Wednesday 14 February 2024

Make Them Listen! Performance Tips for Speakers

Speaker performance tips to help make your audience listen!

Have you spent hours preparing for an important speech only to have it fail to connect with your audience? Raise your public speaking game by incorporating my performance tips to help engage your audience and leave a lasting impression. 


The worst review any speaker can receive is to be called boring. Creating engaging speech content is the first step to engagement. 

The second step is to bring life to your presentation through performance. What you say is often less important than the way you say it.  


Seven Cs For Success


1. Confidence – preparation, presentation, owning the stage
2. Credibility – being seen as the expert
3. Content – relevant, resonating
4. Connecting – read the room to engage
5. Context – know the room's physical properties
6. Control – microphones, music, slide show, video
7. Communication – putting it all together


Connecting – Reading the Room


Reading the room helps understand the mood of the audience. Non-verbal cues signal whether their emotional level is high or low. When people nap, it's time to adjust your delivery style. 

Other Posts in This Series




Wednesday 6 December 2023

Script Options for Successful Speakers

There's more than one way to format a speech for presentation. What's best for you?

Written by Robyn T. Braley

After your speech is written, you must organize it into a presentation format that suits your style.

Of course, the ideal way to deliver a speech is to memorize it. However, if that’s not for you, there are other delivery methods.


The Last Laugh

As every speaker knows, the path to speaking success is paved with hours of preparation. I learned this principle the hard way.

The first time I spoke before a crowd of 400 people, I was 17 and running to become the President of my High School Student’s Counsel. I aced the debate and won because I told jokes about my opponent. My election victory had nothing to do with visionary thinking or big ideas.

While I won the election, the last laugh was on me. The second time I spoke to that same crowd was one week later. That time, my fellow students expected me to be … well … Presidential.

Friday 1 December 2023

You Can Make a Difference - Giving Strategies 2023

Give with a grateful heart!

Written by Robyn T. Braley

Robyn T. Braley is a brand specialist, writer, speaker, community leader and media commentator. He is the President of UniMark Creative Inc. 

The last day of December 2023 is the final opportunity to receive tax credits for donations to charitable organizations.


The needs are significant! Recovery from the COVID pandemic has been compounded by runaway inflation causing a worldwide economic crisis. The shock of skyrocketing rental rates and food costs caught financial experts and extraordinary people off guard. 

The needs in our communities have been amplified several times overPeople are desperate. Families are in distress. Many are forced to choose between paying the rent and buying food!

Every day, worthy causes inundate companies and private individuals with letters, emails and phone calls pleading for help. The challenge is to choose which organizations to help when so many need support.

All of this brings added pressure on food banks, family resource agencies, addiction recovery organizations, youth programs, and mental health services. Counsellors are overwhelmed by the number of people seeking help. 

Tuesday 4 July 2023

Yahoo! How to Thrive in the Stampede 2023 Networking Marathon


Make a great first impression at Calgary Stampede events!

Written by Robyn T. Braley


In any networking opportunity, we like to say that first impressions are everything! But bad behavior can make the kind of lasting impression you don't want.  


Don't be known as the cowboy or cowgirl who threw up on the boss's cowboy boots. That will definitely be remembered! 


The Calgary Stampede is billed as the greatest outdoor show on earth. It's also a city-wide networking marathon. 

Stampede is hard to describe to people who have never experienced one. The city-wide celebration is much more than an event confined to a geographic location.

While 1.3 million+ will pass through Stampede Park turnstiles for the 10-day exhibition for the all-star rodeo, exciting chuck wagon races, music concerts, and agricultural fair, the celebration of western spirit spreads like wildfire through the city.


Companies spend thousands of PR dollars to make their events ones to remember. Being on the invite list gives access to people you would never otherwise meet.

Company presidents join 100’s of employees wearing cowboy hats, shirts, blue jeans and boots. Stampede is a time for building relationships with employees, clients, suppliers and the community.

Wednesday 17 May 2023

Body Language - Do You Know What Your Body is Saying?

Harness the power of body language for better communication!

Written by Robyn T. Braley


Body language is a big part of your personal brand.  It's important to understand that because your brand is what others think it is. You may be sending unintended messages to colleagues, clients, or friends and family.

 

1. What is your body language saying about you?


2. What subliminal messages are you sending?


Why Body Language Matters

Knowing what your body is saying can be the difference between being taken seriously or not. Strong body language speaks to confidence, credibility, and trust. Shifty eyes, wild gestures, and the failure to listen intently signal the direct opposite.