Public Speaking Course:
Add Magic to Your Presentations
In my public speaking course I teach a variety of fun skills and techniques
to incorporate into your presentation. One of those skills is including magic
tricks. If you perform a magic trick during your presentation, it always seems
to impress the audience and keep their attention on what you are saying.
Don't worry about trying to be like a professional magician when you perform
your magic tricks. You do not need that level of expertise to still come across
professional and make your point. You are simply adding magic as an extra
dimension to key points your making to the audience, while the professional
magician's presentation is primarily just involving illusion. This is a fun
aspect you can learn in a public speaking course.
I do some simple magic tricks that a real magician would probably never do they
are so easy, yet I get comments from the audience all the time that they loved
my 'illusions.' Think about some points during your presentation that could use
a little extra something to make them more memorable.
Your local magic shop will be able to help you find what you are looking for.
Just tell them that you have no experience and what kind of point you are going
to be making and they can help you pick something suitable. Most good magic
shops have literally thousands of tricks to pick from and at all skill levels
for any type of audience.
The points you make and the comedy aspect of the magic usually come from the
'patter' (what the magician says while doing the trick). You can even buy books
that help you with comic patter. Magic tricks are also a fun way to add
some lightheartedness and WOW factor to what you learned in your public speaking
course.
Many magic tricks are now on video which makes it a whole lot easier to learn
than trying to read them from a book. An excellent video tape for rope
tricks is 'Daryl's Rope Tricks #7.' Your local magic shop probably has it and if
they don't they can probably order it.
I really like to learn magic from videos because you can see the trick in
action. Reading them from a book is OK, and very useful, but you can learn a lot
quicker with video training. Two good magic videos for speakers are by master
magician Tom Ogden 'Teaching and Training with Magic' and 'The Magic of
Creativity.' I got these two videos from Royal Publishing & Walters Speakers
Services (626) 335-8069.
And of course, in 2004 with the magician Steve Hart, I created a three DVD set
of magic tricks, with a bonus DVD of me doing some magic.
Call me at (757) 431-1366, to order, or order online at antion.com.
In my public speaking course you will learn that magic is but one of many
resources and tools you can use to cleverly communicate your message to your
audience.
|
