3 Online Courses To Improve Public Speaking

When you are ready to improve your public speaking skills, then taking a course in public speaking may be one of the best decisions that you can make. This will help you learn some of the techniques that you need and will give you some practice so that your skills will get better. Some of the best online courses that you can take include:

Storytelling and Influencing: Communicate with Impact

 

This is a course through Coursera that will provide students with 13 hours of public speaking practice. The lessons are going to tackle how to give a great speech from a business perspective, though it can be effective for those who just want to do better with public speaking. In the class, students will learn how to do persuasion, how to tell a story, how to connect with others, and even how to handle some of the negative feedback. 

Intro to Public Speaking – Give a 5 Minute Talk Without Dying

 

This is a short class of just 47 minutes, making it perfect if you want to learn some tips but not spend forever learning the secrets or coming back week after week. While you will not be an expert after it is done, you will gain some new skills that will be amazing. The goal is to help the student learn some of the basic parts of public speaking like practicing the speech, creating an outline, brainstorming the right topics, and building a stage presence that is sure to wow the audience. 

Dynamic Public Speaking Certification

 

This course is a bit longer, but the student will get a certification when they are done. It requires three hours of week to complete within seven months. There are also four courses that are covered within it including an introduction to public speaking, speaking to inform, speaking to persuade, and speaking to inspire. You will be able to progress through the course with writing, practicing, and recording speeches while getting feedback on what is working and what you can improve on. 

 

There are so many benefits to public speaking and it is worth your time to hone these skills and get better at it. With practice and the right course to help you along, you will be able to enhance your skills and speak in any public situation that you want, convincing others that you are a professional!

 

It’s Not Just What You Say, But How You Say It

It is easy to get caught up in the words that you will say during a presentation. You spend hours writing out the sentences, practicing, and trying to make it perfect. While the words behind the message are important, there are a few other things to consider as well. Namely, you need to also pay attention to your body language and your appearance. 

The Importance of Your Appearance

 

The way that you look and present yourself will make a big difference as well. You need to make sure your outfit looks nice and matches the situation that you are in. Showing up in baggy clothes that do not match or looking like you just rolled out of bed will never be a good idea for giving a great speech. 

 

Dress nicely for the event. Consider what will look the best. Sometimes being really dressed up is necessary and other times business casual is a better option. Have your hair cut or kept back out of your face and jewelry can be worn, but make sure that it is simple and elegant without being distracting. 

Your Body Language

 

You also need to consider your body language. A few changes to the way that you hold your hands, how you stand, and even a smile can help get your message across better. If you spend time pacing, fidgeting, and slouching, no one is in the audience will take you seriously. 

 

There are different things that you can do with your body language to help make sure that you appear more confident. First, stand up straight and tall. This gives the appearance of confidence and may be enough to make you feel better. Maintain eye contact with the audience, rather than looking at the ground. And if you are going to use your hands, make sure that they are used in a way to promote your message, rather than a distraction. 

 

And finally, make sure that you smile. A smile can help you and your audience feel at ease, like you are forming a good connection together, and will make a big difference. You do not need to smile the whole time, but when you feel nervous about the situation, give a smile and see what a difference it can make. 

 

A few simple changes to your appearance and the body language that you show to others will make a world of difference in how well you can present yourself and how you get your message out to others. 

 

The 5 Most Common Filler Words In The English Language

One way to ruin your speech and lose the attention of those who have come to listen to you is to add lots of filler words. These are simple words that will fill up space, but do not add anything to the conversation and do not move it further. Filler words are some of the most commonly spoken words in all languages, but when you are participating in public speaking, it is a good idea to avoid them as much as possible. 

There are different reasons why people choose to use filler words. They may use this when they hesitate or pause during a conversation, to be indirect as a way of showing politeness, to indicate the tone or mode, and to express doubt. None of these are good for public speaking though, so it is best to just keep them out of the speech if possible. 

There are a lot of filler words in the English language, but some of the most common are:

1.  Oh: This is one of the most common and is often found right at the beginning of a sentence. It can get distracting and repetitive if it is used too often. 

2.  Like: Like has become very common for young English speakers. There are different ways to add it into a sentence, but unless you are saying that you like something in particular, it is a filler word that can be removed. 

3.  You know: This one can fit anywhere in the sentence from the beginning to the end. It is a way to collect the thoughts during a speech, but it is not necessary and can take out some of the seriousness of the speech. 

4.  Well: This is often just a way to add in more sounds to the sentence or to make the speaker sound better, but it is just a waste of space. 

5.  Uh or umm: These are often used interchangeably and will make the speech very convoluted. This one does not mean anything, but can be used when the speaker is nervous. 

 

Most speakers have a filler word that they tend to use more than they should. When you recognize these filler words and learn how to avoid them in some of your public speaking engagements, your speech will flow better and you will enjoy the way that it sounds while delivering your message. 

To Speak Or Not To Speak?

When having a conversation with someone else, there are two things going on. One person is doing the talking, and the other person is doing the listening. The problems in conversation can often happen when both partners want to talk, and neither really wants to take the time to listen to the other person. 

 

While talking is an important part of communication, if no one is doing the listening, you will end up with hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and a conversation that is not the best to start with. There is a time to talk and a time to listen in any conversation. And you may be surprised by how much listening you should be doing. 

 

It is actually better to spend more time in the conversation listening rather than talking. This is counterintuitive to what we are used to, but there are some benefits. When you take a step back and listen to the other person, you can learn and really formulate your responses, rather than just jumping in with the first thing that you think. 

 

How many times have you been in a conversation, but focused more on your own thoughts and what you should say next, rather than hearing what that other person has to say? Or how often has that happened to you, where it felt like they were not listening to you? This is a good example of why you should listen. 

 

During the conversation, do not focus on what you are going to say first. Spend the time listening to what the other person is saying. Ask for clarification if something is confusing or if you think there is more information that you need. And really listen, rather than focusing on what you will say next. You can then speak up and give your response, based on what the other person has told you. 

 

Do not worry about the conversation stalling. This will actually help it to get ahead and do better because both of you will be on the same page. And even if you do need to pause for a few seconds afterwards before you respond, that is not a big deal. It shows that you are actively listening and trying to come up with the right response for that person, rather than the one that you want to get out there. A good balance between talking and listening will be critical to good communication. 

 

Active Listening: A Task More Difficult Than Public Speaking

Active listening is the ability of a person to focus their attention on the speaker, to process and absorb what that person is saying, and to respond thoughtfully. It is about really paying attention to what the speaker is saying, rather than daydreaming, worrying about the to-do list, or focusing on what you are going to say next. 

 

Active listening is going to be different than what most people do, which is passive listening. With passive listening, you kind of hear the person in the background, but you do not absorb what they are saying that well. 

 

The goal of active listening is to fully pay attention to what the speaker is telling you. You will look at some of their verbal cues, their nonverbal cues, and listen to them rather than paying attention to some of the other things that are on your mind. It includes asking a lot of questions to learn more about what they want to share, getting clarification and digging deeper when necessary. 

 

There will be some talking when you use active listening. But the listening has to come first. When you actively listen to the other person, you will have a better idea of what they are trying to share, and some of the hidden meanings that are there. And this makes it easier to give a response that will work well with what that person was telling to you, rather than making the conversation go off on a tangent. 

 

Active listening is something that takes time to learn. Too many of us focus on passive listening or are focusing on what is important to us at the time. This is a habit that we need to get out of and since it is lifelong, it is hard to break. Trying a little bit at a time will make a difference and can help you to really have some of the meaningful conversations that you want. 

 

When it comes to having a good conversation with other people, you need to start utilizing active listening. Even trying it a little bit can be enough to make the conversation flow more and helps make the other person feel like you value them more than before. It is a hard habit to learn, but by being empathetic, focusing on the speaker rather than yourself, and practicing, you will get this skill down in no time. 

 

5 Celebrities Who Overcame Their Fear Of Public Speaking

Public speaking can be nerve wracking for everyone. It is normal to feel nervous when it is time to do a presentation or get up in front of people. You may feel like you are the only one who gets nervous with public speaking, but many celebrities also have the same fear. 

 

It is hard to imagine. The people who get up on the screen and give amazing performances that leave us in awe have trouble speaking in front of others too? It’s true! Celebrities can struggle with speaking in front of other people too. Some of the celebrities who have overcome their fear of public speaking include:

 

1.  Rowan Atkinson: Known as playing Mr. Bean, Atkinson finds himself uncomfortable when it is time to speak in public. This can often be seen when he appears on talk shows. To help handle this, many of his characters overcome problems with speaking and he has even stepped forward to discuss the importance of freedom of speech in our country. 

2.  Tiger Woods: Tiger Woods has had trouble with public speaking as well. He uses one of the best techniques to help with this problem though; practicing. He says that before bed, he practices to his dog, who is always a great audience. 

3.  Sir Richard Branson: Though he is known for daring adventures and lots of fun, he does get nervous any time he has to go on stage. To help with this, he starts with a Q&A session to ease into it. 

4.  Thomas Jefferson: Fears of public speaking have been around for years. According to historical documents, Jefferson struggled with this as well. He tended to focus more on his great writing abilities to compensate for his issues with speaking in public. 

5.  Adele: While Adele is known for her amazing singing chops, she does have anxiety when she needs to perform in public. She has been able to overcome some of these fears and become a world-known singer. 

 

Public speaking is something that everyone can be worried about and can give anxiety to anyone. It doesn’t matter if you are giving a speech in front of your class or to a worldwide audience, everyone will feel nervous and anxious at some point. Recognizing the fear and learning how to compensate for it to gain more confidence can help put that fear of public speaking on the backburner. 

 

Why Is Public Speaking Important?

Public speaking is something that can make a lot of people nervous. They would much rather find anything else to do with their time rather than give a big speech to others. But there are actually a lot of benefits to public speaking. It is actually one of the most important, and most dreaded, skills that someone should have. 

 

So, why is public speaking so important?

 

To Win Over a Crowd

 

Whether you are a business leader looking to get funding, an employee trying to get a job, or in public relations and trying to reach a lot of people, public speaking is a good skill to have. When done well, it can be used to help win over any crowd that you would like, big or small. To win them over though, you need to present the audience with a compelling argument. And you need to bring in the whole package. It is not enough to just say a few words; you have to make it an experience. Good public speaking skills can help with this. 

 

To Motivate Others

 

A person who is great at public speaking is able to use some of those skills to motivate their audience to make a change. There has to be something special in the delivery though. The audience will not change simply because you told them to. You need to have a good presentation behind you and be a confident public speaker along the way. Being knowledgeable and having the ability to arouse passion can be important here.

 

To Inform

 

The ability to inform is an important part of public speaking. Many public speaking events are done in order to inform and help people learn things, especially if you are doing the presentation for class. Learning how to be a good public speaker will help you to get your information across so you can make a big impact. Having good knowledge of the topic and being a charismatic speaker can go a long way to help with this. 

 

While many people do not like public speaking at all and may try to avoid it at all costs, it is an important thing to learn how to do. It can help you to persuade, to convince people to follow your advice, and to inform others as well. With some practice and doing it more often, you will find that public speaking is a good skill to know. 

 

The Many Benefits of Lifelong Learning

From the time we’re children, we’re pushed to learn things. By adulthood, most people are somewhat relieved when the learning portion of their lives is over. The problem is, saying goodbye to learning isn’t a good idea. There are so many benefits of lifelong learning, stopping with graduation, and a diploma would be a serious mistake.

 

What are some of those benefits?

 

Solutions Are Easier to Find

 

A brain kept sharp through continuous learning is going to be better at finding solutions to problems, in part because of better cognitive function. Also, because there’s just more knowledge available to draw on to find a solution. 

 

You Just Sound Smarter

 

When you constantly challenge yourself to find out new things, your conversation shows the effects. You’re more up on current events, and your ability to talk intelligently in social situations increases. Knowledge also raises your cred on social media, especially on sites such as LinkedIn, which is essential when job hunting.

 

You’re Better Prepared

 

Not sure what to do in a crisis? Spend time learning. By understanding the basics of first aid or how things are supposed to function in your workplace, you will be better able to handle an emergency.

 

You Mind Sparks

 

Looking for an idea or new perspective? Perhaps you want to be more creative? You can easily enhance each of those areas through learning. 

 

You Become a More Capable and Confident Employee

 

When you’re always learning in the workplace, you become more self-assured in your work, a feeling you’ll start carrying with you into other aspects of your life. It’s this attitude that gets you noticed, especially when the time comes for promotions.

 

It’s Good for Your Brain

 

Finally, perhaps one of the most important reasons for pursuing knowledge is that it’s good for your brain. Studies have shown a brain engaged and continuously challenged with new information is sharper, with better cognitive skills. The benefits don’t stop there. Learning means your brain keeps growing, creating new neural pathways. Learning things has also been proven to help prevent Alzheimer’s and other effects of dementia. It has even shown to reverse some of the impact of those issues as you age. No wonder it’s a good reason to keep learning as you grow older!

 

Lifelong learning is something to be pursued, not just because it’s ‘good for you’ like taking the proverbial vitamin pill. Chasing after learning can be both enlightening and fun and will serve you well throughout your entire life. With that in mind, it’s an easy decision to become a lifelong learner. Only through knowledge can you truly become your very best self.

 

What to and Where to (Look For)

What? Not true love of course, but an eBook that will help you boost your self-confidence. Who knows, true love might follow the lead! If you are one of the many needing a little boost on their confidence level and have experienced feeling more confused than ever after searching the internet, this one’s for you. Hear Ye! Hear Ye! You are about to unravel the secret of google searching! 

 

Straight to the point, search for eBooks that have self-assessment questions – this will help you a lot in understanding yourself. More so, if you are to answer honestly, the more that you will know how to handle your given situation and choose your self-care path. Next, look for write-ups that at least two exercises that aims to help you self-assess. People usually wants to read self-help books alone and confront their fears alone. It is usually trying to define, pinpoint and accept at first by yourself. Well, there is no shame in that. It can be healthy for yourself as long as you now when to ask for help, in case things gets a little out of hand. So, looking for write-ups, books, eBooks that supports self-assessment really gives an upper hand. 

 

As a reminder though, not all self-assessment exercises are created equal. Choose the ones that you find are respectful of your uniqueness and supports self-acceptance. What do we mean by this? Take a look at these sample exercises: being naked and looking at yourself in the mirror while reciting affirmations that help you accept your unique physique and composition versus asking you to but an expensive make-up to cover up an old scar or protein powder packs to replace your meals. I hope you see the difference. I hope you recognize the big difference between the two.

 

How To Blow A Job Interview In Less Than Five Minutes

Imagine the situation that you are looking for a job. One day you receive a letter that says: Your resume was good enough to get the interview. You woke up feeling confident and happy about it. You are fifteen minutes early to your interview. You felt great as you chit chatted about the weekend and then answered all of the questions with ease. You were a blowout. Then why didn’t you get the job or even a second interview.

 

Let’s rewind.

 

You showed up fifteen minutes early. Awe-inspiring for you, regrettably not all employers feel the same way. It can be annoying for an employer to have an interview show up while they are still trying to finish off the interview before you. It’s good to be punctual, and even early in most cases. Five minutes early is satisfactory. If you show up earlier than that, just sit in your car for a couple of minutes. Listen to the radio set and chew over on why you are the best candidate for the job. And then five minutes earlier your scheduled interview, head on in.

 

Next, let’s address your interview dress up. Your hair is neat and combed; you put on your best shirt and favorite ‘nice’ jeans! ok...Let’s talk about the ‘nice jeans’. I hate to break this to so many of you, but jeans are almost never satisfactory for an interview. It almost conventions you out before you even get a chance to say anything. Yes if you are applying for a job as a cowboy or related field it’s appropriate. For about every other job in the world it’s not. At the very lowest pull out a pair of khaki’s for the interview. Employer’s look at your appearance as a expression of how you may dress on the job or represent the company. You do not want to discover as too casual or haphazard. Even if you know the office is generally casual and the person interviewing you is wearing jeans, you don’t want to make any presumptions about anticipations for the interview process. After you have the job offer, ask what the appropriate dress is for the business concern. As a tip, it’s good to have a ‘go to’ interview outfit and try to make it something that you feel comfortable in. 

 

Now let’s go on to the interview chit chatting. It is always a good idea to find something to link up to the interviewer about. This shows the interviewer that you would harmonize with the office. It’s not a good idea to absorb in overly long discussions that are unrelated to the position available. You only have a short time to impress someone adequate to be offered the job. Try not to waste too much time discussing items that are not attending get you the job. While they may ‘like’ you, the job will wind up going to someone else that is more ‘qualified’. Let’s discuss the rules of interview chit chat. No politics, religious belief, or any type of a private story that is better left for happy hour with your friends. 

 

Now that you have these easy to follow rules for your next interview, get working on your resume, pull your interview outfit together and practice for your next interview. Good luck on the job hunt.

 

How to Identify New Businesses

For a person who believes in hard work and committed efforts, the globe is filled with new business chances that are waiting to be begged and applied for personal success. All that one needs to know is where to look and to be able to identify the right opportunities when they happen to attain something suitable and then jump into such an opportunity and work hard toward great accomplishments.

 

But, where does one look for opportunities to begin on a new business?

 

If you are an avid reader, then impressed media is one rich source of information that can allow you with the list of chances. Although you might not find a impressed list of opportunities mentioned in any newspaper, you should be able to interpret the news and utilize this news to describe a business opportunity when you see one and then with this created opportunity, begin with your business and try to flourish towards accomplishing great heights.

 

There are many such news like company mergers, new alignments, employee consumption into companies, creating new arms of a company in a unrepresented sector, buying of sick accompanies, new product lines, etc that can be used as an boulevard for new business ventures.

 

Apart from the printed media, a much chose option of today’s times admits the search of the internet for new business chances. But, even though the internet is a trove of information affecting new chances, one should be aware that there are many buncoes on the internet. For this reason, you should do a thorough enquiry to identify decriminalise opportunities from the scams.

 

The internet allows the option of search engines that can boil out important and vital information in the affair of arcseconds. All you need to do is type in some keywords adverting the business you are interested in (for example, home based business, affiliate marketing, etc) and you will find all the information you will need to breeding your idea to fruition.

 

If you prefer to independent on the net, there are many committed sites that are uncommitted on the internet to help you advertize yourself as a freelancer and get you projects in the niche you are interested in. You can also look for information in assorted sites on the internet as this is a good source for information affecting new businesses. You can also advertise your powers in such sites to find people who are amenable to hire you as a freelancer.

 

As we told before, the world is filled with plenty of chances that are just waiting to be accomplished out to. All you need is forbearance and diligence in beingness able to find these opportunities and to utilize them and work hard to prosper in the airfield that you have decided.

 

Different Ways To Make Money

In any economic system the risks are the same. It's challenging for the average individual to make ends meet. Even those who are employed with good wages find it difficult. A few who have income are afraid to spend in an unsound economy and those without are attempting to come up with ways to gain extra cash.

            

I’m going to supply you plenty of opportunities to consider in order to place yourself in a more beneficial financial position by working for yourself. This places you in control without being forced to depend upon outside sources dictating what you can and can’t do financially. Most of the time, when one is pondering going into business for themselves, they're disheartened because of lack of startup capital.

            

You'll be surprised to discover that a lot of the opportunities here don't have any startup expenses, and those that do are really little. It puts you on a path to being debt free.

            

Different Ways To Make Money

            

1) Earnings: The 1st is by working a job where you're experienced and you get paid by an employer to do that job.

            

2) Self-employed: The 2nd way of earning revenue is by doing freelance or contract work.

            

3) Business person: The 3rd way to make income is to invest in a small business that you are able to call your own.

            

A skilled job is hard to come by these days and is even harder if you don’t have the experience and training to back the skills you have gained. Seeking work may be frustrating and making money is decidedly one thing that everyone wants to do.

 

In a skilled job you needed to understand the ins and outs of your trade or line of work. So, if you're a mechanic you need to comprehend how all types of vehicles work. If you don't know how to work on all types of vehicles in your field, it may greatly reduce your chances of work.

 

Many skilled workers who can’t find work normally go to an agency where they become part time workers and work for the agency. Freelancing is a different good option. There are sites all over the net that offer ways for you to discover freelancing jobs.

 

You are able to do freelancing on just about any type of work you are able to think of. There's certainty a free-lancing job available in every area. You simply need to know where to go to find the info for it. There are a lot of ways to go about owning a business. You just need to discover what suits your taste and your budget more.

 

For a business owner the 1st choice you'd have is to be the sole owner. You are able to choose to have an online business in any field of your choice likewise. This means that you control everything through the net from a site controlled by your home computer. Making income is hard in this tough economy today and having just one form of revenue isn't getting individuals out of debt.

 

Working on the net to make income in any sort of field you want is always a beneficial choice because the net will always be there. Just remember that you get out what you put into it. If you don’t put that much effort in it then you won’t see the return on your investment and time.