Public Speaking Do’s & Don’ts...

Public Speaking Do’s & Don’ts - How to Use Notes When Speaking In Public
(By Nancy Tierney)



Public speaking experts can become public speaking snobs when it comes to the question of using notes when speaking. The super snobs will tell you to never use them, that they are sign of weakness and lack of skill, that they disconnect you from your audience, that they make you boring and dull.

But this is not necessarily true. You can use notes in such a way that allow you greater skill, confidence and effectiveness. Notes can free you up to take risks, be conversational, and have a little more spontaneous fun because you know you can always refer to your notes if you need to get back on track.

If you use notes, use them well.



5 DON’TS:

— Don’t read your notes!
There is nothing more boring than someone reading their speech. Don’t stick your face in your notes and read them. You should know your speech well enough that you only need to glance at your notes once in a while to prompt you to the next point, story or interaction.

— Don’t fiddle with your note cards or paper.
Don’t hold your notes in your hands, fiddle with them or fling them about like a feather boa. Not only is this distracting, but it tends to distance you from your audience. You don’t want any object between you and your audience, whether it be your notes or a lectern.

— Don’t apologize.
If you need to refer to your notes, don’t apologize. Don’t say, “I’m sorry, I need to look at my notes.” Why are you apologizing? You’re not doing anything wrong.

— Don’t try to hide it.
Dale Carnegie states in his book, Public Speaking for Success, that if you have to use your notes, be sure your audience doesn’t see you doing it. That’s just nuts. Don’t insult your audience by pretending not to look while you’re looking. You never want to hide from your audience. It makes you appear untrustworthy.



5 DO’s:

— Make your notes user-friendly
Make sure your notes are easy for you to read and use. Use one sheet of paper that holds the outline of your speech with bullet points and short phrases. Just enough to remind you of what you want to say. Make the font huge so it’s easy for you to see.

— Keep them in one place.
Place you notes on a table or lectern and leave them there! If you need to refer to them, walk over, glance at them, and then continue with your speech.

— Know your speech.
Know your speech well enough that you could present it without notes. Your notes should only be used as a prompt, not a crutch, just in case you need a little memory jog.

— Be real and deliberate.
If you’re going to look at your notes, do so confidently and deliberately. Don’t try to sneak a look or pretend it’s not happening. Walk over to those notes with confidence and take a good look.

— Stay connected.
If you need to look at your notes, stop speaking, take a glance, then look up and be with your audience before you start speaking again. Never speak into your notes. It cuts off the connection between you and your audience. Take a glance and then be sure your eyes are with them before you launch into your next point.

Sometimes, just knowing you have notes available offers you enough extra security that you end up never having to use them. So, bring those notes along, use them well, and have a blast.




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8 Keys... Q/A...

8 Keys to an Effective Q&A (Questions and Answers) Session

(By Craig Valentine, 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking)

Key 1: Set expectations as to how many questions you will take or how long you will entertain questions. For example, I usually say, “We’ll take 4 or 5 questions and then I’ll wrap up the message.” Or I might say, “We have 5 minutes for questions and then we’ll put a bow on the message for today.”

Along with setting expectations, you should also let your audience know that this is not the end. This is why I add “and then we’ll wrap up the message.” Otherwise, because audiences are used to most speakers ending with the Q and A, they might think you are at the end, which could prompt them to start packing up their papers and shuffling around in anticipation of leaving. You can solve this by setting the right expectations at the beginning of the Q and A.

Key 2: Do not ask, “Do you have any questions?” or “Are there any questions?” People might not respond. Instead, ask, “What questions do you have?” This is no longer about whether or not they have a question; it is about what questions they have and how many. Questions will flow out if you prompt in an open-ended way rather than using the yes or no question.

Key 3: Rephrase the questions. This accomplishes the following three things:

1. It affirms the person who asked the question and makes him or her feel understood.

2. It helps the other audience members understand what was asked because many times the questioners do not have a microphone and the audience can't hear them

3. It gives you time to formulate your response.

Key 4: Frame your responses. For example, if it is going to be a 3-part response, let them know. You might say, “There are 3 critical strategies you can use. First, second…and finally…” This way, even if you do speak a little longer than you want, it will not feel like you are rambling. It will still be a structured response.

Key 5: Make sure your answers are brief. Anticipate what they will ask and prepare for those answers in advance. The longer you take to answer, the quicker they will stop believing you.

Key 6: Try to call on questioners from all 4 major sections of your audience. Call on someone in the front, the back, to the left, and to the right. Make them all feel involved. Also, don't just call on the "friendly faces."

Key 7: Acknowledge the importance or validity of the question. I know some speakers say, “Don’t tell people they asked a good question because then everyone else you didn’t say that to will get offended.” Let them be offended. If somebody gets offended because you praised someone else, that’s their personal problem not yours. Occasionally saying, “Great question” does much more good than harm. However, only say it if you mean it.

Key 8: Occasionally ask, “Does that make sense?” Do not overdo it, but do use it especially if you are not sure you addressed the person’s question adequately or you read uncertainty on the person’s face (or hear it in the person’s voice). It does not hurt to check.

Final Thoughts

If you incorporate these 8 keys into your question and answer period, you will keep deepening your connection with each response without destroying the flow of your speech.

A Five-Part Formula...

A Five-Part Formula for Making a Content-Rich Speech

If you want to be known as a content-rich speaker, you will want to follow my PARTS Formula.

(By Craig Valentine, 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking)

P = Phrase

Have you ever seen a story or speech that was all over the place? Have you ever given one? Chances are this is because the speaker did not start creating the speech in the right place. You should start creating each story (or other anchor) by writing out your Foundational Phrase. This is the phrase upon which that entire story is built.

For example, I tell a story about a boss who tried to keep me with the company by offering me more money. The Foundational Phrase to that story is “Your Dream is not for sale.” This is the point my audience walks away remembering. If you want your audience to remember your point, then leave them with powerful Foundational Phrases for each anchor you use. Make sure these phrases are fewer than 10 words.

A – Anchor

Every point you make should be anchored by an illustration of some kind. I use 4 kinds of anchors in almost every speech I give. I call these my “4 As for For Anchors.” They are

1. Anecdote (a story)

2. Activity

3. Analogy

4. Acronym

You probably already know that the essence of public speaking is to “tell a story and make a point (i.e. Bill Gove).” However, in longer speeches, you should mix up your anchors and use activities, analogies, and acronyms along with your anecdotes. Just make sure every single point you make is illustrated with an anchor. When your audience remembers the anchor, they will not forget the point, especially if the point is made using a strong Foundational Phrase.

R = Reflection

It’s not good enough for our audience to listen to us. Our job is to get them to listen to themselves. Through our speech, they should think and realize how they will use the tools (processes, formulas, recipes, steps, etc.) to improve their own lives. To do this, we must get them to reflect rather than just listen. You can do this by asking questions before, during, and after your anchor. For example:

• Before getting into the story I mentioned above, I ask, “What do you think is the number one thing that stands between most people and their dreams.”

• During the story, I talk about how we sometimes let the good get in the way of the best. I then turn to my audience and ask, “When it comes to your goals and dreams, are you too good to be great?”

• After the story, I ask my initial question again by stating, “So let me ask you now, what is the number one thing that stands between most people and their dreams?” Hopefully they have changed their perspective a bit because of the anchor.

Another example I use is in regards to imagination as I explain how I stepped on the world championship stage at least 1000 times in my mind before I ever got their physically. To get them to reflect on their lives, I ask my audiences, “What stage are you stepping on mentally at least 1000 times?” The key is to allow enough silence for them to be able to answer (in their own minds of course).

How are you currently getting your audiences to go beyond listening and to start reflecting?

T = Technique

If you want to have a long-lasting impact on your audience, then it is not enough to just give them theory. You must give them a way to turn that theory into a practice. For example, when I extol the benefits of using your imagination, I cannot simply just stop there. I must give them a technique for doing so. So I say to my audiences, “Write down your perfect day. Use all your senses, etc.” This gives them a way to turn the theory of imagination into something they can actually do.

When I talk to managers about innovation, I give them a process for using a WIP (Weekly Improvement Plan). Whenever the managers use the WIP, or my other audience members write down their perfect day, guess what? I am still speaking to them! What techniques (processes, tangible things to do) are you giving to your audiences?

S =Sale

Finally, it’s important to understand that when you are in speaking, you are in sales. We must learn to sell our messages and a great way to do this is to use “If…then” statements. For example, you might use the following:

“If you write down your perfect day, then you will find yourself moving towards your goals, dreams, and aspirations, even while you are sleeping.” [Opportunity for gain]

“If you don’t embrace this change, you will put your entire team at risk.” [Fear of loss]

Show them what they can get when they take an action, and show what they might end up with when they don’t.

Final thoughts:

This is the tip of the iceberg to the PARTS Formula. There are many dos and don’ts that go under each of these 5 keys. However, if you start reflecting on them now, then you will see areas you can immediately improve with your very next speech.

Coming next...

8 Keys to an Effective Q&A (Questions and Answers) Session

5 Ways to Ignite your Audience with your Introduction.

By Craig Valentine, 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking

(This lesson is about the introduction you provide for your introducer...)

Here is a Traditional Introduction for a Speaker

Do yourself a favour and read the following paragraph out loud as if you are using it to introduce the next speaker for an event. Really get into it.

Our Next Speaker is the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking. With more than 175,000 Toastmasters in 68 countries, and over 25,000 contestants, he came home with the first prize trophy and a significant amount of national and international recognition. In addition, our speaker is absolutely oblivious to the fact that we could care less what he has done and that we are much more interested in what we will be able to do after hearing him. Moreover, our speaker seems to have no idea that we are simply hoping for his autobiographical introduction to end so we can start clapping as if we are interested.

Finally, he does not realize that we are beginning to say to ourselves, "His entire introduction is about him; therefore I bet his entire speech is about him also. Why did I even come here today?" So, with that said, please help me welcome the person who would have the least effective introduction in history if it were not for the thousands of other presenters who have introductions just like his; the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking, Craig Valentine.

What's Wrong with that Introduction?

Do you get the point? How similar is your introduction to my old one that you read above? Is it about you or is it about what your audience will get out of your speech? Everything you do should be about the audience, including your introduction.

Your introduction flavours your entire speech. You can use it to get the audience fired up and excited about what they are going to hear, or you can use it to boost yourself up in their eyes. You can use it to whet their appetite with the valuable tools they are sure to get from your presentation, or, again, you can use it to boost yourself up in their eyes. Here is one thing I know for sure; once I changed my introduction from me-focused to you-focused, I gave myself an extreme advantage before I even said one word. You will too.

5 Ways to Fire Up Your Audience with your Introduction

An effective introduction is the difference between starting off in a hole or on solid ground. Here are some nuts and bolts tools you can use in your introduction to get off to a great start with your very next speech. Do not go into your next speech without them.

1. Start it off about them. Make your very first sentence about them. Instead of starting off with "Our next speaker today is the 1999 World Champion…" start with something like the following:

There is a definite process for keeping your audiences on the edge of their seats. It is not easy to come by and it is not easy to use. However, once you master it, you WILL find doors opening for you that you never even knew existed.

You might have noticed there were 5 you (or your) words used in those two sentences. Make it you-focused first. Start with them not with yourself. How many you-related words are in your introduction? Count them and make sure there are many more you-related words than there are I-related words.

2. Make a promise. Let them know not only what they will get, but also what those tools will empower them to do and to receive. In the example above, I tell them they will get a process that empowers them to keep their audiences on the edge of their seats and rewards them with more open doors and opportunities. That is a pretty compelling promise. What compelling promise do you make with your introduction?

3. Build your credibility but only with your relevant credentials – For example, I have a specific introduction for my teambuilding workshops. This specific introduction includes a piece that mentions how I won 3 consecutive East Coast Conference Championships and played in 2 NCAA March Madness tournaments as a college basketball player. Because this part of my history relates to teams, it belongs in this introduction on teambuilding.

However, as proud as I am about those basketball accomplishments, do you think they belong in my introduction if the speech is about presentation skills? If I was sitting in the audience and I heard the introducer say, "Our presentation coach today was also a college basketball player," I know I would be thinking, "Well, while he was dribbling up and down the court, was he giving speeches? If not, why do I care about his basketball past?" Only use the relevant information no matter how well-rounded you are. Even if you are extremely proud of something, if it does not fit, do not force it. Instead, leave it out. Is all the information in your introduction relevant to the subject at hand?

4. Use the introduction to set up something in your speech - For example, when I begin speaking, I often call back to my introduction by saying the following:

"Do you know, that even with all those accolades, people still do not like me? Do you know why they do not like me?"

Then I go into a humorous story about why they do not like me, but it all is set up by the accolades (relevant ones) in my introduction. Find ways to make your introduction seamlessly feed into your speech. How do you currently tie your speech back into your introduction?

5. Take everything about you and turn it into everything for them. If you do this, your audience will be ready and excited to receive your message. For example, instead of stating "Craig Valentine is the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking" I could make that actually matter to them by saying, "The process you will pick up today helped our speaker become the 1999 World Champion and you can use it to become a speaker in high-demand."

Do you get it? Turn everything about you into something for them. Doing this will get them fired up to hear your message. It tickles me now because when the introducer gets to the end up my introduction, he or she usually says, "Are you ready for the process?" At this point people actually begin yelling out, "Yes!" That is some great energy to walk into for a speech. Are you turning everything about you into everything for them?

Follow the 5 guideposts listed here and watch as your audience members lean forward in their seats and anxiously await your presentation. That is how you ignite your audience with your introduction.

Final thoughts:

What you say after you are introduced is obviously critical as well and using a powerful story is a great way to begin your speech. In fact, being able to tell your story and sell your point is the essence of powerful public speaking.

Coming next...

A Five-Part Formula for Making a Content-Rich Speech