According to popular mythology, most Americans would rather die than give a speech. Whatever the actual statistics, the idea of standing in front of an audience is avoided at all cost.
Since the fear of speaking in public is so deep, most of us should be understanding of those who put themselves to the test and make presentations. Actually, just the opposite prevails: While we'll do just about anything to avoid a podium, we're more than willing to criticize those who don't.
The ability to gain an audience's attention, hold it for a period of time, bring the listeners to your viewpoint, and then move them to action is a skill that can be learned by just about anyone who's willing to develop it.
Speaking, like writing, is valuable in business because it reflects an ability to think, analyze ideas, make judgments, develop arguments that command attention, and organize information in a way that changes people's behavior.
Just as good writers are in demand in business, the ability to speak can open doors of opportunity.
If speaking is so rewarding and highly regarded, why then will we do almost anything to avoid it? Because unlike so many other activities in business, giving a presentation to two or 200 people is an opportunity for personal failure. How many times a day do we hear co-workers make excuses when they're asked to explain why something did or didn't happen? 'I didn't know about it.' 'It wasn't in my job description.' 'I didn't have time to get it done.' 'I didn't realize you needed it.' 'I thought someone else was taking care of that.' The list is endless. However, there's no room for excuses when making a presentation because the exposure is total. You're there by yourself; you're being put to the test. The emperor has no clothes.
Since the fear of failing is so strong, we run for cover. We hide when it's time to get on our feet. Anyone who has taken a class in public speaking knows the feeling. When the moment comes for the next speech, everyone slides down in their chairs, hoping not to be called on.
The key to becoming an effective speaker is to overcome the inhibiting fear of possible failure.
Here are some guidelines for making successful presentations. They help focus attention away from the speaker and onto the audience. The fear of speaking is only overcome by learning to think like a listener. By following these suggestions, you can make speaking in public an enjoyable and rewarding experience for yourself and your audiences.
Get yourself emotionally prepared for the critics. Even experienced, professional speakers have critics who delight in challenging what's been said. The critics enjoy poking holes in arguments and offering exceptions in an effort to diminish the speaker. At times, those who would like to be speakers but refuse to put themselves to the test are the most vehement critics. No matter how excellent the presentation, there'll be those who want to disparage what's been said and dismiss the person who said it. It's easier to maintain your mental equilibrium if you know what's going to happen.
Recognize that stress minimizes mental agility. 'I knew exactly what I wanted to say, and the minute I got on my feet, I forgot everything.' Of course. It's to be expected. Giving a speech can be a stressful situation, and under such intense circumstances, we all can forget what we planned to say. Walter Cronkite, the retired dean of TV news anchors, reports that he never ended an interview with a world leader without forgetting to ask a question.
There's no substitute for thorough speech preparation to manage stress. A speaker's confidence increases with the proper preparation. This doesn't mean that a speech should be memorized. The task is to either write it out word for word or prepare a detailed outline. If a speaker is overcome with worry about what they're going to say, there's no energy left for focusing on the audience. As a result, the listener will be unable to relate to either the speaker or the content.
Set the stage for your success. The overall setting includes the room and the way it's arranged, how the speaker is introduced, and the way the speaker begins. It's the speaker's responsibility to control all these elements because they largely determine the outcome of the presentation.
There are few ideal rooms or room arrangements. Hotels seem to enjoy using long narrow rooms with center aisles and poor lighting. This creates a no-win situation for a speaker: The distance between the speaker and the last row creates a gulf that's difficult to overcome. Many times the back half of an audience is so far away, it's impossible for a speaker to establish rapport. Many rooms are so poorly lit the speaker is lost or the lights must be turned down to show the visuals. This means the relationship between speaker and audience is nonexistent. Experienced speakers want to be successful, so they're not afraid to state their requirements.
Every speaker deserves a proper introduction, because this creates an atmosphere in which they can be successful. However, few speakers enjoy the luxury of an acceptable introduction, even after providing one that can be used for the occasion. Why? Introducers often fear making presentations. As a result, they garble the introduction. This places any speaker at a disadvantage. The solution is to always be prepared to introduce yourself. This isn't self-serving - a speaker has the right to be viewed by the audience as a competent individual with a message worth communicating.
Finally, don't tarnish your properly set stage by apologizing. 'I only wish I'd had more time to prepare.' 'I'm not a public speaker.' Many speakers seem compelled to begin their comments with phrases such as these. Apologizing for being a speaker only serves one useful purpose: destroying your own credibility. In the spirit of Winston Churchill, never, never, never, never, never, never, never apologize.
Build the presentation on a solid structure. There's a format that works well for most presentations, particularly because it provides a sense of completion. It has three elements: problem, analysis, and solution.
- Problem - This is the issue that brings you to your feet. It may be the reason that a new product should be introduced, a customer should buy your product or service, a branch office should be closed, or a new vision statement should be adopted. The problem must be expressed clearly and completely if the audience is to become involved.
- Analysis - Your analysis showcases the causes of the problem. To make an impact, actual experiences are helpful, particularly when they're supported with facts, expert opinion, and statistics. A simple technique is to tell stories and document them with objective information.
- Solution - Once you've thoroughly analyzed the problem, you're ready to spring the trap by presenting your solution.
Although there are emotional elements in any good speech, the audience will be with you to the degree that you present a reasonable case. In other words, for a speaker's approach to be believed, the audience must view it as reasoned and credible.
Understand the audience. Many speakers are so concerned with what they're going to say that they forget the goal is to have their ideas accepted by the audience. You must demonstrate to an audience that you know who they are, why they're there, and what issues confront them. If it's a hostile audience, it's essential to let them know that you understand their viewpoint and why they hold it. Unless a speaker establishes common ground with an audience, the speech will be viewed negatively.
Speak slowly and move quickly. A speech should be conversational in style, but the actual delivery should be quite different for two reasons: First, the listener must get the message the first time because there's no chance to go back and replay it. Therefore, speaking slowly and distinctly is essential. Word point, or pausing between words, is a useful technique for maintaining the audience's attention.
Second, the mind is faster than the mouth, about four times as fast. In other words, we think at the rate of about 500 words a minute, and we speak at about 125 words a minute. This difference allows listeners' minds to wander. Therefore, proper pacing is essential for maintaining interest.
Let the audience know where you're going. There's one audience complaint that must be prevented at all cost: 'The speech didn't seem to go anywhere.' This is the killer. A presentation may have excellent content and address crucial issues, but all is lost if the audience feels the speaker is rambling.
This is why a speaker's top priority is to set out guideposts so the listener can follow easily. Quick one- and two-sentence summaries along the way are helpful: this is where we've been, this is where we are, and this is where we're going. A speech needs road signs to point how far you've come and where you're headed. This keeps the audience aimed in the right direction.
Interact with your listeners. Almost everyone agrees that the worst speakers are the ones to who go to the podium, take out notes or text, and then deliver their remarks almost as if the audience isn't present. Involving the audience by asking questions and requesting comments at certain points changes the dynamics of the situation. Speaker and audience are both participants.
Even though speakers expect to interact with audiences today, any type of interaction transfers some control from the speaker to the audience. Although discussion within a presentation is an effective method of increasing acceptance for the speaker's views, it takes experience to do it successfully because it introduces the unknown into the speaking equation.
Make the presentation motivating, not motivational. If a group needs to be fired up, it's going to take far more than a speech or seminar to do it. The problem with so-called 'motivational speeches' is that they don't do the job. They may give an audience a quick, emotional kick, but they don't result in changed behavior. An effective presentation should give the audience ideas, techniques, and tools so they can move themselves to action.
You're not competing with a celebrity speaker. Audiences are often disappointed when a so-called celebrity speaker leaves the podium. Attendees come with high expectations, and they get a 'canned' talk, one that misses the mark as far as the audience is concerned. The big names won't take time to customize a presentation for a particular audience, so the message fades faster than the applause.
The most appreciated speakers are those who make a genuine effort to understand the group and prepare a presentation that will be helpful to the particular audience. Besides, big names are not always great speakers. They often leave their audiences unsatisfied, and as soon as their fame wanes, so do their speaking invitations.
Make the speech visually interesting. Up until 100 years ago, listening to speeches was our nation's primary form of entertainment. That was the age of the orators, speakers who could hold audiences for hours. The arrival of the motion picture at the dawn of the 20th century began to change audience expectations, and TV heightened them.
A successful presentation will have compelling visual elements, either on a screen or with props. For example, one speaker describes changes in the business environment as 'dog bone demographics.' Along with computer-generated visuals, he brings along a huge dog bone as a prop that immediately grabs the audience's attention. When he talks about the need for long-term marketing strategies, he holds up a six-inch-tall fir tree and describes the lumber industry as examples of businesses that think long-term.
Visual interest is essential; however, visuals shouldn't be allowed to dominate or control a presentation. They should enhance, not overshadow, the message.
You are your message. Some speakers believe what they say is all that counts. That's not true. Speaking that achieves credibility with an audience is an expression of a creative and thoughtful mind that holds the listener in high regard. Good speakers are willing to share themselves as well as their ideas. When this happens, the presentation takes on a legitimacy, something that's often missing.
Good speaking isn't contrived. The words aren't copied from a bevy of books, and the text isn't sprinkled with quotations that are meant to impress but don't quite fit. When a presentation springs from experience and a desire to communicate, the audience finds itself on the side of the speaker.
The goal is action. The place to end is the place to end. The only reason to speak is action. Even speeches that are designed to inform rather than persuade are action-oriented. Information in itself influences how the listener thinks about a subject. Planning any presentation starts with this question: What do I want the audience to do? Perhaps it's just to stay the course, or maybe it's to change their minds. It may be to motivate them to act overtly. Unless action is the goal, there's no presentation.
Whether you're preparing a sales presentation for a one- or two-person audience, a seminar for 100 salespeople, or a speech to an entire convention, if you have the skill to speak to groups, you can play a key role in business.
These guidelines are a checklist for evaluating presentations before they're given. The key to good speaking is thinking like a listener.