A while ago I posted a template for a farewell speech. The outline below is a generic structure that can be used for most, if not all types of presentations: persuading the audience, teaching, communicating information, etc. All will fit within this outline. It works for everything from five-minute pitch to a 90–minute keynote, and beyond.

The outline is based on three steps:

1. Tell them what you’re going to tell them
2. Tell them
3. Tell them what you told them

Speech Outline

1. Introduction (tell them what you’re going to tell them)
   1. Open with a quote or anecdote
   2. State the main reason for your speech
   3. Summarize your three principle points
      1. First point
      2. Second point
      3. Third point
2. Body (tell them)
   1. First point – start with your strongest point. Give your listeners something to grab on to.
   2. Second point – this is the weaker or weakest point. Sandwich it between the stronger points.
   3. Third point – come back with another strong point.
3. Conclusion (tell them what you told them)
   1. Re-state your three main points
      1. First point
      2. Second point
      3. Third point
   2. Summarize the idea you’ve presented
   3. Conclude with a compelling remark or a call to action

There’s nothing new in this outline. Aristotle talked about this more than 2,000 years ago. Why are we using such an old template? Because it works! Give it a try.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Are you a writer who speaks, or a speaker who writes? (christopherscottblog.typepad.com)
• A Perfect Retirement Speech (howtowriteaspeech.net)
• Three Steps to Make Your Next Speech Your Best (blogs.hbr.org)

Jagad Guru – quotes on wisdom, identity: If you are wise, you can see the person or atma within the body, and relate to the person, not to his body.

Recommended: Zen to Done Productivity eBook The Ultimate Simple Productivity System

• A good chance
• Almost certain
• Better than even
• Definite
• Highly probable
• Highly unlikely
• Impossible
• Improbable
• Likely
• Possible
• Probable
• Quite likely
• Rare
• Seldom
• Unlikely
• Very

Do they mean the same thing to the people listen you use them or read what your write?

What you say is only as effective as what is heard and understood by the listener. Too often, our messages are obscured by the the words we use. We compound the problem when we are unaware of the gap between what is intended and the message received.

I am guilty of using all of these phrases when speaking and writing. I shouldn’t expect other people to adopt what I think the phrases mean; I should work on using the clearest language possible.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Definite Clause Grammars For Language Analysis (slideshare.net)

Recommended: Zen to Done Productivity eBook The Ultimate Simple Productivity System

If you want to attract readers to your web-site, reviewing products and services in your topic area will help do the trick. Here are some tips, or a template, if you will, for writing an effective review.

I have written a few reviews in my day —you can find my name listed as a previous contributor to GadgetMe! Magazine. I prefer looking at three questions when writing a review:

1. What is the product/service supposed to do?
2. How well does the item do what it is supposed to do?
3. Is it good value?

After you’ve evaluated the product and come up with answers to those three questions, you can write the review.

• Start with an introductory paragraph: I like to identify a problem and how the product is supposed to solve the problem.
• Outline the product features: bullet points work well here. Only include key features, not the entire list.
• Address the pros and cons: the standard approach is to list the positive factors first and the negatives second.
• Finish by summarizing your opinion: make your opinion clear. This is not a place to hesitate or waffle. Readers want to know what you think.

Readers are looking for opinions. Reviews are an effective way to attract readers.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Do You Keep Your Opinions To Yourself? (ghostwritinguncovered.com)
• A Step-by-Step Guide to 30 Minute Article Writing (stepbysteptips.com)
• Content Creation Series: Write Tutorial Posts (internetmarketingformommies.com)

Recommended: Zen to Done Productivity eBook The Ultimate Simple Productivity System

Your presentation is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. You blast into the room —with the audience already there— at 9:58 a.m. and proceed to set up your notes and equipment.

Ten minutes later, you’re fiddling with cables trying to connect the projector to you laptop. You haven’t booted up yet. It’s powered by Windows, so we know we have another ten-minute wait while it starts.

By this point, you’ve pretty much lost your audience.

Make sure that you spend enough time in the presentation room before your speech begins. Don’t let unforeseen circumstances put a damper on your speech. Get the details of the location where you will deliver your speech ahead of time.

Before leaving

1. Make sure you have all the material you need: notes, files, handouts, USB stick, projector, etc.
2. Double check your equipment. Make sure it’s working.
3. Bring extra hardware as practical. Have two memory sticks, with the presentation file. Throw in an extension cord and extra connector cables for your tech. hardware.
4. Make sure you have directions to your location, so you can get there early.

At the location

1. Arrive early. At minimum, you need time to get your material ready. Better yet, be there early enough to set up and then greet audience members as they arrive. You can help build rapport with the audience by spending a few minutes chatting with them.
2. Check the set-up. Can everybody see the speaker and presentation clearly? If possible, arrange the chairs and tables in a configuration that works for you.
3. Make sure that the room is comfortable. Is it too hot or cold? Can you adjust the temperature?
4. Set-up any electronic equipment you are using and test it to make sure it’s working properly and can be seen easily.
5. Make sure the cables and cords are run in a safe manner. A roll of masking tape is helpful for keeping the cable out of the path of audience members.
6. If the venue is providing the equipment, take a few minutes to make sure you know how to operate it.
7. Test the microphone and sound system, standing where you’ll be using them.

Preparation at every stage of the process leads to a successful speech or presentation.

Related articles by Zemanta

• tips for presentations (slideshare.net)
• Effective Ways to Know on How to Write a Perfect Speech (howtowriteaspeech.net)

Recommended: Make Money with Chitika eMiniMalls Cost Per Click Advertising for your Blog

Listeners don’t give their attention lightly and it doesn’t take much for it to wander. Here are seven bad speaking habits that will guarantee your listeners will be focusing on other things, instead of what you’re presenting.

1. Rambling – if you don’t know where you’re going, the audience is not going to follow. If you do not have anything to say, sit down! No one has ever complained about a speech that ended early.
2. Speaking in a monotone – not only are you at risk of losing their attention, you might even put them to sleep. Speaking in a monotonous voice is a real communication killer. When you don’t vary the pitch of your voice, it is difficult for the listener to maintain any interest in what you’re saying.
3. Appearing to have limited topic knowledge – people come to listen because they expect you know what you’re talking about. You need to know your topic backwards and forwards. Research your topic thoroughly while preparing your speech.
4. Poor eye contact – lack of eye contact creates a barrier between you and the audience. Make a connection to the listener; they want to know you’re speaking to them.
5. Pacing, wandering or fidgeting – often a sign of nerves, it can be distracting to the audience. You may not eliminate the nerves, but preparation and practice can reduce the appearance of nerves.
6. Lack of preparation – if you haven’t made the effort to prepare, why should the audience make the effort to listen?
7. Poor storytelling skills – nothing communicates concepts better than stories. If you want to hold on to the listener’s attention, learn to tell stories well.

Other posts you may find helpful:

• 10 ways to improve your public speaking
• A simple template for a farewell speech

Related articles by Zemanta

• How to Give a Great Speech: Part 2 Delivery (lifehack.org)
• 7 Ways to Improve your Public Speaking (andybudd.com)
• 5 ways to improve your presentation skills (socialmedia.biz)

Recommended: Zen to Done Productivity eBook The Ultimate Simple Productivity System

Time to write an elevator speech.

What is an elevator speech? An elevator speech is a short description of what you do, or perhaps, a point you want to make, delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (say, thirty seconds or 100-150 words).

Why use an elevator speech? It is important to be able to quickly introduce an organization, product, service, etc. to potential stakeholders. You only have a few moments to make a first impression. Investing time in developing and rehearsing an elevator speech can make the difference between gaining a new customer/supporter and walking away empty-handed.

What are the key elements of an elevator speech? Your elevator speech should have three elements:

1. Who you are?
2. What you do?
3. How you do it?

Three steps to take when developing your elevator speech:

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare – This is a short speech that needs to sounds like it’s being delivered off-the-cuff. That means you need to put a lot of work into writing and editing. Then, once you’ve completed the process, go back and edit some more.
2. Practice, practice, practice – Know your speech well enough so you express your key points without sounding as though the speech was memorized. Let it become an organic. Practice in front of mirrors and role-play with friends
3. Tell a story – Avoid a dry recitation of facts. Listeners will retain more of what you tell them if you share a story.

Three things to avoid with your elevator speech:

1. A speech that sounds canned – If you recite something you’ve memorized, you run the risk of sounding stilted and unnatural.
2. Avoid jargon – Keep it simple. Avoid using terminology that is meaningless outside of your industry or organization.
3. Rambling – Being familiar with your speech will help keep on track.

Next time I’m asked, I’ll be ready.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Get Shorty – The Elevator Pitch is Dead (socialmediatoday.com)
• Be Ready to be Caught in an Elevator … (timesunion.com)

Recommended: Zen to Done Productivity eBook The Ultimate Simple Productivity System

We joke about the “IKEA test” being the best measure of a successful relationship. If a couple can work together to assemble IKEA furniture, without resorting to verbal or physical violence, the relationship is strong and lasting. We pass the test with flying colours.

Here are the steps we take to ensure balance and harmony in home management:

1. We play to our strengths. We pass on traditional roles. I was kicked out of shop class in high school for wrecking everything I touched. However, I have been cooking since I was five or six. Glenda coordinates home maintenance and I oversee the meal preparation.
2. We pitch in where we can. Just because Glenda manages home maintenance, doesn’t mean I leave all the work to her. As long as she measures and marks, I can cut, hammer, lift and move. I know what I’m making for supper, but she helps with the prep.
3. We accept “less than perfect.” We each have different standards for tasks. I would wear wrinkled clothes, Glenda does not. She looks after the ironing, combining it with watching television. We never let our household chores rule our schedules. I know people who get so worked up about the condition of their house when guests visit that they are unable to enjoy the company.
4. We alternate jobs. One week I clean bathrooms while Glenda vacuums; the following week, we swap.
5. We share tasks we dislike. Both of us hate grocery shopping, so we go together. That way, one person is not stuck with doing something they dislike, week after week.
6. We have a “nag” limit. This is more for me. I know that I often need reminders to get a job done. Glenda has permission to remind me without me getting annoyed. She is very gentle about it.
7. We don’t complain. Rather than whining about the empty cereal box returned to the cupboard, we ask to have it put in the recycling bin. There are never any accusations about one person doing more than another.

This is the system which works for us. It’s not going to work for everyone. For example, we have no children at home, so that doesn’t factor into our system. You need to find the best way to build cooperation in your home.

Recommended: Zen to Done Productivity eBook The Ultimate Simple Productivity System

Interviewers look for behaviours in situations similar to those to be encountered in the new job. By relating a candidate’s answers from past experience, you develop indicators of how the individual will likely act in the future.

Behavioral questions ensure more spontaneity than traditional questions since candidates can’t practice as easily for them in advance.

Here are a number of examples of behaviour-based interview questions

Organizational, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills:

• Describe a situation that you have encountered (or how you would handle such a situation if you have not been faced with one) when you had responsibility for the operations of a unit. You determined that staff was not being used in a way that helped meet goals, but many of them were very resistant to change. What options did you explore to handle the situation? What did you do to overcome the resistance? What was the outcome?
• Tell me about an accomplishment in a work setting that makes you feel good to remember and why you are proud of it.
• Describe a problem you confronted without success. If you could go back in time, how would you handle it differently?
• Give an example of the most significant problem you have faced and solved at work. Describe the process you used to find a solution.
• Tell me about the most difficult co-worker with whom you have ever had to work. What actions did you take that proved helpful? What did you find made things worse? What would you do differently if you were faced with a similar situation in the future?

Initiative and flexibility:

• Describe your vision of an ideal supervisor. Now tell me about the worst supervisor you have ever had.
• Tell me about a project that you undertook that was your idea and that you had to persuade others to let you do.
• What new skills have you learned in the past 12 months? What would you like to learn in the next year?
• Describe a significant change in your job responsibilities and the steps you took to manage the transition smoothly.
• Tell me about a situation when you abruptly had to change what you were doing.
• Tell me about a time when you worked on a project that did not turn out well. How did you handle that?
• When you take on a new project do you like to have lots of guidance and feedback up front, or do you prefer to try your own approach?
• How do you measure your own success?

Teamwork, sensitivity to the needs of others, ability to work well with others:

• Describe a sensitive situation in which you were able to guide your actions by your understanding of others individual needs or values.
• Describe a time when you felt it necessary to modify or change your actions in order to respond to the needs of another person.
• What kinds of people do you not enjoy working with?
• Tell me about a work situation that bugged you.

Creativity:

• Describe the most creative, work-related project you have done.
• Give me an example of a time when you had an unusual idea that worked well.
• When was the last time you “broke” the rules and what did you do?
• What is the most interesting thing you have done in the past year?

Managing priorities:

• Describe a situation when you were asked to meet two different deadlines given to you by two different managers and you could not do both. How did you handle this?
• Describe how you handled a request to take on an exciting new project that you really wanted to do at a time when you already had more to do than you could do well.

Honesty, integrity and judgement:

• Have you ever experienced a personal loss from doing what is right?
• In what business situations do you feel honesty would be inappropriate?
• Describe a situation when you were faced with making a decision that involved important conflicting needs between an individual and your employer and explain how you handled it.

Ability to influence others:

• Describe a project or idea that initially met resistance but that you were able to “sell” to others and implement.
• Tell me about a time when you disagreed with the others in a group about something important but were able to work with them to reach a consensus that you felt was a good one.
• How have you handled a situation when you needed to “correct” your boss?

Related articles by Zemanta

• 2010 The Battle To Find The Right Employee Continues (slideshare.net)
• How Does Prior Experience Influence Team Creativity? (johngaynardcreativity.blogspot.com)
• 10 hiring tips for startups (recpro-abhinav.blogspot.com)
• How to Answer the 10 Most Common Interview Questions (bargaineering.com)
• Dos and Don’ts of Job Interviews (markos.gaivo.net)

Recommended: Zen to Done Productivity eBook The Ultimate Simple Productivity System

1. I will talk less.
2. I will listen carefully.
3. I will always tell the truth.
4. I will encourage someone every day.
5. I will treat all people with respect.
6. I will make more positive and fewer negative comments
7. I will match my actions to my words.
8. I will actively cultivate my relationships.
9. I will write more thank-you cards.
10. I will talk to myself in a way that makes me feel better.

Recommended: Zen to Done Productivity eBook The Ultimate Simple Productivity System

1. Tips for leaving a good out-of-office message. Some tips on crafting a useful out-of-office message to avoid coming back to a packed e-mail in-box and a full voice-mail box. This post followed a seasonal/holiday cycle. Hits picked up before long weekends, summer vacation in North America and the Christmas break.
2. A simple template for a farewell speech. If you’re tasked with saying good bye to someone. Here is an outline to help you put together some thoughts.
3. Eight Ways to Keep Your Office Clutter-Free. As ever, keeping the messy desk clean is a popular topic.
4. Control your body language for effective communication. How you say things in communication is just as important as what you say. Watch your body language and control the unconscious message you might be sending.
5. How to Write a Christmas or Holiday Card. Writing the perfect thought or holiday letter will make your Christmas greetings memorable. What you write should reflect you, your family and the spirit of the season.

It is interesting to note, four of the five most popular posts deal with communication and public speaking.

Recommended: Zen to Done Productivity eBook The Ultimate Simple Productivity System