If you're serious about advancing your career and yourself, you have to be serious about your communication and speaking skills.

"The best ideas not communicated do not exist." -Alex Kouts

• 
  
• What is the rule of three and how does it apply to communication?
  
• How many presentations are given every hour around the world?
  
• Alex explains how and when to use humor in communication.
  
• How to properly use visuals when speaking.
  
• What the Challenger disaster can teach us about slides.
  
• And so much more...
  

Supposedly human beings fear public speaking more than anything, including death! Our guest for today says there's sociological and scientific reasoning for that fear, he also explains what it is and how we can overcome it.

Alex Kouts, a former guest of The Art of Charm, returns to talk about how public speaking impacts our communication. He also shares how public speaking can improve our communication and make a difference in our lives, even if we aren't giving a speech or presentation. Listen in for all of that and more on episode 393 of The Art of Charm.

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Alex Kouts has been given public speeches and presentations for a very long time, and he'll be the first to tell you he still gets nervous. The nerves are far less than they were the first time he spoke in front of an audience, but they're still there.

From a scientific and sociological perspective it makes perfect sense for Alex and for the rest of us to fear public speaking. Back in our caveman days if we spoke in front of the tribe and said something stupid, we were kicked out. And back then if you were kicked out of the group there was a very real chance you would die out in the wild on your own.

Obviously that's no longer the case for us as humans, but the fear of speaking in front of groups still exists. Today Alex shares some practical tips for making the experience more comfortable for everyone. We talk about several topics including the importance of body language and the hows and whys of rewarding your listeners.

On the topic of body language Alex shares this rule with us: the 73855 rule. Seven percent of our communication is translated with our words, 38% with our intonation, inflection and vocal expression and 55% is translated through our body language. Clearly body language is important.

He goes into detail on what to do and what not to do with your body while speaking, but one important question many people ask is what to do with their hands. Alex says not to point to the audience, don't put them at your side and don't cross your body with them. Instead, move your hands in context with what you're saying and use them to emphasize the important points.

Another trick Alex gives away is the reward system. He often starts his speeches or presentations by telling his audience he loves questions, loves 'em! He explains to his audience what he'll give them if they do raise their hand and ask a great question. So he sets them up: he tells them what he wants them to do, tells them what their reward will be and then rewards them when they do it.

On this episode he gives a few terrific real-life examples on the reward system, plus he shares how to use visuals during a speech and why all of this matters, even if you aren't going to be giving a speech any time soon. Alex and I dive in deep on those topics and more, so listen in to hear it all.

If you enjoyed this session of The Art of Charm Podcast, let Alex know by clicking on the link below and sending him a quick shout out on Twitter:

Click here to thank Alex on Twitter!

Alex Kouts' web site
The Art of Negotiations, Alex's first visit to AOC
Alex's classes with General Assembly
Alex on Twitter
The Art of Charm bootcamps

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