The ability to present your ideas clearly and concisely is vital to this game of making moves. Doors seem to open when you can stand and deliver a solid presentation. As a good public speaker, you're often sought out by others and showcased as a spokesperson or authority. Take Ned, for example. He is the associate director of an investment firm's security department and is continually asked by his boss to deliver presentations that the boss should be making himself. However, they both know that Ned's speaking skills are far superior to the boss's, so Ned is often called on to speak internally. As a result, he is gaining quite a reputation as someone who can deliver—on several different levels!
Studies show that most people fear public speaking with a vengeance. Are you someone who would rather have a root canal than speak in front of a group? Fear not. Most people who fear public speaking are actually afraid of impromptu speaking, being called on without warning to say a few words. With proper preparation, however, all forms of public speaking can become easier to handle.
Good presentations begin with good writing. The world's best speakers rarely “wing” it. They spend a long time crafting the perfect presentation before they ever stand in front of a group to deliver it. When you take the time first to compose a presentation in writing, you'll end up with a much better, more finished product. You'll be able to choose the precise words, double-check the grammar, create the transitions, and fine-tune the phrases until the meaning is just right. If you don't write it out completely first, you will surely stumble during the delivery as you reach for the right words.
You don't like to write? The good news is that the more you write, the better you get. Glenda, a self-employed consultant, had no writing skills when she started her business. In college, she dropped every class that required a written paper. The mere thought of composing a business letter or copy for an advertisement made her queasy. She kept at it, though, and became a good student of others' writing. Today she enjoys the writing process and is very comfortable handling all of her business correspondence, marketing materials, and stand-up presentations. She even has plans to write a book—quite a change for someone who didn't think she could write.
Write a little bit every day. If you've never written much before, start by writing in a journal. Writing down your personal thoughts each day can help you become more comfortable with the writing process. Journaling can be a safe way to explore your writing abilities because it is done privately; no one but you will ever read what you write.
Find new reasons to write. If you're in the workforce, work not only to improve your business writing but also to stretch yourself in creative genres. Try writing a letter to the editor. Experiment with short stories, poetry, or advertising copy. Try composing a toast to give at a friend's wedding, a “roast” to another friend, or a short commentary for a school or community newsletter. You'll gradually discover the type of writing you most enjoy. Your writing will most likely improve the more you write, and you'll end up with several pieces you can file away for future consideration. When you feel ready to get some feedback, sign up for a writing class at your community center or local college. A good teacher of writing will be able to help you hone your developing skills.
When you're ready to think about being published, consider writing an article. It's a fairly easy format for a beginning. Choose any magazine and try writing an article that would appeal to that target audience. Read your favorite trade or professional magazines thoroughly, and you'll be able to get an idea of what the editors buy. Article writing will help you organize your thoughts and tap into your creativity. The following are four keys to get you started writing an article.
Published writers can also make valuable contacts. People often contact authors of articles and letters to connect in some way. For example, JoEllen, a golf pro, was asked to review another author's book on golf for her favorite trade journal. As a guest reviewer, she would receive no pay, but she decided it would be a good learning experience. She read the book, enjoyed it, and her review was published a few months later. As a result, when JoEllen wrote her own book about golf for beginners a couple of years later, the author of the book she reviewed agreed to endorse JoEllen's own book. Without the book review, she would not have been aware of JoEllen, so it was a smart, winning move that paid off!
You need to find opportunities to get on your feet and speak if you're going to get good at playing the Presentation Hand. Many organizations in your community need speakers on a regular basis. Find out who they are and determine the composition of their membership. There are Chambers of Commerce, small business networks, church groups, professional associations, service organizations, senior citizen clubs, discussion groups, and clubs for every leisure pursuit imaginable. Call them and ask for the program chair, who will be able to fill you in on the group's needs and speaker selection process. Explain that you're in the information-gathering stage and could call back to get on their schedule at a later date. Then begin to create a presentation that would appeal to that organization. What do you know that you could talk about, demonstrate, or teach? Right now list three to five topics about which you could speak.
If you're employed, you can make internal presentations. Brainstorm the various speaking opportunities that exist there. Department meetings, client presentations, product rollouts, board presentations, after-hours events, and lunchtime programs are examples of some of the occasions that could exist. Some companies even have their own speakers bureau that makes employees available to speak to outside groups.
As with writing, your speaking skills will improve with experience. Don't bite off more than you can chew the first few times, though. Volunteer to speak in situations in which you don't have a lot to lose. A few smaller successes will build your self-confidence and prepare you for the bigger presentations to come. Keep your material concise and tightly focused. Don't try to cover too much; audiences would rather know less overall but in more depth. Panel discussions can be a good place to start. Each panel member usually presents a few minutes of formal content and then spends the remaining time fielding questions from the audience and moderator. Panels offer a safe environment for the novice speaker and can be a great way to build skills and visibility without much preparation or anxiety.
When speaking to community and professional organizations, don't expect a fee unless they are established, large associations or happen to build a speaker fee into the budget for a specific type of event. However, most groups are able to offer an honorarium, which is a small fee to cover your basic expenses or to thank you for your time and effort. Remember your goals for speaking in the first place. Is money most important? Where else could you have a group of people giving you thirty to forty-five minutes of their undivided attention? You have the chance to try out a new training concept, a humorous story, or a marketing pitch. These opportunities are especially effective when you have something to sell because everyone in that audience could be a potential buyer for your product or service. Each person will leave with an in-depth understanding not only of your product but also of you as the seller. Pass out evaluations afterward and ask participants to comment on your effectiveness. Seasoned speakers will tell you that you'll know how well you did by the number of people who stick around afterward to talk with you and ask questions. This shows that you struck a meaningful chord.
Every public speaking opportunity has the potential of opening new and exciting doors for you. Audiences will naturally give you more credibility just because you're the one up front. It's an amazing phenomenon resulting from the fact that most people fear being up there themselves!
Audiences get tired of speakers and speeches that all sound the same. You've probably sat through plenty of speeches that could have easily been phoned in by the presenter: speakers stuck behind lecterns, heads popping up from reading notes only long enough to check that the next slide has appeared. No one likes to listen to a talking head. You need to find ways to be unique in this sea of presentation sameness. Being distinctive will set you apart and make both you and your message memorable.
Training workshops are different from speeches. Interaction and group activities are expected during training to ensure that learning has taken place. Be careful about adding unnecessary, gimmicky activities to formal presentations, especially if the audience is composed of high-level types. They're usually not interested in “icebreakers” or other types of frivolous exercises. They want solid content delivered by a knowledgeable speaker. That's not to say, however, that there can't be some creativity to the presentation. Audience participation can be part of your speech without asking anyone to move out of his or her seat. Asking questions, rhetorical or otherwise, can be a great way to involve the audience. One speaker during a post-September 11 presentation on home security asked for all firefighters and police in the audience to stand to be thanked publicly. Another presentation on twentieth-century military history asked audience members to call out their draft numbers. Simply asking for a show of hands can be an easy way to keep the audience involved and the juices flowing.
Write the opening of your speech so that it is as unique and creative as possible. The first thirty seconds of any speech are the most crucial. You're making that all-important first impression, and audiences are deciding whether they want to listen to you. Opening with a joke rarely works unless you're a professional comic; Tell a humorous story instead. Share a startling statistic. Use a famous quotation. Ask a thought-provoking question. Find your personal gifts and use them. Can you sing? Try a song. Are you good at drama? Tell a personal story playing two different characters from your life. One former convict opens his speech by pacing off the size of his death-row cell. Whatever opening you choose, make sure that it directly relates to the theme of your presentation. If it doesn't, your audience will be confused from the start.
Innovative speech titles can often fill auditorium seats all on their own. Take a well-known cliché or proverb and change it around. For a speech concerning personal accountability, try “If at First You Don't Succeed, Blame the Other Guy!” For a presentation about investing, the title could be “A Penny Saved Is a Nickel Next Week.” Laurie, who speaks on customer service for the medical field, found that her bookings increased when she changed her title from “How to Achieve Service Success” to “Hold the Jalapeñ Pepper, Please!”
As in article writing, creating your own acronym can be a good “hook” for a title. Invent a step-by-step system for solving a particular problem, and assign letters that correspond to each step: “K.I.D.S.—Four Proven Steps to Raising Happy Children.” If you're in technology, think of the ways you can discuss software, “N-E-W—Needs Every Wizard” or “ I T—Information Train.” You get the idea. Go back to your list of possible speech topics and come up with clever titles for each.
Living, as we do in the twenty-first century, a global awareness has become part of everything we say, think, and do. Economics, business, politics, medicine, technology, and entertainment are seen in terms of the world rather than limited to a single country. The “big picture” must be considered in the presentations you make, as well. Your content and delivery style need to be assessed so that they are both valuable and appropriate for the diverse audiences to which you will speak. Your listeners' ethnic backgrounds will vary; the native languages will be numerous. Review your presentations with an eye toward cultural correctness. Be careful using slang words and idioms whose meanings could be lost on people from other cultures. Jokes to some can be insulting to others.
A global perspective can enrich the content of any presentation. As Kathy discovered, even a scientific paper can be scrutinized for cultural sensitivity. It is important to be aware of trends and news events in countries other than your own. Include all that you can in your presentation, basing your information on solid research and interviews, and then do your best to strike a balance between truth and political correctness.
Although she doesn't make formal presentations, Eleanor feels that she is “on stage” in her job as a hotel concierge. She often interacts with people from around the world, and to keep herself sharp, pays close attention to international news stories on TV and goes to foreign films to learn more about different cultures. She has learned basic conversational phrases in ten languages and is well versed in the diverse etiquette and protocol for dozens of countries. She consistently receives very high ratings from the hotel's international guests. They say they appreciate her “presentation”; she always seems to know about their particular country and is able to offer smart suggestions for museums, restaurants, and nightlife.
It's not necessary to be a world traveler to stay informed. Make a point of reading a variety of news and business magazines. They include news summaries and feature stories that will give you insight into events around the world. You can also find English-language versions of periodicals from other countries. Whenever possible, talk with people from countries other than your own. They can provide an insider's look, which you could never get from TV or periodicals. You, like Kathleen and Eleanor, can become a student of the world. It's a wise move to make.
As a speaker, you have a number of tools at your disposal: voice, body language, notes, prompters, microphones, and audiovisual equipment. Learn how to use them all. Record yourself as you practice your speeches and listen for variety in inflection, pacing, pitch, and volume. Variety will make your presentation more engaging for the audience. Videotape yourself, too, and check for supportive gestures, active eye contact, and interesting facial expressions. Try not to lock yourself behind a lectern. Memorize your opening and closing remarks and deliver them to the side of the lectern; move behind it for the body of the presentation. If this all seems a bit daunting, consider hiring a presentation skills coach who can give you valuable feedback and guidance in a safe, nonthreatening environment. Working with a coach as your “audience of one” offers you a way to transition from talking out loud to yourself to speaking with confidence before many.
Using notes is an art form. Many people prefer writing speeches word for word and then rehearsing so well that they refer to the notes only occasionally. Others like to use outlines, key words, or mind maps (a graphic flowchart of the outline) for their notes. Try them all and see which works best for you. One word of caution: Use the latter only for material you know thoroughly. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing the audience as you search your mind for words and transitions. Notes should be typed in a large font size and on only one side of the paper. Lay the first two pages out side by side on the lectern, and then slide—don't flip—each page to the left as you read.
If you're speaking at a large meeting, you could use a teleprompter, but keep in mind that teleprompters take time and practice to master. Teleprompters project speech content onto clear panels placed to the sides of a lectern at eye level or along the front edge of a stage. Teleprompter operators scroll the lines as you speak, matching your rate of speed. The advantage of teleprompters is that your head will be up to make eye contact with the audience rather than looking down at notes. However, be careful that you don't become robotic as you move your head back and forth between the screens. Audiences are savvy to this technology and know that you are reading the copy. Adequate rehearsal is still necessary to be familiar enough with your material to speak directly to the audience.
Lecterns usually include a microphone, which may be permanently attached to or removable from its holder. Some mikes are hard wired; others are wireless. Lavaliere mikes are clipped to your clothing and can be wired or wireless. The best mikes give you freedom to move across the stage or around the room. Insist that a sound technician work with you before the presentation to set the volume and balance levels. Ask the technician to explain the various switches on the mike so you can operate it once he or she leaves. Whatever kind you use, hold the microphone at the same distance from the mouth for the duration of the speech; be aware of this as you gesture and move your head.
Computer-generated slides projected through a projection system onto a screen have become the technology of choice for most speakers. If you choose to use them, it's important that you understand how the equipment works and where each cord should be plugged. Once again, ask that a technician be present to troubleshoot any problems. Just because computer slide technology exists, however, you don't have to use it. You've probably sat through countless presentations that included slide after slide with too much text that the speaker read word-for-word from the screen. Slides should support your content, not match it. Create slides that convey your information in a different, more visual way. If you're talking about numbers, avoid writing out the numbers; create a pie chart or graph instead. Use photos, symbols, and line art as substitutes for text as much as possible. If you choose to use slides, keep in mind that audiences come to hear a speaker, not watch a slide show. You, the speaker, should always be the most compelling element of your presentation.
Rhonda, a copywriter for an ad agency, recalls her experience as an audience member for a presentation on creativity. Unfortunately, the first fifteen minutes were spent watching the speaker struggle with his computer, cords, and projector. Once he launched into his speech, she saw that his visuals were standard text slides. Rhonda was very disappointed. She had paid money to learn about creativity. What she got was an unimaginative presentation that was overly dependent on technology. The topic had been creativity, but the delivery was certainly not!
Another tool in your toolbox is to develop content that appeals to the various learning styles your audience members will possess. Some people are auditory learners, meaning that they comprehend easiest by listening. Visual learners comprehend best through sight, and kinesthetic learners learn best via touch. Find ways to incorporate methods that will make an impact with each type of person.
Auditory learners appreciate word pictures. Examples, stories, metaphors, analogies, and quotations bring your words to life and create pictures for them in their minds. Share your past experiences (“When we did this for Company X. . . .”), colorful comparisons (“We need to move quickly. If we don't, we'll be just like road kill on the highway of success.”), and testimonials (“We were ranked number three by Business Blurb magazine.”). If your content includes abstract ideas, turn them into something more concrete and familiar to your listener (i.e., “It will cost 1.5 million dollars, the entire annual budget of this city's school system”).
To appeal to the visual types, provide printed collateral materials (i.e., handouts, marketing pieces, articles, and colorful visual aids). Slides, video segments, flipchart pages, and props can fill the bill. Kinesthetic learners need to use their sense of touch to process information. Don, a vice president of a steel mill, brought a small piece of scrap metal to his presentations for community groups. He explained what it was (good for auditory learners), held it up for everyone to see (good for visual learners), and then passed it around for people to examine (good for kinesthetic learners). Robin, an image trainer, brings wardrobe items and fabric samples for the audience to touch and try on. Her presentations on business etiquette include handshaking exercises. Kinesthetic experiences can be sometimes challenging to think of but are well worth the effort. They can often bring the most impact to a presentation.
Who are the speakers you most admire? Why do you like them? What do they do that makes their speeches so interesting? Does it have to do with their words, their vocal delivery, their visual presentation, or a combination of all three? Make it your goal to develop all of the tools in your speaker's toolbox. Write content that is compelling. Develop your vocal variety. Find ways to make your body expressive. Produce visuals that are supportive and creative. If technology is a part of your presentations, know how it works before you go on stage. A complete tool kit will help you create presentations that are both interesting and exciting.
When you make the effort to build your case, you'll find that it gives you the capacity to persuade others to do, think, or feel whatever it is you want them to do, think, or feel. This is true whether you want to influence people to buy your product, clean up their rooms, change their opinions about the village referendum, or feel angry about the current crime statistics. To be effective at persuasion, your presentation needs to follow certain steps that involve both logic and emotion. Follow the steps in order, incorporate logical support and evidence, appeal to audience members' emotions, and you will likely succeed in persuading them to your side.
Before you begin your presentation, analyze the audience's attitudes about the subject. Do members already have an opinion? Do they agree with it, are they neutral, or are they opposed to it? If the audience already agrees with your position, your objective is to fortify the argument and motivate them to take action. If they're neutral or don't care, you need to convince them that it is important. Explain the relevance to their lives and present all possible solutions followed by the reason yours is the best choice. If the audience is opposed to your idea, your objective is to have members recognize the value of your position and, you hope, reconsider their views. Find the common ground between you, and watch that your words don't come across as an attack on their beliefs. Whatever the audience's attitudes, when you show that you recognize members' feelings and viewpoints, they will be open to listening to what you have to say.
Here are four steps to follow when building a persuasive presentation:
Grab the audience's attention. Make members want to listen to you. “By the year 2007, gas-powered cars will be completely obsolete!”
State the problem clearly. Use simple language and provide illustrations, statistics, and examples whenever possible. This will build a logical foundation for the solution you are about to present. “We have agreed as a family that we will all do our fair share of housework so that we can live in a clean and clutter-free home. However, as you can see by these photos, sweetie, your bedroom is 50 percent messier than last month.”
Propose your solution. To do this effectively, present your idea with passion and appeal to audience members' emotions. Ask them to visualize what would happen if they did (or didn't) do what you propose. Tell them how this idea will benefit them and use evidence as support. Think ahead to what their objections could be and address them. “This referendum will provide the money the town needs to build the schools our children deserve! If this referendum is defeated, classes will become more crowded, there will be fewer textbooks, and music, art, and gym classes will likely be eliminated completely. Do you want your children to have that kind of education? Look at the numbers in front of you. The money the district is asking for isn't much. It will be spread out over the next three years, and the school district has agreed to suspend all tuition and book fees for that same period of time.”
Call for action. This is where many persuasive speeches fail; the speaker hesitates to ask for the audience to take action. Make the request clear and specific. Unite both the logical and emotional elements of your speech and the audience will be motivated to do what you suggest. The more strongly you get members to feel about the topic, the more likely they will take action. “As you leave tonight, there are sign-up sheets in the back of the room for joining a neighborhood watch group. I urge all of you to get involved. Together, we can create a crime-free precinct.”
Persuasion can be an important part of many presentations, formal or informal. Persuading people to do anything can be difficult because persuasion implies that change is necessary. People naturally resist change, but if you continue to show the benefits that will come to them as a result of your idea, it will be easier for them to make the move to your side.
When you're speaking, it's extremely important to be on the leading edge. Following trends will help you develop a topic that grabs immediate attention (i.e., what the aging Baby Boomers are doing, how people are adapting to the growing Hispanic workforce, how the downturn in the economy is affecting consumers and businesses, or the continual rebirth and renewal of the Internet). When you're in front of a group, you want to have the day's events available to you. The economy, people in the news, and the world scene change so rapidly that twenty-four hours can make a huge difference in how you could approach something. If you're speaking to younger audiences, be especially alert. Today's young people are quick to pick up on dated references; they're children of instant information. High school students create reports in computer-generated formats based on information they've taken the night before from the Internet. If you're in front of them, you need to be in tune.
The Internet is the easiest and quickest way to stay updated, and the daily newspaper is a close second. You can research a company's corporate news by clicking on a home page and surfing the site for daily events. At home, you can make a national news page the home page setting for your Internet connection and get information about the world every time you connect online. All the major Internet servers have news-filled home pages to meet that need easily. There are many highly respected newspapers in addition to your local paper. Try subscribing to one for six months and watch your perspective improve.
When speaking, you can bring clippings of newspapers and magazine articles with you to the front of the room. Highlighting and reading from the day's news shows you care enough to present the latest information. The same is true of current, hot books. Bring them with you, and read aloud some of the author's current statistics.
Jerry and William know the value of presenting the most current information. Make news-reading and trend-watching parts of your daily life. Enlist others to help you. Tell them the kinds of information you're most interested in. They'll keep their eyes open and alert you to news about your topics when they see it.
You've now played the Presentation Hand. You know the value of writing interesting content and how to make your presentations unique and persuasive. You also understand the importance of looking globally and staying current with your subject matter. So take a moment right now to choose one card to play. Write your card choice in your game plan at the end of the book. When you've completed the move, return to the game plan to fill in the results.
