No, no, not to your upcoming social event–I’m talking about a LinkedIn invitation to join your professional network.
When I was first introduced to LinkedIn I thought it was a scam! It wasn’t until a very trusted friend invited me to join, I checked it out and realized the potential professional benefit.
As you many know, my training center is in center city Philadelphia, close to my favorite, and somewhat famous science museum, The Franklin Institute. I saw that they were looking “for individuals with a science, technology, or education background to volunteer as Science Presenters in our many exhibits. Science Presenters answer questions, explain science concepts, and do demonstrations.
I was searching the internet archive today and stumbled across a manual for public speaking written in 1922! So I decided to give it a read. I’m so glad I did. Wow what a resource!
The introduction –oratory still the supreme art–applies today just as much today as it did then. It starts “the demand for good public speaking is as great as it ever was.
Want to see something cool?
Here’s a video from Harvard that is an animation of life within a cell.
(Show your kids too. My three year old twins were mesmerized. )
P.S. If you know of a text description for this video, I would love to see it.
As part of my final preparation for a presentation at Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia, PA), I found this great little article titled “How to Read a Scientific Paper” written by John W. Little and Roy Parker at University of Arizona. (Especially for young scientists this is a “must read”).
What I found really interesting was the section “Difficulties in Reading a Paper”.
Why do we need to gain attention with our first words?
1.Quite simply, if you deliver your main message and you audience is doing something else–they have missed the main organizing structure they need to understand your materials.
The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause — Samuel Clemens
Tip: Use pauses for attention, emphasis, and mental digestion. This is an important technique that can be useful in a variety of situations.
Allow me to explain…
Pause for attention
When you want to gain the attention of your audience, simply pause.
In both academia and industry a large part of professional success depends on the important ability to network effectively. Networking isn’t just about handing out business cards, asking for referrals and attending meetings.
After many years of working one-on-one with private coaching clients, I have noticed that some mistakes are very common. I would have say the number one top delivery mistake is not enough direct eye contact.
Many studies indicate that making eye contact is the most powerful mode of establishing a communicative link between humans.
Have you ever wondered how to handle the rambler? The guy that talks and talks, but you are not sure what the question was? Or the stage hog…the guy that comments on his own work or asks many questions all at once? Or that most difficult person…
