1. Every great speech should include at least one original thought.

2. Know exactly who you your audience is and why you’re talking to them.

3. Write for the ear, not for the eye.

4. Facts resonate with your audience only when you colour them with emotional significance.

5. Stick to three main points in the body of your speech and use examples to support each one.

6. Remember that your audience cares only about WIIFM – what’s in it for me. So tell them precisely.
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7. Don’t read your material. Communicate it. With passion.

Wise words from my friend TJ Walker:

1. Use words that paint pictures.

2. Smart business presenters always use metaphors and analogies to make new and unfamiliar concepts more familiar and understandable.

3. Put yourself on the side of the audience. Talk about “us” instead of “you people.”

4. Always use contractions. Nothing shouts out awkward, poorly written speech like the failure to use contractions.
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5. Many words and phrases look good on paper but sound awkward when you actually try to say them. The most important tip to follow with written speeches is to speak them out into an audio or video recorder several times before you deliver it to the real audience.

1. Don’t just conduct an interview, have a conversation. Forget about your list of questions and simply enjoy getting to know someone.

2. Always do your homework. Do as much research as you possibly can: know your subject, know the issues and understand what your audience would want to know if they were asking the questions.

3. Be a good listener and hear what your subject is telling you. Your best questions come off the back of the interviewee’s last answer so even though you may have a list of questions, you don’t have to follow it!

4. Ask open ended questions. Try to start your questions with words like “how” and “why”. Those two words can never be responded to with the words, “yes” or “no”.

5. Keep questions as short as possible and give the interviewee plenty of time to answer.

6. Make use of pauses just as you would in a regular conversation. If the interviewee feels comfortable and relaxed the conversation is likely to flow more freely.
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7. Have fun. If you’re stressed or focused on note taking or concentrating on your list of questions your subject will “feel it” and will pick up on your nerves or apprehension. Remember that the best conversations are the fun ones. So just have fun and enjoy!

Start with these steps to get it right.
When you prepare a presentation, work backwards. Start with the key message or takeaway that you want to convey. Then imagine that you had to send that message via Twitter instead of using slides, charts, documents, and discussions. Force yourself to summarize your key points in no more than 140 characters.
Based on that focus, then think through what other information you’ll need as backup andsupport.

Practice making your presentation without any slides or other supporting materials — and limit the time to six minutes. Think of it as a TED talk that’s going be watched by millions of people on YouTube. Doing this (and getting a friend to capture it on video) will force you to be very clear about what you want to say and how to say it with conviction and zest.
Put yourself in the shoes of your audience and imagine how they might react to your condensed message. What questions will they ask and what concerns might they have? How will you address these, and how open will you be to alternatives? Speculating about these scenarios ahead of time will give you confidence to state your position clearly and respond to audience feedback.

If you have a presentation to make or a media appearance pending, don’t underestimate the value of practice!

1. If you want to appear to be good at ad libbing, spend lots of time talking to yourself in the bathroom mirror and put in time on your computer constructing notes, outlines, bullet points, and sample questions and answers.

2. At least a week before you give your speech, you need to put your ideas and message formulation to bed.
Even if you only have a few hours before the speech is to be delivered, spend time rehearsing. And that means standing up and saying the words out loud. Not just in your head!

3. Mark up your script with underlines and pauses and listen carefully to how the speech sounds after each rehearsal.
Be very critical of your own speech patterns. If any word or phrase sounds awkward, re-work it or get rid of it completely.
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4. Time your rehearsals and make sure you use only the time allocated. You’ll find with each rehearsal you get smoother and remember less is always more!

1. Use words that paint pictures. It’s the pictures and the emotions and feelings that you conjure that will really resonate with your audience.
2. Smart business presenters always use metaphors, anecdotes and analogies to make new and unfamiliar concepts more familiar, understandable and personable.
3. Put yourself in the shoes of your audience. Talk about “us” instead of “you.” Try to get inside your audience’s heads and hearts and figure out how they feel about what you’re saying.

​4. Always use contractions. Nothing screams awkward or poorly written speech like the failure to use contractions.
5. Many words and phrases look great on paper but sound really awkward when you actually say them. The most important tip to follow with written speeches is to practice reading them out loud into an audio recorder – try recording on your iPhone – several times before you deliver it to the real audience.

To create any great video, you really have to know how to tell a great story.
The old adage about telling them what you’re going to tell them, then telling them what you want to tell them and finally telling them what you’ve just told them, still rings true in my opinion. In other words, never lose sight of your message – ever. Here’s a few tips to help you develop a strong story that will carry your message all the way home.
1. Tell the story through the eyes of one person.
People relate to people, not to numbers. It’s much more effective to introduce one strong interview than to use testimonies from hundreds of anonymous people.
Make sure the ‘talent’ you choose is someone that the audience can relate to and show the personal side of that character as if he or she was a friend or a relative. Simply guide your candidate to tell you their story and share their experience with you. If it’s personal and convincing your audience will relate. Of course if you’re not interested in what this person has to say, your audience won’t be either!

2. Engage. Think about what’s likely to stir your audience’s emotions. Get under their skin. A good story will entertain.
A great story will stick with you for a long time because of the mind pictures that have been created in the brain. If you set about to affect your audience, you really need the images you create to resonate with each individual. By putting yourself in your audience’s shoes, you are able to devise and control your intended outcome.

3. Be concise. Take a look at some of the most popular videos on YouTube right now. Most of them are under two minutes in length. Don’t waste your time or your audience’s time by describing unnecessary details. Use as few words as possible. Use the KISS principle – Keep It Simple Stupid – and you can’t go wrong.
4. Don’t get lost in your story. Every story needs a strong beginning, a middle and an end. Plan out these three parts and stick to the plan no matter what. If you don’t, you risk the story becoming convoluted and if that happens, the message usually ends up buried somewhere. Remember clear and concise is what works best.
5. Try to make your stories as visually appealing as possible. As Rod Stewart once said, “every picture tells a story.” Not that I’m such a fan but it’s certainly true that you should let the video more than the audio tell the story. People are more visual (especially men) so construct your script to the images you have, rather than trying to find the pictures to match what you have already written. Basically you want to be simply narrating the visuals.
6. Use your best up front. You only have around seven seconds to convince your audience that your video is worth sticking with so you had better make a big opening impression in a bid to keep their attention. Use whatever you can to get them in – emotive pictures, emotive sounds – anything that’s going to pique their interest and keep them watching. Always think big opening and big closing and you’ll have them eating out of your palms.

​If you understand what you are reading and manage to connect with the audience, your read – no matter what it is – is sure to leave an impression…
Here are a few tips on how to make that happen. Perhaps you could let me know if this advice makes sense to you?

1. Credibility
The most important quality a voice can have is ‘believability’. When you’re reading a script, if you understand it, we do too. Credibility can be enhanced if you try to find the meaning behind the words you’re trying to deliver. Take your time to really reflect on what the author is intending and try to convey the words in that vein. Remember, if you don’t get it, your audience won’t understand the message either.

2. Be yourself.
Whether you’re a professional or amateur voice-talent it’s important to remember to just be you! Don’t ever try to emulate anyone else’s style because you will lose the authenticity that has people believing in what you’re trying to communicate. Polish your performance and enhance your skills all you want with practice -so that you can be the best possible you.

3. Stand up to read.
If you can’t, make sure you sit up very tall to allow your diaphragm to be as open as possible. Hold your script at eye level too so you don’t have to focus downwards to read it. And remember to project your voice about a metre ahead of you to get the best resonance from your vocal chords.

4. Imagine yourself talking to one person at a time.
Try to visualise someone near and dear and familiar to you that you are completely comfortable with and direct your message to this person. Your read needs to be personal and intimate in order to draw every single listener or viewer into your words. You need to connect with one person no matter how many ‘one persons’ make up the listening audience.

​5. Practice.
Always, always, always rehearse. Out loud! There’s no point practicing something inside your head if you want to gauge how it sounds out loud. Try different deliveries, different inflections, different pauses and so on. This will help you perfect the pace and timing, and it will grow your confidence as you learn to listen to yourself with an objective ear.

Always remember the 3 ‘P’s – plan, prepare and perform.
PLAN
1. When planning, write your script in the same voice as you would speak it. Many people fall into the trap of writing in a formal tone for the eye to read. When you’re speaking your tone is always less formal, your speech casual. Try to be natural and easy on the ear.
2. Use short sentences to make sure you don’t run out of breath when you are presenting.
3. Stress the key words. You can lengthen or shorten a word. You can play with the pitch of a word. You can make a word louder or softer. And you can pause ……
4. Always practice and revise your script. One of the best ways to check your script is to read it to someone, get their feedback, and make adjustments.
PREPARE
1. Have plenty of water on hand and make sure that you are well hydrated.
2. Wake up your body. Your voice reflects how the rest of your body is feeling. Try doing some exercises like swinging your arms, gently stretching your jaw and massaging your face.
3. Warm up your voice by doing a series of vocal exercises.
And speak out loud before going on air so you know exactly how you sound.
4. Practice into a camera, microphone or directly into your smartphone. Record and replay to get used to how you sound or look. The more you practice in this way, the more relaxed and confident you will feel when it comes time to perform.

​PERFORM
1. Sound like you mean it. If you don’t sound like you’re interested in the subject you’re audience won’t be either.
2. Make sure you maintain good posture when performing whether you’re sitting in a chair or standing up. Try to remember that piece of string pulling the crown of your head up to the roof.
3. Don’t forget to breathe as you would in normal speech. Take a full breath at a full stop and a half breath at a comma or pause. If you have marked out our script with instructions, don’t forget to follow them.
4. Keep a smile in your voice when the news is good and try to project your voice a metre (3 feet) in front of you to add some power and authority to your performance.
Most importantly, enjoy every minute!

1. Acknowledge your nervousness 
If you admit to the audience that you’re feeling a little nervous, they’ll forgive you everything.
Your audience really wants you to succeed and they’ll support you all the way to the end of your speech. By sharing your inner feelings with them, and by confiding in them as you would a close friend, they’ll be your strongest support.

2. Redefine your audience
Alter how you view your audience. Instead of seeing them as a group of people who are judging you, try to convince yourself that they are all fellow speakers awaiting their turn to present. If you imagine them to be as nervous as you are, you will automatically relax.
Perhaps you could perceive them as long lost friends that you haven’t seen for years. In doing so, you’ll be able to maintain eye contact with individuals as you imagine their names or where you last met. The audience will view your steady gaze as indicative of a very warm ,friendly and personal presentation.

3. Lighten up, smile and be funny
What you want to do is to gain control of your audience. If you can make them laugh and interact more with you, your presentation will have a casual, warm feel which will make it very memorable. If you can appeal to your audience’s emotions, the feelings they experience during your talk will stay with them long after you have left the stage.

4. Speak to one person at a time
One of the most terrifying things about public speaking is the crowd. Just the look of the crowd, all in silence waiting to hear you speak, can make you want to run. To overcome this, just try to speak to one person at a time. Concentrate on one person and visualise them as someone near, dear and familiar to you. Maybe it’s your wife, husband, girlfriend, child or cousin … just picture that face and talk to that person. When you change your gaze do the same thing again. Remember, when speaking, it’s always a one-on-one conversation. Nothing more than that.

​5. Tell stories
When you speak or give a presentation, try to work in a few of your own personal thoughts and anecdotes on the subject.
Of course these should be prepared and practiced beforehand. When delivering, try to drop these into your speech as if you’d just thought of them – slowly, deliberately – in an ‘off the cuff’ type of way. This will really differentiate your presentation from others, and when you see the interested look on the faces of your audience, it will lift your presentation to a whole new level, a level where you start having fun and really enjoying yourself.