To spice up talk, stimulate my brain

It must be a reading problem.  The invitation said deliver the feature address not read the feature address.  Why then did our guest speaker treat the audience with such contempt that it appeared OK to read to the audience?

Why not just mail out copies of the speech and we could have saved ourselves the trouble of putting on make up, selecting an outfit and hustling to reach on time. The opportunity to deliver the feature address is exactly that, “To deliver.”  It is exciting, a chance to engage the hearts and minds of people. Then why do speakers often choose to bore people to slumber?  Paul Edwards of the University of Michigan answers this question in one word -“fright.”  He continues, “It’s easier to hide behind the armour of a written paper, which you’ve had plenty of time to work through, than simply to talk.” Academia is what seems to promote the acceptability of reading your paper.  Ironically, rhetoric, defined as “the skill of persuasive oral argumentation” is one of the most ancient academic disciplines, dating to Plato’s Dialogues and before. If you invite me to a lecture or even a “sod” turning ceremony I might be inclined to listen to your reading but when I’m invited to a seminar, dinner or breakfast meeting, then please stimulate my mind. Am I the only one who agrees with Michigan University’s Mr Edwards? If not, here are some suggestions to spice up your next feature address.

Have something to say
Invest the time to understand the theme and the objectives of your host.  Put the effort into the research and preparation so that you become a subject matter expert.  Audiences know when you are bluffing or not confident about a particular point.  Balance the thin line between information over load and adequate preparation.  Ensure that your material suits your audience. This suggests that you need to research your audience. 

Ask these questions
Why are they there?  What do they expect?  What do they want or need?  Having an audience centred approach to preparing your talk will ensure that you maintain your focus and deliver a few key messages.  A good rule of thumb is to make no more than three main points in any given talk.  Inspire your audience to want to find out more about what you covered.   Litter your presentation with memorable vignettes. Once your material is covered, you’re well on your way making an excellent presentation.

Overcome the nervousness every speaker feels.
Contrary to popular belief, nervousness can help your presentation.  We feel nervous because we’re alive.  Research on public speaking ranks the fear of public speaking among the top five fears people experience.  The way to overcome this fear and the nervousness it causes is by practice.  The cliche goes, “Practice kills panic.”  Practice increases your level of confidence because it re-assures you that you are in control of the material. 

Develop your own pre-speech routine
This may include a brisk walk or developing your own self talk.  Tell your muscles, brain and nervous system to back-off since you intend to do a good job.  Remember, nervousness is contagious and you don’t want to be responsible for creating nervousness in your audience.

Be groomed
Audiences form an impression about you the moment you enter a room.  Be selective in your choice of attire. Ensure that your clothes support the image you wish to portray.  Suits are still the norm for business attire but women can take the liberty of adding some colour to the outfit.  If your have any doubts about your attire, err on the side of conservatism.  Remember, your grooming and personal hygiene reflect how you feel about yourself and you should want to reflect a “together” image.

Effective presentations take courage and preparation but once you have accepted the invitation “to deliver” the feature address or talk, ensure that you leave a memorable impression on your audience. While these ideas focused on making presentations and speeches, they can be applied to our daily business encounters.  One statistic suggests that more than 35 million presentations are made everyday.  Ensure that your presentation is among the top ten percent which achieves its objectives. I read somewhere that “a speech is a solemn responsibility. The man who makes a bad thirty minute speech to 200 people only wastes half hour of his own time. But he wastes 100 hours of the audience’s time - more than four days. This should be a hanging offence”. The next time you have a speech to prepare, think of the consequences. The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Guardian Life. You are invited to send your comments to guardianlife@ghl.co.tt