Author: Gail Zack Anderson

Since public speaking is apparently the most common fear people name when asked, there is a good chance you have experienced it at one time or another. If you have, you know how uncomfortable and unsettling it can be. Don’t just endure it; fight back. Here are fifteen ways to fight stage fright so you can look, sound and feel more confident when you speak.

1. Self-consciousness the problem? Connect with the audience. Find common ground. Forget about being perfect; just speak your mind.
2. An easy way to change jitters to power: slowly breathe out…in…out. Do this before speaking and anytime you get nervous or jittery.
3. A practical way to reduce anxiety is to get into your meeting room early. Set everything up. Then greet and chat with each person as they arrive.
4. To manage panicky feelings, notice–and change–your thoughts. Our inner dialog often goes along these lines: “I feel nervous, I am not good at presenting, what if I mess up?” Change the thoughts to ones like this: “I am excited, I feel great, I can’t wait to get started.”
5. Notice where your thoughts impact your body: it it in your stomach? your chest? your throat? weak knees? shaky hands? Discover where the tension lives, be aware of it, and then let it go.
6. Let out some of the tension by breathing slowly and deeply. Take a walk in the fresh air. Swing your arms. Check for tension in your shoulders. Shrug and release it.
7. To build confidence over time, select one to three actions you can take. For example, breathing, using a positive affirmation, or rehearsing out loud. Focus on these concrete actions before each presentation.
8. Undermining yourself? Create a power affirmation that reminds you how calm, confident and powerful you are as a speaker. Keep repeating it.
9. Feeling scared? Remind yourself it is actually a surge of power you are experiencing. This puts you in a position of strength. Really!
10. Is the fear showing up in your delivery? In order to appear confident–even if you aren’t–stand tall with your hands open and relaxed. Breathe. Smile.
11. Mind racing? Remember your purpose. If you keep your focus on the importance of your content and its significance, you can often forget about yourself and your worries.
12. Disconnected? Appear confident by focusing on steady, direct eye contact. Make it a habit to look each person, one at a time, and don’t scan or dart. It can help to look at eyebrows instead of into people’s eyes. When you connect you feel more in control.
13. Speaking too fast? Sound confident by pausing appropriately. Do this before you begin, after you make a point, or between slides. Don’t rush.
14. Voice sounding weak? Sound confident by speaking with a clear, full voice. You will sound more confident and focusing on voice production can distract you from nervousness.
15. Out of control? If you feel jittery, take care not to dance around too much on your feet. Use your energy appropriately by moving from one part of the room to another deliberately, then plant your feet for a moment.

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Author Gail Zack Anderson, founder of Applause, Inc. is a Twin Cities-based consultant who provides coaching and workshops for effective presentations, facilitation skills for trainers and subject matter experts, and positive communication skills for everyone. She can be reached at gza@applauseinc.net.

Web site: www.applauseinc.net

Blog: www.managementhelp.org/blogs

twitter: @ApplauseInc

Your audience is getting sleepy. Very sleepy. It might be your fault. Maybe you are lecturing too long, or failing to connect the material to the needs of the listener. Maybe your voice is getting monotone, or your war stories are a little long-in-the-tooth. Before you beat yourself up, consider that it might NOT be your fault. The room is too warm or the air too stale. This is their third day in the classroom, listening to content. They might be jet-lagged or slightly hungover. They might be “prisoners” — people who were told to go to training or a meeting but not why it was important to them. Whatever the case, if you see eyes rolling back or heads lolling on shoulders, take immediate action. Some ideas to try:

1. Intersperce discussion or activities with lecture. If you must lecture, break it up into short segments, and put an activity, discussion, quiz, or demonstration every 10 minutes or so.

2. Stop reading your slides. If you have heavy, dense slides, it is oh-so-easy to start reading them. Nothing really is worse. You’ve heard of death by lecture, right? Every few slides, walk away from the screen, or hit the “B” key on your keyboard to blacken your screen. Ask your audience a question–a good open-ended one. Or have them discuss with a partner what they just heard. Anything. Changing gears is essential.

3. Walk closer to the audience. Get out from behind the lectern and get closer to people. Make plenty of eye contact. Talk to them directly. If you know them, call them by name. Always check the size and shape of the room and be sure you can move around. If you are stuck in the front of a long, narrow room, you can get disconnected from your audience too easily.

4. Turn a lecture into a discussion. Using a series of well-planned questions, or a brief activity, or a problem to be solved. Or a story you can tell. Or a war story they can tell you. These methods are far more memorable because they engage the audience in a way that simply listening does not.

5. Call a break. If eyes are closed, learning is stopped. If practical, call for a break on the spot. Suggest people take a quick walk outside, if practical. Or walk up and down a stairwell. If you can’t call a break at that moment, you might just ask them to stand and stretch. Or walk around the room a minute, then come back to their chairs. Be sure to do it with them; you also need an energy break.

6. Ask people to write something down. It’s easy to carry blank 3×5 cards with you, so you can do this spontaneously. And it can be serious or fun: ask them to write down a question they have about the content, or what they would rather be doing right now. Depending on the group, you could read a few of these out loud. Or not!

7. Put them in teams. Break them up for small discussions, problem-solving or brainstorming. But get them away from their physical comfort zone (and their table buddies) by randomly breaking into groups. Just count off to the number of groups you want them in. Or ask them to find someone they don’t know. (I always ask people in multiple-day classes to sit with someone else on the second day. They usually do.)

8. Move them to flip charts. Having them brainstorm and record ideas on flip charts is good because they are standing instead of sitting and thinking instead of listening. They often come up with wonderful ideas when they work together in teams.

9. Use a little healthy competition. Assign points, turn content into a game, or pit one group against another to come up with questions, answers, or whatever. Even if it is a trivia contest for five minutes, we often love to compete. If nothing else, it makes a great change of pace. If you can tie the activity back to content so much the better.

10. Have an paper airplane-flying event. I personally dislike seeing koosh balls fly around the room, (it scares me) but if you ask people to make a paper airplane and fly it, no one will get hurt. Keep it quick and get them back into their seats. Energy restored.

There are ten ideas; did they spark any others for you? Whether it’s your fault, or whether it isn’t, when you are leading a meeting or training session, don’t let your audience fall asleep. Act early and often to keep them energized and awake!

 

I met my little grandson when he was only two days old. Of course he was absolutely gorgeous and I was instantly smitten. But what struck me most as I held him was his face, specifically how expressive it was. In the course of a few minutes he went from peaceful contentment to wide eyed wonder to extreme distress and back again several times. His face must have been reflecting every little feeling he was experiencing, and it was all there to see.

Over time we learn how to control our facial expressions better, and we tend to modulate what we show. However, when we are under stress, our emotions can “leak,” showing the world we are uncomfortable.

For instance, in public speaking, we might grimace as we mispronounce a word. Or look startled when we are taken aback by a tough question. Our faces can reflect our discomfort or anxiety.

On the other hand, some people habitually paste a smile on their face to mask anxiety. They might laugh or giggle when they make a mistake, or when the anxiety becomes too much. The audience may think they are silly, or insincere.

To avoid both extremes some people adopt a very controlled facial expression. They can look vacant, unnatural. At an extreme, they can become so controlled they lose their natural expressiveness.

Listeners pay attention to our faces to see if what we say is congruent with how we say it, and anytime they perceive a mismatch it casts doubt on our veracity. Yet, it is impossible to mask every expression. So what at is a stressed out speaker to do?

1. Avoid constant smiling. If this is your habit, try to turn it into a more neutral, pleasant look but avoid a constant or tight smile.

2. Avoid stiffness or tension. Look for tension in your forehead, your mouth, or between your eyes. This may be a habit you are not even aware of.

3. Soften your eyes. If your eyes look too intent, you may have the look of a deer caught in the headlights. Or you may look harsh or angry when you are not.

4. Match your face to your content. A smile is always appropriate when the news is good, or when you are meeting and greeting a new audience or welcoming team members. A more somber expression is key when the news is serious, or bad. A neutral face is best on those occasions.

5. Practice smiling in the mirror. I believe you can get more comfortable with a smile by practicing it. Make sure the smile extends to your eyes as well as your mouth. In fact, smiling with your eyes is often just the right move to make.

6. Exaggerate slightly in front of a very large audience. Subtle expressions might get lost in front of a large group. You can go with a bigger smile, an exaggerated frown in these cases.

7. Get feedback. Speak in front of a mirror, ask someone you trust to be honest with you, or video record yourself in action and see what your face is really saying. You might think you are smiling broadly and find out your smile is weak or even missing. You might find out you look too intense. Once you know for sure, you will be able to make corrections as needed.

Your face is really important to your listeners and your ability to build trust and rapport. Take steps now to be sure it is adding to the effectiveness of your talk.

Many of our presentations deliver “just the facts.” Budgets, updates, status reports; these are generally full of facts and details. Less frequently, we are called on as leaders to deliver a motivational message. Initiating a new project, pulling together to improve our deliverables, asking people to volunteer or donate money, or even hosting a retirement party; these speeches or presentations by their very nature need to appeal to the emotions of the listeners. Here are some keys to success when you are tasked with giving a motivational talk:

1. Tap into your passion. It is always good to believe what you are saying, but in a motivational talk it is essential. Why is this important? How has it impacted you personally, or your team or your family? What emotions do you have that you could use to fuel your delivery? If you don’t feel much you may not be able to project enough commitment.
2. Focus on what the audience stands to gain from listening and/or taking action. It is easy to get wrapped up in what this means to you, but it is also essential to remember—and stress—what it means to the listener. Put yourself in their shoes while you are creating and while you are delivering your talk. Isn’t it really about them anyway?
3. Have a powerful opening and closing, including a call to action. You must capture their attention at the beginning if you want them to pay attention and be moved. Tell a story, ask a question, or show a very short video clip. Make listeners feel something at the beginning and end. And don’t be afraid to call them to action; what is it you want them to do? Donate money? Work harder? Run a 10K for charity? Don’t hesitate to spell it out.
4. Take advantage of storytelling and human interest aspects. We love stories, especially when the hero faces a big challenge and eventually wins the day. Make sure your story uses names, places and dialog to paint a compelling picture. Build some drama, then bam! A strong close.
5. Use quotes, video clips, music and photos to create atmosphere and emotional pull. Facts and figures are fine, but add in some color and emotion. What have others said? Show, don’t just tell what happened. Capture real faces and people’s actual words. Add some humor if you can.
6. Don’t read your slides; instead, engage the audience in a conversation. Ask them a few well-chosen questions to foster engagement. Break away from slides to add your reactions. Or consider skipping the slides altogether, and tell the story in your own words.
7. Include rational arguments and pertinent facts to balance emotional appeal. Emotions are going to be powerful in a motivational talk, but you still need logic. Don’t go crazy with facts, but choose the ones that make the most impact. Cite reputable sources for your facts. Put just a few facts on your slides. Or consider using an attractive infographic just this once.
8. Script and rehearse thoroughly. Don’t trust this one to luck! Get a small audience to rehearse with you and go over it enough times, start to finish, that you feel it is fluent (but not memorized.) If it is going to be recorded, then rehearse some more so that you feel it is truly polished and you are confident that you can speak from start to finish without a break.
9. Time it carefully so it doesn’t become a ramble. TED Talks are about 18 minutes long, or shorter, so they are generally highly polished gems. Use a timer in each of your rehearsals so you know you are keeping to your time frame. Longer isn’t better in a motivational talk.
10. Get an unbiased second opinion of your logic and persuasion. Remember that small group that was there to help you rehearse? Choose people that will challenge you. Where is your logic weak? Which stories miss the mark? Where are the big moments you want to stress, maybe slow down? Is your opening as tight and impactful as possible? Does your closing hit the mark? And how are you at answering key questions? All these should be part of your rehearsal. Don’t take this feedback personally; just keep polishing that motivational talk until it shines.
Motivational talks may be more demanding, and may take more time, but a great leader learns how to deliver them well.

Consider this your stretch assignment; in the next 30 days do a motivational talk and follow these guidelines to make the most of the opportunity.

James was a skilled high potential leader who spoke with great composure and strength. These skills had served him well in his previous roles, but now he was moving into “large group” presentations where he needed to provide direction rather than details, and motivate more than inform. His goal was to add more appeal, more power and more connection with his listeners.

James decided to add, little by little, the following elements to his speaking:

• More facial expression. Slow down and enjoy the moment with your audience. Relax your face. Allow a smile whenever it is appropriate. The more you engage with your audience (every 7-9 minutes or more often) the more you will relax, and that will show on your face.
• More connection. Keep sending your energy outward with your eye contact, and make a point to really “see” your audience members, one by one.
• More rehearsal. Rehearse the beginning and ending so that you have zero fillers there, and so that you don’t rush through these all-important parts of your presentation.
• More compelling visuals. Start small when moving from bullets to graphical slides by adding graphical elements, images, photos or video clips, but do begin to move in that direction. Consider experimenting with an occasional Prezi instead of PowerPoint, especially when handouts aren’t as critical, or when presenting at an outside event. At the very least these will break up the bullets and look more appealing than the typical technical presentation.
• More polish during Q&A. Start using the neutral bridges as we discussed to restate or reframe the question before answering. Use this even when you don’t plan to answer the question. State the bridge, and then tell why you are going to hold it or take it offline. When you must ask people to hold questions for the end, give them a reason such as “to honor your time” or “to keep us on schedule.”
• Better virtual presentations. Try keeping them even shorter, add some interesting graphics, use polls, engage with interesting but short stories, and put lots of energy into your voice. You might even want to stand up to speak with more energy.

What about you? Which of these could help you become even more effective in your speaking?

Joanne was one part excited and one part nervous. She had been asked to speak on a panel discussion, and jumped at the chance. Afterward she realized that she wasn’t sure exactly how to ace this special presentation.

Together we came up with the following checklist to help her on her way to success.

Before the panel discussion:

Œ Know the subject matter really well. If the subject matter is something that you are not thoroughly versed in, it might be better to pass. If you really know the content well, then go ahead and accept. It’s great exposure for your ideas and for yourself and your organization. Be sure to have the newest facts and figures; even if you are an expert bone up on current events in your field.

ΠGet the facts. Be sure to find out the purpose of the panel discussion and what questions will be asked. Also see if you can determine the likely tone of this event; is it a collegial discussion or likely to be a heated debate? Will the audience likely be friendly or hostile and quick to challenge speakers? How have previous discussions gone?

ΠPrepare and rehearse as you would for a keynote. Even though time is shorter on a panel discussion, every minute counts. You may have to deliver your message in several chunks as you have the floor, so be well rehearsed, and remain flexible.

Œ Write your own introduction and provide it to the moderator. Don’t leave this to chance or hope it will end up well. If they get your intro wrong you can easily start out of the wrong foot. Be sure the moderator knows how to say your name. Bring an extra copy of your intro in case the moderator needs it.

ΠPrepare and rehearse your opening and closing remarks. Pretend like these are the only things you will have to say. Make sure they stand alone, and make sense to your audience. Edit and wordsmith until you can hit the time requirements. Record yourself and listen back. Is it clear? Interesting? Make you want to hear more? If not, keep polishing.

Œ Check out the other panelists. If you don’t already know the other panelists, you can use social media to find out about their expertise and opinions. You can read articles or blogs they have written, and possibly see them in action on You Tube. This way you will come into the debate or discussion with the knowledge of what opinions they are likely to put forth and how forcefully they are likely to defend their positions.

During the panel discussion:

Œ Speak to the audience, not the moderator. Unless you are told otherwise, assume you should be speaking to the audience most of the time. You can address comments or questions to the other panelists, which can keep the discussion lively, but don’t forget who the audience really is.

Œ Never forget you are “on stage.” Don’t look bored, or annoyed by another speaker’s opinions. Assume that you are being observed at every moment, and maintain a neutral, interested face and body language.

ΠStick to high level language. Your time will be short, and you might get cut off at any time, so deliver broad comments first, hitting the most important points quickly. Then add illustrations, stories, anecdotes or details if time permits.

Œ Add interesting facts, stories and anecdotes. Prepare several interesting highlights that the audience is likely to enjoy, and that help make your point memorable. You probably won’t get to all of them, but if you are well prepared you can use them if the discussion warrants.

Œ Be respectful. You don’t have to agree with everyone else, in fact that would be pretty boring, but disagree in a cordial, respectful way. Don’t show undue emotion, and don’t take anything personally. Be so cordial and so professional that you could go out for lunch with the panelists after the discussion and not feel uncomfortable.

Joanne took these ideas to heart and prepared well for her upcoming panel discussion. It went so well she is looking forward to another opportunity like this.

For more information on speaking on a panel discussion:

How to Kick Butt on a Panel by Guy Kawasaki

How to Prepare For and Stand Out During a Panel Discussion

Ten Tips for Speaking on a Panel by Ian Griffin

Now that you have prepared your content well and have worked on being calm and focused, you are well on the way to feeling confident, focused, and ready for your important presentation.

Here is the rest of the story; what to do in the hours and moments before the big event.

1. Walk to calm down or gear up. There is something about movement; it helps you to loosen up if you are feeling tense, and helps you to calm down by dissipating excess energy. Before your presentation, walk up and down the halls, swinging your arms, loosening your neck and shoulders, and just feeling strong and loose. You might find it helpful to walk outdoors if you can, taking in fresh air and clearing your mind.

2. Take deep calming breaths. Whenever you feel anxiety beginning to build up, take a moment to breathe slowly and deeply. As you focus on your breathing, other thoughts can drift away. Remind yourself that you are prepared, you are ready, and now you are oxygenating your body and brain, giving it fresh fuel.

3. Relax your shoulders. If you feel physically tense and tight, be sure to release the tension out of your shoulders. Before you enter the presentation room, bring your shoulders up toward your ears in a tight scrunch, then release the tension out of them completely. As you drop your shoulders, notice the tension leaves your arms and hands as well. You look and feel more confident and relaxed.

4. Smile and face the audience. They are with you, and they want you to succeed. These are your colleagues, your customers, your leaders, and you have an important message to share with them. Take a moment to connect and feel them before you begin. Make eye contact. Smile in a greeting. You are really ready to begin.

People often struggle to prepare themselves for a major presentation. They spend hours reworking their slides, and rehearsing lines in their heads. Yet, they often end up feeling frazzled and unfocused. How can you prepare yourself so that you are ready and able to present your ideas successfully? Read on:

Have a clear goal for what you want to accomplish. What is the purpose of this presentation? What do you want the audience to do, think, or feel at the end of your presentation? By focusing on your goal for the presentation, you can drive home a message instead of just providing data. Consider as well the underlying goals of the presentation, which might include relationship-building, responding to questions, or just connecting with the team.

Plan out your opening and close. Research tells us listeners tend to remember what they hear first and last. If your opening and closings are weak, that may be all the audience remembers. So plan this part of your presentation carefully. Make sure your opening leads directly to the content within one to two minutes, and make it simple and easy to follow (and for you to remember.) Try opening with 2 or 3 questions, or stating a major concern the audience has that your presentation can address. Keep it brief and to the point. Same with the ending, if you wind down and end with “well, that’s about all I have…” you will have missed the opportunity to close with impact. Instead, prepare and rehearse a one or two sentence ending that drives home your message.

Practice out loud. Practicing in your head or by reviewing your slides on screen each have their merits, but nothing can take the place of a rehearsal in front of a live audience. You need to say the words out loud to really feel them, even if you do so in front of even one person. If you think you may have a critical or hostile audience, be sure to practice Q&A out loud as well, so you are prepared to answer most any questions that come up.

Use positive self talk. At some point in the preparation process, you are going to have a few doubts; did I prepare enough? Can I respond to all the questions? Will I look nervous? Will I stumble? When doubt hits, be prepared with a positive comeback. Repeat to yourself: “I am fully prepared, I know my material, and I will be fine.”

Get into the room. Walk around the room, sit in the chairs, and stand at the front. Rehearse in the room if you can. Look for the remote, try out the equipment; make sure you have everything you need. One of my clients has a conference room that is large and intimidating to present to customers. I encourage them to spend as much time as they can in that room, observing other presentations and just becoming more comfortable there.

Stay focused. Train your thoughts so that they do not wander. All that matters is your audience and your message to them. Don’t worry about the words; they will come as you focus on getting your message across. Your preparation has paid off; you are ready, focused, and powerful as you share your ideas.

Preparing your content well and getting your head in the right place should help you show up feeling focused, ready and confident.

Jack* is a natural born people person. And that makes him a natural born communicator. When you first meet him you’ll notice his calm, steady eye contact and his friendly smile. But as you begin a conversation with him, something special begins to happen. He asks a few questions until he finds something you have in common, listening with interest and respect. After listening fully to what you say, he adds pertinent comments or opinions, or tells a funny story that compliments what you said. As your conversation progresses, you move effortlessly from topic to topic, and his interest never flags. By the end of the conversation, you feel just a little smarter, a little cooler, than you did before the conversation. You feel….appreciated. And Jack does this with everyone he meets, from the smallest child to a powerful business associate, making everyone he meets feel valued.

What is Jack’s secret? Could it technique? Attitude? Charisma? All of the above? I think it’s not so much that Jack is fascinating; it’s that he makes you feel like you are fascinating. And I think we could all learn a thing or two from Jack that would help us engage in interesting and meaningful conversations.

Consider the following:

What is your intention? Are you trying to impress others, make a sale, or overwhelm them with your expertise? Try Jack’s approach; approach each conversation without an agenda, or else with an agenda of making a connection.

Are you curious? Jack is somewhat of a “renaissance man;” that is, he knows about a wide range of topics and can speak credibly on many of them. But more importantly, he is curious to learn from, and about everyone he meets. He isn’t acting interested; he really is.

Where is your attention? Are you thinking about yourself and the impression you are making? Are you looking at your watch, or looking over your listener’s shoulder to see who you could be talking to? Jack does none of these and that is why he never seems disengaged. He is into the conversation you are having, and his attention is on you.

Do you feel a sense of appreciation? Or do you find yourself judging the person you are talking to, just a little? Sometimes we fail to find the connection and feel the person we are talking to is “boring” or not going to be of interest to us. Maybe we haven’t approached them with a sense of appreciation. That person you are talking with might be fascinating, once you find out what makes them tick. Look for the good in people, and you make them feel valued.

Whether you are in sales, accounting, customer service, marketing, engineering, teaching, training or leading others, a good part of your day is spent communicating with others. Conversations with customers, team members, bosses, colleagues, friends and family– each presents an opportunity for friction or friendliness. Follow Jake’s lead and you too might become a natural born people person, and a natural born communicator.

*not his real name

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Author Gail Zack Anderson, founder of Applause, Inc. is a Twin Cities-based consultant who provides coaching and workshops for effective presentations, facilitation skills for trainers and subject matter experts, and positive communication skills for everyone. She can be reached at gza@applauseinc.net.

Web site: www.applauseinc.net

Blog: www.managementhelp.org/blogs

twitter: @ApplauseInc

 

John was reluctant to present monthly results to his leaders. His heavily chart-laden slides either resulted in sleepy audiences, or in lots of questions, most of them off-topic. What to do?

If your presentations are number-heavy, or if you are presenting financial data, you might want to try some of these tips to bring them to life, to clarify and streamline your main points, and to make them more engaging and more memorable.

1. Use a strong headline to tell the story. Once we read the headline, we know what to look for when we glance at the numbers. For some audience members, the headline may be all they care to know.
2. Round numbers for impact and recall. Sometimes exact numbers are necessary. Other times a round number does the job just fine. Which is easier to remember, 4,827,292 or 5 million?
3. Show numbers visually when possible. Some speakers make their bar charts represented by an object (bushels of corn, number of rail cars, etc.) Others use graphical elements or infographics when showing statistics. I encourage you to learn more about these vibrant ways to visually express content.
4. Use color to guide the eye and for emphasis. Since our brains notice what is different, one item in a different color will stand out. Or one column shaded will draw our eye to that column. But don’t go color-crazy; too many colors can just confuse.
5. Avoid using 3D on charts and graphs. 2D objects are easier to understand, 3D adds complexity and can be confusing.
6. Get rid of clutter, legends, and background grids unless they add distinct value. The more items on a chart, the more distracting. Keep it simple so the attention goes right where you want it.
7. Make sure your slide is readable from the back of the room. Seriously. Walk to the back of the room and see for yourself. If it is an eye chart, do something different with that slide.
8. Make sure trend lines are bold enough to clearly see. Sometimes graphs have a number of trend lines that all look alike, especially when projected on a slide. Take out what you don’t need, and bold the rest.
9. Each chart should illustrate only one or two points. If you are trying to tell a story with numbers, show the audience one slide for one or two points. Then add to it with a build, or use more slides for more points.
10. Use simple charts in place of spreadsheets. Spreadsheets have their place, but it is not on a slide. Blow up one part of the spreadsheet, or create a new chart to illustrate those points you wish to make. Leave the spreadsheets as a handout or a take-away if needed.

If you were John, which of these would you try? And which ones could you try next time you have a number-heavy presentation? Best wishes.

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Author Gail Zack Anderson, founder of Applause, Inc. is a Twin Cities-based consultant who provides coaching and workshops for effective presentations, facilitation skills for trainers and subject matter experts, and positive communication skills for everyone. She can be reached at gza@applauseinc.net.

Web site: www.applauseinc.net

Blog: www.managementhelp.org/blogs

twitter: @ApplauseInc