Onlee Bowden

Thoughts on Audiences

Posted by Onlee Bowden on June 29th, 2008 at 11:53am
Jun
29th

When you boil it down, audience members are made up of individuals that for the most part are not paying close attention. I think of them this way… Audience members are listeners, and most people are poor listeners. Your goal should always be to have people remember your presentation. In order for this to happen, you will need to do the following:

  • Be visually interesting and engaging.
  • Get organized, stay organized, and speak your organization.
  • Have something worthwhile to say, and say it with passion.
  • Connect to your audience. Think about what they need and want.
  • Be memorable.

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Staying Inside Your Presentation

Posted by Onlee Bowden on June 29th, 2008 at 11:41am
Jun
29th

I’ve been asked to explain the idea of “staying inside your presentation.” It sounds sort of like a new age thing but it’s actually a concept that is as old as time… It means to stay focused on the present… the here and now. Not allowing your mind to race ahead or to play sideline commentary. It is the most important part of listening, as well as speaking, and probably the hardest for anyone to do, as it takes discipline and concentration.

The reason:

We have what’s called “thought speed” this is where our brains process information about three times faster than we speak. In essence, we have the ability to finish someone’s sentence and drift off into other subjects of greater importance, (such as what we need to pick up from the store,) way before the person actually finishes their idea.

The bottom line:

It makes us lazy listeners. Instead of using that “thought speed” time more productively by controlling our desire to drift and daydream while others our speaking, we usually just spend that time thinking about what we are going to say next.

In public speaking, the same problem occurs. Our brains can finish our thoughts much faster than we speak, allowing us to race ahead or to start engaging in self-talk. The problem is that our brains really can’t be in two places at once, at least not with respect to communication. As soon as any of us leave the present conversation, we have broken our concentration. More than any other reason, this is why people get lost when they are speaking in front of other. Not because they don’t know how to finish ideas but because they allowed their thoughts to race ahead.

A strategy:

Maintain your concentration on the very real here and now. Pay attention to how often you drift and daydream while others are speaking and challenge yourself to come back to the present.

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Traverse City Business News: You are what you speak: Speech coach readies for national exposure

Posted by Onlee Bowden on June 20th, 2008 at 10:02am
Jun
20th

Article by Lynn Geiger

Traverse City – Tom Clynes is a journalist and photographer. He’s reported on Ebola outbreaks and armed conflicts in central Africa, and he’s retraced Sir Edmund Hillary’s climbs in New Zealand.

But in April, he was in Traverse City getting public speaking coaching from area consultant Onlee Bowden. He’s actually been to town before to visit his sister who lives here. So when he first met Bowden while sitting next to her on an airplane and they started talking, he decided this would be his next – perhaps not so exotic – adventure.

“I’m asked to speak quite a bit and I never felt that I was that good at it,” said Clynes, who lives in Vermont when he’s not traveling around the world.

After just three sessions with Bowden, Clynes said he noticed significant changes with the professionalism of his delivery, a more streamlined approach to his presentation and with a message that came more from the heart.

Read the entire article

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Connie Deneweth, Developer, Copper Ridge Marketplace

Posted by Onlee Bowden on May 7th, 2008 at 11:25am
May
7th

Connie Deneweth“Onlee Bowden is very talented and gifted speech trainer. Her training has proved invaluable to me when I speak publically or when I wish to eloquently express my opinion in a small meeting.

Every entrepreneur and business person who has the good fortune to have been trained by Onlee feels that the experience has propelled them to a dramatically higher level of communication.”

- Connie Deneweth, Developer, Copper Ridge Marketplace

 

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Woody Smith, President, AVERO Research

Posted by Onlee Bowden on May 7th, 2008 at 11:35am
May
7th

Woody Smith“In my work I regularly present research findings to CEO’s and senior managers of local and national businesses. I began working with Bowden and Associates to strengthen the form and delivery of these presentations. The results were almost immediate. I was able to deliver findings more clearly and with greater impact. This change has helped my company as well as my clients, leading to improved client satisfaction. As an added bonus, our company’s new business pitches have gotten stronger. Our close rate is higher and our bottom line is showing the wisdom of the investment in Bowden and Associates.”

- Woody Smith, President, AVERO Research

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Jennifer Hutchinson, Marketing Consultant, Complete Solutions Inc. – Real Estate One

Posted by Onlee Bowden on April 29th, 2008 at 2:24pm
Apr
29th

Jennifer Hutchinson“What an amazing experience! My career has been spent presenting. From large corporate groups to just a handful of vital clients around the conference table. Although the anxiety that never left me may not have been apparent, it fogged my ability to be 100% in the moment. Onlee’s training guided me toward taking full control of the process on every level. As a direct result, I better retain not only what I say, but those crucial responses from the audience that allow you to form strong relationships. Dynamic, energetic, and systematic. I will recommend Onlee to everyone that I know.”

- Jennifer Hutchinson, Marketing Consultant, Complete Solutions Inc. – Real Estate One

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Douglas H. Baker, Vice President of Group Operations for National Dentex Corporation

Posted by Onlee Bowden on April 29th, 2008 at 2:15pm
Apr
29th

Douglas Baker“My experience with Onlee was extremely enjoyable. I’ve taken public speaking courses in the past walking away feeling picked on and inadequate. Onlee’s teaching techniques makes learning how to be interesting, comfortable, relaxed and fun while speaking seem so easy. After working with Onlee, in just five private sessions, I received the highest compliments from my peer’s imaginable. She is a fantastic teacher and coach.”

- Douglas H. Baker, Vice President of Group Operations for National Dentex Corporation

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Michelle London, HUB International

Posted by Onlee Bowden on April 29th, 2008 at 2:04pm
Apr
29th

“I was very hesitant when initially taking the step to join Onlee Bowden’s speech class because of prior experiences. After the first class meeting I was amazed how one person could put such a creative spin on teaching and having a way to make all involved feel completely relaxed and in control of what they were doing. I would recommend this class to anyone that is up for an amazing experience. This experience has helped me organize my thoughts not only in my head before speaking, but has also provided the tools to get the information that I am presenting in a format that is easy to follow and has a flow.”

- Michelle London, HUB International

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Steve Merten, Fawcett/Dopke Agency, Inc.

Posted by Onlee Bowden on April 29th, 2008 at 2:33pm
Apr
29th

Steve Merten“I found myself at a crossroads in my career knowing that public speaking opportunities, participation on boards of directors, and committee involvement would greatly enhance my professional growth and the success of my team. Speak For Yourself has given me the confidence and skill set to tackle these challenges and maximize these opportunities.”

- Steve Merten, Fawcett/Dopke Agency, Inc.

 
 

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Bonnie Alfonso, Owner Alfie Embroidery

Posted by Onlee Bowden on April 29th, 2008 at 2:53pm
Apr
29th

Bonnie Alfonso“Onlee Bowden has a true gift for breaking down the basics of how to give a dynamic presentation. I have taken several other speech classes before and this was by far the most effective. If you are interested in overcoming your fear, improving your presentation skills or just feeling more confident in a meeting, this class will teach you techniques you can begin using immediately.

Thank you Onlee!”

- Bonnie Alfonso, Owner Alfie Embroidery

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