Who is my/our audience?) The number one or two issue in Washington this week?  From a message development perspective, “Legislative Washington” is trying to garner support for healthcare reform (What are you trying to accomplish?); every American is the audience (Who cares?); Developing and communicating an effective message is not easy. That being said, I have always found three questions to be extremely useful in the identification and development of a message:

Yes, I was wearing high heels.) And here’s what happened: What sounds like a speaking disaster turned out to be a great speaking experience, for me and for the audience. In fact, I’m still smiling about it, and getting lots of compliments and good feedback from the audience and the organizers. How’d that happen? Here’s the speaker’s take: • The organizers chose a timely topic and knew their audience I’m always coaching speakers to plan ahead, then be ready for anything on the ground. That's two different mindsets: One to get ready, rehearsing for the ideal; two, to toss

I spent most of last week at the American Society for Training and Development ( ASTD ) International Conference and Expo (8000+ attendees) here in Washington, DC at the very impressive Walter E. Washington Convention Center . Having a specific place for speakers to congregate virtually generated good discussion (PowerPoint and how to be interactive with a large audience were hot The days were chocked full of interesting sessions, interesting people and interesting observations.  The organizers did a great job.

Registration is now open for the July 27 Washington Women in Public Relations professional development workshop I'll be leading on "Step Up Your Speaking: Be an Eloquent Woman." I'll share an overview of the issues women face when they want to speak up, whether in large venues or small meetings, and then we'll let the audience set the agenda--so bring your questions about how to handle public speaking skills from gestures and wardrobe to messaging and handling Q&A. The workshop will be from 12 noon to 2 p.m. at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, 25 Massachusetts

There's a huge difference to the audience and ultimately to yourself as well. Can you imagine being the survivor of a wartime casualty; going to gathering with other families, seeking understanding and empathy; and being in the audience where a purportedly caring person delivers a Power Point presentation about improvised explosive devices and other horrors of war? When you are asked to speak to an audience, even if someone calls it a Power Point presentation, please do not go to your software Do you give Power Point presentations or do you present, using Power Point slides as an aid?

We've already discussed options for audience connection like eye contact and movement. To help find new inspiration for Stephanie this week, I went to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Memorial in Washington, DC, on a picture-perfect day, for three reasons: FDR was a master speaker whose words guided the nation through its most challenging times; his wife, Eleanor, was an inspiring woman speaker who doubted her own abilities, yet inspired the world; and finally, the memorial itself gives me inspiration on how to get audiences engaged. Here's what we can learn from the memorial about audience connections: Make a connection with content: Where do you fit in the program?

Last week, I spoke to the Washington chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators about social networking, blogging and other so-called "new" media tools for communicators. The premise for the talk--that professional communicators lag behind audiences in use of new media tools, and need to catch up-- prompted me to rethink my own approach as a speaker, and to interject some new-media tools into the actual presentation. From the start, this speaking engagement posed a number of challenges. It was the dreaded after-dinner talk, meaning I needed to be super-engaging.

A recent Washington Post article summarizing research on gender differences in negotiations -- specifically, how and whether men and women ask for raises -- offers an interesting insight for any woman facing an audience . Hannah Riley Bowles, one of the study authors, underscores that the women in the study had sized up their audiences and tailored their approach as a result , despite the downside to not getting a raise: "This isn't about fixing the women," Bowles said. "It The article notes that economics and psychology researchers: ....found found that men and women

We are particularly interested in the physical organization of attention and distraction as audience members at a lecture or conference interact with one another across multiple channels and sites. In practice, with the introduction of networked technologies into the traditional academic setting, the attention of individual audience members is redirected from a single stream of speech to the presence of other audience members interacting with a global network of ideas. home submissions about dhq dhq people contact Spring 2009: v3 n2 Current Issue Previous Issues Winter 2009: v3 n1 Summer 2008: v2 n1 Summer 2007: v1 n2 Spring 2007: v1 n1 Indexes Title Author ISSN 1938-4122 Announcements Call for Reviewers Call for Submissions DHQ: Digital Humanities Quarterly Spring 2009 Volume 3 Number 2 v3:n2 >>  |  Print Article  |  Taporware Tools List Words Find Text Collocation Designing Choreographies for the "New

King’s speech in Washington on August 28, 1963 was anything but brilliant and changed the trajectory of America? He also uses slides to his advantage to persuade his audience that he’s right. BEST OF KNOWHR 10 Tenets for The New HR Top 10 Best Presentations Ever 5 Things HR Needs to Do to End Pay Inequality Now 10 Ways to Know When Its Time to Get Out of HR 65 Things I Believe About HR RECENT POSTS Interview Question of the Day: Do You Drive a Hummer? Our Job in HR is to Help People Healthy Disagreement in HR 65 Things I Believe About HR Back to Basics in HR CATEGORIES Select Category Alert Awards Benefits Blogging Books Business Business Slang Careers Change