Editor's Corner Excerpted from the December 2007 Newsletter A Snappy Close It's so easy to zone out on other people's presentations. Unfortunately, others may find it equally easy to zone out on ours. Even if they're with you most of the way, it's hard to make your mark when your closing words are soggy. Why not use some of the big bucks they spend on advertising to help your audience stay alert as well as leave energized? Consider the tag lines you know and love. They give you their bumper-sticker message in 3 to 10 words. And, even if it doesn't say anything deep, you get the feeling it did. And you personally connect with the product. Consider these: "All Detergent: Three times stronger because it's three times concentrated." "JIF Peanut Butter: Number one choice of Moms." "Pedigree: Really good food for dogs." "Ford: Built tough." "Von's Grocery Stores: Ingredients for life." "Smuckers: With a name like Smuckers, it has to be good." Gather your own collection of tag lines out of print ads or TV and see how you can adapt the concept in your next presentation. A pithy closing, using simple memorable words, concentrates people's minds. Send them out the door with more than a good nap. First Person Clark Christensen, Director, Business Development, Onmark, Inc. “The 1-day class on November 6th was a great follow up to the three-day speaking class. The three day class allowed me to make significant progress in public speaking, but it was a bit of a whirlwind due to all of the content exposure in a short period of time. “After taking some time to process everything I had learned, that 1-day class really helped me to pull everything together and make use of the new skills. I highly recommend a follow-up session to all individuals that take your classes.” It was a good day for all who participated. Kind of gives you a boost that gives you confidence in your effectiveness. How Long Can You Pause? Dear Barb: “You say it's okay to pause when you forget where you are in your presentation, but realistically, how long can you pause?” If you were to concentrate on how long you can pause before you lose credibility, you'd be in deep trouble. But no matter how long you pause, if you get back on track, the audience will move with you. If you worry about how long you can pause, it will take you longer to get back on track than if you ignored the audience and focused on the point you want to make. Instead, you’ll find it more helpful to recognize the power of pausing. Stay in the moment, allow your thoughts to be sorted in your head and be focused as you speak. Take your time to make your points, pause between ideas, after ideas, at any time you want to emphasize something, and whenever you feel lost. In other words, you need to be in your right mind. If you truly value the power of pausing, the audience won't know the difference between one pause and another, and every point will be powerful. Quotes to Make You a Better Speaker “The manner in which it is given is worth more than the gift.” —Pierre Corneille “Time and words can't be recalled.” —Thomas Fuller “The most difficult part of attaining perfection is finding something to do for an encore.” —Unknown “When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target.” —George Fisher “I never make stupid mistakes. Only very, very clever ones.” —John Peel “An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a very narrow field.” —Niels Bohr For more great quotes, check out these websites: www.lifeshaper.org www.worldofquotes.com www.americanrhetoric.com/top100speechesall.html www.brainyquote.com www.mightyminds.com/quotes www.quotegarden.com

Our search for surprise successes I'm looking for stories about people who have used the principles from our book and seminars to conquer a limitation in some other area than speaking. If you, or someone you know fits this description, please send an e-mail that briefly describes the person and the accomplishment to Barbara@BarbaraRocha.com. Orders Think gifts. Someone you know is going to be giving more presentations soon. Give them a practical gift that will make those presentations easier and more effective. Learn more or Order Online. Book "Getting Over Yourself: A Guide to Painless Public Speaking...and More" by Barbara Rocha 208 pages, illustrated, cartoons $19.95 Audiotape or CD ROM The "Getting Over Yourself" book on audiotape read by the author ($17.95) or CD ROM ($19.95). Booklets by Barbara Rocha: $9.95 each (+$1.50 Shipping and Handling) "Pocket Guide for Presenters" 103 pages "60 Ways to Spark Your Speaking: Just in time answers to frequently asked questions" 154 pages "Love to Talk/Hate to Speak: Selected articles by Barbara Rocha" 121 pages Speeches on Tape: "From Bored Room to Board Room" $10.95 "Stand Up and Stand Out" $10.95 Video "Getting Over Yourself: A Guide to Painless Public Speaking" featuring Barbara Rocha in excerpts from her book, seminar classes and interactive coaching. VHS $99.95 Learn more Order Online Call (888) 800-2001 E-mail: BouldinHil@aol.com Write: Bouldin Hill Press at 17-555 Bubbling Wells Rd., Desert Hot Springs, CA 92241 Seminars **How to Overcome the Stress of Public Speaking Pasadena: 3-day workshop May 6, 7, and 8, 2009. We have two public seminars each year: May and November (adjusted to October this year for the election). If you have several people who could use this training, contact us regarding an in-house seminar. As a refresher, workshop graduates (from any of our 3-day workshops) may attend for half price at any time. People tell us they get as much or more out of the workshop the second time around. Visit our seminars section for details or call (888)800-2001 For more information, contact: Barbara Rocha and Associates PO Box 60521, Pasadena, California 91116 (626) 792-8075 or toll free at (888) 800-2001