Article Business & Finance: 2011

Fear of Public Speaking

Everyone Gets Nervous

It is natural to have a fear of public speaking. In fact, if you asked 100 people on the street what their biggest fear is, you would hear public speaking named more often than anything else. So if you're afraid of public speaking, relax--it's normal.

Overcoming Your Fear

First, remember that the audience wants you to succeed. People in the audience want a good speech; they want you to do well. They are in your corner. Second, don't be hard on yourself. You are likely your toughest critic. It's okay to make a mistake now and then or to mess up a word. It happens to everyone. The important thing is to stay relaxed and let yourself succeed. Beyond that, here are a few of the most common fears, and some tips on how to overcome them.


Fear	Suggestion
I'll forget my lines	Of course, prepare and practice beforehand. But if forgetfulness gets you, pause and take a breath. If it doesn't come to you, try repeating the prior thought or looking at your notes.
People will laugh at me	The biggest key here is to laugh along with them. If you do something funny, that's great. Join in on the hummor. It lightens the atmosphere and can actually help you connect with your audience.
I'm boring	Again, preparation is king. The easiest way to overcome a fear of having an uninteresting speech is to develop good material. Do the research and put time into preparation. Good material is the key to a good speech.
I can't answer questions	If you take questions after your speech, don't feel like you have to answer them all. Take the question, pause to think about it, and if you have an answer, great. If not, let the audience know that you're not sure, but that you can get back to them with an answer.

The Pivotal Moment - Just Before You Begin

Even the most seasoned public speakers are likely to feel nervous in the hours and minutes leading up to the speech. Here are a few suggestions for relaxing in those stomach-churning moments:

Stretch
Take a walk
Drink a glass of water
Flip through a magazine
Have casual conversation with someone
Think about your plans for the weekend

Now let's look at some tips for different types of speeches.

Presentation Aids

Enhance the Speech; Don't Replace It

Presentation aids are an excellent way to enhance a speech. They can assist in keeping the audience engaged, explaining complex ideas, and adding some variety to the speech. Presentation can also help you stay organized while you are delivering your speech. But remember: don't let the aid replace the speech. The most effective presentations keep the audience focused on the presenter, not the slides or the diagrams. If you really want to communicate with your audience, you need to do the talking, not the presentation aid.

Don't Read From the Aid

Enhance Your Presentation With:

Slides
Overhead transparencies
Charts/Graphs
Photographs
Movies/Music
Objects/Artifacts

If you have a presentation aid with your speech, it's critical that you don't let your attention stay on the aid. Your attention needs to be on the audience. One common pitfall that people make is staring at their presentation aids. For example, when using a Powerpoint Presentation, avoid turning your back to the audience and reading from the presentation. It suggests that you are unfamiliar with the content, and it also can break your connection to the audience.

Remember to Bring Backup

If your presentation aid is an important part of your presentation, always remember to bring backup. If you have a Powerpoint Presentation, you may want to print out copies for the audience. If you have overhead transparencies, come prepared with handouts. You may also find that the handouts are a good way for the audience to take notes throughout the presentation.

Delivering Your Speech

Don't Underestimate the Delivery

A great speech on paper is not a great speech unless it is delivered effectively. The number one thing that you can do to improve your delivery is to practice. Know your content. Know your transitions. Know your timing. Stand up and deliver your speech in the bathroom before you deliver it in the boardroom. Here are a few things to keep in mind for an effective delivery:

Eye Contact

Use it. The audience connects with you through your eyes. Avoiding eye contact can also be a red flag to the audience that you are not confident in what you are saying or that you are hiding something. Don’t focus your attention on one person, but instead spread your eye contact around to members of the audience. One technique you can try is: One Person, One Thought. The means that for each though in your speech make eye contact with one person. On the next thought, go to the next person.

Hand Gestures

Using them can definitely be good, especially to emphasize a point, but you also don’t want to overdo it and distract the audience. If you are like most people and not sure what to do with your hands, the best rule of thumb is to limit your hand movement and don’t put them in your pockets.

Movement

Movement can represent confidence to the audience. Too much movement, however, is a sign of nervousness. Try to avoid pacing or rocking back and forth. If you are speaking behind a podium, one tip you might try is, at an appropriate time in your speech move to the side of the podium. This shows the audience you are not “hiding” behind the podium. Finally, remember not to slouch. Standing straight projects confidence.

Facial Expressions

Don’t be afraid to use facial expressions. If you know you are saying something funny, then smile. If you are talking about something serious, show a look of empathy. A stony face will make you seem aloof, while an expressive face can help you connect with the audience.

Vary Your Voice

How you say something can be just as important as what you are saying. Pay attention to your tone and your speed. Don't talk to fast. No Yelling. And avoid the soft voice that can't be heard. Use your pace and tone to emphasize important ideas. And always remember to vary both. Monotone and monospeed are two common pitfalls you want to avoid.

Dress the Part

Certain speaking situations will call for more professional dress than others. Dressing well will often make you feel and look more confident, and may even add some credibility. The just-rolled-out-of-bed look is unlikely to impress your audience.

Get Plenty of Rest and Arrive on Time

Arrive on time and ready to go. Being tired can weaken your memory and lower your energy level. Try to get a good night's sleep before your speech. It will help you keep the energy level high when you are talking.

Take Your Time

Take your time and allow everyone to absorb what you are saying. A speech is not a race. Start slow and if you see that your audience wants you to speak a little faster, then, and only then, start to pick up the pace.

Pause for Important Ideas

Pauses are good. They let your audience think about your words. Try to pause after the most important points in your speech.

Find a Friendly Face

When you deliver your speech, look for a friendly face. This will give you encouragement throughout your speech. Don't stare at the person, but periodically look over for a little boost in confidence.

Introductions and Conclusions

The Most Important Parts of the Speech

While the introductions and conclusions may only last for a minute or two, these elements are by far the most important parts of your speech. Your introduction is your first impression, and it sets the audience's view about whether the speech will be interesting, relevant, smart, and so on. The conclusion shapes the audience's memory of the speech. If you get a laugh, they will probably think it was funny. If you make a great insight, they will remember it as insightful. Nail the introduction and conclusion and your speech will be on its way to greatness.

Great Introductions are Interesting

There is no one way to create a great introduction, but if there is one common trait among effective introductions, it's that they are interesting. You may have a joke, quote, fact, story--there are a lot of options--but make sure your introduction starts off interesting.
In business settings, it's important to include the agenda of the speech in the introduction. Be succinct and simple so that everyone can easily know what you are going to cover. Make sure everyone has similar expectations and set the vibe you want to create in the first 30 seconds. It's also effective to use the old fashioned approach of: Tell them what you are going to tell them; tell them; and then tell them what you told them. To do this, you need to start with a brief summary.

Conclusions - Famous Last Words

Conclusions are a great opportunity to summarize key points of your speech. Let your audience know, out of all the things you talked about, what you want them to remember, and if relevant, what actions they should take with the information. Some of the most effective conclusions end with a story that ties together the whole speech and leaves people thinking about what you said. A good way to get some ideas for conclusions (and introductions) is to look at examples. Here are some websites with a good library of speeches and we've included a few examples below.
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/ - Site with Top 100 American Speeches
http://www.historychannel.com/broadband/home/ - Speeches (some with video)

Preparing Your Speech

How To Organize Your Speech

So you know what you want to talk about. Now it's time to consider how to organize your speech. Organizing your speech will do wonders for your effectiveness. In general, make sure that your speech has a clear purpose. For every part of your speech, you should be able to answer the question: Why is this important? Making an outline of your speech is a great tool because you can layout the main sections, fit in supporting evidence, and build in transitions from section to section. As for laying out the structure of your speech, here are a few types of organization you may like to try:


Type of Organization	Description
Problem and Solution	This is a good approach if you are making a recommendation in your speech. Start with a description of the problem. Then propose the solution.
Story Telling - Past, Present, Future	If you want to expain something, try telling its story. Start with the past, then the present, and finally, the future. Using this structure makes it easy for the audience to follow along.
Cause and Effect	The Cause and Effect approach is another useful way to describe an event. You can start with either the cause or the effect, but be clear about which one you are discussing.

Doing the Research

Good research can go a long way in making a good speech. There are two main reasons to do research. First, do research to develop the meat of your speech. The audience will appreciate it if you speak as if you are an expert on your topic. You can do this if you do a little research. Second, do research to make your speech interesting. You can spice up your speech with statistics, jokes, and interesting facts. You don't have to be Mark Twain to write something interesting. If you're not a creative genius, do some research, find something interesting, and add it to your speech. Here are a few websites to get you started:

http://www.bartleby.com/quotations/ - A great site for famous quotes

http://www.factme.com/ - A site loaded with interesting facts

http://www.lotsofjokes.com/ - Good site for jokes

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ - Authoritative site for population and economic statistics

What to Talk About

Look Inside and Outside

For most forms of public speaking, there is already a general topic that you know you are going to talk about. But within that topic, it is still necessary to answer the all important question: What do I talk about? For an answer, first look to yourself and then look to your audience.

Stick to Your Interests

You should always try to talk about something you are interested in. Look for subjects that you know, that you are curious about, or that you find exciting. The energy that you feel for your topic shines through when you talk about it. The more engaged in the subject you are, the more engaged in the subject your audience will be. If possible (and it not always is), try to avoid talking about things you find boring or dull. If you have no interest in cars, don't talk about the thrills of changing a flat tire.

Know Your Audience

Balance your interests with your audience. It's important to think about who you are speaking to and how you can communicate your message to them. Here are some factors to consider when choosing what to talk about:


Factor	Questions	Recommendation
Occasion	What is the tone of the occasion? Is it a formal business meeting? Is it a wedding?	Talk about subjects appropriate for the occasion and make sure that if you are asked to address a specific topic you do that.
Demographics	Who is in the audience? How old are they? What interests are they likely to have?	Try to include topics relevant to the demographic you are speaking to.
Size of Audience	Are you speaking to 3 people or 300 people?	In general, for large groups, keep the ideas short and easy to understand. And limit the inside jokes.

Combine Interest and Audience

When thinking about what you want to talk about, start by brainstorming a lot of ideas. Brainstorm ideas you are interested in and ideas that you think your audience would find interesting. Look for areas where there is overlap. That is what you should talk about.

Public Speaking Overview

Let's Talk

You probably arrived at this web site because you want to become a better public speaker. You may be a novice or a seasoned veteran, but the fact is, you know that you can improve.

Well, we are here to help. In the Trusty Guide to Public Speaking, we will take you through the process of crafting and delivering excellent speeches. From choosing what to talk about to honing in on the best strategies for delivering a speech, we'll go through each aspect of public speaking in an easy, step-by-step fashion.

The guide is organized into these sections:

You can read the guide straight through or skip around to the topics that interest you the most. At the end of the guide, be sure to check out our public speaking quiz to test your knowledge and our recommended public speaking links for more information.

Also, we are always looking to improve our guides. If you have any suggestions on how we can make this guide better, be sure to click on the "send feedback" link at the bottom of the page and email us your thoughts.

So without further adu, let's begin with the most basic question: What to talk about?

Dollar firmer against the euro

U.S. dollar rose sharply against the euro on Friday as investors worried on news that European authorities noticed a potential for debt rescheduling Greece. The single currency sank to 1.4348 dollars at 21:00 PM or Saturday (11/06/2011) at 04.00 GMT from 1.4509 dollars in late trading Thursday in New York.

The European Commission said on Friday that international supporters of the bailout plan to avert the threat of default on a very large Greek debt is now being studied the possibility of "scheduling". In Athens, Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou said the debate about a new bailout package for the Greek seems to be growing on the voluntary participation of the private sector.

However, a spokesman for the credit rating agency Moody's warned that any action would be considered a failure of Greece on its debts if it considers that private investors are required to reschedule their debts rather than just asked to do so in a way that truly voluntary.

Benign inflation outlook of the European Central Bank also dent the market expectations for higher interest rates, dealers said. ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet said the bank's position on inflation was one of "strong vigilance", usually interpreted as a future tightening of monetary policy in the eurozone.

"Trichet indicated rate hike in July, but the ECB rather benign with long-term prospects for inflation," Teppei said Ino, an analyst at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ.

Against the Japanese unit, the dollar was flat at 80.31 yen. Taken Dollar 0.8429 Swiss francs (0.8414), while the pound was at 1.6233 dollars (1.6365), affected by bad data UK manufacturing.

Lexus 'Lindas' Helm Lexus Brand

Lexus luxury cars who take shelter under the Toyota Motor Corporation is ultimately successful 'grind' helmets Lexus brand. As a result, helmet made in this country have to switch brands.

Lexus is a trademark for cars issued Toyota Motor Corporation, headquartered in Japan. Toyota Corp. assess the production helm indigenous entrepreneurs Jaya Iskandar bum Lexus name to boost sales of these helmets.

"To grant the request for applicant," said presiding judge Suwidya in which the read out the verdict in the District Court (PN) in Central Jakarta, Jalan Gajah Mada, Jakarta, Wednesday (08/06/2011).

According Suwidya between the car and the helmet is still one of the automotive field. So that is feared could confuse consumers. There has also been fundamental in common brands such as mention of the name and writing.

"So the helmet should pull the Lexus brand," added Suwidya.

In his petition, the Lexus feels hard to imagine another purpose of Jaya Iskandar by name unless the intention to hitchhike Lexus Lexus fame that has been nurtured over the years with no small cost.

Toyota Corp. judge with the Lexus brand fame feared the crowds would mengaaosiasikan helmet output Lexus products as well. Toyota Corp. is also assessing Jaya Iskandar will not register to Depkumham brand without a car inspired by the Lexus brand.

"We will inform the client of this decision," explained Toyota's attorney, Sani after the hearing.

But because Jaya Iskandar was never present at the hearing, then Toyota will announce this decision in the mass media. If within 14 days, the party does not comply with Iskandar Jaya, Toyota will take other action.

"This decision is right and appropriate as we expected," said Sani.

(Intel)-Vendor di Computex 2011

TAIPEI: Hari ini Intel Corpotion akan memperkenalkan anjungannya para vendor komputer pengadopsi teknologi prosesor Intel di pameran komputer Computex 2011.
Intel mengajak 15 wartawan dari Asia Pasifik untuk melihat anjungan para pengadopsi komputasi Intel tersebut di Taiwan World Trade Center (TWTC) Nangang Exhibition Hall.
Beberapa vendor kelas dunia yang akan diperkenalkan Intel di antaranya vendor komputer asal Taiwan, yaitu Asus dan Acer.
Pameran yang digelar selama 31 Mei-4 Juni itu mengambil lokasi di empat tempat, yaitu Hotel Grand Hyatt, Taiwan International Convention Center (TICC), TWTC Exhibition Hall, dan TWTC Nangan Exhibition Hall.
Ruby Au, PR Regional Intel Asia Pasifik, mengatkan Computex merupakan salah satu agenda tahunan Intel dan merupakan kegiatan kelas dunia yang digelar di Asia Pasifik.
"Ini merupakan agenda tahunan Intel selain CeBIT [pameran teknologi di Jerman], CSE [Consumer Electronics Show/pameran teknologi di AS]," ujarnya.
Chih Kang Wang, Chairman Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA)--penanggun jawab Computex 2011, mengatkan Computex 2011 diikuti peserta dengan menggelar 1.807 anjungan.
"Computex 2011 ditargetkan menjarin 36.000 pengunjung dengan target transaksi US$25 juta [sekitar Rp215 miliar]," ujarnya pada pembukaan acara pameran Selasa kemarin. (sut)

What is in the shopping list today

JAKARTA: Despite corrections of regional stock market indexes and drops on commodities prices, investors are in wait and see early this week, anticipating May's inflation rate.
Profit taking actions engulfed blue chips yesterday, driving Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) to further consolidated phase. Stocks to watch: JSMR, BWPT, BJBR, UNTR, and BBRI.
Sinarmas Sekuritas:
The JCI technically today tends to be mixed within the range of 3,827-3,843. Stocks to watch: JSMR, BWPT, BJBR, and UNTR.
e-Trading Securities:
The index today may move within the range of 3,797-3,849 after it was restrained at a support line MA 20 with candlestick which made spinning top pattern. Stocks to watch: BBRI and BJBR.
Panin Sekuritas:
The national market may be affected by unfavorable regional stock markets, amid European countries economy prospect. We estimate the JCI today may move within the range of support-resistance level at 3,794-3,837.
Trimegah Securities:
Anticipating the failure to break psychological resistance level and gloomy Japanese industrial, the JCI today is estimated to move in moderat way within the range of 3,610-3,650.
Minna Padi:
The index today is estimated to be flat in the range of strong support level of 3,804 after it slightly fell 0.16% to 3,826.14. On average, blue chips were in red. Several stocks such as BMRI (support level at IDR7,100) and BBCA (support level at IDR7,000) have opportunity to rise. (wiw)

(Jakarta)-stocks rose 0.28% on deflation outlook-

JAKARTA: Jakarta Composite Index (JCI), which measures the overall performance of Indonesian shares, advanced 0.28% or 10.83 points to 3,836.97 at the closing session today, on positive sentiment that deflation is predicted to continue in May.
The JCI was moving in the range of 3,819.31-3,841.43. About one share advanced for every one share that fell and more than a half of the shares traded in JCI today were unchanged.
The increase in JCI was led by PT Adaro Energy Tbk which contributed 3.76 points to the index, followed by PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk 2.37 points, PT Bank Central Asia Tbk 1.43 points, and PT Kalbe Bhakti Investama 1.06 points.
Shares that hampered the movement of JCI were PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia Tbk with minus 1.44 points, PT Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa Tbk minus 1.30 points, PT Indo Tambangraya Megah Tbk minus 0.86 point, and PT PT Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Tbk minus 0.68 point.
Bank Indonesia Governor Darmin Nasution said last Friday that “inflation may not occur in May”, estimating a deflation rate of less than 0.1% on a monthly basis, pushing down the yearly headline inflation to between 5.8% and 5.9%.
The Central Statistics Agency will announce the official May inflation data tomorrow.
An analyst at PT Woori Korindo Securities Indonesia Teuku Hendry Andrean said that the food prices continue to fall and ease the pressure on the inflation pace.
Andrean said the rising JCI today also was triggered by the positive sentiment from regional market.
“Market show positive movement after European leaders leaders said that they will decide on a new aid package for Greece by the end of next month. It was considered as a good signal to counter the debt crisis,” said Andrean.
Bisnis-27 Index, the index of 27 stocks and launched by business daily newspaper dubbed Bisnis Indonesia, increased 0.28% or 0.92 points to 332.71. Bisnis-27 Index moved within range of 330.99-333.59.
Most of the regional markets were traded in green zone. Nikkei-225 rose 0.42% to 9,693.73, Hang Seng hiked 2.16% to 23,684.13, Shanghai SE gained 1.37% to 2,743.47, Kospi climbed 2.32% to 2,142.47, and Straits Times increased 0.44% to 3,154.63.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index inched-up 2.19% to 919.98.
Meanwhile, rupiah climbed 0.06% against the US dollar at IDR8,543. (NOM)

PTPN III to use IPO proceeds for developing Sei Mengkei

JAKARTA: PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) III seeks fund from initial public offering (IPO) to settle long-term debts and finance part of special economic zone project in Sei Mengkei, North Sumatra, for IDR6 trillion.
The IPO is expected to take place by the end of the year, said President Director Amri Siregar.
It is considered as the right time for PTPN III to start listing in the stock market, making the state-owned plantation company more competitive globally.
“Proceeds from the IPO will be used to settle long-terms debts and finance Sei Mengkei development. The Sei Mengkei development will be an integrated project with railway and dry port,” he explained today.
PTPN III has invested IDR1.2 trillion in Sei Mengkei project. He thought it more difficult to get funds from bank than from the market.
The IPO plan has received approval from Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises as the shareholder. The ministry recommends the plantation company to create a holding company before the IPO. (T04/NOM)

No impact from acquisition on BFI's ratings

JAKARTA: Fitch Ratings says the recent acquisition by The Trinugraha Capital & Co Investor group over a 45% stake in PT BFI Finance Indonesia Tbk has no immediate impact on BFI's ratings.
In a press statement published today, Fitch Ratings said that the bank's National Long-term rating 'A(idn)'/Stable and proposed bond rating of 'A(idn)(exp)' are driven by its standalone risk profile.
As the acquisition was only completed recently, Fitch points out that it is too early to ascertain the new shareholder's commitment to BFI. Over the medium-to long-term, the ratings may see upward momentum if the agency believes the new shareholder is willing and able to provide timely support - if needed - to BFI, possibly by injecting capital into the company.
Established in 1982, BFI focuses on leasing and consumer financing in Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan and Eastern Indonesia with over 100 branches nationwide. BFI is the largest independent finance company with total assets of IDR 4.1 trillion as of March 31, 2011. (NOM)

Net income nine foldsDayaindo Resources' to IDR80.64 billion

JAKARTA: Net income of Dayaindo Resources International Tbk, an Indonesia-based coal mining and trading company, rocketed almost nine-fold to IDR80.64 billion last year, bolstered by revenue climb.
In a financial statement published today, the company reported a three-fold jump to IDR1.44 trillion in 2010. Meanwhile, its operating income grew almost six times to IDR140.18 billion.
The cash of the company reached IDR1.23 billion as of December 31, 2010 or was four times lower than position a year earlier. The asset was IDR2.96 trillion as of December 31, 2011 and the current liabilities were IDR97.32 billion. (NOM)

Net income gains 1.5% (Gunawan Dianjaya's)

JAKARTA: PT Gunawan Dianjaya Steel Tbk, a manufacturer of hot rolled steel plate, booked IDR62.91 billion net income in the first quarter of 2011, one and half times higher than the same period last year as revenue increased.
The company's revenue jumped by 48.90% to IDR552.27 billion in the first three months ending March this year. The domestic sales almost doubled to IDR272.27 billion, whilst the export sales grew 21.87% to IDR279.50 billion.
In a financial statement published today, the company was no longer exporting its products to Europe during the period.

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