If you are giving an after dinner speech, or a conference address, or
a presentation at work, do you want to impress your audience?
Of course you do.
You can, but you mustn't take it for granted. You need to work at it.
You need to prepare.
I am sure you have heard this said time and again - `The key to success
is preparation'. Well, it is true, and no more so than when speaking in
public.
You have just one chance to impress, and that is all. You may well give
the same talk at another time to different group of people, but each one
of those listening to you will hear it just once. Your talk has got to
be right on the night. You cannot use your audience as a sounding board for an untried
or tested delivery.
(On the other hand, you can and must try to get feedback from your audience
afterwards, in order to make your already well-prepared talk even better
next time).
So give your speech to yourself first of all. Time it. Speak it out loud
in order to obtain accurate timings because just saying it in your head
will not give a true result. Plan the points where you want to give special
emphasis. Plan the moments to lower your voice or to raise it. Prepare
especially well the start and the finish - the start to grab your audience's
attention, and the finish to leave it with the thoughts you want it to
go away with.
When you are happy with your speech if possible try it out on a group
of friends or colleagues. Pay attention to what they tell you. Where there
are weak moments, strengthen them. Where there are parts that were hard
to understand, clarify them. Hone your delivery based on their comments.
Only when you are totally familiar with your contents and your delivery
will you be ready for the real thing.
And what about the content? This aspect appears to be so obvious that
it almost goes without saying. Almost, but not quite. You must know your
facts and you must be confident with them. Of course, people do attempt
to speak in public on subjects about which they know very little. They
do it all the time. They impress nobody. Don't do it.
If you don't know your subject back to front and inside out you will be
found out. Be sure of it. So check what you think you know and research
what you don't know. Gather as much information as you can. It is impossible
to know too much.
Don't try to put it all in your talk, however, but be selective. The more
information you have to start with and the better you yourself understand
it, the better your selection will be. Keep all the surplus information
in reserve for answering questions with authority (and maybe keep some
for another talk another time). Just be very very sure that what you do
say is true and accurate so that you can say it with certainty and confidence.
Next time you are asked to give a talk in public you will know what to
do.
