Sooner or later you will have to
make a speech, that is if you
are going to move forward to achieve your career goals.
Trauma time! Research shows that fear of speaking before a group
is one of the top horrors most of us can imagine.
Some managers who are confidence personified in one-on-one
situations turn to quivering Jell-O when called on to speak to a
group. Others, who can deliver their messages clearly and
forcefully from behind a desk, mumble, ramble and otherwise fall
flat on their faces when speaking before an audience.
Platform phobia will never disappear completely for most of us,
but the monster can be brought under control, so that we can
perform adequately as a public speaker.
It's all right to be afraid. So long as you keep your fear under
control, it will keep your battery charged and actually help you
make a better speech. And that is good enough for career success
most of the time, unless you want to go on the after-dinner
circuit.
Career Tips: 12 Steps To Success With Your Speeches
Here 12 steps you can take to conquer fear and do a better job
the next time you are called to the platform.
1. Be sure you know what is expected of you. What subject are
you expected to cover? Is your assignment to entertain or to
inform? How much time do you have?
2. Scope out the audience and setting. Who and how many will be
there? What are their interests, at what levels? What about the
physical setup of the site?
3. Prepare, prepare, prepare. If you are a neophyte speaker, put
your address in writing. If you are an experienced public
speaker, an outline will do. If it is truly a significant
speech, put it in writing.
4. A written speech is one thing, a spoken speech is another.
This means once you have it in writing, read it aloud,
repeatedly, to make sure it sounds good as well as reads good.
5. Keep focused on the subject. Identify no more than three or
four major points you want to make; and then take the advice of
Winston Churchill, one of the great orators of all time, who
said: "If you have an important point to make, don't try to be
subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then
come back and hit it again. Then hit a third time - a tremendous
whack."
6. Have someone else read your speech for clarity and logic. You
may be an unwitting victim of that old trap that goes like this:
"I know you believe you understand what you think I said. But I
am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I
meant." When you say something, make sure you have said it.
7. Practice with a tape recorder until you like what you hear.
If at all possible, have someone make a video tape of your
delivering the speech. Review it several times to understand how
others will hear your manner of speaking, and see the way you
use your hands, eye contact, etc. If you can't get a video tape
made, stand before a mirror for your rehearsal. Have someone
else observe your delivery.
Your posture, your tone of voice, your body gestures are as
powerful a carrier of your message as your words. Avoid
distractions such as jingling the change in your pocket,
scratching your head or rubbing your nose.
8. Dress appropriately. Research into the location of your
speech and the makeup of the audience will tell you how to
dress. In other words, don't handicap yourself by showing up in
a three-piece suit for a speech at a golf outing.
9. It's okay to speak from notes, but never read the text
verbatim, unless precise wording is required as in a legal
document. Use a "highlighter" to identify key ideas in the
script. If you must read a portion of your message, make eye
contact with members of your audience frequently.
Whatever mode you are in, vary your voice ... tone, volume,
tempo.
10. Illustrate your speech with visual aids (i.e., slides, flip
charts, overheads) and with anecdotes, case histories. (Be sure
the projection equipment is working flawlessly.)
11. Speak one-to-one to your audience, not the mass. Make eye
contact with various individuals in different parts of the
audience. It can help to call out names of individuals in the
audience.
12. Keep your listeners in perspective. Remember, you are
presumed to know more about the subject than they do. You are in
command.
Following these 12 steps won't make you an overnight rock star
on the platform, but they will propel you toward achieving your
career goals.
About the author:
For free advice on how to achieve your career goals click here: http://www.commonsenseatwork.com>
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Your Blog For Career Advice via this route. Greenwood's common
sense career advice comes from a world of experience, including
serving as Senior Vice President of American Express, an
entrepreneur, professional director, career coach and author.
