Have you ever watched an inspirational speaker whose sole ability
to inspire seemed to come from his loud voice? As you flip through
television channels you are bound to land on a station where someone
is trying to sell you something or “inspire you” to give away your
money somehow. Much of this is driven through the volume and
urgency of the voices saying, “Do it now!” The urgency of the “now”
builds the excitement, and that excitement often raises the volume
of the speaker. I’m not saying that the loud voices are yelling; they
do have a constant tone and pitch that often maintains this sense of
urgency through the higher volume.

I have been in situations when I know that the speaker’s goal was
to motivate or inspire me, but I felt more discomfort—or in some
cases boredom— since there was too much constant volume. Many
times in these cases, I have found very little vocal variety, so the speech
becomes monotonous. In some cases, a speaker’s inspirational message
is simply about repeating the same words or phrases over and
over. Although some repetition is encouraged to ensure the message
sticks with an audience, using the same boisterous tone may get old
without any vocal variety. I find my mind starting to wander when the
loud voice gives me a feeling of being talked at, as opposed to being
talked to or talked with.

Inspiration can come from different types of speakers. Many speakers
have caught and kept my attention by effectively varying their voice
and pitch. Some spend a lot of time in the higher-volume state, and I
am all right with that because they periodically bring it down. Most
importantly, they have a message that has connected with me and has
maintained my attention, not simply because they had a loud voice.
Loud may get your attention, but will it maintain that attention?
Whether you are introverted, extroverted, loud, or soft, realize that
inspiration can come from all types of speakers. The delivery is one
factor to ensure your effectiveness, and having an important message
for the audience to take away is another. Have you captured the hearts
and minds of the people you are interacting with? You can connect in
so many different ways with the audience. Just be confident in knowing
that you are connecting.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

Some gravitational pull may have led you to this book. Whether
you felt your stomach drop in an important business presentation or
you have a pending proposal you need to make, regardless of the reason,
you have dedicated yourself to improving your public speaking.
You have taken an exciting step toward your ultimate success.
You should be cautiously optimistic that your journey is just beginning,
regardless of your level as a public speaker. Remember that even
when your important presentation is over, the public speaking is not. The
event may be over, but the process continues. The art of public speaking,
and your progress, is ever-evolving. The learning process needs constant
attention and refinement. It does not happen overnight, but it does happen
when you continue to take action. You have already made the tough
choice to improve—that was an action. Now, you should make sure that
your commitment is strong. Continue to build long-lasting habits that
will become your foundation and baseline to work from.

Learning is a process, not an event. Some of you may have some
natural ability, and some may not. However, the ability to move forward
and improve only happens after you cross over the threshold past
the inertia, and then keep your advancement toward success alive.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

Ever hear a presentation start with, “How’s everyone doing today?”
or another generic opening? How about when a significant amount of
time is spent listing out things that will be discussed during the event?
Have you ever watched the painful beginnings of a presentation when
a generic introduction droned on and on? The audience warm-up, in
some cases, may become a cool-down where you lose them before you
even begin the foundation of your presentation.

Ed Tate, in a presentation at the District 45 2010 Fall Conference
talked about jumping immediately into the presentation content. If
you had an effective introduction given about you (I hope you wrote
it yourself), you should jump right away into the substance, since you
should already be set up. The audience is there for the presentation
messages, not the generic introductions. Since I started jumping right
in, I have found audiences to be more engaged earlier in the presentation
because I grabbed their attention from the beginning. A strong
introduction is important, and stating what material you will be discussing
is important, but the key is to keep the introductions concise
and meaningful, and integrate the agenda after the audience is fully
engaged.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

I once watched a presenter attempt to give a salient argument about the
dangers of texting and driving. The intended message was to persuade us
to practice safe driving and to pass this important message on to others.
However, the speaker referenced a local story read out of a newspaper as
the focal point of the message. As sad a story as it was when she related the
fact that someone had died, the speech felt like it was missing something:
the personal touch. I kept asking myself, “How was the speaker connected
to the message? Did they have a friend or a family member affected?” I
needed to know what made her so passionate about the message.

Not every story needs to be a tear-jerker. In fact, I am glad that the
speaker was not directly impacted by this example. However, the audience
is left guessing when a message does not have the personal appeal
that makes it our own. The stories that make up your life will have
the greatest impact on any audience because they are unique and new.
They will tend to connect genuinely to the hearts and minds of the
audience because these stories sincerely come from your heart and
mind, with stirring personal emotion, not just emphasized words.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

We all laugh, cry and even scream when we see something scary.
Have you ever noticed that laugh tracks are included in many sitcoms
on television because laughter is contagious? Everyone does it. David
Brooks, the 1990 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking,
shared a story on his “Dave’s Top Ten Techniques Every Speaker
Should Know” CD about an article in the Austin American Statesman
(LM Boyd’s “Trivia” column) that mentioned that we all share the
same emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, disgust, and fear.
As we search high and low for stories that can hit the mark, maybe we
don’t have to look so hard. Simple stories can touch one of the emotions
listed above and are guaranteed to relate to the audience in some
way. As you share your emotions, you will see members of the audience
thinking of a similar time when they felt the same emotion. Sharing
emotions instantly connects you to the audience.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com