Your Best Voice

Tips for Performances & Speaking Events:

1.  Drink Plenty of Water Beforehand – For a rich, warm voice, your body and voice must be fully hydrated.

2.  Avoid Caffeine, Sugary or Salty Foods & Drinks Beforehand - They all make you thirsty, dehydrate your body and dry out your throat. Dry voices don’t project well.

3.  Avoid Milk & Dairy Products – Dairy products make mucus which dulls your voice and requires you to clear your throat often. Dairy products also often make people sleepy.

4.  Avoid Unusual Food & Drinks – You don’t know how your body and mind will react, especially when your adrenalin is high, you’re nervous and under pressure.

5. Avoid Starches – Starchy food make some people sleepy and lowers mental acuity.

6. Avoid Alcohol & Drugs -Your listeners will know you are not straight despite your self delusions. Most people don’t tolerate drunks or druggies well.

7. Exercise Beforehand – Work off stress and nervousness. Exercise heightens body energy levels and gets people breathing from the bottom of their belly. 

8. Eat Well Beforehand – Plan to eat foods that you know will make you feel good at an appropriate interval before you speak or perform. Be comfortably well fed at the appropriate time.

9. Bring Water With You – Warm water is best for your voice. Cold water has a chilling, consticting affect on the throat.

10. Relax & Radiate Energized, Confident Well-Being – Mental preparation is the key to consistently creating fine performances. Get your head and heart in that optimal spot where you feel your best so you can do your very best.

11.  No Negative Thoughts While Performing – Negative judgments distract you from doing your best and detract from your performance. 

12. Prepare a Post Performance Review – Write down and record what you did, what went well and what you want to remember to do differently next time.  Be sure to review these notes when you plan your next event.

 Copyright 2001-2007 Michele Moore. All Rights Reserved. Contact us for reprints. Comment on this article below!

Fight with Finesse

Do You Ever Feel Run Over in Meetings? Diminished? Disparaged? Ignored? Disregarded?

FightwithFinesse.com has insights about fighting back effectively.

Hold your own. Defend your turf, your ideas, your future, your promotions and your career.

These strategies help you fight competitors and rivals in positive, powerful and personable ways:

Continually Radiate Confident, Energized, Relaxed Well-Being.

Smile, Speak with Confidence, Clarity and Certainty.

Push Back Powerfully, Purposefully, with a Positive Personality.

Speak with the Dominant Person’s Rhythm, Beat, Phrasing and Tone - Study the rhythm, beat, phrasing and tone of their speech, use it when you speak to them. You will sound more like them and your communications will appear more powerful.

Use Humor, Fun, Jokes and an Amused Tone Liberally and Assertively. Avoid sarcasm and ridicule.

Don’t Disagree, Argue or Say, “No!” State contrary positions in clear, positive, compelling terms. Emphasize and expand the benefits and rewards of your suggestions and the dangers of doing it differently.

Grab Agreement and Compliments Every Way You Can. If they try to steal your ideas, say you are delighted they agree and support YOUR suggestions. Rehearse, prepare powerful, positive defensive lines to counter credit grabbers.

Smile, say, “Oh, I am so glad you approve. Can we count on your support as I lead the effort to get it done?”

Be Eager to Influence NOT Eager to Please – Be eager to influence and impact opinions. This is very different from seeking approval. You want respect. Approval and affection are for lap dogs.

Don’t Look to Your Audience for Approval. Assume you have it. Looking for approval gives adversaries power and control over you and weakens your perceived power.

Hook Attention with Abundant Positive Energy – Agree and direct the discussion your way. Positive energy attracts attention and makes people want to listen.

Learn to Interrupt Effectively – If interruption is part of your corporate culture, learn to do it well.

Interrupt by Saying the Speaker’s Name While They Are Talking. John can become a four syllable word until he stops speaking. Say their name first, then state your key point.

Don’t Begin with Your Comment – You won’t be heard and you don’t have the group’s attention yet.

Project a Powerful Physical Presence – Project your voice slowly, clearly, concisely, powerfully.

Plan Your Physical Position Carefully – Sitting next to a boss can transfer power to you in other people’s perceptions.

Sit Across from People When You Want Their Attention – Sit in a prominent position where people you want to impress see you continually during the meeting.

Stay Standing If You Can – Standing is a more powerful, higher energy state than sitting. It places you above people physically and gives you added mobility.

Right Handed People Tend To Favor Their Left Side – If you are right handed you will tend to direct your attention to the left hand side of you and overlook and even ignore people on your right side.

Play Host, Greet People Warmly – Establish a fun, enthusiastic tone immediately. Project your presence in powerful, positive ways.

Remember, Leaders Define Expectations, They Don’t Let Expectations Define Them. – Michele Moore, the Happiness Habit

Copyright 2001-2007, Michele Moore. All Rights Reserved. MagneticVoice.com has information about our programs. Comment on this article below.

Write the Finale First

Here’s the secret to writing superb speeches quickly, easily and effectively – Write the ending of your presentation first, write the finale first. Now you know where you are going!

It’s just a question of constructing an intriguing opening and adding a few key points to support your message.

What Is Your Final Crescendo to the Finish?
• What do you want people thinking about?
• How do you want them to feel?
• What do you want your last words and your final message to be?
• What do you want people to do differently, how do you want them to think and act differently as a result of hearing you speak?
• What changes in behavior, feelings and thoughts do you want to inspire?
• What final thoughts do you want to leave with them?
• What is the best way of communicating and summarizing this compelling message?

Think about your final, lasting message. State it in clear, compelling detail. Don’t worry, you can always change it or rewrite it later on.

The important thing is that now you know where you are going, you have clear goals and intentions.

Think of a captivating, intriguing opening and three or four key points that support your theme. Your speech is done!

What usually happens?

The emphasis is on the opening. How do you hook audience attention? And then what do you say? How do you support your message? Then, and often only as an afterthought, is the final closing created.

Since we always don’t know for sure exactly where we are going, it’s easy to get off track and rerouted on senseless detours. So much time is spent thinking about where to go next, the all important finish is often forgotten. An amazing amount of time and creative energy can be wasted.

Write The Finale First. Now you know where you are going. Add a catchy, intriguing opening, three key bullets points and your superb speech is done!

Copyright 2007, Michele Moore. All Rights Reserved. Email us for reprint permission. See MagneticVoice.com for program information. Comment below.

Parallel PowerPoint Presentations

Parallel PowerPoint Presentations

Are you one of those people who can’t resist putting every last detail on your PowerPoint slides for fear you’ll forget an important point?

Do your PowerPoint screens ever become overwhelming and confusing?

Fine, don’t stop!

Continue to indulge your love for detail.

But try this…

Create two different presentations:

A private PowerPoint sequence to practice with and perhaps to print for program participants with ALL the points you want them to receive, record and retain.

Create a second public PowerPoint sequence with just key words, attention grabbing graphics and snappy summary statements. Use the second public PowerPoint to present your program.

Your private detail slides can even be combined with your public presentation and concealed with the hide slide feature.

Parallel presentations allow you to retain all your details without overwhelming and confusing the audience during your program.

Each PowerPoint slide change shifts attention from you, disconnecting you from your audience.

Keep the audience focus on you and your message!

Make sure PowerPoint enhances your presentation and does not distract or detract from the power of your communication.

Copyright 20001-2007 Michele Moore. All Rights Reserved. See MagneticVoice.com for program details. Comment on this the article below.

Speak in Specific Sentences

Horrors! Work was stacked up, I was running late with my monthly cable television show. The subject was new, I’d not talked about it publicly or presented it previously. The material was not well ordered or organized in my mind.

There it was staring back at me in embarrassing full color detail!

A sequence of run on sentences strung together with a series of seemingly senseless “ands!”

I had forgotten all my own rules of proper, preferred presentation.

I was so Content Concerned I became Delivery Deranged.

Egad! The pain was bad!!!! This from a seasoned professional who knew better! So what do I do? Follow our own advice. Use the pain of the problem to propel performance improvement.

I found my trusty hand held digital recorder and resolved to return to the basics.

Magnetic Voice uses simple statements, Coaching Credos, to reinforce key points. So I added a new Coaching Credo to the list…

Speak in Specific Sentences.

Sentences have a definite beginning, middle and end.

This week and this month I will practice this until it becomes an automatic habit.

Many of you know my history. I stuttered and stammered my way through grade school and lost the ability to speak completely for several months as a young adult. I’m probably dyslexic, a disorder of speech and phonemes.

It happens to us all… major lapses back into the past. The key is to recognize it when it occurs and immediately direct your attention to reinforcing the skills you want to project.

Copyright 2001-2007 Michele Moore. All Rights Reserved. Comment on this article below!

Stay Standing for Certainty and Security!

Whenever Possible, Always Try to Present or Speak Standing Up

Standing is a more powerful position than seated. It’s much easier and more certain to project a powerful, authoritative presence while standing. Beware…

Chairs present unexpected surprises!

You never know exactly how high your seat will place you in relation to the table or to other people in the room.

You cannot always be sure exactly how to balance your body successfully upright in order to speak or project yourself well.

Even in familiar rooms, it is easy to sit down and suddenly find yourself much lower or higher than you expected.

Standing Is Usually Far More Certain and Secure Because Standing Is Always the Same

You can practice standing and then be able to speak or present in the same posture as your practice.

Early in my career, I was ushered into a senior banker’s office for an interview. My host sat down on a high, elegant wing chair and gestured toward a couch where I was to sit. No one had warned me about his trick couch! It looked low and as I sat down I sunk even lower. My eyes were on the same level as his belt buckle! Not a powerful or a comfortable place to be.

I sprung up and said, “Excuse me, I think I’d rather speak with you standing!” Before he could answer I began my pitch about why I was THE BEST candidate for the job. My head was at a higher level than his. I will never know if it was my pitch or my decision to stand, but I was offered the job.

Stand whenever you can and begin your conversation. If it is definitely a seated meeting, sit on the front edge of your chair with both your feet flat on the floor even if your host slouches in their seat. Balance your body regally upright, Beam and Breathe™, smile, speak with confidence and authority.

If you are not comfortable, simply reposition yourself without comment.

Copyright 2007, Michele Moore. All Rights Reserved. Email us for reprint permission. See MagneticVoice.com for program information. Comment below.

Magnetic Voice™ Tight Tummy Test

Are You Strangling Yourself with Stress?

Here’s an easy way to determine if you’re strangling your voice with stress by continually carrying too much tension in your tummy and lower abdomen.

Standing or sitting in a normal, familiar position, consciously tighten the muscles in your lower abdomen like you’re holding in your tummy to look good. Keep those muscles tight.

Does this feel familiar? Do you think you might clench your tummy muscles in response to stress?

Now try speaking with your tummy muscles held consciously tight.

Does your voice reveal familiar sounding stress patterns? If so, you may be one of the many people who tend to clench their abdominal muscles in response to stress.

The Solution: Laugh and Giggle to Get Rid of Tight Tummy Muscles! Balance your body effortlessly upright, smile, beam and breath, take a few deep, relaxing Breaking Wave Breaths™.

Feel your lower abdominal muscles tighten to pull in air and then relax to exhale. Breathe in and out deeply several times.

Laugh, giggle to release the tension. Consciously breathe easily and deeply without tensing your tummy muscles.

Beware of times when you tense your tummy muscles and try stop it.

Laugh, giggle, relax, enjoy a few refreshing Breaking Wave Breaths™ whenever you feel tension in your lower abdomen.

Copyright 2007, Michele Moore. All Rights Reserved. Email us for reprint permission. See MagneticVoice.com for program information. Comment below.

Graphic Design Fundamentals

Do Your Graphics Communicate Your Message?

It happens all the time. You see a great looking web site or print add that is very attractive, visually compelling, catchy, clever and memorable. You love the way it looks! You may even tear it out or bookmark it, you want to keep it for future reference.

But you have no idea who the company is, what they are selling or why they spent the money to create and communicate that particular advertisement.

Before you begin ANY graphic design for a web or print project, always ask yourself these questions…

What do I want to achieve with this project?

What do I want the viewer to do as a result of seeing this particular piece?

How do I want them to feel?

As you begin to design and build each page, ask yourself…

What do I want to say? What specific messages do I want to communicate?

How and why do I want to communicate them? What is the best way to appeal to my target audience?

What is the best way to communicate with them? Graphically? Or with words, sentences and statements?

In what order do I want to communicate these messages?

How do I want the viewer’s eye to move across the page?

What is the relative emphasis, importance and weight of each message?

How can this best be expressed visually and graphically?

State your design goals in writing. Answer each of these questions in writing. As the project and the designs evolve, check all proposed solutions against your stated goals. How well does this particular design fulfill them?

What is effective? What can be improved and why? Manage both the process and the design project’s end product.

Remember, you are probably too close to the project and the process to be objective. This is why most good marketing companies get OTHER companies to design their marketing materials. Your opinion is not important. What YOU like is NOT Truly Important.

Your Potential Customers and Your Target Audience Reactions Are ALL Important!

Ask them for fearless feedback. Test any and all assumptions and possible design solutions with real customers, prospects and market participants.

Copyright 2007, Michele Moore. All Rights Reserved. Email us for reprint permission. See MagneticVoice.com for program information. Comment below.

Set Up and Sell Each Separate Subject Segment

Separate, Specific Segments Secure Your Success

Your audience always needs to be sure WHAT you are talking about!

Bullet points, talking points, key concepts, they are called lots of different names. They all refer to the specific subject segments that become building blocks for successful speeches, presentations and programs.

The classic formula is a catchy opening, three or more key points described by stories, examples, illustrations and/or exercises followed by a compelling, memorable closing.

A crucial key to this formula is frequently over looked:

The importance of setting up and selling each specific segment so audience interest sizzles before you begin speaking about it.

It’s a four step process:

1) Clearly separate and define each segment by definitely ending the previous story so the audience knows this is something new, exciting and different.

2) Set up and sell the importance, interest and value of the upcoming segment by hooking the audience’s curiosity and interest. Give them a compelling desire to care and pay attention. Excite interest BEFORE you start sharing the subject matter.

3) Share the subject segment in interesting, compelling and creative terms.

4) Summarize the segment in terms of impact, importance, benefits, risks and rewards to the audience. Clearly complete the story so the end is evident.

The human mind absorbs and processes information in discrete units or packets. When there is no clear beginning or end, we have to expend extra effort to impose organization on the material. We may or may not get it right. If we do not do that work , we will not absorb or retain the material.

Organization Is Especially CRUCIAL for Oral Presentations

Unlike reading the written word, listeners usually have no control over the flow of information to them.

They have to accept the speed, content and format of whatever is presented to them.

They can’t go back and re listen like they can reread a section they don’t understand.

Verbal presentations often don’t have the same organizing clues that are present in the printed world.

Written documents use chapters, sub titles, headings, paragraphs and bold sections to communicate each section’s organization and relative importance. The spoken word normally has none of these visual cues.

That is why it is so very important that a clear organization be presented as part of the program.

Listener’s hear, absorb and process information in specific chunks. When a clear organization is lacking, they experience a confusing array of concepts that have no meaning, emphasis or relative importance.

Copyright 2007, Michele Moore. All Rights Reserved. Email us for reprint permission. See MagneticVoice.com for program information. Comment below.