Skip to main content

What I've Learned As a Speaker

Wow!  October was a busy month of speaking engagements.  As much as I love being in front of a crowd, I always relish a brief break.  Breaks give us a chance to step back for a minute and review our performance.  It offers us opportunity to think about how we can be better, learn more, take a different approach.  When speaking publicly or training, I often distribute evaluations after sessions to get feedback on my delivery.  If I don't get the chance, I always ask the host who invited me to share the results of evaluations they've taken during the events.  I don't get disturbed by one or two critical comments because as we all know, you can't please everyone.  I listen to the consensus of the group.  If, overall, people are pleased, then so am I.  However, I'm always looking to improve.  Based on what I've learned and what I've witnessed in other speakers, I'll share three things that make the difference in delivering a great presentation:
  1. Involve your audience in your delivery.  Few people enjoy being lectured to for 45 minutes to an hour or longer.  Find a way to get them to participate so that the interaction results in driving home your message.
  2. Dress your message up with fresh language and one new idea, if possible.  There are very few topics that haven't been spoken about a million times.  But, any topic can be presented in a new or different way so that the audience will stay interested.  If you can, include a unique perspective that differentiates your speech.  For example, I address the topic of change management by sharing the story of a trip I took to Italy to tour a urine plant.  Yeah, it's weird but intriguing.  Also, avoid cliches "like the plague".  Nothing will dry out a speech worse than the same old trite statements.
  3. Stay focused on your message.  There's nothing more frustrating to an audience than a rambling speech.  They happen as a result of poor preparation.  Never wing a speech.  A lack of preparation becomes evident immediately to an experienced audience.  When you lose focus, they lose patience.  
 Deliver a speech that will make people want to invite you back again and again.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What It Means to Speak Truth to Power

     "Speaking truth to power" has become a common phrase to use when speaking about truth and/or power in a discussion that encourages courageous discourse on controversial matters.  It is an old phrase coined back in the 1950s by the Quakers and is defined as "a non-violent political tactic, employed by dissidents against the received wisdom or propaganda of governments they regard as oppressive, authoritarian or an ideocracy." (Wikipedia)      I've heard it overused in a lot of ways and not with a clear purpose in its meaning within the context of what was being spoken.  We latch onto certain words and phrases as language goes in and out of style on almost a monthly basis.  In this current generation, there seems to be a new word or phrase created daily and then abandoned when they become overused like worn out sneakers from last year's fall collection.  But words have staying power even if you get tired of hearing the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Taming the Tongue

     You don't have to be a bible reader or believer to know that the following statement is true in the book of James:  "...but no man can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."  Seem a little strong?  Not really.  It's one of those hard truths we don't like to face.  As much as we like to think we can control what we say, many of us fail at it.  We don't often think before we speak, and that lack of forethought has ruined many a relationship.  How many apology tours have you seen in the media these past few years with notable people having to smooth over some ill-spoken statement based on their biases?  How many celebrities have had to make nice with GLAAD because of some homophobic slur or with some minority organization because of racially charged words toward a particular ethnic group?  It happens regularly because the tongue seems to take on a life of its own.  And with the ubiquit...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Stop Interruptions in Conversations

     So you're sitting in a meeting, and you begin to answer a question that has been directed toward you by your boss.  You get through about half of your response when a colleague jumps in and offers his take and essentially silences you.  There is evidence that if you are a woman, this will happen to you more often than if you are a man, and it's likely to happen to you by both genders.      Interruptions in communications like this happen all the time whether you're in a group offering your opinion or one-on-one sharing a story.  Regardless of the setting, we all find it annoying and rude.  These disruptions of dialogue hamper thought processes, contribute to misunderstandings, and devalue people's input.  So what do we do when they keep happening to us?  A few worthy suggestions can be found in Kathryn Vasel's article,  "Next time someone interrupts you in a meeting, try this" .      But what...
1 comment
Read more