 Question from G.G., Peru, Illinois: "I'm a supervisor who has been invited to give a speech to our corporate executives at their next meeting. Frankly, I'm petrified, but determined to do it. Can you offer any advice?" TIPS ON HOW TO PREPARE AND James Henderson, Director ,GLA Seminars
Dear G.G. I remember when I had to give my first speech, and I‘ll be happy to share with you and others – who may be reluctant to give a speech – what I've learned since then. Today, good verbal communication skills are a necessity, so knowing how to successfully talk in front of people will put you ahead of the pack. I’ll let you in on a secret: Being nervous about talking in front of others is normal and it may relax you somewhat to know that it's a fact that the greatest fear of all Americans is to have to get up and give a talk in front of strangers. You may think, "Why was I picked? I don't have anything to say." Well, everyone has something to say that would be of interest to others. In your case, you were picked because you did something outstanding and your company's decision-makers need to know more about it. You will learn that it's more important to worry more about what you plan to say than to worry about your audience. To get you going, I suggest you get a voice recorder or use a smart phone App and set it to "record" and then, in a comfortable room, sit down with your spouse or a good friend, press the “record” button and have them ask you questions on your planned subject ("What made you decide to do something? How did you go about doing it? Etc., Etc.") Just answer the questions. Don't read from prepared notes. Just say whatever comes into your mind, talking loud enough so the recorder catches your every word. Then, once you have covered all the reasons you were asked to talk, shut off whatever you used as a recorder, go back to the beginning of the recording and listen to and write down what you said. Then, do your home work, sweat it in advance and start organizing your speech. Since you know your subject and did something others want to hear about, your speech will be easier then you think. First, I suggest you write out your speech. Then, reduce it to a maximum of five key points and then reduce those five points to a few trigger words that you can write on the inside of the fingers of your hand. You do not want to read your speech. You either know your material or you don't. If you know it, you only need the key points to remind you what to say. Find out the allotted time frame you’ll be given for your speech and to answer any questions (20 minutes is a good time limit for the new speaker). Now give your speech in front of a mirror and stop exactly at the required minute. People normally speak at a rate of 100 words per minute, so count the words until there are 2,000 words or less. If it took too long, cut things out. If it's too short, and you covered whatever need to be covered, leave it alone and the audience will thank you. Brevity when delivering a speech is an asset. Because your introductory remarks are important, don't let the person who introduces you let the cat out of the bag. They can introduce you by simply saying, "Our next speaker, <your name>, is a first line supervisor in our XYZ factory and has something to say that everyone in this room will find interesting. Let's make her welcome." Because the most successful and remembered business speakers get right down to business, leave opening jokes to the "pros" and possibly begin your speech by asking your audience a question. For example, this is always my opening question that I direct to a person way in the back of the room — "Can you hear me easily?”. That does two things: First, it says you care that everyone in the room can hear you; and second, by you asking a question now, at your opening, it prepares the group that you are going to ask questions later on and so they will be more attentive. Then, after that first question, I've learned that what is said in the next 20 seconds is more important than your next 20 minutes. When you open your mouth, give the group a 30-word teaser of your topic. For example, "I would like to explain to you how, in spite of smaller product amounts and increased designs, I doubled the output of my section through the use of colored paper clips." As you talk, use your eyes often to scan everybody in the room, but give your speech to only one or two people in each area of the room. If you want to invite questions at the end of your speech, let the person who introduces you tell that to the audience. My most memorable part of the many speeches and seminars I’ve given is when I answered questions towards the end, because that’s when your audience gets to hear the real you. Stay in charge. If someone (including the CEO of your company) wants to continually break into your speech, acknowledge him or her, but firmly say, "Thank you, I see your hand and will answer your question at the end of my talk." Once again, expect to be nervous when you get up in front of people. Every speaker, actor or anyone else in the public eye gets butterflies before a talk. Knowing that won't stop you from being nervous, but the idea is to do like the pros and learn how to channel that initial nervousness into a powerful opening. What I do as I open my talk is to always grab the edge of a podium or table real hard (the audience doesn't pay attention to what I'm doing with my hands), and I squeeze harder and harder as I ask my opening question — with authority. When I begin to feel the pain, I let go and both the pain and my nervousness are gone. I have a rule that will work for you too: The more prepared you are, the more nervous you will be and that's good, because tension is a sign that you want nothing less than perfection. When you close, you should cover briefly your key points again. When you finally do finish and your audience applauds, you will know why people get hooked on public speaking – they like being appreciated for their efforts. Finally, have you ever noticed that the only time a turtle gets anywhere is when it sticks its neck out? I hope I’ve helped you and wish you lots of luck in your presentation. James WE INVITE YOU You may ask us a question and request a free answer to some issue that troubles you and submit it to our team of Professional Advisors. For complete information on obtaining a FREE, confidential, rapid response click here. Copyright © 2016 Gene Levine Associates - All Rights Reserved For more information about our company, our services and publications, click here |
