Painless Presentations: The Proven, Stress–Free Way to Successful Public Speaking

Praise for Painless Presentations

"A master class in public speaking."
Alan Weiss, PhD, author of Million Dollar Speaking and The Consulting Bible

"The equivalent of enrolling in a speaking course in the privacy of your home. Most people who make presentations need a good road map Lenny Laskowski has prepared one in this comprehensive book."
Dr. Tony Alessandra, author of The Platinum Rule and Charisma

"Timeless tools and techniques for successful public speaking. It converts your presentation anxiety into energy. Acquire, apply, and excel as a great speaker!"
Professor M. S. Rao, international leadership consultant; author of thirteen books, including Soft Leadership: Make Others Feel More Important

"A very practical book to elevate the quality of the reader′s public presentations. This book has provided me with techniques that my 25 years of professional speaking experience has not."
Dr. Donald E. Wetmore, professional speaker, Productivity Institute; author of Organizing Your Life and The Productivity Handbook

What happens when you′re asked to give a speech, professionally or personally? If you get nervous, start sweating, and hope it′s all just a bad dream, you′re not alone. Business professionals, students, politicians, and teachers alike all have encountered the anxiety that comes with public speaking. But Painless Presentations proves that speaking doesn′t have to be painful, or even stressful. Derived from Lenny Laskowski′s 35–year speaking career, this book details the tools and techniques you need to prepare and deliver an effective, dynamic, and engaging presentation, such as:

Learn the seven qualities of any effective speaker Gather necessary information and materials in advance Master the use of visual aids and vocal variety Build self–confidence by being yourself Handle difficult questions and tough crowds

Chapter 1 The Seven Aspects of Speaking 1

Aspect 1 The Speaker 4

Aspect 2 The Message 5

Aspect 3 The Audience 9

Aspect 4 The Channel 16

Aspect 5 The Feedback 18

Aspect 6 The Noise 20

Aspect 7 The Setting 37

Chapter 2 Gathering Information and Materials 51

Librarians 54

Catalogs 54

Periodicals 55

Newspapers 55

Reference Works 56

The Internet 56

What Visual Aids Will You Use during Your Presentation?

Will You Use Any Visual Aids? 59

Where Will You Stand during Your Presentation? 59

Presentation Preparation as a Process 60

Information Overload 61

Using Videos and Music during Your Presentation 63

Chapter 3 The Structure of a Presentation 65

The Introduction 67

The Body 69

The Conclusion 71

Monroe s Motivated Sequence Special Format for Sales Presentations 72

The Dozen Deadly Dangers Reasons for Poor Presentations 75

Chapter 4 Use of Visual Aids 79

Validity of the Data 82

Use of Visual Aids 83

Types of Visual Aids 87

More about Using Visual Aids 102

The Most Important Visual Aid 103

Chapter 5 Learning Styles 107

Visual or Spatial 110

Auditory or Aural 111

Verbal or Linguistic 113

Physical or Kinesthetic 114

Logical or Mathematical 115

Social or Interpersonal 116

Solitary or Intrapersonal 117

Mixed Learning Styles 118

Presentation Environment 118

Myers–Briggs 121

Chapter 6 Nonverbal Messages 123

Gestures Let Your Body Speak 125

Performance Orientation versus Conversational Mode 130

Types of Gestures 136

Locations of Gestures 138

How to Gesture Effectively 142

Body Movement 147

Chapter 7 How to Handle Questions 161

Question–and–Answer Period 163

The Five–Step Process for Answering Regular (Nondifficult) Questions 163

Dealing with Difficult or Hostile Questions 166

Chapter 8 The Effective Speech 173

More on Preparation and Presentation 176

Your Call to Action 184

Index 187

Lenny Laskowski is an internationally known professional speaker and the President of LJL Seminars. He specializes in helping people make better presentations by delivering workshops, seminars, keynotes, and private coaching to provide practical techniques. Lenny combines his popular coaching style with step–by–step instruction to guarantee improvements in the way people motivate and appeal to their audiences. For more information, visit www.LJLSeminars.com.