Deciding How Long to Speak

Modern audiences don’t like long presentations.

A speech should last between 10 and 25 minutes.

Purpose of a Speech

A speech should influence behavior, get your listeners to act.

If they’re already doing what you’re advocating, already behaving in the way you want them to, there’s no reason to make the presentation.

Who are Your Listeners?

Who will introduce you?

Are there people who will attend whom you should mention in your remarks?

What other speeches or written documents on your subject has the audience heard or read previously?

What other speakers (if any) on the program will there be—and how will their statements square with yours? (You might have to call the other speakers and find out.)

What are the educational backgrounds and work experiences of your listeners?

What biases or misinformation does the audience have that will interfere with their acceptance of your message?

What interests or needs does the audience have that will dovetail with your remarks?

On certain occasions, the real audience for a speech may be the community, shareholders, elected officials, other companies in your industry, or customers.
A speech to 50 employees might be directed to—and distributed to—10,000 shareholders


Getting Information

The problem is not a lack of information Rather, it’s targeting your search to get the right information.


Source of Information

Printed material stimulates thought. TV seems to have the opposite effect; it encourages passivity, conformity, and an inordinate concern with the adventures of people regularly featured in supermarket tabloids.

As for reference books, the grandaddy of all such works is Eugene Sheehy, ed., Guide to Reference Books, tenth ed. (American Library Association, 1986). Sheehy’s (periodically updated) volume will direct you to more than 16,000 reference books.

For most people, the most useful source is Sherwood Harris, ed., The New York Public Library Book of How and Where to Look It Up (New York: Prentice-Hall, 1991). This is an indispensable work from representatives of a library that each year answers millions of information requests.

The World Almanac and Book of Facts (Pharos, pub. annually) advertises itself as containing "more than one million up-to-date facts."

The Almanac of American Politics (National Journal, updated after every national election) is the bible of American politics, containing information about senators, representatives, governors, states, and congressional districts. It’s especially valuable when you have to make an out-of-town speech

Impromptu

When you’re asked to speak briefly (2-3 minutes).

When you’re speaking at an event where notes or a text would seem odd.

When there are other speakers, all of whom are talking without notes or texts.

When you’re speaking about a subject the audience will assume you "know by heart."

When you can use personal details—a personal anecdote that taught you a lesson and has significance for your audience. (Story…significance to you…significance to others) So start your remarks with an illustrative story that fits the occasion.

Note: The less written support you have, the more work you should put into your preliminary efforts.

Using Note Cards

Generally most appropriate in sessions with audiences numbering twenty or less.

Use the small 3 x 5 cards; anything larger calls attention to the notes.

As a backup have your first sentence, and perhaps the last sentence, written on cards.

Most of your note cards should consist of words and short phrases—the core of your presentation—the skeleton.

Note cards should be used as bullets for preparing and practicing remarks. Number the cards and keep them in order without shuffling them.

Note: Become very familiar with your material but do not memorize the presentation.

When you’re making remarks that outline company policies with legal implications.

When you’re introducing a guest speaker to give brief accurate details.

When you’re aiming your remarks beyond the audience that initially hears them, i.e. when your remarks will be distributed throughout the company, to industry groups or customers.

Note: Learn techniques that will make your prepared speeches animated, evocative, and natural.

Make it personal.

Make your speech detailed.

Make your delivery animated. To stimulate an animated reading of your text, fill it with verbal aids and admonitions.

Keep your words (diction) conversational.

Use subject-verb-object syntax.

Using Basic Organizational Approaches

Every talk other than impromptu should have three main points. Not two. Not four. Three. (The number three has a special appeal to the human mind and psyche.)

Simplest Kind of Organization

First, start with an arresting opening.

Second, list the points you’re going to discuss—one, two, three—and then devote the body of your remarks to developing each point in terms of the audience’s interests.

Third, before your call to action, summarize the points you’ve made and their implications for the audience.

Fourth, end with your call to action and a statement of the key benefits the action you advocate will have for your audience.

Note: The purpose of a presentation is not to fill the audience with more information than it wants—or needs. The purpose is to get the audience to think—and to act—in the way you want.

You don’t want your audience to go into a listening mode that’s akin to being on automatic pilot, so try one of the following novel organizational approaches:

The Q&A approach.

The A&Q approach.

The "Begin at the End" approach.

The "Organization Is in Front of You" approach.

Audience Participation approach.

The Myth and Reality Approach.

The Striking Visuals Approach.

Note: Good sources of information are: Brent Filson, Executive Speeches: 51 CEOs Tell You How to Do Yours (Williamstown Publishing Co., 1991); Ron Hoff, "I Can See You Naked": A Fearless Guide to Making Great Presentations (Andrews & McMeel, 1991).


Developing Attention-Getting Speech Openings

Two worst ways to open a speech:

"It’s a great pleasure to be here with you today."

"Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking."

Instead, start by:

Praising your audience.

Pointing up your association with the group you’re addressing (or with the values they represent).

Mentioning your association (if any) with specific individuals in the audience.

Your opening words should be language that will knock their socks off. Say something that’s just on the edge of being outrageous but that you can back up in the body of your remarks.

The final segment of the opening is where you give the audience a road map for the rest of your talk. In traditional terms, this is where you "tell ‘em (your listeners) what you’re going to tell ‘em."

Maintaining Audience Interest

Change speeds.

Work fast.

Throw strikes.

Winning Over Skeptical Listeners

The key in speaking to skeptical or hostile audiences is to find the common ground you share.

Don’t be defensive; don’t apologize for your views. Show proper respect for your listeners’ views.

In the first part of your remarks, highlight the areas of agreement that exist between you and your audience, the views or interests that you hold in common.

In the body of your remarks, don’t try for an "instant conversion" of your listeners. Instead, explore in logical, nonemotional terms how you can expand the areas of agreement you share with the audience.

In your call to action, ask for the group to make common cause with you (and your organization) on areas of mutual interest.

Avoiding the "Tailing-Off" Conclusion

The worst thing you can do at the end of your speech is to say "Thank you." Speakers mean it as a courtesy. But thanking your audience for listening to your remarks is something like thanking a waiter for bringing the silverware: It’s the waiter’s job to serve the customer; it’s the speaker’s job to speak; it’s the audience’s job to listen.

Because people’s emotions drive them to action, your conclusion should have an emotional tone. Generally, that means you should use words that appeal to the heart more than to the head.

In short, listeners don’t need a speaker as much as they need a leader.

A speech that seeks only to inform falls short of its potential.

Remember: Your listeners will never be more ready to act than they are at the conclusion of your remarks.

Making Your Point Clear

It’s our job as presenters to make sure we’re understood. If our messages aren’t clear, it does little good to blame the audience. That fact imposes some special demands on presenters.

First, make certain your key ideas are presented clearly.

Second, examine your remarks for the presence of jargon ("shop talk") and other words and phrases familiar in your business field but not otherwise in common use. Then, translate this material into ordinary English.

Third, when you make crucial points in your remarks, pause, and then repeat the point verbatim.

Fourth, question the assumptions underlying your remarks.

Fifth, read key portions of your remarks to friends or colleagues. Then ask them to paraphrase what you’ve said.

Columnist Alex Beam of the Boston Globe said: " The best way to understand something really big is to reduce it to a meaningful scale."

Keeping Clichés to a Minimum

Clichés are expressions that once were fresh, but now are worn out, have become trite, because of overuse ("a tough old bird"). Proverbs are pithy statements that express an enduring truth ("A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"; or, "A watched pot never boils.")

Using Conversational Language

Use short, familiar words rather than long, unfamiliar ones.

Use candid language rather than euphemisms.

Use contractions.

Avoid words you might find in print, but that you rarely hear in everyday speech.

Avoid syntax appropriate in written constructions, but less so in spoken ones.

Use occasional sentence fragments.

Avoid transition words heard infrequently in speech.

Use transition words common in spoken language.

Use questions, including rhetorical ones.

Blunt eloquence refers to statements that are short, pointed, forceful, and saturated with confidence. It reflects the ability to boil down thoughts; it demonstrates commitment to vigorous action.

The best place to use blunt eloquence is when you’re defining the essence of a situation; when you’re seeking to demonstrate leadership; and when you’re pointing out the actions people should take to deal with the issue you’ve described.

Blunt eloquence is the language of decisiveness.

Caution: If you use blunt eloquence, be prepared to back up your statements. If you don’t, people will indeed assume you’re "all talk."

 

Sound Bites

Sound bites are closely related to blunt eloquence. They’re short, pithy, quotable comments. They emphasize verbal surprise, the unexpected word, or turn an abstract concept into a memorable verbal picture, or use a play on words, or use a creative put-down of an inflated reputation.

Helping Listeners "See" Your Points

Verbal pictures are those that set the scene for your listeners.

We are not cognitive machines. In fact, most of what we know we learn through the senses. That’s why we like verbal pictures; they appeal to those senses. They wake us up, make us more alert, get our imaginations working.

Tip: Whenever you find your remarks becoming too abstract (and detached from everyday experience), try to insert some pictorial language.

Using Reason in Presentations

The problem with most business speeches is that they fill up our heads but not our hearts.

 

It’s the excess of information that bores audiences.

Violating common sense is one of the few remaining taboos in modern society.

The Irish poet William Butler Yeats said: "I always think a great orator convinces us, not by the force of reasoning, but because he is visibly enjoying the beliefs which he wants us to accept."

Tip: The more intense the emotions surrounding the issues you’re discussing, the stronger the need for a reasoned, common-sense approach.

 

Using Statistics Selectively

Listeners can assimilate relatively few numbers.

The fewer statistics you use, the more effect each one will have. In addition, the more time you’ll have to tell what the numbers mean.

The best way is to use statistics comparatively.

Statistics are compilations of verifiable anecdotes.

Making Sure the Opening Joke Is Not on You

The success of a joke rests largely on its topicality and on the speaker’s precise sense of timing. There’s also a third factor: the audience’s readiness to appreciate a joke.

Make sure the joke deals with a current issue.

Landon Parvin, former Regan speech writer, said that the secret to creating humor is to take reality and exaggerate it. The humor lies in the truth.

The "open the talk with a joke" set is almost entirely male. It’s an affliction that female executives seem to have avoided.

Knowing That Content Drives Delivery

Most speeches that fail do so before the speaker ever says a word. They fail because the content of the remarks will not support—will not encourage—an outstanding presentation. A great subject will not ensure a great speech, but it will make it possible.

The "content versus delivery" question boils down to this: If we don’t have something to say, it’s impossible to say it well.

Speak on matters you know from personal experience.

We are not experts on the matters that form the subject of many presentations. We are experts on our own lives—our personal histories, our families, our communities, our jobs.

So when you get a general topic to speak on, ask yourself this question: How can I adjust this subject to reflect my own expertise and interests?

In other words, when you’re given an invitation to generalize, ask instead how you can personalize.

Dressing for Successful Performance

You don’t want to dress in a way that distracts the audience from your message.

It’s a good idea to dress somewhat conservatively, or we risk having the audience look at us—rather than listen to us.


Using Body Language to Send the Right Messages

The four main areas where people have trouble with body language:

General posture, hands, feet, and eyes.

Posture: Avoid rigidity but stand up straight.

Hands: If you’re talking to a group of people, you should keep them at your sides—except when it’s appropriate to gesture with one or both of them.

Feet: Plant yourself as close to the center of your audience as possible—and don’t move your feet. (Place a lectern in the center—the "power position.")

Speaking from a lectern for an hour or more is an excellent way to lose an audience. Variation is a key to learning. So if you’re obligated to speak to people for a long time, try to vary everything—including your speaking position.


Learning the Proper Role of Eye Contact

Eye contact should be more than a stage technique. It should be a reflection of our confidence and commitment.

Concentrate on establishing eye contact with various people by communicating your points in a forceful—and sometimes impassioned—way.

Q & A Periods

There are three reasons why audiences are silent during Q & A periods:

First, individuals are embarrassed to be the first to speak up to ask a question.

Second, the talk may have been too "pat" and bland to encourage questions.

Third, the remarks may have consumed so much time that the listeners are eager to go somewhere else.

Preparing for and Handling difficult Questions

If someone asks you a nasty, hostile question, don’t refuse to answer it—unless you’ve already given an answer you honestly believe is adequate. In that case, you can refer the questioner back to your previous statement.



Don’t categorize a question as "unfair," because that will put you on the defensive. Instead, rephrase the question.

Use a device called "bridging." It refers to answering a question briefly and then moving—bridging—to a larger question that’s more to your liking.

Caution: Don’t ever make fun of a question—or imply that it’s "stupid." If you do, you’ll never get another question-either from the person you embarrassed or from anyone else.


Gauging the Speech’s Effectiveness

It’s crucial to find someone who will give you useful evaluations of your presentations.

A critique should cover: subject, development of topic, clarity of language, delivery and voice, and audience reaction.


Retooling Speeches for Different Audiences

Business speakers assume that they can use a speech only once. Politicians know the virtues of what they call their "stump speech." Those are remarks delivered over and over again—with appropriate modifications—to different audiences. At the moment the speech is "done," it’s ready to redo in a stronger, more effective form.


Using Speeches as Strategic Tools

It’s rare for businesspeople to sit down at the beginning of the year and say: "This year I’m going to make a half dozen or more important presentations. What is the overall purpose of these presentations going to be? What are my messages going to be? How can I use these communications to help the company meet its business goals?

People need to make their presentations part of their business plan. In fact, any individual who sees presentations as peripheral to real business activity should give fewer speeches.



Speech Releases

A speech release should have several elements besides, of course, news:

The letterhead of the organization.

The name(s) of the contact person(s).

A brief, catchy headline.

An engaging opening sentence.

The name, title, and company of the speaker, as well as the organization addressed.

A mixture of quoted material and summaries of the material in your presentation.

Page numbers if the release is more than one page.

A numerical (-30-) signal when the release is at its end.

Visual aids should be used when they’re not just cosmetic, but a real asset to the presentation. With visuals and the spoken word, you should try for a one-to-one relationship: one visual, one idea. Visuals should be clear and simple—never cluttered.

Modern audiences are used to high-quality images on television and in magazines and other media.

Lean and mean(ingful) should be the rule in visuals:

Line graphs: Try to have one line, two at the most.

Bar graphs: Never have more than five bars, fewer if possible.

Pie charts: Have a limited number of segments; if you do otherwise, the audience will concentrate on trying to determine what the slivers represent.



If your visuals verge on having too much information, highlight the parts you want to emphasize.

Note: Always be ready to give your presentation without the audiovisuals.

Mistakes people make in using slides:

Failing to have the slides encased in glass or translucent plastic, thus increasing the time it takes the slides to come into focus.

Having the screen go blank for a time rather than turning off the carousel power when they’re finished showing slides. (Turn off the carousel or have an opaque slide in it.)

Mixing horizontal (regular-sized) and vertical (taller, narrower) slides, which calls attention to the slides’ format rather than their significance.

Note: When your slide appears on the screen, you should pause for about five seconds to give your listeners time to react to the slide and interpret its meaning. This is a crucial point, but one unknown to most people who use slides. They’ll generally flash a slide on the screen and start jabbering.

If you show a slide and the meaning is clear almost instantly, talk about the implications of the slide, its larger significance.

Hand-outs

If you want them to listen to your words, don’t make the hand-outs available until the end of your presentation.

If you don’t want your hand-outs filed away or thrown away, you can:

Emphasize the value to the listeners of examining the hand-outs.

Make the information clear and minimize the amount of text.

Make the material eye-catching and interest-generating.

Consider doing the hand-outs in color.

Knowing How the Media Can Help (and Hurt) You

Remember two principles: First, don’t answer any questions about your company unless you’re authorized to do so. Second, no matter how amiable the questioner on the line may seem, don’t assume that any comments you make are "off the record."

Questions you should ask the journalist:

First: You need at least a rough idea of what kind of questions the journalist has. (Write them down.)

Second: What kind of story is the reporter preparing?

Third: What prompted the reporter to get in touch with you?

Fourth: What other individuals or companies is the journalist talking to?

Fifth: If the reporter’s questions can’t be answered right away, what is the journalist’s deadline for obtaining information from you?


Avoid using the words "no comment," but avoid commenting in the following instances:

When you’re not the right person to answer, say so.

When the reporter has heard a market rumor.

When the reporter asks an hypothetical question, one not based on current realities, but on speculative possibilities.

Good Press Relations

When a controversy erupts, the side that gets its point across most effectively can carry the day.



Establish good relations with the press. Lay the foundation for amicable relationships by doing the following:

Learn the names, media associations, and reporting interests of the journalists who cover your company and industry.

Invite these reporters to visit your facilities and meet your key people; and do so before an emergency arises.

Provide reporters with the names of other sources who can help them with their stories: academics, trade association representatives, and others.

Give sincere praise to journalists when they do a good job of reporting.

Talking Convincingly to the Print Media

The reporter is probably not an expert in your industry, so make sure the reporter understands what you are saying. To do so:

First: Reiterate your main points—say them more than once.

Second: On key issues, politely ask reporters to read their notes from the interview back to you—and correct any mishaps that may have occurred in the note taking.

Third: Invite reporters to call you back to check any statements you’ve made about which they’re unclear. To make it easy for them to do so, give them both your business and home phone numbers.

Television

People who don’t wear well on television are the high-powered "Type A" personalities. Anger, intensity, and abrasiveness are not the ingredients for video success.

Television rewards preparation, brevity, and simplicity in expression—all hallmarks of blunt eloquence, but it penalizes excessive self-assurance, the kind of confidence that sometimes shades into egotism and dogmatism.

Be a little softer in your remarks. When you’re "on the tube," don’t try to grab the audience by the lapels. Instead, be the voice of reason. Good ‘actors" can play lots of roles.



Keep in mind that your audience is not the journalist. Instead, it’s the viewers. If reporters are hostile or unfair, the viewers will note that fact.

The voice is the key element in radio interviews; television focuses on your face and your shoulders.

The only gestures that are recommended on television are facial. Don’t let your gestures reflect any extremes. Stay away from grimaces, for example. Use a "modified poker face."

On television don’t wear white because it reflects light. Stay away from unusual patterns. Avoid red stripes which, because of the nature of the television image, tend to look blotchy.

Introducing the Guest Speaker

Three worst blunders in introducing a speaker:

First: Mispronouncing the speaker’s name.

Second: Suggesting to the audience that the guest speaker was not your first choice.

Third: Avoid clichés (form of verbal laziness).


Don’t make your introduction too long—keep it at one minute or less.

Don’t try to summarize the entire forthcoming speech.

Don’t summarize the speech at the conclusion of the meeting.

Although you should praise your speaker’s qualifications and accomplishments, take care not to exaggerate.



A Good Introduction

Introducing a speaker is a six-step process:

First: Outline briefly the highlights of the speaker’s career.

Second: Identify the topic of the speech and suggest its pertinence in a sentence or two.

Third: Briefly summarize the guest’s qualifications to address that subject.

Fourth: Conclude by giving the guest’s name—taking care to speak the name directly to the audience so that it can be heard clearly.

Fifth: Join in the applause and then turn to shake hands with the speaker, who will be approaching the lectern.

Sixth: After the speech, if it’s your job to close the meeting, do so after you’ve sincerely thanked the speaker in a couple of sentences (maximum).

Excerpts from Speaker's Portable Answer Book By Stephen R. Maloney Prentice Hall, 1993