Rhett's Laubach Authenticity Rules Blog

The question every professor, teacher, lecturer, speaker and corporate trainer should be asking is, “How do I turn a boring topic into an engaging presentation?” The reason for asking this question is simple: just because the data is inherently dull doesn’t mean the...

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How you dress and act (body language) before you begin to speak is sending thousands of messages to your audience. One of the most important thoughts your audience is thinking when they first see you that dramatically impacts the first moments of your presentation is:Who do you remind me of?They...

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Pack ‘em in!  Rope off the back rows if you need to, but do whatever it takes to get the audience seated in the middle/front.  The closer you have the audience to one another, the more you can do with them and the more...

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"All good public speaking is based on good private thinking."Scott Berkun (from his new book Confessions of a Public Speaker)Get it today to get your 2010 reading started right. Caution: it is a complicated, layered, opinionated, clearly written work. If you are not interested in growing or being challenged as...

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It is said that the amount of energy in the universe is constant. Energy is neither created nor destroyed. It is only changed from one form to another. The fat in your body is potential energy waiting to be turned into kinetic energy. A lump of coal is waiting to...

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"If you don't have confidence in your take, then we don't want to hear it."Jim Rome, Professional Sports Talk GuyPlease visit www.YourNextSpeaker.com to learn more about our leadership keynotes and workshops and our Presentation Coaching services. ...

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Five questions to answer as you are preparing your next speech's outline:Who (are you?)Don't spend much time on this, but quickly let me know who you are:Why are you qualified to talk on this topic?What is your style (serious, fun, interactive, etc.)?What is something about you I can personally relate...

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Your audience members need help knowing how you expect them to act. Give them clear expectations early in your presentation and then help them know how they are doing throughout.Please visit www.YourNextSpeaker.com to learn more about our leadership keynotes and workshops and our Presentation Coaching services. ...

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Have a casual presence. This will put your group and you at ease and grease the conversation. However, it is also important to remember that you need to bring the energy to the group. Your eyes, body language and vocal patterns need to model engagement and energy.Address each individual by...

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A good majority of your success on the platform is based on how you act before you get there. Click over to my leadership blog for some tips on how to maximize this all important time!The S.M.I.L.E. Formula to Networking SuccessPlease visit www.YourNextSpeaker.com to learn more about our leadership...

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I caught the band Shinedown at the San Diego House of Blues last month. The room was wall to wall with rockers and there I stood in my biz casual holding a noteboook (I just came from a working supper.) Needless to say, I felt a bit out of place,...

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You need three things:1. An XLR cable. Also known as a mic cable. Most facilities have them, but I keep a short 3-foot one with me just in case. You can get this at any musical instrument store. Price varies depending on the length.2. A DI box. These...

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Certainty trumps talent many times on stage. Work as hard getting confident in yourself, your abilities and your content as you do in preparing for the presentation. Of course, what you will often find is your certainty grows with your content familiarity.Please visit www.YourNextSpeaker.com to learn more about our leadership...

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* Get on the audience's level to build rapport and break down perceived and actual barriers.* The first 30 seconds are vital to establishing credibility and setting the tone of the presentation.* Build in questions throughout the presentation instead of having a Q&A session at the end....

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One of the most common questions I get after a program is, "where do you get your music, images, videos, activities, etc. So, here is a quick list of my favorite and most used resources to help make my programs interactive and a rich experience. MUSICI use music in 99%...

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Following are a few tips if you are in charge of running your own conference: Expect to start 15 minutes late, but do your best to start on time. If you are hanging signage, check with the facility to find out what material will work best. Use extra tape if...

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If you are going to go highly interactive with the keynote, you better be ready to handle anything and everything that takes you "off plan." Tonight's detours while keynoting for 60-minutes in front of 300 student leaders and adult advisors:1. Stage art falling off the wall.2. Girl in front row...

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What are the two most important qualities of speakers?This is the question I posed via Twitter and Facebook to my network. Here are the responses:1. Being authentic once the speaker gets off the stage. A major client told me recently she is very careful with some speakers once they are...

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Your audience walks into the room with a load of information in their brains. Memories in the form of pictures, smells, words, people, data, facts, feelings, places and emotions. As you plan your next presentation, consider where you want them to put your information and how easy/difficult you...

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Be authentic as a speaker does not mean you always have to tell stories from your life or from the lives of people you know. You can branch out and use stories outside of your inner sphere to support your points. A few reasons why:1. Unless you are a narcotics...

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Image 03 LinkPlease visit www.YourNextSpeaker.com to learn more about our leadership keynotes and workshops and our Presentation Coaching services. ...

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Image 02 LinkPlease visit www.YourNextSpeaker.com to learn more about our leadership keynotes and workshops and our Presentation Coaching services. ...

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Image 01 LinkI am going to periodically create these computer desktop backgrounds with inspiring images and tips. The current plan is to create a set of 10 over the next few weeks. Keep checking in for more and I hope you enjoy, download and desktop them...Please visit...

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People confirm and reinforce their behavior using simple messages. Reasons:On the message side:1. Easy to remember2. Easy to understandOn the behavior side:1. Simple to explain to our friends, our co-workers, our family and the mirror.2. Our brains are wired to work like running water - seeking out the...

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I have finally started reading The Element by Sir Ken Robinson (of TED fame). It is a book about how to find that magical place where the things you love to do come together with the things you are good at. It is also largely about how to find...

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