September 27, 2005 Present Like A Pro Newsletter
Inspiring You to Discover, Develop, & Delight in Your Strengths
Greetings!
Welcome fellow speaker! This weekly newsletter from Present Like A Pro is here to provide you with on-going tips and inspiration as you develop your skills as a speaker. In every issue are practical tools that you can use in your very next presentation.

This edition: 1,055 words; 2-3 minute read

Staying in The Spotlight
by Sara Schaffer   Developing Consistency in Your Presentations
About a week ago, the September moon was in its full glory. I was driving home one evening and felt as though I had a spotlight following me on my path up the winding mountain roads to my home. Only a few days later, the moon was waning and was no longer as bright. It reminded me that we all go through seasons of change.

It is important, however, to maintain a high quality in our presentations throughout the various seasons of our work and lives. Learning to have a constancy in your talks will benefit not only your listeners, but also you. Through every season, here are 3 tips to consistently Present Like A Pro!

First, be brave. Being real and vulnerable is an essential part of every great presentation. You don't need to reveal your deepest hurts or share your most precious joys. Simply show your listeners that you are human and accessible. Be brave and share everyday life experiences - the good and the bad - to create connection and rapport with each audience.

Secondly, be balanced. The best presentations also have a balance within them. There is a combination of humor and seriousness, information and stories, hard-core data and colorful descriptions. To be consistently great, offer your listeners practical help through an inspirational experience.

Third, be bright. Look for the fun and the silver lining in every situation. Life is not always happy, easy, or simple to define. Yet, if we are ready to see the gift in every situation, we will be able to find it, learn from it, and share it with others. Discover and write down your experiences so that those lessons are captured and available whenever you are ready to speak about them.

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If you want to become a consistently powerful presenter, take advantage of the great resources from Present Like A Pro. Be watching for our upcoming teleseminars.

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What season are you in right now? Perhaps you are headed towards a goal that will soon be realized. Maybe you are feeling as bright and glorious as the full moon. Or maybe this is a season in which the light is temporarily not visible. Whatever your personal and professional circumstances, you still have a bright side and something valuable to give your audiences, employees, and clients.

In every season, you can stay in the spotlight and deliver a powerful message to your listeners. By being real about yourself, balancing the content of your talks, and maintaining an attitude that each season is a gift, you will consistently deliver outstanding presentations. As you learn how to stay in the spotlight, you will Present Like A Pro!

Meet The Pros - John Wesley (1703-1791)
  A Brief Bio of A Consistently Powerful Speaker
We can learn a great deal about great presentations by watching and listening to others. Starting this week, we will be doing a series on the lives and careers of outstanding speakers. We will "Meet The Pros" from a variety of fields including preachers, CEOs, and motivational superstars.

"Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn." -John Wesley

John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, was notably methodical in his own life. He woke up at 4 am every morning, preached at 5, and was on the road by 6 to give at least one more talk in a nearby town. He routinely spoke two or three times a day, and it is estimated that he delivered over 42,000 talks in his lifetime.

Can you imagine giving over 42,000 presentations?

While the sheer amount of sermons he delivered was staggering, so were the circumstances he faced in travel and at his venues. He is credited to riding daily on horseback for a total of over 250,000 miles of travel in his lifetime. Not only that, but he gave talks without any modern help of presentation software and sound systems.

Picture yourself trying to project to thousands of people without even the luxury of a microphone.

Wesley kept the attention of his audiences by finding venues such as the natural amphitheatre at Gwennap where he spoke to a crowd of twenty-thousand people. Thanks to the structure of the earth and the calm, cool evening, they were all reported being able to hear his message clearly. In addition, he never gave up even when his crowds were not friendly.

Early in his career, he often met with adversity and hostility from his audience.

While this was a common experience, he persevered in his calling. By the end of his life, the same hostile crowds were hailing him like a king. He drew people not only with his conviction, but with his steady devotion to his message. He spoke daily with a passion that inspired thousands within his own time and countless others years later.

The next time you face adversity with your schedule, venue, circumstances, or audiences, remember the example of John Wesley. Let his legacy be in part to us his model of consistent, powerful speaking and living each and every day.

Special Offers
 
Need A Speaker? In addition to presentation coaching, Sara regularly speaks to corporate and community groups. Whether you are looking for something educational, motivational or inspirational, she will add humor and depth to your next special event. For booking information, contact Sara today at: 303-818-2509 or sara@presentlikeapro.com.

Do you work at Ball Aerospace? If so, you can receive Presentation Coaching as part of the training offered by your company! Find out more at the TLC website. Just click on the Other Development link to get to the coaching corner.

Visit our website to view previous newsletters and to find out more about the free surveys available from Present Like A Pro.


 
 

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