"How-To" Booklet

Client: Learning Direct, Mayfair, London

Audience: Corporate staff and management

Brief: Create a booklet to help staff stand up and talk in front of an audience

PUBLIC SPEAKING MADE PAINLESS

INTRODUCTION

If you're one of the millions of people who break out in a cold sweat at the mere thought of having to get up in front of a group of people and speak, this booklet is for you.

Public speaking is both a science and an art.

It's a science in that there are definite, established rules governing the writing and delivery of a successful speech, whether to friends and family at a wedding reception, or to an auditorium filled with company shareholders.

And it's an art in that the more you practice, the better you get, the easier it becomes, and, surprisingly, the more fun you have doing it.

Most of the fear of public speaking stems from inexperience. While we're not claiming this booklet will turn you into an accomplished orator overnight, it will familiarise you with the processes of preparing a talk or a speech … and then delivering it.

And once you know the rules, you'll find that public speaking isn't such an ordeal after all.

You may even find yourself enjoying it.

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TO START WITH …

The single most important factor of any public speaking engagement is the audience. You are there for their benefit, and any decisions you make about the content of your speech should be made with the audience firmly in mind.

Whether you are speaking to entertain, inform or to persuade your listeners to take a specific course of action, you have to find out as much as possible about them before you even start thinking about what you're going to be saying.

You need to know the size of the audience, their interests, their age range, their income range, their education level, whether or not it's an even spread between the sexes and in what sort of field they earn their living.

Once you've established who you're going to be talking to, you now have a much better idea of how to phrase what you're going to be talking to them about, so everyone there on the day can understand you clearly.

Find out why you - in particular - were invited to speak. Was it because of your qualifications, your experience or your expertise? This comes in particularly handy if you don't get introduced to the audience as you stand up to speak.

Get financial matters like fees and expenses confirmed - on paper. The sooner that aspect is dealt with, the better.

Establish what kind of engagement it is: a light-hearted after-dinner speech? Or something considerably more formal? Once you know the tone of the setting, you'll find it easier to draft your script to suit the occasion.

Get the organisers' contact details, both in and out of office hours, and make sure they have yours and that they're correct.

Ask who will be introducing you at the beginning of your talk. If at all possible, find out what they're going to be saying about you - just to make sure they have your details right.

Another reason for knowing what your introduction is going to be like beforehand is the option of starting your talk by using a direct reference to that introduction.

If nobody's certain who will be introducing you, or how it's going to be phrased, offer to eliminate all confusion by writing your own introduction and asking the organisers to hand it to the relevant person.

Enquire about dress code for your speaking engagement. If there is none, smart and simple is the best rule to follow. Flashy jewellery and a loud tie will only serve to distract your listeners from what you are saying.

Find out whether other people will be speaking at the occasion as well. If there are, find out what they'll be talking about, and where you'll be in the running order.

You might find it useful to make a note of the subject of each talk before you, if you find yourself wanting to refer to it in your speech.

Another thing to establish - if there are other speakers - is whether you'll be expected to wait your turn in any specific location at the venue, or if you'll be seated amongst the audience while they talk.

You'll need to know how much time has been allotted to your speech. Assume your talking speed will be 120-125 words a minute on the day. Now you've got some idea of the amount of work you'll need to do to prepare your script.

Make sure both you and the organisers are completely in agreement about the subject matter of your speech.

If the organisers have already chosen a title for your talk, see how flexible they are about changing it if you come up with a better one during the course of your preparations.

Find out what the organisers consider the purpose of your talk: are you to instruct the audience? Entertain them? Convince them of something … or do they want you to get your listeners to take a specific course of action? Once the purpose of your talk is clear, finding the right ideas and words comes much more easily.

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ACCESS TO THE VENUE

Ideally, a visit to the venue beforehand will answer all your questions, but if that's not possible, then you'll have to go through the following points with the organisers.

Be sure you know exactly how to get to the venue using both private and public transportation. The organisers should have this information to hand already. Ask them for a map.

If possible, get the organisers to reserve you a parking space close to the building, especially if you have to bring your own equipment or props on the day.

Find out beforehand if there will be any difficulty in gaining admission to the venue. There may be a security policy in place, or you may find yourself having to use a separate entrance.

If you need a pass to get into the venue, establish who will be making sure you get it, a firm date by which it should be in your hands, and how to contact the person if it isn't.

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INSIDE THE VENUE

If your speaking engagement takes place during daylight hours and you need to make use of visual props like slides, videos and the like, make sure the curtains are thick enough to block out light from the outside. It's also a good idea to get the knack of opening and closing them yourself, just in case …

Find out where you're going to be speaking from, whether a platform, a dais or at a lectern, and how your audience will be arranged in relation to yourself.

Ask about the lighting on the day: will there be a single spotlight on you? Will it be shining straight into your eyes? Will there be enough light for you to refer to your notes easily?

If the size of the venue means that you'll need a microphone, amplification equipment and loudspeakers, ask whether you'll be expected to bring them or whether the organisers will provide them for you.

Likewise projection equipment, if you need it. Will that be provided for you, too? And will you have to operate it yourself, or will there be someone on hand to do that for you?

And on the subject of bringing your own equipment - find out whether a trolley is available to save trips backwards and forwards to your car.

If you do have to use your own equipment, make sure there are sufficient power points where you'll be speaking - and that your cables can reach them. Even if that's the case, an extension cord is always handy to have at times like these, so if you have a spare one, bring it along.

If you're one of several speakers, you may not be able to set up your equipment as soon as you arrive at the engagement. Find out where you can store it safely and securely, and how to get to and from that storage area.

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PREPARING TO WRITE YOUR SPEECH

To drive your message home, remember the speechwriter's trick of telling 'em what you're going to tell 'em, telling 'em … and then telling 'em what you told 'em.

To inform an audience:
1. Keep everything as simple as possible
2. Arrange your ideas in a logical sequence
3. Number those ideas
4. Use visual aids to reinforce your spoken message
5. Avoid technical jargon.
6. Give as broad an outline as you think your listeners need.
7. Be prepared for specifics during a question-and-answer session.

To persuade an audience:
1. Show them that you believe passionately in what you're speaking about
2. Let them know that they have your respect
3. Start off by asking questions that have no other answer than 'yes'. If you can get them to say 'yes' right at the start, it makes it so much easier for them to say 'yes' and agree with you at the end when you state your conclusion.

To instruct an audience:
1. Describe an example that illustrates the main idea you want to get across.
2. Make it as detailed and as vivid as you can, to imprint it on your listeners' minds.
3. Tell them what you want them to do about it, why you want them to do it, stressing just one reason.
4. Tell them what benefit they themselves will gain by doing it, making that benefit as relevant as you can to your opening example.
5. And then tell your audience to go and do it, making your instructions as clear and as easy for them to follow as possible.

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SPEECHWRITING TECHNIQUES

Start thinking about your speech as soon as you've been invited to give it. The later you leave everything, the more of a rush you'll be in … and the less effective you - and your speech - will be.

Keep a notebook with you at all times, day and night. You never know when an idea is going to pop into your head. When it does, don't bother trying to remember it - just write it down as soon as you get it, whether you think it'd be useful or not.

The more ideas you get, the better. Don't discard any of them, because they may lead your train of thought in another, more effective direction.

Don't worry that you'll have too many ideas to fit into your speech - when it comes to the actual writing process, you'll find yourself discarding 90% of them … and keeping the best ten percent.

Come up with a working title for your speech. It doesn't matter if you think of a better one while you're gathering ideas - it's just a way of keeping your thoughts on track and in the right direction.

Note down any experiences you've had with the subject, and those of your friends and associates. The more personal you can make your speech, the more effective it will be.

To hunt down reference material, the internet is a very good place to start: search engines such as Dogpile and QuickBrowse will collate web pages on any subject, which you can then download, save and read through at your leisure.

Between three and four weeks before your speech, it's time to look through the notes you've jotted down, and decide which ones you're going to develop and use.

To start putting those ideas together to make the maximum impact on your audience, divide your speech into three sections: the opening, which should take ten percent of your speaking time; the body of your speech, which should comprise 80% of your talk, and the closing, again, about ten percent.

It's best to work on the body of your speech first, assembling the headings and sub-headings into a coherent order … and then to write an attention-grabbing opening and an action-producing closing around it.

Before starting to sort your raw material into any order, you need to have a very clear answer to the following questions, preferably in the form of a single written sentence:
What is the reason for your speech?
What are you trying to say?
What do you want the audience to remember afterwards?

Once you've written that sentence down, it will serve as a guide as to whether to keep or discard ideas you've noted down, and in which order to present them.

Ideally, the body of your speech should have three main points - any less, and your listeners might not understand your theme. Any more, and they probably won't remember them all.

Take those three main points, and go through your notes to find ideas that support them. Again, three sub-points each are probably enough to put your message across effectively.

Now, you're going to have to decide what to use to embellish those sub-points to make them appeal to your audience. You could use props or illustrations … or statistics … or even an example from your own personal experience. This is why it's vital to find out as much as you can about your listeners beforehand, to know how best to put your message across to them.

The next step is to put those points and sub-points into a logical sequence to make them as easy as possible to grasp.

One possibility is: time order, which starts with the past, expands on the present and calls for action to benefit your audience in the future.

Another is the problem/solution sequence, which identifies a problem, defines who it affects and outlines the causes before offering alternative solutions. Keep the best solution until last, and then give your audience the reason why it is the best for them.

You could, on the other hand, follow the example of the Sermons on the Mount, and illustrate your idea with examples and anecdotes that put it across in several, easy-to-understand ways.

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TO MAKE YOUR WORDS MORE POWERFUL

Use ordinary words: You'll put your point across much better in plain language. Chances are some of your listeners wouldn't have a clue what you're talking about if you use jargon of any kind.

If you must use technical terms or acronyms, always explain them the first time you say them.

Repetition: At the beginning of consecutive sentences, a repeated phrase stirs emotions and intensifies the thought behind it. Repeating a word in the middle of a sentence emphasises the word itself.

The Rule of Three: Use this to emphasise a single-word idea by direct repetition, or to amplify an idea by listing three synonyms. The first time generates interest, the second time makes that interest stronger, and the third time intensifies it.

The Rule of Three also works with humour: The first statement establishes a pattern, the second repeats the pattern and reinforces it in your listeners' minds … and the third statement takes an unexpected twist to surprise (and, hopefully) to amuse the audience.

Alliteration: By slowing down your speech and repeating words that start with the same sound (there's a handy example for you), you draw extra attention to those words and the thoughts behind them.

Metaphors and similes help to paint pictures in your listeners' minds by likening your ideas to something concrete and familiar. Similes depend on the word 'like', while metaphors merely imply the comparison. Whichever sounds better is the one to use.

Transitions are key words to indicate to the audience that you're moving from one part of your speech to the next. They can summarise ideas within one section, or compare and contrast different groups of ideas.

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TO GET A GOOD RESPONSE TO YOUR SUBJECT MATTER

THE OPENING

Find a common ground between yourself and your audience right at the beginning: it might be a mutual interest, a similar background, or some such thing that makes your listeners you're "one of them".

Use "we" rather than "you" or "they" when you speak of people doing things.

Above all, be yourself. Speak to the audience as you would to a friend, not as a high-powered expert on your subject (especially if you are one), talking down them.

People are interested in themselves. But if your audience can be convinced right away that what you're talking about refers very much to themselves, they'll be much more inclined to pay attention to what you're saying.

To do that, you'll need to start with a powerful opening that draws the audience into your speech - on their terms. You could startle them, amuse them, ask a question and let them answer it for themselves in their own minds, use an appropriate quotation, or use a dramatic example to illustrate what you're talking about.

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THE BODY OF THE SPEECH

Numbering of points makes each a separate item, and easy to organise - both for yourself as you speak, and your audience as they listen. It makes summarising a simple task, but has the disadvantage of sounding monotonous, say, as you move from point 23 to point 24.

Quotations add authority to your statements if the person you're quoting is or was a famous figure, and said something in agreement with the point you're making. Make sure, however, that the quote you're using is both suitable for your subject, and for your audience.

If the person you're quoting might not be familiar to your audience, you'll need to establish his credentials before you quote him.

When you do use a quotation, pause first, say it slowly - preferably in a different tone of voice - and pause afterwards, before continuing in your normal voice.

Dialogue livens up a speech, especially if you can avoid "he said/she said" interruptions, and can make it clear who's speaking by the tone of your voice.

If you're describing an event, give the exact time, date, place and the names of those involved. It gives the event much more realism in the minds of your listeners, and helps them relate to it better.

Humour can establish a connection between you and your audience; it's useful for breaking up long strings of otherwise dry facts, so your listeners can reflect on the previous section and approach the following section with a fresh mind.

If you're going to use humour, never tell the audience that you're about to say something funny - it spoils the surprise. And use it with care: what amuses one person could quite easily offend someone else.

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THE CLOSING

The last few words of your talk will be the ones that stay with your listeners longest, so make sure your conclusion is worth remembering.

Your conclusion should:
Summarise your speech, but in a considerably shortened version
Relate to the opening, to make your talk a rounded and satisfying experience
Make your audience feel good about everything you've said beforehand …
And, if the point of speaking is to stir your listeners to action, to give them that final push towards taking that action.

It should also be the shortest - and sharpest - part of your talk.

You could close by asking the audience a rhetorical question, and leave them thinking about it as you make your way back to your seat.

Another way of closing is to repeat your main points - in brief - from the least important to the most important, which becomes a climax, followed shortly by a question and/or a call to action.

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THE WRITING OF YOUR SPEECH

Even though you're going to write your speech out in full, unless you're a trained actor, don't even consider the possibility of standing in front of your audience and reading it out word for word.

If you do read it out loud, you won't be able to make eye contact with any of your listeners, who, in their turn, will find themselves focusing more on the sheets of paper you're holding than what you're reading to them.

But do write your speech out in full, and then put it away for a couple of days without thinking about it.

When you come back to it and read through it, you may find you'll want to change the order of your points, add a few more that explains something more fully, or even delete some that aren't as useful as you thought they were at the time of writing.

Once you've revised your speech (and, if time isn't too pressing, left it for a couple of days again and repeated the process outlined above) write it out in full again and read it through out loud to make sure it's the right length, adding or deleting points if necessary.

Remember, it's better to finish sooner and leave the audience wanting more, than to speak beyond your allotted time.

If you're going to have to use projected images and someone will be on hand at the engagement to operate your equipment, go through the final version of your script and insert cues for them.

Then send a copy to the organisers asking them to make sure their operator gets it as long before the engagement as possible.

Because you and your ideas will come across far better when you're speaking naturally, as opposed to reading from a script, use 6" x 4" cards to refer to during the course of your talk.

Write your main headings on separate cards, in as large writing as possible, and list sub-headings, points, examples/illustrations etc. underneath. These cards are not for reading from - they're just there to remind you of each point when you come to making it.

Number those cards, again as legibly as possible,

Even though there is no chance of losing them before your engagement, make a duplicate set of cards to bring with you on the day anyway.

Now you can use those cards to rehearse your speech. First, do it when there's nobody around, so you can take liberties with your speaking techniques (see section below).

Play with different types of delivery - sound as ridiculous as you like, nobody will hear you - and as you try different techniques, you'll find yourself becoming more and more familiar with your material.

Next, once you've established where to use which delivery technique, test yourself out by rehearsing into a cassette recorder. If you've never heard your voice on tape before, it will sound strange to you, but that happens with everybody.

If you have access to a video recorder, tape yourself rehearsing. Body language sometimes speaks much louder than words, and you have more chance of getting your message across if your voice and movements go together.

The last set of rehearsals should be in front of real live people. By now, you should be so familiar with your material your cue cards are almost redundant, but use them anyway. Try to find an 'audience' who aren't worried about criticising you. Friends and family could either be ideal … or precisely the wrong people to ask for an opinion.

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DELIVERY TECHNIQUES

One of the most important tricks of public speaking is … the pause. It emphasises what you're going to say next - try reading the previous sentence out loud if you have any doubts about that.

The pause also gives your listeners time to think about what you've just said, and react to it.

It also gives you the chance to take a couple of deep breaths before starting to speak again, and is a much more acceptable substitute for those 'umm's', 'err's' and 'you knows' that crop up in everyday speaking.

If you're going to use a hand-held microphone (a lapel mike is preferable if you're going to be holding up exhibits or writing on a board) hold it away from your face and speak across the top of it - not into it - and to your audience.

To emphasise a point by lowering your voice and you're using a microphone, slow down your words and bring it closer to your mouth to compensate for the drop in volume.

If you're going to raise your voice for emphasis, avoid distortion by moving the microphone away from you.

Don't - again, unless you're a trained actor - cue gestures into your speech - they'll look artificial and unconvincing. If you feel strongly enough about your subject, your gestures will come naturally.

And if you do make gestures, remember that the people in the back row have to see them, too. So the further away they are, the more of a gesture you'll have to make.

Speak as if you're in a friendly conversation with one other person, whether in the front row or the back. Don't look up at the back row and raise your voice to compensate.

And if you're worried about sounding monotonous, make sure you're speaking with sincerity, because your voice will change to reflect the way you feel about your subject.

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USING PROPS

Visual aids reinforce the message you're putting across: whatever the image and the equipment you use to show that image, the impact of your words is more than doubled.

Make sure any image or hand-drawn diagram is big enough to be seen clearly from the back row.

If writing words or figures, don't turn your back completely on your listeners - keep talking to them as you write, facing them from time to time. Don't talk over your shoulder to them.

If you're using an exhibit, keep it out of sight until you need to show it. The audience will focus more on the exhibit itself than what you are saying.

When it comes to showing the exhibit, hold it up so everybody can see it, but don't look at it as you talk.

Passing an exhibit around the audience while you speak is much too distracting. If people want to take a closer look at it, they can wait until you've finished speaking.

And once you've shown the exhibit and it's no longer relevant to what you're saying, get it out of sight again.

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ARRIVING AT THE ENGAGEMENT

Arrive as early as possible - it's far better to spend more time than you need getting used to the venue than to have to remember everything you've discovered about it in a hurry.

Have spares for everything: cue cards, writing materials, projector bulbs, batteries if need be, and keep them all in one container. Small things have a habit of disappearing right when you need them most

Familiarise yourself with the venue's facilities and how to get to them. If you can find a shortcut to the washroom beforehand, so much the better. But don't forget to find the shortcut back again.

Contact the organisers as soon as you get there. They will invariably be going through last-minute details, so just let them know you've arrived, and make sure everything's going to plan, or, if not, how changes in the programme are going to affect you.

Meet the person on hand to operate your equipment. He should have had the script of your speech and the necessary cues for a while now, so if there are any alterations, this is the time to go through them with him.

Test the room acoustics for volume and clarity. If you're not using a microphone, have someone stand at the back of the room and talk at a gradually-increasing volume until they signal that they can hear you clearly. But remember that once the room is full of people, they and their clothing will deaden the acoustics there.

If you're speaking after a meal, keep an eye on what you're eating and drinking: it's best to eat as lightly as possible to stop you feeling full and sleepy when you stand up to speak, and to cut out on alcohol altogether … at least, until after you've spoken.

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JUST BEFORE YOU SPEAK

Make sure you have a glass of water to hand. You may not feel thirsty at the time, but your throat will start to dry up if you're talking louder than you usually do in conversation.

Discreet deep breathing for thirty seconds increases the oxygen in your blood and helps to calm you down.

Remember, you're not alone in the way you're feeling right now - even professional speakers get stagefright just before they stand up to speak … and it worries them if they don't.

If you do feel uncomfortably nervous, take confidence in the fact that that you've prepared for this talk the best you can, and you've left absolutely nothing to chance.

If that nervousness stems from feeling out of place in front of your listeners, remember that you've been chosen as the best person to speak to them on the subject, and that if they didn't want you to speak to them, they'd be elsewhere right now.

As you're being introduced, look out at the audience and smile. The introduction will usually end with your name, which will set off a round of applause.

When that applause starts to die down, this is the point where you stand up and walk slowly - and confidently - to where you'll be speaking from, all the time smiling at your listeners.

If you feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of people sitting there looking at you, counteract that feeling by doing some looking yourself.

By making direct eye contact with as many people as you can - one at a time - you'll negate the feeling of standing there feeling exposed.

If you're speaking from a lectern, before you say a word, concentrate on holding your head and shoulders up. You should already have put your note cards onto the lectern, so rest your hands lightly on it, or let them hang by your sides.

Make eye contact again with your audience as you start speaking. You should be thanking the organiser for your introduction now.

If there has been no introduction, state - very briefly - why you are qualified to speak today …

… and start.

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WHILE SPEAKING

Having gone through how to gather, assemble and embellish your ideas, and how best to deliver them, all we can do in this section is help you overcome any unforeseen circumstances.

Hecklers aren't as difficult to deal with as you may imagine. The best course to follow is to avoid an exchange of opinions there and then and never, ever, let things degenerate into a slanging match between the two of you.

If they're trying to shout you down with a hostile question, start by asking them to repeat it - it's very difficult for them to be as aggressive and hostile saying the same thing again.

Suggest to the heckler that he puts his question to you during the question-and-answer session, after you've spoken. Remind him that there are many other people here who would prefer you spoke uninterrupted, and refer him again to your offer of time for him afterwards.

If the heckling continues to a point where it's irritating the audience, a discreet (or as discreet as possible) request to the organiser to call for order, or to have the heckler removed will usually do the trick.

Noise from outside will distract your audience. If it is a constant drone, raise your voice slightly or turn up the amplifier to cover it. If it's loud, but comes in short bursts, stop while those bursts happen, and start again at a point slightly before where you left off.

If all else fails, ask the organiser to send someone out to try and get it stopped for the duration of your talk.

If you make a mistake while you speak, and realise you've done so within a few seconds, it's fine just to backtrack and correct yourself there and then.

If, on the other hand, you realise what you've said was wrong much further down the line, then note it down and correct it right at the end of the body of your speech - just before you start the conclusion.

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QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS

This session should be initiated by whoever introduced you, who will stand up at the end of your speech as the applause starts to fade, and thank you on behalf of the audience.

For some of your listeners, asking a question in public is almost as frightening as having to give a speech. Bear this in mind when questions are asked - it might not be hostility in your questioner's voice, but nerves.

When a question is asked, repeat it so that everybody there can hear it.

If you don't have the information to hand but know where to lay your hands on it, offer to send it to questioner's address once you've tracked it down. It's not only a polite gesture, but also good PR for yourself.

Write complicated questions - or those with several parts - down, to ensure you answer them properly and completely.

If a listener points out a mistake you've made during your speech, acknowledge it, thank them sincerely and let them know you appreciate their taking the trouble to let you know.

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MEDIA NOTES IN GENERAL

You may, at some point, find yourself being interviewed, either on radio or TV. Here are some tips for this:

As with live speaking, you'll need to establish the time and place for your interview.

Ask whether the interview will be live, or pre-recorded. Pre-recorded has the advantage of having your fluffs edited out, but then again, editing can make you appear to give a different impression.

If you're being interviewed about something controversial, try to find out whether your interview will be conducted from a sympathetic point of view, or whether your views are going to be attacked.

Find out how long the interview is going to last

See if it's possible to get a list of questions in advance. The list itself may well have been changed in the time between your receiving it and the interview itself, but at least it will give you a guideline to follow.

If you can't get a list of the questions, try to get the interviewer or producer to take some time to discuss the interview with you.

If you're rung up for a phone interview and you don't feel prepared, offer to call them back within a few minutes while you check up on your facts. Whatever you do, don't commit yourself to something you're not certain of on air.

Give yourself as much time as possible to get to the studio. Nearby parking spaces will probably be filled up by the station's staff.

There's no guarantee that studios will be positioned around the building in a logical order, which may come as an unpleasant surprise if you're in a rush to get to one.

Once at the studio, you should be met either by the programme producer, the floor manager or the interviewer. If this is your first time on air, say so, and say that you're putting yourself in their hands entirely. They'll be certain to watch out for you, because it's their job to make sure they get the best from you.

You will look fatter on television. There is nothing you can do about it.

Forget wearing vertical stripes to make you look thinner. Some patterns on clothing can cause interference on camera, so plain colours are - if you have the choice - best.

Jewellery sparkles. Sparkles distract. Don't wear anything like that, or if you do, be prepared to be asked to remove it for the time you're on camera.

Most interviewees wear lapel microphones, but if you're sitting underneath a boom mike, it will be moving around at the edge of your vision. Ignore it.

When they're testing microphones for level, by all means speak as if you are being interviewed at the time, but not about anything that is likely to come up in the interview proper. You'll end up trying to remember what you said at the sound check when you're on air.

When discussing something you consider 'off the record', be aware that interviewers and journalists do tend to accept what you're saying as such, but also that they may feel it's in the public interest to put it on the record.

And finally, forget about the audience watching or listening to you at home - concentrate on the interviewer.

END