Category Archives: Speaking Skills

The Extemporaneous Presentation: When and How

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The extemporaneous presentation is one that is carefully prepared, but not memorized. You organize the speech but do not write it out word for word. Instead you use key words and key phrases to trigger the next thought. Note cards or sheets of paper encased in plastic covers are the most efficient methods of delivering this presentation.

This mode of presentation is the one where you can make the best contact with your audience. You can also adjust your length and even content of the presentation as you speak. Even though you are carefully prepared, you should not sound memorized or that you are reading your notes to the audience.

Here are some steps you can take to assure you that you are preparing an extemporaneous presentation.

Begin by spending time in thinking about what you want to say. Don’t write things down yet because once you have an idea on paper, other ideas are less likely to be considered. Talk about the topic to a friend. Google the topic and see what you can find.

Once you have spent a few days pondering the topic, write notes down on paper. Don’t worry about organization at this point and don’t write in complete sentences for this will tempt you to write out your speech.

As in a jigsaw puzzle, begin to fit the pieces of thoughts and words together in a rough outline. Based on your thoughts, consider what will make up the key points and the support for each one. Which part would be the best way to start and where are you going to place the strongest argument?

Then you are ready to practice the speech. Don’t worry about word choice or even how the ideas fit. Talking through your speech will give you ideas on the best transitions, wording of your main points, and use of nonverbal cues.

Practice aloud at least three times and one of the times should be with someone as your “audience” listening to give you feedback. Practice with the notes you plan to use in the actual   speech. On the day you speak, look through your notes and practice some small portion of the talk, such as one of your stories (you will, of course, have good stories!) and the opening two minutes. This will increase your comfort level and build confidence.

This speech style should be the one most speakers choose to incorporate in their presentations. You will appear most natural, most attentive to your audience, and more at ease than in either of the two types—manuscript and impromptu—we have discussed earlier.

One of my favorite definitions of public speaking is conversation with a purpose. Extemporaneous speaking best exemplifies this definition.

The Impromptu Speech: When and How

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The impromptu speech is one without any preparation. I trust that during your career the impromptu is not your most common speaking context. A few situations do occur when an impromptu speech is very important.

Most job interviews involve answering questions. Each answer might be considered an impromptu presentation.

You attend a meeting and an issue comes before the group about which you have a definite position or a vested interest. Although you were not expected to contribute, you speak to the issue.

The boss may ask you unexpectedly to give a report about your department or a recent conference.

Here is a simple formula for delivering the impromptu presentation. Begin with a positive approach. As you start, smile, look confident, and begin with an assertion. Many impromptu speeches begin with the deer-in-the-headlight look and stumbling over the first words instead of speaking with confidence. With the assertion, provide a story or example from your experiences. An assumption is that you would not offer to speak or be asked to speak unless you have experienced and/or researched the topic.

Keep the length under a couple of minutes. Otherwise, you may exhaust your knowledge and start repeating yourself or making comments that you would later regret. End by repeating a version of your opening assertion.

Most important, however, is never to deliver an impromptu speech when you are expected to deliver a prepared speech!

The Manuscript Presentation: When and How

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Most speakers should avoid the manuscript presentation at all cost. A manuscript speech usually promotes no eye contact, a monotone voice, and few gestures. The audience understands that the speaker is reading to them and may be thinking, “Why didn’t she just email it to me to read on my own?”

However there are exceptions. If you are eulogizing someone, if you offer information that could be misquoted or misunderstood, or if you are too busy to prepare the speech and need to use a speechwriter, use a manuscript.

When you deliver a manuscript speech, these techniques will help you avoid the problems listed above. Use a font size which is easy for you to see and double or triple space. Print only on the top two thirds of each page to avoid the audience seeing only the top of your head by the time you get to the end of the page. Eye contact is much easier when you use these methods.

Include symbols above words where you want to make eye contact, use a gesture, take a step, or speed up or slow down. Don’t use words to remind you or you may accidentally speak the reminder words. Be creative with your drawings. For example, you might draw a waving hand, a megaphone, or a pair of eyes. I give more suggestions in From Dull to Dynamic.

Underline words which you want to emphasize. With difficult words to pronounce, write the way it is pronounced phonetically above the word. Read through the script, and if you stumble over certain words or phrases, include a synonym instead or find another way of saying the same point.

Practice a minimum of three times. Never deliver the manuscript without practicing aloud and in front of someone to give you feedback.  The more you practice, the more you will achieve your own voice and the less you will put your audience to sleep by reading in a monotone.

A speech writer who did not like the politician for whom he wrote knew the speaker never read the script before he delivered it. On one occasion when he stood to speak the speechwriter had as the last sentence on page one, “These three points I am about to give you are the most important ideas I will speak to you today. “  As he turned the page, it was blank except for these words, “You are on your own. I quit.”

If you have a speechwriter, treat him or her well, and use a manuscript only under special conditions.

A Special Use for a Note Card

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A point of discussion when talking about public speaking is whether or not to use notes.  And if you do use notes, should they be a manuscript, a sentence outline, or key words on note cards that you refer to during your presentation?

The one time when you want to use a note card is when you are delivering a significant quotation or piece of evidence.

Here are a couple of reasons.  When you have the data written on a card and pull it out and read the line to the audience, you will create more credibility with your piece of evidence.  We assume that if you have it written on paper, you did not manufacture the proof.

A second reason is that you take pressure away from yourself by not having to remember the exact figure or wording of the testimonial. You will be less uncertain and more confident in delivery.

What I often do if I have several pieces of data to quote is to put all the quotations  on one card and then simply lay the note on the lectern and only pick it up to read the line or statistic.

Keeping things simple in speechmaking is critical since you already have too many variables that you can’t control.  Not having to remember an exact number(s) or testimonial simply makes your work easier in front of an audience.  Add to that the increased credibility and you have justification for using a note card effectively.

Five Tips for Great Beginnings and Endings

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If you have a great beginning and powerful ending, you can hide some of the mistakes you make during the bulk of your presentation. Here are five suggestions for always getting off to a great start and concluding on an emotional and mental high.

First, make the opening sentence count. Out of curiosity, if nothing else, your audience will want to check out your appearance and how you deliver the speech. Don’t waste your opening on the weather or what a privilege it is to be there. Begin with a sentence that grabs the attention of the audience.

You can use a quotation that relates to your topic. Sometimes I begin my “Be Present When You Are Present” keynote with “The single greatest secret to success is paying attention.” Who doesn’t want to know the one secret to success?

The opening might be an object that draws attention. My cannibal fork from the Fiji Islands gets quick attention.

Humor might be the attention getting opening that will work best. Whatever you do, make sure the opening relates to your topic. For example, in a speech on listening I might begin “The only reason we listen is because we know we get to talk next.”

Second, preview your presentation. Your audience wants a road map of your speech. Tell the audience your main points and what you hope your audience will do as a result of your speech. “Today, I want to talk about three ideas that will help you pay better attention in your job and with your family members. They are:  look for a connection with everyone you meet, embrace the day, and listen to ask questions.” 

Mention a name, place, company value, or current event that lets the audience know you have done homework in learning about them and their organization. “I appreciate….” Here you can mention a person who helped you learn about the context of the conference you are keynoting, an ancillary plant you have visited in another state, or even a current news item about the company.

Third, do not spend much time on either the opening or the conclusion. Two to three minutes should be maximum time with each even if your presentation is an hour or more in length. I find that speakers have a hard time concluding. When you say, “In conclusion,” make sure you are near the end of your presentation. Don’t speak another ten minutes. The safest approach is never to say “In conclusion” at all. Just conclude.

Thus the fourth tip is to make it clear to your audience that you are concluding and that should include a summary of your thesis or main ideas. If the presentation is persuasive, then you want to fill in the blank of this sentence, “What I want you to do as a result of my presentation is.…” Use your unique application of this sentence: “I want you to remember that you must be aware of your surroundings to pay careful attention, and connecting, embracing, and questioning will provide the self-discipline to do so.” 

Finally, end with an exit line, as I will do with this article. People remember best what you say last. Make that last sentence count.

One of my endings is a reference to the logo of Australia; I show a picture, which has two animals on it—the emu and the kangaroo, indigenous to that country. Then I say, “There is another reason why these two animals are on the logo. They can only move forward. By what we have discussed today, may you always move forward and never backward in your ability to pay attention.”

Five Tips on the Use of Visual Aids

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With the rise of many kinds of software for computer-generated visuals, such as PowerPoint and Keynote, we have additional choices for visuals we use in a presentation. Whiteboard, flip charts, objects, and cutaways are all standard means of visually reinforcing our points in a speech. Whichever type of visual you use, here are five tips on making them more effective.

The visual should be big enough to be seen by everyone. That is the benefit of software-generated visuals; you can adapt the size of the visual to the size of the audience and the room. Although I have seen effective use of poster boards on a tripod on a stage with several hundred people the audience, you should never have to ask, “Can you see this from where you are sitting?”  You should know ahead of time because you have personally sat on the back row to see if the visual is readable or understandable.

I typically use 24-point Times Roman font as the minimum size. A way to insure easy visibility is the 6 by 6 rule:  no more than six lines on a page and six words on a line.

Talk to the audience, not to the visual aid. You should know what the next slide or page contains; thus looking at your visuals should be unnecessary unless you are working with the visual to demonstrate how something is done. If you need to see the PowerPoint slide as it appears on the screen, make paper copies of the slide and use them as your notes. I find that I can put up to six slides per sheet of paper and the words are large enough for me to see.

Visuals should be simple and easy to explain. Some charts I’ve seen speakers use confuse more than they clarify. A general rule is one idea, one picture, or one chart per slide, page, or poster.

The visual aid should not overshadow the speaker. Each visual should require your explanation or elaboration. If not, then you, the speaker, become unnecessary. Always tell more than you show. If you use video of any kind, the content should require your commentary; introduce the clip to prepare us for something that is about to happen on screen or draw a conclusion at the end of the film.

Finally, practice with your visuals as you practice your presentation. If you don’t work with your visuals until the actual speech, the extra dimension of visuals may complicate your delivery of the presentation. Show the slides as you practice in an empty conference room. Go through the actual demonstration with the cutaway or object.

Visuals add more time to the presentation. The practice session(s) allow you to be more confident with the length of your speech. This practice also helps you identify typos or grammatical errors on your slides. Have someone else proof your slides to avoid the embarrassment of seeing a typo on your slide as you are in the middle of your presentation.

Visuals give us the sixth sense in speaking—the combination of two or more of the five senses. When visuals are an essential part of our speech content, we can give the audience more opportunities to pay attention and understand.

In case you missed the previous Tips articles:
Five Tips for Organizing a Speech
Five Tips for Good Delivery
Five Tips for Controlling Stage Fright

Enthusiasm!

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This statement is one of the best I have found on enthusiasm: “Light yourself with the fire of enthusiasm and people will stand in line to watch you burn.” No matter the topic or activity, the person who shows enthusiasm is irresistible. Always be enthusiastic about what you say in a speech.

As I often say in speeches, the last four letters of the word “enthusiasm” stand for what is important in communicating your passion for your subject: “I am sold myself.”

Most people are enthusiastic about something. One place where I worked made me fear for my safety near the time clock at quitting time—I could get run over as people enthusiastically hurried to punch the clock to leave work.

The key to a successful speech is to be enthusiastic about your content.

Are you enthusiastic about the topics you speak about?  Does it show?  In Where the Game Matters Most, William Gildea writes about kids’ enthusiasm for basketball in Indiana: “The game is still played in barns. It’s played on driveways, at playgrounds, in alleys. Indiana’s beacon remains the outdoor basketball hoop.” 

To get the most out of your next presentation, be enthusiastic. Enthusiasm is generated by having ideas and examples in your speech about which you get excited. As the old caution goes, “Be fired with enthusiasm or you’ll be fired with enthusiasm.”

You Receive a Poor Introduction…

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On more than one occasion I have been introduced as a professor at the University of Kentucky instead of Northern Kentucky University. What do I do about that inaccurate information when I get up to speak? 

Perhaps an introducer has mispronounced your name (Steve Boyd is hard to mispronounce!) or the city where you are from (Nagadoches, Texas, for example). These errors put the speaker in a difficult position because your opening remarks have a lot to do with your success for the rest of your speech.

The best policy is to ignore the bad or inaccurate introduction and move quickly into your material. If inaccurate information has been presented, make the correction in the content of your material. For example, I might say, “In my 39 years at Northern Kentucky University, I have found.…”

If your name is mispronounced, you could mention your name in connection with a point later in your presentation. For example, at a writer’s conference I attended last week, an author said, “A reader asked me, ‘Ms. Macias, what happens when…?’” Then the audience knew to pronounce her name “muh-SIGH-us,” and not what the introducer had said.

In any of the above situations, here are a few principles that apply no matter what the problem is.

Never make a member of your audience look bad. Don’t insult or point out the mistakes of someone in the audience, including your introducer. Even if it is deserved, you will lose some of your rapport with the audience.           

Don’t panic. When something goes wrong in the introduction, or in any other part of your presentation, take a moment before you take action. Just pausing will sometimes calm you and give you time to use good judgment on what action to take.

Learn from your mishaps. Analyze a presentation problem and ask yourself how you might handle it differently next time. Keep track of what you did well in handling that last problem area and remind yourself to do it again next time. (Fortunately or unfortunately, there’s always a next time!)

Introduce yourself to the introducer prior to the beginning of the program. Get to know him or her. If nothing else, getting to know you will often prompt more warmth in the voice when you are introduced. When you tell your name and what you do, you are reminding the person of correct pronunciation and verifying key biographical information.

I assure you that you will receive an occasional bad introduction, but these tips will help you minimize damage.

Preparation Should Be Continuous

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I’m always preparing—well, in a loose sort of way. As I go about my activities during the day, I am always alert for material for a sermon or speech. Any new or unusual object or action I see or any current event or story I read, I evaluate as to whether I might incorporate it in one of my programs.

For example, years ago while on vacation, we stayed in a bed and breakfast in Utah that had hummingbirds feeding in the flower-covered front yard. Their energy and speed and beauty impressed me. I began thinking, “How can I work what I am seeing into one of my presentations?”  By simply having this question in my mind, I eventually developed a hummingbird story that I use to end many of my speeches.

When I am preparing a new presentation, I go back to notes I have taken or clippings I have kept that might be appropriate material for an upcoming presentation.

When you regularly speak on your area of expertise, pay attention to the new, the unusual, the historical, or even the hypothetical. Keep notes on each. You never know when you might be preparing a key point in a presentation you have not yet been assigned or agreed to deliver.

To be an effective speaker over a long period of time, your preparation does not begin and end on a certain day or hour. Preparation is a continuous process.

 

Five Tips for Organizing a Speech

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We have covered five tips each on handling stage fright and delivery. This “five tip” article is on organization.

Alexander Pope said that “order is heaven’s first law.” When God created earth, his first concern was giving order by separating creation in six units and then declaring on the sixth day that this was good. If God thought it was good to be organized, then we should be concerned to organize our speeches.

Give your audience a roadmap early in your presentation. Think how important the GPS or MapQuest is in getting to unknown destinations. The same is true with an audience. Each person listening wants to know where we are going and how are we going to get there with our presentation content. A good lead-in that takes very little time is a simple, “What I want to talk about today is…” 

Develop few and specific points. When you say, “I have six points I want to make today,” that is information overload and the audience will tune you out. I think three points are sufficient. Specificity of a point is saying “To be successful, one must give attention to detail” instead of “To be successful, one must work hard.”

Use transitions when moving from point to point. You can simply use numbers: “My first point is…,” My second point is…” Be sure you remember what the number is of your next point!

Internal summary is another effective transition such as “Now that we have covered the importance of specificity in speaking, let us move to the use of transitions.” If you want to wake up an audience, consider an interjection. “You may forget everything else I say today but remember this next point!”  Clear transitions will help you avoid meaningless phrases such as “You know” and some version of “and uh.” 

The use of repetition is an important organizational tool. An audience cannot review your material unless you do it for them.  In a book, we can go back and reread a chapter or page. The listener cannot do that, so when you begin a statement with “Let me say that again” or “Thus far we have covered…” the audience is very appreciative. Certainly review your main points at the end of your presentation.

Finally, show your organization through your delivery. When you move from one point to another, take a step away from the lectern. Move back to the lectern when you finish the point or story. Change your tone of voice when you are changing direction in your speech. Pause before you mention the next point. Hold up the number of your point with your fingers if you are using that approach to transitions.

To sit and listen through a thirty-minute presentation is difficult for any audience. You are more likely to hold their attention when you are well organized. In the words of Oliver Wendell Holmes, “Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall.” Organization helps you do that.