Public Speaking

I was helping a friend yesterday with a speech she's giving to a large group in Seattle. She's had an amazing life and has been asked to be the national spokesperson for a very important cause. What an honor! She is a highly accomplished performing artist and lives life with the utmost integrity and humility. She wants to do her best for the foundation she's representing and we worked on how to do that yesterday. I've had the pleasure of giving many speeches and offered some experience to my friend.

It made me think about public speaking and how important it can be to a person's career, life, journey. Public speaking is an art to many, a fear to some, a necessary part of the job to others. It occured to me that you may be called on at any time to give a speech and I wanted to share some thoughts on the topic.

First off, public speaking can be a new revenue source for many. Or a way to give back if you choose to speak on a topic you are passionate about. The National Speaker's Association has good resources to check out. Toastmasters is also a wonderful organization that has helped many. One thing you'll hear from these organizations as well as a private speech coach is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Write out your speech and give it in front of the mirror. You may even want to record it to help yourself improve. One person I know records every speech she gives. This gives her the ability to review and critique herself and she now offers podcasts of her talks on her website, which is a great way to extend her reach with her audience.

Good leaders know how to give a good speech. A key component to leadership is the ability to communicate a clear vision that inspires others to follow your direction. You never know when you may be called on to speak to a group of people. Like my friend, you want to do a good job, and you also want to be true to yourself.

Here are some practical tips to public speaking:

• Understand the purpose of the presentation
• Keep the message clear and concise
• Be prepared
• Be vivid when delivering the message

Understand what you want to achieve:
Before you start working on your talk or presentation, it's critical that you really understand what you want to say, who you want to tell and why they might want to hear it. You also want to identify what a "successful" speech would be to you and to those who invited you. Will your audience be inspired, will they be called to action, are they making a decision....what is THEIR next step after hearing your talk or speech? What do you want them to walk away with?

To do this, ask yourself: Who? What? How? When? Where? Why?

Who are you speaking to? What are their interests, presuppositions and values? What do they share in common with others; how are they unique?

What do you wish to communicate? One way of answering this question is to ask yourself about the ‘success criteria’. How do you know if and when you have successfully communicated what you have in mind?

How can you best convey your message? Language is important. Choose your words and your nonverbal cues with your audience in mind. Plan a beginning, middle and end.

When? Timing is important here. Develop a sense of timing, so that your contributions are seen and heard as relevant to the issue or matter at hand.

Where? What is the physical context of the communication in mind? You may have time to visit the room, for example, and rearrange the furniture. Check for availability and visibility if you are using audio or visual aids.

Why? In order to convert hearers into listeners, you need to know why they should listen to you – and tell them if necessary. What disposes them to listen? That implies that you know yourself why you are seeking to communicate – the value or worth or interest of what you are going to say.