Internet Marketing and Public Speaking: The Murder Board Practice – Internet-Marketing
Internet Marketing and Public Speaking: The Murder Board Practice
I recently posted an article titled "Internet Marketing and Public Speaking: Ten Tips for When the Twain Shall Meet." One of the tips concerned a means to practice your sales presentation with a "Murder Board." I received several emails requesting a fuller explanation of this practice method.I decided to write two explanatory articles, so vital is this method to improve one's public speaking, specifically in preparing a presentation aimed at selling off-line your on-line product. In this article, I'll provide an in-depth explanation of this practice method; in the second, I'll cover the seven steps need for a successful Murder Board.Simply stated, the Murder Board is a realistic simulation of the actual presentation to be made. Colleagues role-play the audience, asking the type of questions they believe this specific group is likely to ask. It is intended to be more difficult than the actual presentation.If you want to become an effective and persuasive presenter to boost your on-line marketing, this realistic practice session is the most effective shortcut to speaking excellence. It allows you to make your mistakes when they don't count, increasing the odds that you will shine when the actual presentation is made.The Origin of the Murder BoardThe term Murder Board has its origins within the U.S. military, specifically within the extensive training system of the U.S. Army. When a person has been selected to be an instructor at an Army school, he or she must go through a demanding instructor training program.Graduation and designation as an instructor is dependent not on a written test, but successful delivery of a 50 minute class from the curriculum of the school.The audience for this crucible can be instructors who have gone through their own Murder Board, and are determined that this would-be instructor will experience the same frustration and humiliation they did. They ask tough, realistic, questions, the type of questions their students are asking.At the end of the 50 minute class, the aspiring instructor gets a a thumbs up-meaning he or she can now join this band of brothers and sisters as an instructor, or a thumbs-down, meaning another "opportunity" to go through a Murder Board.Lessons from the PentagonThis realistic simulation has permeated the military culture. As an example, when I ran the Defense Intelligence Agency's (DIA) briefing team, we had three Murder Boards before the daily briefing to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.The first one was at 5:30 AM, the second at 6:30 AM, the third in front of two General officers and all the analysists, one hour later. By the time my briefer or I was standing in front of the Chairman, those intense sessions had provided the right answers to virtually any conceivable question the Chairman was likely to ask.Why have a Murder Board?This painstaking practice session has two overriding objectives:1. Hone delivery skills2. Anticipate probable questions and objections so succinct, accurate answers can be developed.Many presenters, while accepting the need to sharpen delivery skills, reject the idea of a Murder Board, confident they can anticipate the difficult questions likely to be asked, and need not practice in front of others, especially their peers. These people may actually be displaying a false bravado to mask their discomfort at speaking in front of a group, perhaps exposing their lack of skill in the presentation art, and/or their apprehension at giving a less than sterling performance in front of their colleaqgues.They are also very mistaken. I have given more than 3000 presentations, and always find it beneficial to conduct a Murder Board before an important talk. No matter how hard we try to think of tough questions that may be asked, a little censor in our mind generally provides only questions to which we already have answers. In my executive training workshops, I always emphasize the importance of a Murder Board, and the practice presentations made by my clients are set up as Murder Boards to get them accustomed to this simulation.I am in good company in believing that we need other minds to assist us in preparing for a sales or other presentation.. The man who possessed perhaps the greatest mind of the 20th Century, Albert Einstein, realized that even he needed help. He once said:"What a person does on his own, without being
stimulated by the thoughts and experiences of
others, is even in the best cases rather paltry and
monotonous."The Murder Board is the presenter's version of the actor's dress rehearsal, what lawyers do in preparing a witness to face cross-examination in a trial, what the flight simulator is to the pilot.Just as with the actor, the witness, and the pilot, this simulation permits the presenter to learn from his/her mistakes, so that the actual presentation is (1) more responsive to the informational needs of the audience, (2) answers are developed for likely questions to be asked, and (3) overall speaking confidence and competence enhanced.The Murder Board enables you to visualize the presentation in advance. Not only is proficiency in speaking increased by such a meticulous practice, so too is self-confidence. Public speaking ranks high in the pantheon of phobias because, in large measure, of the apprehension that one is going to be embarrassed by not being able to answer questions from the audience.If you have been able to anticipate questions, then you can develop answers ahead of time. Think back to when you were in college or graduate school. Your GPA would probably have been higher if you could have seen the questions before the final exams. The Murder Board permits the presenter a look at the audience's probable "exam questions."The only obstacle to developing a question-anticipating simulated presentation is your imagination and willingness to take hard hits in practice so you can be more effective in the actual presentation.Copyright 2005 Larry TracyThis article is excerpted from Larry Tracy's book, The Shortcut to Persuasive Presentations. Larry, a retired Army colonel, has been cited in numerous publications as one of the top presentation skills trainers in the US. His website is at top of Google for "persuasive presentations. Visit it for FREE tips and additional articles:
http://www.tracy-presentation.com
Executive Public Speaking for English as a Second Language (ESL) – Public-Speaking
Executive Public Speaking for English as a Second Language (ESL)
Public Speaking is a challenging skill. It is TOUGH! For some of you, it's probably the hardest thing you will ever do; and I can sympathize. Standing in front of the employees and coworkers that you want, (or need) to impress, all the while hoping that you remain clear, memorable, persuasive, entertaining and fun isn't a piece of cake. It is TOUGH, TOUGH, TOUGH!!Public speaking is a difficult thing on its own; however, imagine being in a leadership role and speaking in a language which is not your first language. These people have a second layer of challenges about which to worry. When someone is speaking English as a second language, they are also worried about their accent, pronunciation, intonation, grammatical errors and whether or not they are being perceived as a knowledgeable person despite their choice of words.The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in the United-States, 1 out of 5 people speak a language other than English. Many of these people are hired in at mid-level management. By 2030, demographers predict that English as a second language learners will account for approximately 40% of the students in the United-States. In some areas, that projection has already been exceeded. For instance, in California, 60%-70% of schoolchildren speak a language other than English as their primary language. It is therefore clear that many people are faced with this situation since a good majority of North Americans speak English as a second language.Accent is one of the major concerns for ESL speakers, especially for someone in a management role. Many accent reduction techniques and courses are out there, but my advice is to embrace your accent rather than to run away from it. Be true to yourself: if you have an accent, don't try to cover it up or camouflage it. An accent is a great way for you to differentiate yourself. You want people to remember you for who you are. About a year ago, I was training a gentleman from India. When he spoke in a social and conversational way his accent was easily detectable. The strange thing was, when he presented in front of a group he would put on a Deep-Southern accent. He sounded like a cross between Gandhi and Uncle Jesse from the "Dukes of Hazzard". When questioned about this, he said he thought he would be more respected and understood if he sounded like an American. Well, his approach totally backfired because the audience was more interested in his fake accent than in his words. In today's world, everyone has an accent; we all come from different parts of the globe and we all have different ways of saying things. Accents can even be an asset since some audiences find them charming and aesthetically pleasant to the ear. You will be your best when you let yourself completely be who you are. You will sound natural and it will be a pleasure to listen to you.Another concern that might arise is the apprehension resulting from the proper choice of words, or grammatical errors and syntax. Many times, people feel that since they are in a leadership role, that they have to use complex and technical words to be taken seriously. Finding the right words to express yourself in a language in which you are less comfortable can be a challenge. Regarding this, my advice is two-fold:Firstly, don't try to chew off more than you can swallow - use a vocabulary that makes you comfortable and that you understand. An audience will be much more impressed with a presenter that uses logic than with a presenter that uses a lofty, pretentious vocabulary.Secondly, use gestures, facial expression, and a "conversational" way of speaking. This will result in a warmer and more comfortable presentation. In addition, the audience will feel like they are communicating with a friend and that will make your talk much more effective. Your choice of words will consequently become less important.
Finally, an audience will be far more tolerant and responsive to a confident, happy speaker, therefore embrace your culture and don't be afraid to let your audience see where you're coming from!Martin Perras, martin@leadersinstitute.ca, is a Management Consultant and President of The Leader's Institute Canada, http://www.leadersinstitute.ca.He offers management training and consulting to companies in the US and Canada. He can be reached at 1-800-872-7830 x103.
How to Get Started In Public Speaking – Public-Speaking
How to Get Started In Public Speaking
Public speaking is among the five most feared activities human
beings encounter.The majority of us fear it worse than anything else. Yet, the
mastery of public speaking is an important tool in our business
skill set.It's never too early (or too late) to learn to speak in public.
Every one needs to start somewhere. The best strategy is to look
for non-threatening opportunities with familiar surroundings,
friends and colleagues. Plan your speaking gigs in stages
starting out with a small comfortable group then increasing the
number of members in the audience and finally tackle the
prominence of the engagement.Become a member of the leadership team where you need to give
reports or host meetings. In these instances, you will have
prepared material in front of you. Practice with the material as
if you were giving the speech. Don't just read the material; live it and convey it with feeling. When you begin with an audience, remember to make eye contact. Watch how people are receiving your information. Do they look bored? Adjust your inflection
accordingly.Do you participate in a professional association, social club or
sport that hosts regular meetings? Ask to make a short
presentation. If this is too daunting volunteer to introduce
another speaker. This will get you in front of an audience but
the spotlight won't be on you because you are not the primary
focus. It will help you to feel comfortable with a stage, a mike, and an audience. If you are comfortable with jumping right in, ask to be the keynote. Plan for it to be informal so that you get the experience of speaking in front of a group but you don't have to extensively prepare or make a formal presentation.Make sure to ask for feedback. The simplest way to do this is to
have an evaluation sheet. Write the questions using a ranking of
1-5 for answers. Leave space for writing an additional
assessment, but the less work someone has to do in an evaluation
the better the response.Tip: Make sure to collect the completed forms before the audience leaves the room. Otherwise, you will never get them back.After a few informal speaking occasions plan to make a
"real" speech. Make it about something you are an
expert on so the material will come naturally. Prepare for 20
minutes tops for this type of presentation with a ten minute
Q& A You will want to have notes but it is imperative that
you are comfortable with the topic. It has to be part of your
repertoire so that it comes to you even if you get off track. The more you know about the subject the more comfortable you will be with your audience.Tip: About 8 pages of typed material equals 20 minutes if you
speak in an even measured rate.Tip: As a friend or a moderator to ask a question even if the
audience doesn't have one (Prepare several questions in advance).Look for panel opportunities that allow several participants.
Once again, this gives you time in front of the microphone where
the focus is not just on you. It also helps because there is a
moderator who will keep the dialogue going if you hit a rough
patch. It's also good to discuss before hand what the moderator
will ask and what they expect from you in the way of a
presentation. How long will it take? How many questions you will
be asked, etc.Tip: In this instance, you are part of a team. Don't hog the
limelight. If your material is good and you are well prepared,
you will come out as a credible participant.Tip: Never serve on a panel blindly without knowing what you are
going to be asked in advance.After you have mastered the informal and the panel, it's time for some serious speech giving: The 45-minute program with 10 minutes of Q&A.This requires preparation and practice; a good venue for this is
a trade show or conference. At these affairs they are always
looking for speaker. Plan months in advance. Contact the
organizing group about your topic. Make sure your topic fits with the conference theme otherwise it might not draw the audience you want.Tip: Abstracts are required in advance of the actual event.
Unless you are an expert at winging it, do your homework early.
The abstract should be the framework for your presentation. This
will give you ample time to prepare your speech and presentation
and add new material should something relevant happen.Tip: You want your material fresh. Always look to current events
or hot button issues to make the presentation contemporary.Tip: As a beginner, be advised to stay away from the more exotic
aspects of speech giving. If you use PowerPoint, make it simple.
Remember, the more complicated it gets the greater the chance for something to go wrong. Always take a backup CD and at least two printed copies of your speech.There are groups such as toastmasters that you can join that will allow you the opportunity to speak in front of a group in a
non-threatening environment. To find out about a group near you
go to http://www.toastmasters.org/Remember everyone has to start somewhere. The more you speak
front of people the more comfortable you will become. The
audience is not the enemy. They are there to learn from you.
Share the wealth of your knowledge. Keep that thought in mind
when in front of the podium.JoAnn Hines' specialty is PACKAGING PEOPLE. Whether you want to be paid more, you just lost your job, or you want to progress in the one you have, Ms. Hines advice and expertise can help you transform your personal brand. She can show you how to package yourself and make your brand a hot commodity. It's easy once you know the ropes and begin to utilize her insider's secrets. She shows you step by step how to increase your visibility, credibility and marketability with easy to use tutorials and templates.It is time to get started "Packaging Yourself." To learn the ropes and "Package Yourself" for success email Ms. Hines @ pkgcoach@aol.com