Topic: public speaking - Keep Your Audience on the Edge of Their Seats Posted By : The Voice Lady

This past November, 2008, marked the 145th anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, almost an afterthought following a 2-hour speech by Edward Everett, a nationally-renowned 19th century orator. Can you imagine not only keeping your audience' attention during two hours of speech, but keeping them enrapt as well? After 20 minutes of sermon, the coughing, sniffling and sleeping become much more apparent during church services today, while in days past, congregants were treated to preaching lasting more than an hour with services often running for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Those of us who teach public speaking emphasize the importance of a strong opening in order to grab your listeners' attention right from the start. Books and courses on public speaking stress the importance of creating your speech or presentation with only 2-5 main points. They can have a strong impact on your presentation; however, putting your entire speech on Power Point defeats your purpose in presenting.

Tags: speech, audience, presentation, click, public speaking workshops, hours