TJ Walker Interactive

MARCH 22, 2011

Public speaking, media training, presentation training, crisis communications Home Live Video About TJ Products & Services FAQs « Excessive Blinking on TV Chris Brown’s Tantrum at Good Morning America » Planning Your Way to the Ad-Lib To ad lib is to speak without planning, to be spontaneous. But I’ve noticed that many executives have a curious understanding as to what an ad-lib speech or presentation is.

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Great Public Speaking

MARCH 4, 2011

Some humorous things to say when things go wrong during your presentation: SOMETHING IS BROKEN *Humor can't fix everything. * I would fix this, but the only thing I learned in shop class was how to call for estimates. That's what I get for buying this at a flea market. I'll fix this right up. Just give me a hammer. Does anyone have some SuperGlue? Does anyone have a dollar bill on them? [If If possible, go into the audience in search of a dollar bill apparently to fix the broken item.]

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Manner of Speaking

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

I knew that on the evening of his speech, he ad-libbed a lot; however, I did not realize how much until now. Green represents what was added and pink represents what was removed.). As the 2012 Republican and Democratic National Conventions fade into memory, I was fortunate enough to come across an excellent piece of work in The Atlantic Wire by freelance writer Dashiell Bennett that I had to share.

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Presentation Zen

AUGUST 12, 2014

From there Williams adlibbed for about ten minutes on stage. At the 2008 TED Conference held in California, the BBC''s "The World Debate" set up a panel discussion to be broadcast worldwide from the TED stage. When they went live with the show there appeared to be a major technical problem followed by several moments of dead air.

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Presentation Zen

MAY 9, 2014

Ferguson ad-libs much of his material and often goes off script (not that there is much of a solid script to begin with). This Sunday, it''s Mother''s Day, even here in Japan. Nothing is more important than mom. This is what I always say. I don''t care how sentimental or saccharine it sounds, the bond and the love between a mother and child is the most precious thing on earth. I am a father to a four-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy.

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Pivotal Public Speaking

AUGUST 15, 2012

When you are interacting with your audience in Q&A or an ad lib session, ask yourself that same question. Great speakers seem to stay on track effortlessly. Their presentations are tight and focused. Do you find yourself, on the other hand, sometimes, with too much information, or getting off the point of your story or presentation?

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Pivotal Public Speaking

AUGUST 15, 2012

When you are interacting with your audience in Q&A or an ad lib session, ask yourself that same question. Great speakers seem to stay on track effortlessly. Their presentations are tight and focused. Do you find yourself, on the other hand, sometimes, with too much information, or getting off the point of your story or presentation?

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Manner of Speaking

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

Ad-libbing in the moment one thing; not knowing what you’re going to say is a whole other matter. “Who is sitting in that empty chair?” ” — Eugene Ormandy. By now you have probably heard about all the fuss over Clint Eastwood’s speech at the Republican National Convention.

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Max Atkinson

MAY 10, 2012

Our thanks today for the widely tweeted news that BBC Scotland has employed a promising new TV weather forecaster, who's not afraid to insert one or two of his own ad-libs. Knowing that Prince Charles was an avid fan of the late Spike Milligan, I was mildly disappointed that he resisted the temptation to emulate one of his hero's sketches, in which he too had stood in front of a weather chart.

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Public Speaking Advice and Commentary

APRIL 15, 2011

  Of course the magic happened in the second half of the speech, where King left his script and ad-libbed the incredible “I have a dream” sequence, as I’ve blogged about before.   What Jones adds is that the impetus to ad-lib came from Mahalia Jackson, the great singer, who had treated the audience to a heartfelt rendition of a gospel number, “I’ve been ‘buked and I’ve been scorned,” just before King began to speak. 

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The Eloquent Woman

MAY 5, 2016

Did you ad-lib? I completely ad-libbed because I decided if they were having technological problems… Too often, I see speakers look at memorizing your speech as something awful--limiting, structured, nervous-making. How important is it, really, to memorize your speech.especially if you will have access to a teleprompter? Just ask U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar.

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TJ Walker Interactive

MARCH 21, 2011

Public speaking, media training, presentation training, crisis communications Home Live Video About TJ Products & Services FAQs « How to Handle Difficult Questions Planning Your Way to the Ad-Lib » Excessive Blinking on TV When on TV or conducting an interview, it is important not to sweat the small stuff like blinking. News analyzed from a communication perspective.

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Executive Speech Coach

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

In particular - he ad libbed with the "I have a dream" bit. Martin Luther King delivered his memorable "I have a dream" speech 50 years ago in Washington, DC. It was a well written speach - and what most people don''t know is he went off scirpt part way through. Watch this video as he reads his speech for about the first 12 minutes - then when he starts talking about his dream - he''s not reading anynore. He''s improvising. "I

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Great Public Speaking

AUGUST 24, 2010

Really good speakers open up the microphone for a question and answer session in which they ad-lib or give pre-written comical answers to expected or planted questions. One thing to avoid, unless you are really good at ad-libbing, is being pinned down before the program on questions you couldn't possibly answer. One of my favorite gags is the false guest speaker. The length of the bogus speech is easy to vary to suit your program.

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TJ Walker Interactive

MARCH 22, 2011

Public speaking, media training, presentation training, crisis communications Home Live Video About TJ Products & Services FAQs « Planning Your Way to the Ad-Lib Ford Unveils New spokesperson – Creative media training? News analyzed from a communication perspective.

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DeFinis Communications

MARCH 28, 2012

She ad-libbed and took time to react to her message as well as to the responses of her audience. Meryl Streep just won an Oscar for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in the movie The Iron Lady , and in my view she deserves an equally prestigious award for her introduction of Hillary Rodham Clinton at the Women in the World Summit 2012 at Lincoln Center in New York City. I’m a big fan of Meryl Streep and an even bigger supporter of our Secretary of State.

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OnSpeechwriting

SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

But he also liked to ad-lib. Heres a question that comes up nearly every week from someone: How much do I need to write for a speech of XX minutes? Seems like an innocent question. Unfortunately, reality and experience suggest otherwise. My general rule of thumb on the length of speeches is to write – as a first draft – 135 words per delivered minute. Notice I said “as a first draft” and “general rule of thumb.” Exceptions abound.

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Public Speaking Advice and Commentary

JANUARY 17, 2011

Justly celebrated as one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century, Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech becomes even more remarkable when you know that the last 6 minutes of the 16-minute speech were ad-libbed.    King felt that he was not reaching the audience the way he wanted to with his prepared text, and so he called up a metaphor he had been thinking about for some months, and uttered the unforgettable plea for racial justice, “I have a dream.” 

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Great Public Speaking

MARCH 23, 2011

If you do fall, use a pre-planned ad-lib like: "Give me an inch and I'll take a fall." The stage background can be a distraction. If possible, I try to find out what my background will be so I don't blend right in. If I have a blue curtain and I wear a blue suit, it will be harder for the audience to separate me from the background. Wall sconces directly behind the stage can be a distraction. I try to have them turned off or I remove the bulbs.

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The Eloquent Woman

MARCH 18, 2010

23 speech, "but there aren't any—I ad-libbed it." While Merryman says she ad-libbed it, it's clear some factors helped her do so. Ashley Merryman: On Parenting from PopTech on Vimeo. With a generous hat tip to David Murray of Vital Speeches of the Day for pointing me here , check out this Ashley Merryman speech on parenting, praise and how it influences children's ambitions. He asked for her speech text.

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Great Public Speaking

OCTOBER 20, 2010

Develop ad-libs for equipment failure and other expected unexpected occurrences. Sales Tips Part 1 Don't forget to make your sales pitch. Some salespersons get so wrapped up in telling jokes they forget to go for the business. Use testimonials. They can be delivered live by happy clients who are willing to help you or in writing or by video or audio tape. You could make a funny video which includes bloopers. Keep your ego out of the sale.

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Public Speaking Advice and Commentary

FEBRUARY 9, 2012

  He apparently ad libs most of the speech.  It’s the season for State of the State addresses.    They get less attention than the President’s State of the Union address, but they’re arguably more important to the legislators and citizens of the states in question.    I got my start in the public speaking world writing speeches for the Governor of Virginia, and my first big test was the State of the Commonwealth address there. 

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Great Public Speaking

DECEMBER 10, 2012

"Patter" AKA "what the magician says" is frequently the way the fun is added to the magic trick. When something happens that totally distracts the audience like a police car siren going by the building, polished presenters use a form of patter called "Pre Planned Ad libs" like "Oh, My ride is here" or "I knew I shouldn't have taken my wife's anniversary present as a tax deduction."

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Great Public Speaking

JANUARY 24, 2011

Develop ad-libs for equipment failure and other expected unexpected occurrences. Don't forget to make your sales pitch. Some salespersons get so wrapped up in telling jokes they forget to go for the business. Use testimonials. They can be delivered live by happy clients who are willing to help you or in writing or by video or audio tape. You could make a funny video which includes bloopers. Keep your ego out of the sale. Remember the sales profession is a profession of rejection.

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Great Public Speaking

SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Either write funny answers for them like, "I was going out to the garden to use them to hold up the tomato plants" or just let them ad lib. This technique is always good for a laugh and sometimes brings down the house. Invite two people on stage that have opposite roles. It works particularly well with husband/wife , boyfriend/girlfriend, employee/boss Have them play the role of the other person, i.e., the husband acts as if he is the wife and vice versa.

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Public Speaking Advice and Commentary

JULY 2, 2010

  The rest of the ad-libbed introduction gets lost in the verbal shuffle, and the VP gets key facts wrong, stumbling over the sentence structure and some unfamiliar words.  I’m going to post this (short) blog a little earlier in the day in case you’re heading off early for the 4th.      Yesterday I talked about how important a good introduction is for setting up a speaker for success. 

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Public Speaking Advice and Commentary

JANUARY 20, 2011

  And it was ad-libbed.  It was fifty years ago today that President John F. Kennedy delivered one of the shortest and most memorable inaugural addresses by a U.S. president.      As most people know, the speech was the product of a collaboration between Kennedy and Ted Sorensen, Special Counsel to the President, and his speechwriter.  

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The Eloquent Woman

MAY 2, 2011

His ad-libs prompted him to explain that the device would need to restart--cluing the audience in to the device for the first time, live. In the New York Times obituary for teleprompter inventor Hubert J. Schlafly, Jr., speakers can learn a lot about the device that has helped so many speakers--famous and ordinary--address audiences without looking down.

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Great Public Speaking

AUGUST 27, 2010

He made a perfect ad-lib when the electrically operated overhead screen started to go up by itself. I was doing some work for a government agency where I was hired to critique and improve the sales presentations of the program staff. It was an early morning program full of typical mistakes by typical untrained presenters. The audience was nearly asleep from the boring presentations and sugar crash they were suffering after eating pastries when they got there.

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The Eloquent Woman

APRIL 1, 2016

The speech stops for all of the laughter, and Rometty ad-libs that "he says I never mention him, and then when I do, I mess it up." As the current chair, CEO and president of IBM, Virginia "Ginni" Rometty has fended off criticism of Big Blue's sinking revenues since becoming its first woman CEO in 2012.

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Great Public Speaking

FEBRUARY 11, 2011

Even if you plan the joke carefully, once the person or group is "on stage" they must be able to ad lib and adjust to whatever situation arises. When staging a practical joke you must plan the many details carefully. You certainly don't want something that is supposed to be fun to turn sour. If you plan the joke as carefully as you plan all other details of the event you will find that the benefits far outweigh the risks. I use the following criteria when planning an event: 1.

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Public Speaking Advice and Commentary

JANUARY 16, 2012

  Justly celebrated as one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century, Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech becomes even more remarkable when you know that the last 6 minutes of the 16-minute speech were ad-libbed.  I first published this blog a year ago in honor of MLK.    So many people have remarked on it that I've decided to republish it today, with minor modifications, once again in honor of the 20th century's greatest orator. 

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Great Public Speaking

OCTOBER 17, 2008

Either write funny answers for them like, "I was going out to the garden to use them to hold up the tomato plants" or just let them ad lib. This technique is always good for a laugh and sometimes brings down the house. Invite two people on stage that have opposite roles. It works particularly well with husband/wife , boyfriend/girlfriend, employee/boss. Have them play the role of the other person, i.e., the husband acts as if he is the wife and vice versa.

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Speak and Deliver

JUNE 2, 2011

For the most part, these gestures are planned, though I'm sure one can spontaneously ad-lib a practiced move with experience. Marcel Marceau 1946-2007 Grab A Rope Inside an Imaginary Box Moonwalk The Lean Climbing a Ladder All famous Mime routines - and I've seen them all from speakers on stage.

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Great Public Speaking

JUNE 25, 2010

Even if you plan the joke carefully, once the person or group is "on stage" they must be able to ad lib and adjust to whatever situation arises. When staging a practical joke you must plan the many details carefully. You certainly don't want something that is supposed to be fun to turn sour. If you plan the joke as carefully as you plan all other details of the event you will find that the benefits far outweigh the risks. I use the following criteria when planning an event: 1.

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Max Atkinson

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

But it only took three seconds for the 'great communicator' to see the problem and come up with a solution: an unscripted ad lib - "In the." May 08, 1985 President Left Speechless by TelePrompTer STRASBOURG, France — President Reagan, often spoken of as "the great communicator," was noticeably at a loss for words when his TelePrompTer broke down during his major speech before the European Parliament today.

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Great Public Speaking

JUNE 12, 2009

Either write funny answers for them like, "I was going out to the garden to use them to hold up the tomato plants" or just let them ad lib. This technique is always good for a laugh and sometimes brings down the house. Invite two people on stage that have opposite roles. It works particularly well with husband/wife , boyfriend/girlfriend, employee/boss Have them play the role of the other person, i.e., the husband acts as if he is the wife and vice versa.

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The Eloquent Woman

AUGUST 13, 2015

At most conferences, you get a mix of people reading from PowerPoint decks, using teleprompters, or simply ad-libbing around loose outlines. In What memorizing a TED talk did to my brain , TED 2015 speaker Alexis Madrigal lays out what has been so unusual--and compelling--about the conference for so many of us: The strangest thing about TED, which is running this week in Vancouver, British Columbia, is not the four-figure price tag or earnest, almost cultish following.

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Speaker Confessions

JUNE 1, 2009

Time will get eaten by the audience laughing, by any ad-libs you do, etc. There’s this popular format for public speaking called Ignite - It’s an evening of short talks with some special rules. Similar to, but simpler than, Pecha Kucha , and more involved than lightening talks , in ignite each speakers gets 5 minutes - but must have 20 slides and each slide must automatically progress in 15 seconds.

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Great Public Speaking

JANUARY 30, 2009

If you are a humorous presenter, you may deliver pre-planned ad libs to people coming and going because you will see them instantly. When deciding how to set up a presentation room when you have full control of the logistics, pay close attention to these two major distracters. doors and windows. DOORS CAN BE A PROBLEM IN SEVERAL WAYS. They may have squeaky hinges -- Solution: ask maintenance to oil them.

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Great Public Speaking

AUGUST 18, 2008

I talked about using magic in your presentations a while back in v2n9 [link] In that article I briefly mentioned that the "patter" or what the magician says is frequently the way the fun is added to the magic trick. Let's look at patter for speakers a little more closely.

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Great Public Speaking

APRIL 28, 2010

In public speaking, adding malaprops to your presentation can make the members of your audience stop and question what they think you said and what you actually said. The way to acknowledge your mistake is to use an ad-lib or quotation to make fun of yourself. Public speakers say many words over their careers. As you know, choosing just the right words for your presentation takes a lot of thought and often much research.

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Max Atkinson

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Nor, in the hundreds of courses I have run, would the vast majority of delegates have found that they feel more comfortable and easier to 'come across as themselves' when using notes than when they were pretending not to have any (while trying to ad-lib from headings on PowerPoint slides). Yesterday's conference of the UK Speechwriters' Guild was another stimulating treat, for which founder Bran Jenner deserves the thanks of all of us who were lucky enough to attend.

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