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Carolyn Smagalski
Business Basics
Founder - Editor - Host
Most of the world population has a fear of speaking in public.
The mere phrase, “Public Speaking,” conjures up images of
formality and the pressure to perform in an uncomfortable
situation. The idea of having all eyes riveted on you –
assessing your appearance, dissecting your tone, processing
your words, looking for errors – can be unnerving. The fact
is, unless you deliver your talk in a way that captures the
crowd, you will NOT have all eyes on you and they won’t ask
you back. If this is a one-time deal, then it won’t really
matter – so relax!
Professional speakers have a treasure-chest full of trade
secrets they use for the presentation of their topic. Once you
have a little bit of background, you will be able to identify
these techniques the next time you hear someone at a public
forum. You may even look back to the most memorable segments
of past speeches and seminars you attended, awed at the
adeptness with which the speakers delivered those smooth
techniques.
The Punch Line
Did you know that most professionals have a formula for
delivering a punch line? It is NOT the random, quickly
delivered phrase it appears to be. A punch line is never used
in a talk unless the speaker has rehearsed it, word-for-word,
at least 50 times. The speaker “chooses” one person in the
crowd to deliver the line to, and that one person is well
selected. During the speech, the speaker observes who laughs
first and hardest - the one person who is most focused,
responsive, and confident and who magnetizes the people around
him – and focuses on that person when he speaks his punch
line. The phrase is delivered with a slight pause just prior
to delivery. Then, the tonality of the voice changes, he leans
into the microphone, and clearly delivers the line, with an
increased “punch” to the words. Then says nothing, allowing
the audience time to process the words and to laugh. You may
wish to practice this yourself, particularly at a party or
having dinner with your family. They may express sudden shock
at your new-found ability to tell a joke. If it doesn’t work,
practice in front of a mirror, and try again next time.
Practice, practice, practice. Fifty times.
By the way, the longer the “set-up,” the funnier the
punch line needs to be, so fight any compulsion to make the
joke last. Set it up, and deliver the punch. Bam!
Chunks of Speech
A chunk, or “bit,” is a small section of your speech
that is so related that it is easy to memorize. Professionals
learn their talks in these small chunks; then, thread them all
together in a way that makes one flow into the next in a
logical manner. Chunking makes it easy to learn, because you
are only reviewing short passages at any one time. If there is
a spot in your talk that is particularly difficult to
remember, you have it separated out, and the review is easier.
Another significant point is that your audience does not know
where you are going with your talk, so if you leave a chunk
out – either because you forgot it, or because a change in
schedule allows you less time on stage - it will not
significantly affect the overall message.
Attention Clips
Make sure you are not putting anybody to sleep, either by
talking too long, or by droning on in an uninteresting way.
After creating your talk in chunks, review it. Insert
“attention-getting clips” every 2 to 4 minutes. These add
color to your talk. Some recommendations for attention-getting
clips are:
Insert a story that has a personal tone to it.
Have
the audience interact with one another.
Ask
questions that will prompt a show of hands.
Show
a visual - a photo, chart, book, or poster
Move
around the room – gauge your movements to the size of
the crowd. If the audience is large, make slower movements and
more exaggerated hand motions. However, regardless of the size
of your audience, only use movement as an occasional attention
getter. Excessive movements are generally distracting.
Hold
up a prop – this can either be humorous, or it can be an item
related to the subject matter. You might even use an
illustrative toy – magnets, balancing toys, marionettes…even a
short test.
Change the tone of your voice, either by increasing the
inflection, or softening it as if to share a secret with your
listeners.
Throw out a humorous one liner or a quote from a famous
person. If you use the quote, give a little background about
the source.
Write on a white-board or flip chart – Brian Tracy is famous
for using this technique.
Give
out one or two items that you normally sell. This gives you a
good reason to do a mini-commercial for your business.
Throw in a picture of your children (“Oops! How did THAT
get in there?”)
Have
someone in the audience come up on stage to assist you.
Collaborate with someone in the audience before your talk
to become a part of the show when you say a certain “key
word,” but keep it related to your talk.
You get the picture. On the other hand, do not use any words
or phrases that will cause the thoughts of your audience to
wander. Anything that would make them "stop and think"
is usually not productive during a talk.
These are a few ideas to help you prepare for giving a
professional presentation. There is much more to public
speaking than PowerPoint and a computer mouse. Don’t be dull.
With a little creativity, you can wow them, whether it is a
small group of six or a large group of 6,000.
Content copyright © 2003-2008 by Carolyn
Smagalski. All rights reserved. This content was written
by Carolyn Smagalski. If you wish to use this content in any
manner, you need written permission.
Contact Carolyn Smagalski
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