Speaker's Briefing

Prepare to survive potential audio-visual disasters
There’s more to successful public speaking than just words. Even the most articulate presentation can be ruined by a last-minute breakdown of the audio-visual system—especially if your speaking venue is away from home and office, and without strong technical support.

Buy precious time for answering tough questions
Living in dread of the Q&A session after your next presentation? Here are four handy techniques for buying time and thinking your way to better answers for those tough questions.

How to respond to your audience's body language
Body language is important—and not just for the person delivering a speech. Speakers communicate in words as well as gestures. But the most common way your audience can send signals during a formal presentation is via body language.

A crowd-grabber you can ‘bet’ on
Here’s a clever, easy way to grab audience attention—and hold it. Try “making a bet” with your listeners.

Hide your platform jitters with proven techniques
When it comes to public speaking, the next best thing to being calm is looking calm. Here are six signs of nervousness and effective ways to camouflage them the next time you face an important audience, as described by San Francisco-based communications consultant Roseann Sullivan (www.sullivancommunications.com):