An article on public speaking by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE
1.
Open Hot, Close Hotter.
To grab audience attention and be
remembered, start the presentation with a bang, not a limp,
"Thanks, it's nice to be here." The first (and last) 30
seconds have the most impact on the audience. Save any greetings
and gratitude until they've already grabbed the audience
with a powerful opening. And don't end with a whimper. Remember
that last words linger. Unfortunately, many speakers close
with, "Are there any questions?" Wrong! Instead, say, "Before
I close, are there any questions?" Answer them. Then close
on a high note.
2. Get the Inside Scoop.
Attendees at one of my seminars, "How to Be a Coach to Your
Client," want to know how they can personalize and add excitement
and color to the speeches they craft for others. How, they
ask, can they get those invaluable inside stories? I suggested
they do what I do--interview the speaker's client's colleagues
and family members. These people are familiar with the "stories"
the speaker often tells, stories that have already been
honed to what I call the "Hollywood model" (characters,
dialogue, dramatic lesson learned). What insights and amusing
stories can they share? Advise your members to ask others
for input that can provide color and energy to a presentation.
3. Try Inside-Out Speaking.
Don't write speeches for people to read. Instead, sit down
with them, in person or on the phone, and ask them questions.
I do this, pulling out of them their ideas, stories, life
experiences, philosophies, and examples through questions.
Then my job is to help them organize, wordsmith, and deliver
these comments with more drama.
Although the client and I often end up with a script that
can then be edited and tightened, the words grow out of
our conversations. I call this "inside-out" speaking. My
work represents a cleaned-up conversation; one the speaker
is going to have with the audience. Of course, a script
is not a conversation, but if it sounds conversational,
it is far more appealing and much easier to deliver directly
to the audience without reading it word for word. Emotional
contact is impossible without eye contact.
4. Provide Five Magic Moments.
How are great speeches like classic Hollywood movies? Movie
promoters say that a successful film has to have five magic
moments for each viewer, though not necessarily the same
five. When it does, people will talk about it and add enough
energy to a paid advertising campaign to make it a hit.
Be sure each presentation has five great moments--dramatic,
humorous, profound, or poignant--that the audience can relive
in their minds later and repeat to their friends.
5. Avoid Borrowed Stories.
I urge you to create vivid, personal stories for their presentations.
Imagine how I once felt, sitting in an audience of 18,000
people, listening to Barbara Bush describe a great story
she had read in Chicken Soup for the Soul--my own story
which made the point, "What you do speaks louder than what
you say." (Yes, I know Ralph Waldo Emerson said it first.)
Did Barbara Bush mention it was my story? No.
But even if she had mentioned my name, I think she missed
a huge opportunity with her speech. Back then; I imagined
her sitting in bed at the White House, going through stacks
of books with a highlighter pen for things to talk about.
Since then, I've realized that a speech writer did the research
and wrote her words. My point? I'm not upset she didn't
credit me. Just disappointed that someone with Barbara Bush's
incredible life experiences did not share them. I am sure
she had much more interesting recent topics and perceptions
than reporting on something someone said to me many years
ago. That's how audiences will feel if your members repeat
things they've read instead of experienced.
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