell that is truly gripping, gory, or bizarre, which might earn you another five seconds—but don't count on it).

4. Memorize it. Practice, practice, practice until it flows smoothly and conversationally. If it doesn't come out word-perfect, that's okay. It'll be close.

5. Try it out on everybody who cares about you (mom, dad, roomie, pet turtle). If you don't have a friend in the world (like me), record it on your phone and play it back (same with video). Then do it again. And again. And again.

6. Have fun with it. Nobody's going to be executed for stumbling on this assignment. go for it!

Watch the sample video below or on YouTube. It's what I would say if I were looking for work.

Changes in the Course for Fall 2011

We're going to try a few new things this semester that should strengthen the course and really pump up its practical value for students. The changes are based on student feedback from past semesters.

1. Less reliance on the standard text book. More reliance on pinpoint concepts in the course packet. The exams will feature questions taken from the course packet and classroom discussions. Students will not need to buy the text, though it is great supplemental reading.

2. More short speaking assignments to give students more opportunities in front of the class. We'll add a "Me in 30 Seconds" assignment to sharpen job interviewing skills and an Impromptu assignment to provide tools for "on the spot" speaking. These will help you in other classes and in the tight job market.

3. More in-class feedback for immediate learning from your own strengths and mistakes and from classmate presentations.

Again, don't buy the text until we talk in class. Be sure to pick up a course packet for Comm 1020, Richardson at the bookstore.

Visit me at frankrichardsonauthor.com.

Welcome Students of Fall 2011

Yo! Hope you've had a great summer. School's not far off and you're about to embark on one of the most important learning experiences you'll ever have. Comm 1020! Principles of Public Speaking.

Really, I'm not putting your on. We're going to learn, practice, and master a few basic skills that will set you apart from the competition throughout your working life ahead. They include these:

Skill 1- State your idea as an unforgettable thesis (big idea, thesis, claim).

Skill 2 - Gather knockout support for your idea (NETS, transitions, citations, outlines).

Skill 3 - Visualize the idea and support for your listeners (word pictures, gestures, aids).

Skill 4 - Draw conclusions based on the idea (bring ideas home, answer unspoken questions, call listeners to action).

Skill 5 - Present your idea with style (voice, posture, contact, and flow).

You're gonna love this stuff. I do. If you want to see somebody who does most of it well, watch President Obama as he addresses the nation. Don't like him? Then watch Tom Hanks. Too much Hollywood? Watch Dieter Uchtdorf. Not into religion? Check out Diane Sawyer.

You can do the same thing . . . and will. Let's have a blast.

Visit me at: frankrichardsonauthor.com.

Idea: A Topic and a Claim

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Frank

Ideas are the stuff of life. We live by them. We look for them in all our entertainment and discussion. They’re the conclusions we draw that help us make sense of this crazy, mixed-up world.

You can move to the head of your class (company, firm, social group, foursome) by learning to recognize, create, and manage ideas.

Here’s a hot tip that will help. Every great idea relates two universal human values.

Example 1: All men are created equal. The two values are mankind and equality.

Example 2: We learn to succeed by overcoming failure. The two values are success and overcoming.

Practice until you can identify the two values related (equated, compared, or contrasted) in every idea you can find.

Now, notice that every idea has two parts, just as every sentence has two parts (subject and predicate). The two parts of an idea are the TOPIC and the CLAIM.

If my topic is education and the claim I am making about education is that it is key to career success, then my idea statement might read: Education is key to career success. Of course, there are many other claims we could make about the topic education. As examples: Education is expensive. Education opens windows to the world. Education satisfies the hunger to learn. Each statement makes a claim about the topic education.

Learning Activity

Find the two values related by the idea statements below. Mark the value that is the TOPIC of the idea, then the value that presents the CLAIM.

For example: Love (topic) makes the world go ’round (claim).

Children mimic parental behavior.

Pets help to educate our children.

Career ambitions can enslave us.

When we’re miserable, we know we are alive.

Fitness is like icing on the cake.

Failure leads to success.

Extreme fashions may draw unwanted attention.

Visit me at: frankrichardsonauthor.com

Bringing Home A Story

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Frank

We all love a great story. In public speaking, it’s not uncommon for listeners to remember a well-told story, even when they can’t remember why the speaker told it.

Here are some keys you will want to remember:

1. Anchor your presentation or speech with a great thesis statement. The thesis sentence ties all the parts of your presentation together in a memorable way.

2. Be sure that any stories you use are directly related to the thesis.

3. Bring the story to life by, (a) acquainting us with the characters in your story, (b) letting us see the characters, and (c) letting us hear the characters own words.

Take a few minutes and watch this young speaker tell the familiar biblical story of Jonah. Notice especially how her quiet energy brings the characters and the moral to life. Note how she distinguishes one character from another by changing the tone and pitch of her voice. She’s young, but she’s already very good at this art. We can all learn a few things from her.

Here’s the link: http://vimeo.com/16404771.

Pay The Price in Practice

(originally published nov 30, 2010)

It’s been a busy semester. I didn’t carry through with weekly blogs as I intended. I’m sorry about that. My loss as well as yours. There’s one concept I want to hit hard before we part. It’s this:

Practice, Practice, Practice.

Having taught a couple of public speaking courses each semester for five years, it’s been my good fortune to watch nearly 500 students work at learning how to build great presentations and give great presentations. That means I’ve watched about 2,500 presentations. It’s been great! I’ve seen many talented students. Talented or not, every student has improved. That’s been especially rewarding for me, and I know it will pay valued dividends in the future lives of these impressive young people. Watching that many presentations, one thing has become obvious: some students practice, others don’t. If students don’t practice, that doesn’t make them bad people. But, they’re missing a great opportunity.

Practice aloud, standing up.
This is the best advice you can receive if you want to become a person of influence in your world. Success doesn’t come free. You don’t stumble into it. You will have to work at it. When you have built what you think will be a solid presentation of your ideas, you must practice presenting it.

This is how you practice:
Stand up! In front of a mirror, if possible. In a secluded place where you can speak as loudly as you are able without having to worry that someone will hear your initial attempts.
Speak it aloud! It takes a few run-throughs to get accustomed to hearing your own voice. This will also help you judge the timing of the presentation.
Smooth the flow! Repeat the entire presentation often enough that it flows for you. This is like any other skill you try to master. The first few times through, you’ll have awkward pauses, moments when you can’t remember what you wanted to say, goofy moments, etc. But, they’ll smooth out with practice. If you can’t get through the entire presentation without any major stumbles or meltdowns, you haven’t practiced enough.
Capture the meaning! Practice giving emphasis to important ideas. Refine the wording. Use pauses to capture attention. Try out hand movements and facial gestures as you speak. Work at getting the message into the listener, not just getting it out of your mouth. Experiment with volume, pitch, rate. Go over the top. Get crazy. See how it feels to turn yourself completely loose.
Practice to perfection! Of course, perfection is relative. Every effort can be improved upon. But, remember that the big giveaway as to whether you’ve practiced enough is whether the meaning of your presentation comes through. This is how it works: No practice—repeated stumbles, reading from notes, rough or jerky flow, listeners have no clue what the speaker intended. Some practice—flow smoothes out, presenter rushes through just trying to get the message out, listeners get bits and pieces of the message.Fully practiced—Smooth flow of ideas, speaker is comfortable leaving her/his notes, speaker can pause, vary the voice, watch the listeners for nonverbal feedback, etc.

How much practice?
If you practice to perfection once, you’ll know the answer to this question. But, know this: it takes more than one practice aloud and standing up. Five times? At least. Ten times? Depends on the presentation. Twenty times? Not uncommon. Good speakers pay the price in practice!!

Learning Activity
Find a fairly short piece (poem, song lyric, selection from a great speech). Read it until you’re familiar with it. In fact, memorize it.
Now, stand up, speak it aloud, smooth the flow, capture the meaning, and practice to perfection.
If you’ll do this, just once, it’ll take you to a completely new place in your ability to express ideas in public.
Here’s to the new you!

© Frank Richardson, 2010

Speech of Tribute

Throughout our public speaking course I have encouraged you not to read to your listeners. It's okay to read a short definition, quote, or testimonial—maybe a sentence or two, but seldom more. As we prepare and give a speech of tribute, however, I encourage you to write out exactly what you want to say.

Maybe the word manuscript is confusing. The Oxford American Desk Dictionary (2001) defines manuscript as a hand-written or typed text. That's what we're talking about for this speech. Just write out what you want to say and practice it often enough so that you can deliver it to your listenerswithout reading it. Look down at the text as needed to remember what comes next.

Remember that the key to a successful speech of tribute is telling your listeners what obstacles the person or organization you are honoring has overcome. Then tell them what remarkable contributions the person or organization has made to society despite all obstacles. It's the net gain from a tough beginning to a glorious conclusions that makes the lives of these noteworthy people or organizations so inspiring. We all want to do that—overcome our challenges and end up doing wonderful things for our world. If we see them doing it, we can better believe that it's possible for us.

Make sure the person or organization you pay tribute to is a public figure—someone we could all learn more about if we choose to. These speeches will be fun to hear, and hopefully inspiring. And, they will give you firsthand experience in speaking from a manuscript.

Go for it.

© Frank Richardson, 2010.

Visit me at: frank-richardson.com, frank-richardson-author.com, where-the-sun-rises.com.