I am pleased to announce the recent publication of my new book - Communication for Business 4th edition. If anyone had told me way back in 1991 that my first book would become so successful that it would be used by many people all over the world, and that in 2005 I would be celebrating the 4th edition, I would never have believed it! It's true though, and I'm very proud and happy about it.

Communication is and always will be the lifeblood of any organisation, and just like any other endeavour, the more you put into it, the more you'll get back!

The 4th edition of this popular book should be in your bookstores now, and of course I shall have it on sale at all my workshops. By using the tried and tested techniques, tips and guidelines presented in this book, I hope you will enjoy learning to communicate your ideas effectively and professionally, and so enhance your own career as well as the success of your organisation.

My publishers Pearson Education are planning to hold a special presentation and launch for Communication for Business 4th edition soon. I'll be mailing you again within the next few weeks with details. Don't miss this great opportunity to attend my special presentation at the launch, and you might even win copies of the new edition. Look out for more details in your mailbox SOON.

This is a photo of me with participants at the 2004 Malaysian Executive Secretaries Seminar. And guess what? Yes, I'm coming to Kuala Lumpur again in September 2005. I'm looking forward to working with Quest Learning again with another Malaysian Executive Secretaries Seminar, co-presented by my good friend KC See.

This is the programme that will take you to a higher level faster. This comprehensive seminar will show you how to enhance your productivity, be more successful, and transform your job into a rewarding and enjoyable one! You will learn how to handle the demands of your job as a PA or Executive Secretary with assertiveness, confidence and professionalism.

I'm looking forward to visiting KL again, and shall be presenting one day on the topic of Enhanced Communication Skills. KC See will be presenting on the second day on Self-Mastery and Management Skils.

This seminar will be held on 28-29 September 2005 at the Melia Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, so if you are a secretary in Malaysia, don't miss it. For registration details please click here.

I don't want secretaries in Singapore to feel left out. Coming up in Singapore in the next few months is my one-day workshop, Success Skills for Secretaries & Support Staff - the dates for your diary are 6 September and 9 November. Check out more details here or for further details contact Sam Loo from Learner's Choice on 63762018.

Here I am with my good friend and great trainer
Ricky Lien
recently celebrating the publication of my new book. I'm very happy to say that Ricky agreed to write a chapter of my new book on Oral Communication Skills. In this article here, Ricky gives some advice about how to make perfect presentations. If you want to learn more from Ricky, visit www.mindsetmedia.com.sg and sign up for his fabulous monthly newsletter.

The usual and easiest advice to give any newcomer to public speaking or business presentation is to stand up, speak out, handle the questions asked, and sit down. That's the easy part. But how do we handle the nerves and how do we stand and use our body language? All public speakers or presenters need to accept nervousness as an occupational hazard. And how do we use our voice? This article will address some of those issues.

Nervousness

We can reduce the amount of nervousness by doing the following drill:

1 Prepare yourself early
Do a serious amount of preparation; in fact, prepare so much that you can actually see your presentation in your mind's eye so that you don't need to look for words or ideas during the speech.

2 Practice your speech
Begin your practice of the speech as soon as you can, and do it with imagining seeing your audience. What you want to do is to reduce the speech or presentation to a routine, as far as possible, before the event.

Confidence

• Fake it till you make it. Appear confident to your audience.
• Make your affirmation, for example, “People listen to me when I talk, because I have something important to say”. Or, “I am among friends, I am enjoying this, so yes, let's go!”
• Be deliberate, but not pompous. If you need to walk to the stage or rostrum, don't rush. Walk confidently, hold your head up high, the audience will wait for you.
• Remember to use deep breathing. As you're walking towards the rostrum or as you rise to speak, breathe deeply and steadily to calm your nerves.
• Slowly, and deliberately, look at the audience, maintain your steady deep breathing.
• Memorise your opening paragraph (and your closing paragraph). Practicing this will help you get into your character, and ready to begin the speech or presentation.
• Don't panic. If you do forget what you're going to say, and your mind goes blank, pause. If necessary, go over the words that you've just said or even summarise the part of the speech that you've already delivered, and proceed confidently.

Using your voice

There is a whole lot to do with voice, but in brief, pay attention to the following points:

1. Project your voice so that the people in the last row can hear you.
2. Speak low, avoid high pitch voices.
3. Phrasing – do not break up phrases, for example
   Incorrect: Vermicelli flour is / made from / rice and/ rice comes from/ padi fields.
   Correct: Vermicelli flour is made from rice/ and rice/ comes from padi fields.
4. Volume – speak up with sufficient volume to fill the room.
5. Pitch – Avoid a tense and irritating high pitch. Use your middle ranges as a base from which to move upwards or downwards.
6. Pace – Variations in pace will assist you in using your voice to the best advantage and avoid being monotonous.
7. Speak clearly – clear articulation is essential, don't be lazy in your speech. Use your tongue, move your mouth, pronounce your consonants and verbs sharply, produce them deliberately, and don't swallow or allow your words to fade away.

Please write to me with any feedback you have, or tell me what you want to see in my e-newsletter. I'd love to hear from you. Write to me at shirley@shirleytaylor.com.

Happy National Day to all Singaporeans this month. Have a great August, and I'll see you in August!!!

Shirley

PPS: You may reprint this newsletter or forward it to your customers and colleagues. However please keep this copyright and contact information intact:

Copyright Shirley Taylor 2005. Shirley Taylor is author of several popular books on effective communication and business writing. She lives in Singapore and works as an international trainer, seminar leader, professional writer and conference speaker.