Public Speaking - 4 Simple Steps to More Impactful Speech Content

The process of developing the content of your speech is fundamentally important to effective public speaking. Meaningful content is critical to writing a great speech and without it the presenting skills of voice, language, body language and gestures are of little use to the listeners or the speaker.

The process of developing the content of your speech can be frustrating and use up a vast amount of time. But you can use a 4 step process to simplify and streamline the development of content for your speech.

1. Decide on the Purpose

Public Speaking - 4 Simple Steps to More Impactful Speech Content

The purpose of the speech must justify the time and energy put into it by you as speaker and by the audience listening to it. The speech purpose needs to answer the question "What will this presentation do for my audience? The considerations to keep in mind when deciding on the purpose are;-

(i) How will the presentation benefit the audience?
(ii) Is it appropriate for the audience?
(iii) Is the speech being given for entertainment or is a specific action wanted from the audience
(iv) The circumstances and situation of the speech, e.g. at a charity fund raising event your talk will be delivered to raise money

2. Developing the Theme

Your theme should be stated in a clear, brief and meaningful statement. The theme chosen must be able to be developed to accomplish the purpose. To develop the theme you will need to keep in mind a clear picture of the audience and in your judgement

(i) Has the greatest influence on your audience
(ii) It can be developed successfully for your audience
(iii) It supports the purpose
(iv) The audience characteristics such as age, number, experience, attitude etc

3. Selecting the Style of The Presentation

The style(s) chosen to deliver your speech must support the purpose of the speech and it will determine the type of information you need to gather in the research step.

There are 2 criteria you can use to select the style of your speech:

(i) The purpose for speaking
(ii) Audience's attitude and understanding

The 5 styles that can be used in delivering your speech are:

(i) Humor - the principal idea is to entertain the audience
(ii) Narrative - used to tell a story of people, places and events
(iii) Exposition - used to describe, explain or demonstrate an idea
(iv) Argument - presentation of facts and other evidence to support your ideas
(v) Motivation - uses emotional appeals to the audience to take a certain action

Humor and narration are more likely to be utilised when the audience is to be entertained. Argument and motivation are usually used when a specific action is wanted from the audience.

4. Research

The goal of research is to uncover information to support and justify the theme and ideas of the speech. The first step in research is to develop a rough outline of your speech so that the research is properly focussed.

The primary source of information should be your own experiences. Once you have exhausted your experience, there are many other sources of information that can be utilised. The other sources include books, films, TV, interviewing other people and of course the internet. When using these sources it is important to use your judgement as to the validity of the information.

You will now have the content necessary to outline, organize and write and deliver your speech . Mastery of the process of developing the content will enable you to write and deliver a speech that is of benefit to the audience. With the knowledge that your content is valuable to your listeners your confidence will increase and you will enjoy the experience of public speaking more.

Public Speaking - 4 Simple Steps to More Impactful Speech Content
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Public Speaking: 10 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills

When I ask my audiences their number one challenge with public speaking, they overwhelmingly say, "to overcome the fear of public speaking." It's okay to have "butterflies." The key is how to get them organized, focused and flying in formation. Here are 10 tips for delivering a more powerful, persuasive presentation. Practice these techniques consistently to improve public speaking skills.

1. 95% of your success is determined before the presentation. Your audience will know if you didn't rehearse. Rehearsing, or "rehearing" yourself minimizes 75% of your nervousness. Rehearse standing up, or better yet, ask someone to videotape you. The camera will be your most objective ally. The more comfortable you become with your material via rehearsing, the more comfortable you will be with your body language.

2. Either memorize or "know cold" your opener and close. Two minutes each for an opener and a close is enough. The most important thing your audience will remember is your closing. Second most important thing they'll remember is your opener. Start with something attention grabbing, like a quote or statistic, which relates to your topic. Never start with, "Good Morning." It is obvious and boring.

Public Speaking: 10 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills

3. Public Speaking: 24 hours before your presentation:

A. Have a quiet dinner with a quiet friend. (This may or may not be your spouse!) You won't be as concerned about your public speaking skills if you can put your nervous system on glide.

B. The evening before, put your presentation on audiocassette as background noise one hour before retiring. Listen to your opener and close before bedtime as a review.

C. No massive changes 24 hours before. Nothing increases the fear of public speaking more than rewritting your material at the last minute. Impromptu speeches notwithstanding.

D. Visualize your presentation going smoothly and successfully. All Olympic athletes use this technique, and it works with public speaking as well.

E. Review your notes and visual aids the evening before. Your notes should only be "fast food for the eyes" in bullet form, and are NEVER read to the audience.

F. Eat a good high protein breakfast the morning of your presentation. Even if you're not speaking until that evening, feed your mind and body the proper fuel.

4. Before your presentation, check yourself in a full-length mirror. A dear friend of mine forgot to do this. During her keynote speech in front of hundreds, someone quietly pointed out that her skirt was tucked into her pantyhose!

5. Public speaking and purpose: When organizing your talk, define your purpose. Why are you there? Why are they there? Is this a sales presentation? A community watch group? If you present technical information, is this an information/knowledge transfer or a decision briefing? When presenting technical information make certain not to overload your audience with too much detail, or too much on each slide. Tailor your message. Define your objective.

6. Know your audience before designing your opener and close. It is imperative that you "speak the language" of your audience. What are their ages? Percentage of males/females? Are they highly technical or non-technical? Do they want to be there or is this mandatory? What are their expectations? If you are a scientist or engineer, speak to the "lowest common denominator." Technical presenters have a propensity to use a lot of technical jargon. Does the person in charge of funding understand the language?

7. Avoid using too many slides. Visual aids are wonderful tools as long as they're used to enhance the information. A common mistake is using the visual aids as the presentation. Look at the audience frequently to establish rapport and a connection. In almost every presentation, you are there to "sell" them not simply "tell" them. Do not look at your visual aids other than a quick glance, and never read them. Never turn your back on the audience to read slides. They will not look at your slides. Their minds will start to wander. Remember, you are your own best visual aid.

8. Good public speaking skills mean being prepared. As the saying goes, prior planning prevents predictably poor performance. Planning and preparation will reduce nervousness 75%. Again, your audience will know if you didn't rehearse. Consider hiring a public speaking coach. The dollars invested may well be worth their weight in gold.

9. The Q & A period and how to handle a hostile audience. The second most frequent comment I hear in my public speaking seminars is "What if they ask a question and I don't know the answer?" Or, "What if someone in the audience is a know-it-all and doesn't like me?" Avoid being argumentative. If you don't know the answer, ask if someone in the audience has the answer. Or, simply let them know when you will get back to them. Make certain you do. When you lie you die. It destroys your credibility.

10. Variety and venue. Variety serves as a "wake up call" to your audience. Examples of adding variety: humor, relevant stories, quotes, voice inflection, paired and group activities, pauses, audience participation in the question and answer period, and slides or other multimedia. As for your venue, are your visual aids appropriate to your size of audience? Will everyone be able to see them?

Lastly, make sure to confirm the time, date, and place with the appropriate contact person. If possible, arrange to see the room ahead of time so you can practice visualizing in the exact location of your presentation. At the minimum, arrive at least one hour ahead of time. To improve public speaking skills, and overcome nervousness, nothing works like being prepared.

Copyright 2006 Colleen Kettenhofen

Public Speaking: 10 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills
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Colleen Kettenhofen is a motivational speaker, workplace expert, & co-author of "The Masters of Success," as featured on the Today Show, along with Ken Blanchard and Jack Canfield. http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com Topics: leadership, management, difficult people, success, public speaking. To order the book, or for free articles and newsletter visit http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com You are free to reprint or repost this information provided Colleen Kettenhofen's name and website is provided with the article.

Public Speaking Do's & Don'ts - How to Use Notes When Speaking In Public

Public speaking experts can become public speaking snobs when it comes to the question of using notes when speaking. The super snobs will tell you to never use them, that they are sign of weakness and lack of skill, that they disconnect you from your audience, that they make you boring and dull.

But this is not necessarily true. You can use notes in such a way that allow you greater skill, confidence and effectiveness. Notes can free you up to take risks, be conversational, and have a little more spontaneous fun because you know you can always refer to your notes if you need to get back on track.

If you use notes, use them well.

Public Speaking Do's & Don'ts - How to Use Notes When Speaking In Public

5 DON'TS:

-- Don't read your notes!
There is nothing more boring than someone reading their speech. Don't stick your face in your notes and read them. You should know your speech well enough that you only need to glance at your notes once in a while to prompt you to the next point, story or interaction.

-- Don't fiddle with your note cards or paper.

Don't hold your notes in your hands, fiddle with them or fling them about like a feather boa. Not only is this distracting, but it tends to distance you from your audience. You don't want any object between you and your audience, whether it be your notes or a lectern.

-- Don't apologize.

If you need to refer to your notes, don't apologize. Don't say, "I'm sorry, I need to look at my notes." Why are you apologizing? You're not doing anything wrong.

-- Don't try to hide it.

Dale Carnegie states in his book, Public Speaking for Success, that if you have to use your notes, be sure your audience doesn't see you doing it. That's just nuts. Don't insult your audience by pretending not to look while you're looking. You never want to hide from your audience. It makes you appear untrustworthy.

5 DO's:

-- Make your notes user-friendly

Make sure your notes are easy for you to read and use. Use one sheet of paper that holds the outline of your speech with bullet points and short phrases. Just enough to remind you of what you want to say. Make the font huge so it's easy for you to see.

-- Keep them in one place.

Place you notes on a table or lectern and leave them there! If you need to refer to them, walk over, glance at them, and then continue with your speech.

-- Know your speech.

Know your speech well enough that you could present it without notes. Your notes should only be used as a prompt, not a crutch, just in case you need a little memory jog.

-- Be real and deliberate.

If you're going to look at your notes, do so confidently and deliberately. Don't try to sneak a look or pretend it's not happening. Walk over to those notes with confidence and take a good look.

-- Stay connected.

If you need to look at your notes, stop speaking, take a glance, then look up and be with your audience before you start speaking again. Never speak into your notes. It cuts off the connection between you and your audience. Take a glance and then be sure your eyes are with them before you launch into your next point.

Sometimes, just knowing you have notes available offers you enough extra security that you end up never having to use them. So, bring those notes along, use them well, and have a blast.

Public Speaking Do's & Don'ts - How to Use Notes When Speaking In Public
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Nancy Tierney teaches entrepreneurs how to speak in public with confidence, ease and their own kind of charisma. You can discover how to be completely confident any time you are expressing yourself in any way by going to: http://www.unconditionalconfidence.com .

The Four Methods of Delivery in Public Speaking

In some occasions, you may be asked to render a speech for a specific audience. Even though you are not really comfortable about the thought of speaking to an audience, you are left without a choice but to deliver one, anyway.

When saying No is not an option for you, think of being able to speak in public as a great privilege as well as an opportunity to be heard.

So, how comfortable or uncomfortable are you with speaking in front of an audience? How should you deliver your speech in front of a crowd who will inevitably pass some judgment over your performance? Below are the four methods of delivery in public speaking:

The Four Methods of Delivery in Public Speaking

1. Reading Your Speech. Unless you are having problems with your eyesight or you are not the one preparing your own speech, this is the easiest and the most convenient method in delivering a speech because you don't have to worry about mental blocks and unorganized speech. If you have problems with your eyesight, then you are at the risk of not being able to read your speech properly. It is also easy to get lost in your speech especially if you had asked someone else to write it for you. There are times when reading your piece is acceptable. For example, if you are tasked to do an invocation or a short opening prayer, you may want to prepare it ahead and read it in front of people who may not be able to notice you reading from a copy because they are bowing down their heads. It is also acceptable for an official, for example, to read from a copy especially if there are a lot points in the speech that require the accuracy in the delivery.

2. Relying On Your Memory. Committing and delivering your speech from memory will make or unmake you as a speaker. When done right and in a not so obvious manner, you can give your audience the impression that you are really well versed on the subject of your speech or presentation. However, if you rely on your memory and it failed, you are likely to can become the subject of ridicule, fun and embarrassment to your audience.

3. Rendering An Impromptu. This is a popular method of speech delivery wherein the speaker is usually asked to make an unrehearsed speech. If you are the spontaneous type of person and especially if you are asked to speak on a subject that you definitely have personal knowledge and experience about, you will usually not have a hard time rendering an impromptu.

4. Rendering An Extemporaneous Speech. This is more or less related to impromptu speech because the speaker has little or no time to rehearse or prepare for a speech. Oftentimes, an extemporaneous speech is held as a form of competition among students in order to encourage them to formulate their thoughts, ideas and opinion about a common topic of interest and concern.

The Four Methods of Delivery in Public Speaking
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Find out how Jeff Vankooten's communication workshops and public speaking seminars can help you improve your communication skills. Visit http://www.jeffreyspeaks.com today to receive a FREE special report on the 7 Essentials Every Speaker Needs To Know.