Deb Sofield is President of her own Executive Speech & Presentations Coaching Co., which trains women and men for success in speaking, presentation skills and message development in the U.S. and abroad. Email Deb at deb@sofield.com |
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The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said.
- Peter Drucker |
Deb Sofield is a member of the National Speakers Association.
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Hire Deb for your next conference! Need a great, informative and lively speaker for your conference consider Deb Sofield – a Nationally Recognized Leader in Public Speaking and Presentation Skills. A listing of Deb’s amazing topics can be found on her amazing website: www.debsofield.com
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Facebook - Deb is moving from a personal page to a fan page on Facebook - please join me at DebSofieldSpeechCoach
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| Country Cooking Makes You Good Looking – Check out my new monthly one-sheet Deb's Famous recipe's on my blog www.debsofield.com/blog. I'll be sharing some of my all time favorite dishes. |
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What Deb is Up to These Days? |
As a speaker, I am constantly mindful of how my words will linger in the minds of my audience. When my work is done and I leave the stage, what will they take away and how will it benefit their lives? Will it give them the desire or the direction to change from the life they have to the life they want?
I recently traveled to Beirut, Lebanon and had the opportunity to visit the ancient city of Baalbek. Hiking through the ruins of this Roman city (considered to be one of the wonders of the ancient world) sparked a thought: for this place to survive since 15 BC, it has withstood the storms of time. I realized that if the massive, elaborate stones could speak, they would implore us to carve our words into rock and into hearts. It caused me to reevaluated the words I use to communicate my message. I want to be remembered long after I am gone in strong and positive ways. What about you? What are the words that will be your legacy? What have you carved into stone lately?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baalbek
 9th Rule in my 15-part series
From my presentation called Deb’s 15 Rules for the Road
Rule Number Nine – Maintain a Calm and Even Delivery
9. Maintain a Calm and Even Delivery
Abrupt changes in behavior can scare your audience. You must act cool and in control even if you are panicking inside. It's bound to happen the microphone goes dead or squeals loudly for six long minutes or the lights will go off. The most important thing you can do as a professional is to keep your head about you because your actions and reactions will be remembered long after the lights come on.
There is nothing more annoying then when a speaker gets thrown off course due to issues with equipment or the stage. The assumption is, that since you are a professional, someone did a check of all the equipment. The reason the audience is less likely to forgive is that we have little patience for sloppiness on the stage...whether it is your fault of not. Trust me no ever blames the stagehand – they blame you. So do your part by arriving a few minutes early for a sound check or a quick tutorial on how to use the super duper computer video monitor and smart board. Remember only you can set the stage for your success!
FINAL NOTE: Since I have run out of space here on this newsletter – please surf on over to my blog www.sofield.com/blog to read a story about THE FINAL NOTE for this March edition...my ceiling tile story. Next Rule Next Month – If it Isn't Funny Don't Use It |
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WORD of the MONTH
Fastidious (fas·tid·i·ous)
Adjective
- Reflecting a meticulous, sensitive, or demanding attitude, difficult to please; exacting.
"He was fastidious about the way she cleaned the house, the car, the kids, the attic and the garage – so she left him..."
Granted that is not my most positive sentence...however, please use the word fastidious instead of anal (that is word over used and just doesn't sound good for professionals)
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©2010-2011, Deb Sofield. All Rights Reserved.
Speak Without Fear is a registered trademark of Deb Sofield.
The content of this newsletter is the intellectual property of Deb Sofield.
Speak Without Fear® is my registered trademark. I encourage you to share the contents with others with appropriate attribution. Please use the ® whenever the phrase "Speak Without Fear" is used in connection with this newsletter or my seminars. |
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Where in the World is
Deb Sofield? |
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Spartanburg, SC – Keynote Speaker – Spartanburg Methodist College Leadership Program
New Caanan, CT – Women's Campaign School at Yale University
Oconee, SC – Keynote Speaker – Leadership Oconee County
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Water - It is okay to have a sip of water while you are speaking (room temperature is best). But don't gulp down a bottle of water. Your audience is okay with a sip here and there out of a glass (glass looks better). And for pete's sake don't make a comment about drinking water just do it naturally. Be careful about drinking anything with milk that will cause phlegm in your throat and that is hard to get rid of. Also, very cold water will chill your vocal cords, soda is too sugary and will dry out your mouth as will anything minty – toothpaste, mints, gum (save that for when your done so you have good breath afterwards)...and don't get me started on wine and beer – you're not better because your loose (only you think you are) and you'll lose that good anxious feeling that keeps you sharp. |
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My Liberty Fellowship Team at the Dead Sea in Jordan Rep. Jenny Horn, Councilman Michael Brown, Sen. Shane Massey & Deb Sofield
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