Speaker's Briefing

Want to sound upbeat? Choose words that accentuate the positive
Just as a smile goes over better than a frown, positive wording beats negative wording in your speeches and presentations. Avoid negative usage wherever you can. Positive references are much more effective.

Seven common-sense keys to better speaking
Sometimes, common sense is your best guide to becoming a great speaker. Consider these seven simple but effective keys to better presentations, summarized by the editors of Communication Briefings newsletter:

What's in a name? Everything, so get it right!
Print and broadcast journalists have a firm rule: Always spell or pronounce a person’s name correctly. The idea is that if a reporter can’t correctly spell or pronounce something as important as a person’s name, he or she can’t be trusted to get other facts straight.

To press your point, make it interesting ... and relevant
Veteran communications expert Kevin R. Daley knows firsthand the impact of words. In a New York Times interview, he used three real-life examples of the difference between winning and losing presentations:

Sidestep these five 'speaking sins'
Washington Times columnist John McCaslin recently alerted his readers to five “speaking sins” compiled by Media Training Worldwide:

A speech lesson from JFK: Find ways to connect with your audience
The best communication establishes connections between speaker and audience, say the editors of the newsletter Leadership Strategies. One speaker who really understood this was President John F. Kennedy, “whose brief speech to Berliners in 1963 made such a powerful connection that it caused riots in the streets for three days.”