Not a natural public speaker..but will be speaking publicly later today on a webinar to public safety officials....please help me acknowledge current events in a thoughtful, authentic way, before kicking off the conference call.
[more inside]
posted by dmbfan93
on May 21, 2013 -
5 answers
I agreed to be the guest speaker at the graduation for a graduate-school program. Students, families, and teachers will be present, about 60 people total. All the grads are getting the same degree. I have a similar degree and now I work in the field which they will be (trying to) work in. (It's a competitive, low-paying field, and the students are well aware of that fact.)
I do guest lectures all the time at university classes, sort of like career-day presentations, but I get the feeling I should be talking about big-picture stuff, be optimistic and empowering and inspiring or whatever. Thing is, I don't know how to do that, but I want to make sure the audience gets something useful from my speech. How do I best approach (and format) a 30 minute graduation speech? It's in 1 week.
posted by Jason and Laszlo
on May 8, 2013 -
17 answers
Can't Meet In-Person, so how do I execute the best series of Webinars possible for participants?
[more inside]
posted by BlueMartini7
on Apr 4, 2013 -
4 answers
Can you give me specific instances of US political candidates or elected officials publically speaking in a language other than English?
[more inside]
posted by threeants
on Mar 27, 2013 -
31 answers
I teach for a living but have a lot of linguistic baggage that I'd like to get rid of. Specifically, I have some weird pronunciation/accent issues and would like to speak "General American" or newscaster English. Is this something I can do on my own? What resources should I use?
[more inside]
posted by mecran01
on Feb 27, 2013 -
7 answers
I'm starting to get a few requests for speaking engagements and seminars, and I'm not quite sure what to expect on the business side of things. At the moment, these are private individuals who have a little experience with event planning, and know that I could draw a decent audience to a workshop. I'm a little unsure about how profits should be split between me and the organizer. I don't have a problem with the organizer making some money, but I'm the one providing the content, and I want to be fairly compensated. How does this generally work?
[more inside]
posted by sdis
on Feb 21, 2013 -
8 answers
I will be need to present my thesis (which is a 200 page theoretical book) to an audience in about a week. Some of the audience will have read it, but the majority will have not. The argument of the book is too complex and extended to summarize into a 10 minute presentation, so I am not sure what to present. If I try to condense it or if I select just a part to present, the result will be that the whole book will be judged based on that one part.
[more inside]
posted by cmp4Meta
on Jan 21, 2013 -
11 answers
What annoying words and phrases are popping up too often in the US workplace? Whenever I try to think of an example, it is at least 5 years old and people aren't really using it anymore. For example, "hit the ground running" or "the competition ate our lunch". (But those are too old.)
[more inside]
posted by ErikH2000
on Jan 9, 2013 -
225 answers
I apparently stopped talking from just before I was one till I was about four. Should I be worried?
[more inside]
posted by divabat
on Jul 29, 2012 -
23 answers
I've been asked to speak at an event in a major American city in front of one or two hundred people. How much should I ask for my speaker's fee? Is
this an accurate guide?
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Jul 18, 2012 -
6 answers
I have a cold. I have to talk to talk to a few groups of people in the next 48 hours, and want to avoid excessive coughing, crazy hoarseness, etc. Any advice?
[more inside]
posted by ManInSuit
on Jul 9, 2012 -
10 answers
Please suggest a good elocution and diction program I can use at home with my kids.
[more inside]
posted by katyh
on Jul 2, 2012 -
2 answers
Hi! I'm learning Spanish at the moment, using podcasts and LiveMocha, mostly. I try to speak it as much as possible when doing the LiveMocha exercises, listening to the podcast conversations, etc, but I realise that what's missing is real live conversation with others.
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Jun 15, 2012 -
8 answers
I am moving from behind the computer to in front of the computer, how do I learn to speak up during meetings?
[more inside]
posted by alfanut
on May 14, 2012 -
9 answers
I would like my voice to be engaging and interesting sounding. Difficulty: I currently have the tonal range of a garbage truck.
[more inside]
posted by peachfuzz
on May 7, 2012 -
8 answers
Public speaking: I know my material, I feel good about it, I still end up with horrific dry mouth. What can I do to make that ease up?
[more inside]
posted by gracedissolved
on Mar 16, 2012 -
9 answers
How do you give a presentation with confidence, without reading your notes word-for-word?
[more inside]
posted by oceanview
on Mar 12, 2012 -
29 answers
Me me ma ma mo mo... Anyone have any tips on speaking exercises to prevent vocal rawness and pain after extended speaking in noisy environments?
[more inside]
posted by teedee2000
on Dec 15, 2011 -
10 answers
How does one become a public speaking teacher? Is this an actual job? I am in the UK but worldly advice welcome?
posted by parmanparman
on Nov 27, 2011 -
11 answers
What is the name of the older (1970's?) song where a hippy-type chap sings. The words are like a rambling story with comments on the state of the world and its indulgences something like; "To do, half past 2, clock tick, time you, fast food, food fast, open for business, convineance, emmeniance, de-grease, de-gas" kind of deal?
posted by Cogentesque
on Oct 28, 2011 -
7 answers
Got my student evals back, and all my students seem to think I'm angry all the time.
[more inside]
posted by King Bee
on Jan 28, 2011 -
51 answers
Hailee Steinfeld as Hattie Ross in
True Grit (2010) and Megan Fallows as Anne Shirley in the
Anne of Green Gables series speak almost exactly the same. And it sounds so great. What is the origin of this method of speaking? Elocution lessons? Having parents in the theatre? What?
posted by leotrotsky
on Jan 1, 2011 -
12 answers
I'm looking for suggestions and general thoughts on the subject of how to improve one's tone of voice.
[more inside]
posted by choppyes
on Dec 25, 2010 -
17 answers
I'm a native French speaker, and I'd like to to learn some new English words. However, many advanced English vocabulary books contain a lot of words which are exactly the same in French. Of course, some of them are false friends, and there's always something to learn. However, I'd like to know if there exists a vocabulary book specifically dedicated for French speakers.
[more inside]
posted by Fillus
on Dec 10, 2010 -
13 answers
Can anyone recommend a talented public speaker in the NYC/Boston/Philly/DC/NJ area who can talk to our audience (an NYC non-profit usability professionals' association) about usability, who would be available from March of 2011 onwards? I'm particularly interested in finding people who specialize in designing things like cockpit controls for aircraft, nuclear plant dashboards, radar systems for the military and/or meteorological systems, and the like. I'm a big fan of author and researcher Gary Klein and have asked for his help as well. I'd be grateful for any leads. Thank you.
posted by uxplanner
on Nov 22, 2010 -
3 answers
What's this little box in Dragon Naturally Speaking? I can't seem to figure it out, even though I've been reading the tutorial.
[more inside]
posted by crazylegs
on Nov 14, 2010 -
4 answers
I've discovered that I'm an excellent public speaker. How does one capitalize on that?
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Oct 16, 2010 -
9 answers
I agreed to step in as a last-minute speaker at a rally for public education tomorrow. I found
this question about speaking at rallies, which was really helpful. Now the problem is that I'm worried about being boring. How can I be a really lively, exciting speaker, especially considering that I'm speaking partly about personal experiences?
[more inside]
posted by yomimono
on Oct 6, 2010 -
9 answers
I just got a request for an interview over the phone. Would it be rude to ask to do it textually?
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Jun 4, 2010 -
23 answers
I have a podcast. Sometimes my voice is really nasally. Can I fix this physically or inside an audio editor? I guess what I’m asking is how do I develop a radio/podcast/speaking voice? (Hopefully without paying through the nose.)
posted by edbles
on Apr 26, 2010 -
10 answers
I want to expand my collection of accents. What movies should I watch? I'm especially interested in regional American, UK and Irish accents, but hearing non-native English speakers is helpful as well.
posted by freshwater_pr0n
on Feb 24, 2010 -
35 answers
Tomorrow I have to deliver a 2-hour training presentation in front of 80 employees. I loathe speaking in front of large crowds and suffer from crippling stage fright. Chances are I will be awake all night fretting the occasion and replaying worst case scenarios in my head. Any tips on how to relax and keep my anxiety at a minimum?
posted by Tenacious.Me.Tokyo
on Feb 18, 2010 -
29 answers
I apparently don’t sound intelligent when I speak. Is there a way to solve this that doesn’t involve therapy or Toastmasters? Please help!
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Jan 18, 2010 -
23 answers
