Jody White, Speaking Directly

              Had a wonderful time speaking to the IAAP West Houston Chapter members about Leadership.  The title of my presentation was Leadership Empowers and it was a two-hour workshop with two fun activities involving leadership and teamwork and it was fantastic! Testimonial: "Just wanted to say thank you again for such a great presentation on Saturday morning. You were well prepared, shared great information and created a great learning environment. Your abilities to facilitate such an atmosphere was appreciated. I enjoyed every aspect of your presentation." Lenda J.

No, not your voicemail or email messages! I am referring to the message or “information” in your speeches and ‘they’ refer to your audience members. One of several definitions of “distraction” is “mental confusion” and that is exactly what happens when a speaker creates an environment where an audience member “turns off their brain” and loses interest – which is a big negative in the public speaking world!   I attended a training session for a volunteer organization recently where the speaker used a pointer – one of those gadgets that is intended to enhance a presentation (not harm it). Using the pointer did help me understand where he was on a slide; however, when he wasn’t pointing at a slide, he tapped the pointer in the other hand while he spoke. Not only was the “tap tap tap” very annoying, but I began watching the pointer bounce up and down on his other hand. The faster he spoke, the faster the pointer bounced to where the only thing that I began to concentrate...

I presented this speech to a Toastmasters Club's Open House on Janury 31, 2013. Pictured with me is Kathy-VPE and Natalie-VPM who organized the event. Do your knees shake, your palms get sweaty and your mouth get dry when you are asked a question that you don't know how to answer?  Or, perhaps you knew the answer but you just couldn't get it out for anyone to hear? Do you get that 'deer in the headlights' look? Don't get caught in that situation again. Below are my tips to get more confident and skilled at Table Topics, networking, social events, work project updates and community organization meetings. A NTICIPATE ¨   Think of questions you may be asked in any   situation. ¨   Develop your answers ahead of time so you don’t struggle at the time. ¨   Be well read on a variety of topics to be ready to respond effectively. ¨   Learn about a specific subject to gain knowledge and develop your opinion. ¨   You don’t have to b...