This lesson provides general guidelines for preparing a public speech. Speech preparation is the most important secret of oratory. Many rhetoric experts call preparation the main rule of successful speech. Dale Carnegie wrote that a well-prepared speech is nine-tenths a delivered speech (read more).
However, the process of preparing a speech is not only good content material, but also a set of certain stages of its design, structuring, and presentation, which allows you to avoid standard mistakes of a novice speaker.
Naturally, each speech is unique and, therefore, requires individual preparation. For each speech, it is necessary to select original material, form your own structure, and orient all stages of work on the speech to a specific audience. However, a number of universal recommendations can be identified, some of which are described in this lesson in two thematic blocks.
Burn some cortisol
When you're anxious, your adrenal glands produce cortisol. This hormone limits your creativity and ability to work with complex information.
When you're under attack from cortisol, it's nearly impossible to read or respond to what's going on with your audience.
An easy way to reduce cortisol is to exercise. Exercise outside before heading to work, take a walk during your lunch break, or hit the gym shortly before a performance.
Put your soul into it
You don't have to bare your soul in front of an audience. But in almost every performance there is an opportunity to connect with the audience on a personal level. Don't be afraid to let your emotions come into your voice if it's appropriate for the situation. If the news is good, then you will speak happily and proudly. If you need to share something sad or something that makes you furious, then your voice, tone and words will match the news.
Tip: A few short words will be enough to connect emotionally with the audience. Just say sincerely something like: “On a personal level, I am incredibly proud of this group...” or “I can’t tell you how we will overcome this yet, but I can tell you with confidence that we will definitely find a way.” Depending on the circumstances, such short phrases may be quite sufficient.
Create two backup plans
Typically, the biggest source of anxiety is the “What if?” question. What if your presentation fails, someone keeps interrupting you, or no one likes your ideas?
Take your two biggest fears and create a backup plan. What will you do if the projector breaks? What will you do if the meeting goes on too long and you only have a couple of minutes left to speak?
Even if your fears don't come true, having a backup plan will help you perform better. The better you think through all aspects of your presentation, the faster you will be able to figure it out if something unexpected actually happens.
Don't just talk. Show me!
When speaking in front of an audience, I like to have visual material on hand to show to the audience. For example, a couple of photographs or something that the viewer can focus their eyes on. Think about the difference between simply saying, “Yesterday we signed an important contract,” and picking up a pen and saying, “Yesterday we made history when we signed a five-year contract with this pen.” Or simply raise your cup of coffee and offer a toast instead of just making an announcement. Although it may seem a little banal, it will certainly be memorable.
Tip: If you use props in your speech, try to do it at the very beginning of your speech. This will not distract the viewer's attention with thoughts about why you are holding a teddy bear or a vacuum cleaner.
Replace superstitions with healthy habits
Superstitions are invented to give you a sense of control over your fears. “Lucky” socks will not help you run better in races. By putting on a “lucky” thing, you are trying to magically influence future events over which you have no control and which inspire fear.
Instead of creating superstitions, engage in activities that will help you calm down. Walk around the room you will be speaking in and find the best vantage points. Check your microphone. Go over your presentation to double-check that you are ready to speak.
Pick a few really useful actions and get into the habit of doing them before every performance. Familiar activities will help you gain confidence in your abilities.
Visual support
A presentation and handouts will help convey the material much easier. For example, on slides, some nuances can be demonstrated through tables, graphs, thematic images and formulas. Underline and highlight key passages so you can access them on time.
The presentation should serve as an illustration of the report, giving it characteristic colors and mood. A good half of the success of a presentation depends on how accessible and freely you present the result of your work.
When developing a presentation, opt for contrasting text on a light background. Do not overload the slide with information, leave only the most necessary and irreplaceable, preferably in the center and in a moderate font size.
Set a backup target
Let's imagine that you are speaking to people for a charity program and you realize that your speech is not a success. In such a situation, people, as a rule, either begin to try too hard to still like the performance, or simply give up.
If your goal was to connect with your audience and you realize that this was not possible, try changing your goal. If you didn't achieve your original goal, think about what else you can get out of speaking.
Having a backup goal will help you stay positive and focused until the end of your speech.
Speech plan
Each speech involves a clearly allocated time, so it is necessary to draw up a plan in advance, using which the speaker will be able to follow the order of the story. The story should reflect the following points:
- the severity of the topic;
- subject of attention and potential solution;
- goals, questions and methods of work;
- baseline results;
- conclusions about the process and discussion (it would be useful to compare the results with research data);
- practical value (in which areas of activity the final results can be used).
Making a plan will help you avoid missing important details and include presentation slides in your report.
You also need to remember that information should be conveyed compactly so that the presentation does not drag on.
Share an emotional story
Many speakers tell real-life stories, but this does not always bring obvious benefits. If the story of your failure is told only to show how far the storyteller has come, it will not resonate with the audience.
It's another thing to tell a story that makes you emotional. If you were sad, show it. If you shouted, tell the story in a raised voice. If you felt remorse, let it come out.
When you show genuine emotion, there is an immediate and lasting connection with your audience. Emotions make your performance heartfelt, impressive and memorable.
Presentation Basics
In order for the audience to clearly imagine the problem and ways to solve it, the report must be written correctly. The committee should be well informed of the conclusions reached, but should not include an analysis of the work of others in the oral presentation. Rid your report of phrases that have no informational value.
Important
Phrases must be logically linked, carry a message and explanation, so that the entire report is a reflection of two or three main thoughts. Such a speech will be easily and correctly perceived, and the impression will remain positive.
Be prepared to answer questions that the audience will have during the report. Read additional information on the issue covered and broaden your horizons so as not to lose face.
Pause for 10 seconds
Stop for 2 seconds and the audience will think you've lost your point. Pause for 5 seconds and the audience will think you paused on purpose. After a 10-second pause, even those who were texting while you spoke will look up to see what's going on.
When you start speaking again, everyone will be confident that your pause was intentional and that you are a confident and accomplished speaker.
An insecure storyteller fears emptiness, and only an experienced speaker feels comfortable in silence. Take one long pause to collect your thoughts and the audience will automatically give you points.
Speak!
All your preparations, revisions, shortening of the text and all the efforts put into improving your speech will go down the drain if the audience cannot hear you. If you have good audio equipment, use it. If not, then begin your speech by asking whether your voice is clearly heard by the audience. A little trick: ask people to raise their hands if they can hear you clearly. If you see that many of them did not raise their hands, then you will immediately understand that there is a problem that needs to be solved.
Strive to help your audience
Most speakers consider the goal of their speech to be immediate benefit: for example, promoting a website or service, expanding the circle of clients.
Thinking about performing in this way adds pressure to an already stressful situation. Instead, strive to ensure that your speech is useful to the audience.
When you help people grow professionally or try to improve their lives in some way, you already receive benefits in the form of loyal listeners, fame and new clients.
How to overcome fear of speaking
The ability to speak publicly is the most valuable skill of a modern business person. Representatives of many professions, due to their duties, are faced with the need to speak in front of an audience quite often. Communication is the basis of social connections; without speaking abilities it is very difficult to achieve a positive result for yourself in working with other people. Given the importance, responsibility for the outcome also increases. This rightly explains the fear of public speaking, but, as many public speaking teachers believe, it can be overcome. In this article you will find useful tips on how to overcome and overcome the fear of public speaking, even in front of the most demanding audience. Read more…
8
Finish your preparation before your speech
When you stand in front of an audience, the time for preparation has already passed. Don't check the microphone, the lights, or the remote control for turning the slides - do it in advance. If specialists are responsible for the technical side of your presentation, ask them in advance what to do if something goes wrong.
If something breaks during your presentation, try to appear confident while you fix the problem (or while the technicians adjust the equipment). When something goes wrong, the most important thing is how you react to it.
Plan and rehearse
Plan and rehearse. It doesn't matter if you have five days or 30 seconds. You may be caught off guard. And then your planning should consist of presenting three main points. A great time to do this is when someone is trying to get the audience's attention and introduces you. Ideally, of course, it is better to plan everything you want to say. And rewrite it over and over again. Until you get the best result. And don't forget to rehearse in front of people.
Tip: Don't fall into the trap of thinking that short speeches don't require preparation. In fact, a short speech can be much more difficult than a long speech.
Repeat key points
Structure your speech so that you can repeat key points from time to time. First explain the point, then give examples of how you can apply this information in your life, and end with a description of specific actions in accordance with what was told.
Since no one can remember absolutely everything you said, the more you repeat key points, the greater the chance that they will stick in your listeners' memory and be used in life.
How to win the hearts of your audience: a cheat sheet for successful public speaking
Statistics say that the fear of public speaking is one of the top 5 most common human fears. Don't believe me? Ask yourself: would you like to present any material now, even to a small audience of 10-15 people? Most likely, you would rather sit in the audience, wouldn't you? And the main reason for this state of affairs is stress. Any performance in front of an audience is a test of stress resistance, because no one likes to be in an evaluation situation. In this article we will tell you how to make sure that the prospect of performing does not make you panic, and the performance itself always goes well. Read more…
5
Be brief
If you are given 30 minutes to speak, use 25. If you are given an hour, speak for 50 minutes. Always respect your audience's time and finish early.
By trying to shorten your speech during the preparation stage, you will hone your speech and remove everything unnecessary from it.
Finish early and spend the remaining time answering questions from the audience. If there is not enough time, invite the audience to meet after the presentation to discuss any unclear points.
Never delay your presentation. This can ruin the positive impression and leave a bad taste in the audience's mouth.
Stages of preparing abstracts and speech text
Some of the most famous authors of textbooks on public speaking, Dale Carnegie and Heinz Lemmerman, are similar in their opinions regarding preparation for public speaking. They recommend setting aside enough time to gather the necessary material, think through the structure, and prepare for speaking in front of a specific audience. According to leading experts, it is important to pay attention to the following details, which we tried to arrange in order of priority:
| ✔ | Allow enough time (several days or even a week). During this time, try to prepare all the points of your speech and formulate its structure. To find fresh ideas, use various sources: look for something on the Internet, talk to friends, analyze different points of view, etc. Your speech should mature gradually. It is incredibly difficult to get all the essential facts into your speech half an hour before your speech. There is also a high chance that you may forget something, so preparing a speaker for a good speech should take quite a lot of time. |
| ✔ | Consider the interest of the audience. Of course, the success of your speech depends directly on how your audience receives it. No matter how beautifully you speak and no matter what important issues you consider, it is important that your listeners find it interesting and understandable what you are talking about. To do this, you need to know your future listeners: their interests, knowledge in this area, as well as everything that may influence their perception of your public speaking. The most important stage in preparing a speech is studying your audience. |
| ✔ | Set a goal, find an unsolved problem. It is important that your speech is certainly aimed at solving some task, problem, achieving a specific goal or even mission. If you just publicly express your thoughts on a certain topic, then people will not be interested in listening to you. Try to talk about the solution to a specific current problem that worries your listeners - this will arouse genuine interest in your speech. |
| ✔ | Collect and write down all the material that you can find on your topic. This will help you not miss anything. Keep a notepad, text file or note in your smartphone or tablet, which will always be at hand in order to write down a fresh thought. You can also use quick (scanning) reading techniques if you need to collect material in the shortest possible time. A good speech depends largely on your good understanding of the topic of the story. The audience immediately feels and recognizes how competent you are in what you are talking about, and even if you are not very skillful in presenting the material, but you are talking about interesting and rare things, this can often save the situation. Having good knowledge in the area of your speech is already half the battle. |
| ✔ | Use your own thoughts. The true preparation for a speech lies in the fact that all the collected material (opinions, theses) must be passed through oneself and form one’s own position. In this case, your speech will sound more natural, in addition, it will be easier to remember your own thoughts, but to do this, you first need to formulate them intelligently. It is better to do this during preparation, rather than formulate thoughts spontaneously during the introduction. |
| ✔ | Gain backup knowledge. Study a little more material than you need for the presentation. This will help you feel confident and will also allow you to easily answer all questions and counter comments from listeners after or during the speech. Reserve knowledge is psychological preparation for a performance . This technique is used by many politicians, journalists, and tour guides. Some skilled speakers deliberately leave certain information unsaid in their speech, on the one hand, in order to concentrate on what is more important, on the other hand, on the other hand, to provoke a question from the audience and then answer it brilliantly. |
A good illustration on the topic of preparing a speech:
Create a structure (plan) for your speech. If you have spent enough time and effort collecting the necessary materials, then most likely all of them will not fit into your speech. Therefore, the next stage of preparing your speech should be structuring the information received. To create a good speech, you need to select the most important points and, based on them, create a plan for your speech.
In the next lesson you will find the necessary recommendations and techniques for the best structuring of your speech. In addition, a good frame for your theses will be various techniques that better clarify your thoughts and create a certain perception of your speech by the audience. You can learn about these techniques in one of the following lessons of this training.
