RON SATHOFF'S SPEAKER TIPS
Are You Faced With Upcoming Engagements as a Speaker? Don't Panic. Use Some of the Following Tips to Make Your Presentation Shine.
c2001 by Ron Sathoff
Do you have a speaking engagement coming up? Here are some tips that can help you sharpen your presentation:
SHOULD YOU USE RHETORICAL QUESTIONS?
Rhetorical questions (questions that don't require an answer from another person) are probably as old as public speaking itself. Like anything else, this technique has its uses, but can be very tiresome if used overmuch or in the wrong circumstances.
The problem with rhetorical questions is that they can sometimes be confusing. I've heard speeches where someone has rhetorically asked "Think about it. When was the last time you were TRULY happy?" only to have an audience member say out loud, "Yesterday!" Needless to say, the speaker was a little disoriented by the unexpected answer.
Because rhetorical questions can be hard to handle and because they have a tendency to sound stiff and formal, I recommend that you ask TRUE questions (ones that require an answer) whenever you can. This is especially true if you're in a normal speaking situation, where you can communicate back-and-forth freely with your audience.
There are two reasons why I recommend doing this. First, it sounds much more conversational--rhetorical questions don't come up a lot in normal conversation. Second, by asking your audience actual questions and gathering the answers, you're creating a sense of participation in your speech. Your audiences will pay better attention and remember your speech more if they take an active part in it.
So, the next time you feel like saying something like, "We've all had a bad meal, haven't we?" and going on without pausing, try saying "How many of you have had a truly BAD meal in the past week? Raise your hand if you have (watch how many hands go up). Wow, that's a LOT of bad food, and that's what I'm here to talk about."
You'll find that, by actually communicating with your audience in this way, your message will be better received.
USE AN "INVERTED TRIANGLE" IN YOUR INTRODUCTION
When I was teaching public speaking, one of the biggest complaints I heard from my students was, "I don't know how to start." This is a problem that goes far beyond classroom speeches. Many of the questions I get from business speakers are also about introductions.
* Should I use a joke?
* Should I just state my position right away?
* How do I get the audience's attention?
One tool that I've found to be very useful when trying to write an introduction is called the "Inverted Triangle." This concept is used mainly in journalism, but it works great for speech introductions, as well. When writing your introduction, visualize it as a triangle with its widest part at the top and the point at the bottom.
This triangle represent show specific your information is at any given time in your introduction. The wide part at the top represents fairly general information, and, as the triangle becomes narrower, the information becomes more specific. In essence, the inverted triangle is just a way to remember that you should go from the general to the specific in your introduction.
I've found that the best way to put this into practice is to start off by talking about some general issue or problem. Then, I try to apply it more specifically to the audience that I'm talking to. Then I become even more specific by advocating a particular plan or solution.
As an example, if you were giving a presentation on your business opportunity, you might begin by talking about the economy (general) and how hard it is for some people to make ends meet (a little more specific). Then, you would discuss how nice it would be for your audience to have some extra money to pay bills or buy that luxury item they've always wanted (more specific). Then, finally, you would introduce your opportunity as a way they could accomplish this (even more specific).
As you can see, this format is a nice way of leading into a subject. By using the triangle, you can "ease" your way into making your main point at the end of the introduction. The inverted triangle certainly isn't the only way to structure an introduction, but it's very helpful when an introduction doesn't spring immediately to mind.
Ron Sathoff, manager of http://InternetWriters.com, offers a full range of services to business and professional speakers, including speech writing and editing, personal coaching, and presentation development. You can reach him by emailing: ron@drnunley.com or by calling (801) 328-9006
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