Public Speaking
It’s as simple as learning the three
Ps.
by Anne L. Anastasi, CLTP
TWEENS
& TEENS News January 2008
Consider this statement: Many people would
rather encounter a snake or have a root canal
than stand in front of others to give a speech.
Can you imagine giving a speech to a roomful
of listeners? Well, a snake and the dentist’s
drill may be lurking around the corner.
In my opinion, we need to attain a level of
comfort when speaking in public in order to
get back to fearing the more important things
in life, like running out of chocolate sauce.
Fear is a very personal thing. While no one
should tell you what or what not to be afraid
of, my goal is to help you reduce a fear of
talking in front of an audience.
Regarding public speaking, always remember
three simple steps— prepare, practice
and present. If you do the first two steps,
prepare and practice, you will have little
to worry about when it comes to the third
step of presenting. For much of what makes
us nervous is the fear of failing, which you
can minimize if you know your talk down pat!
Once you know the talk you’re giving,
you might merely get nervous about equipment
failures and laryngitis.
You can also deal with a fear of speaking
in public by realizing that the audience is
full of people who are afraid of giving speeches.
Such audience members are rooting for you
to succeed because if you fail, they will
feel uncomfortable and someone else will have
to take over... And remember, many people
would rather face a snake than have to be
the one speaking aloud in public.
PREPARE
“Winging it” is not acceptable
when giving a speech. It is unfair to an audience
that has taken the time to hear you. Winging
it is also unfair to the people who have asked
you to speak. And, if your speech is a sales
presentation or a final project for class,
it is unfair to you— your livelihood
may depend on the presentation.
Begin with an outline. All good speeches should
have a beginning, middle and end. Your outline
should follow this premise and focus on the
key ideas.
As time passes, you should edit the outline.
It should remain fluid and expand as necessary
by adding key points here and there. However,
it should remain an outline and not a fully
written speech. An outline functions as a
guide or map, not a fully written essay.
PRACTICE
The second step in the three-step public speaking
process is all about talking to yourself,
or practicing your speech. This step is simple
yet imperative.
Once you have the outline, take it to a quiet
room and speak aloud from it. Jot down intelligent
things you say during each practice session.
But rather than write the statements verbatim,
include just enough detail to help you remember
what you said.
Make sure your technical facts are correct
and put them in the outline. This enables
you to have a safety net in case you’re
forgetful or overly nervous when standing
in front of your audience for the actual thing.
If you lack time to cover the whole outline
during an individual practice session, tackle
a portion that session. The key is to practice
your speech aloud at least three times entirely,
jotting down notes as you go.
You may decide to change the order of what
you cover or your focus during the first practice
session. Don’t get married to any single
idea until you have heard it delivered aloud.
If the speech doesn’t flow, you will
be the first one to hear it, which is far
better than having your audience hear you
meander.
Practicing out loud also helps you time your
talk. However, be prepared with extra material
because when you are nervous you tend to speak
quickly. A few anecdotal stories will help
you fill your allotted time, if necessary.
Wait until the speech is over to see if you
need to add your extra material. Sticking
extra stories in the middle of your talk may
keep you from making the important points.
The reason the practice portion of your preparation
is imperative to your success is that the
talk needs to become routine. Get to know
the talk so well that you can simply let it
happen. This ease of speaking occurs when
you have practiced the speech ample times.
PRESENT
The third “P” in the three-step
process is for the presentation itself. While
the first two Ps take dedication and diligence,
the third P takes passion.
A motivational speech requires the highest
form of passion, but having passion and conveying
it can be two different things. During your
preparation and practice, make sure you use
phrases that should motivate your audience—
and motivate you the speaker. Such phrases
include “a tremendous idea,” “an
outstanding method” and “a world-class
product.”
Technical talks and sales presentations also
require passion, albeit at a less flamboyant
level. Your passion should then show in your
knowledge of the topic or in your belief in
your product.
Before your presentation, warm up your brain.
Like our muscles, our brains benefit from
a good warm-up period before the main event.
I like to pick numbers between one and 100
and try to remember a professional athlete
who wore the chosen number.
When you present, a good beginning helps the
audience relax. Perhaps begin by giving thanks
to the people who invited you to speak and
to your audience members for their attendance.
A nice comment about the area, town or state
is always appropriate, but sincerity is a
must. I remember receiving a speeding ticket
in Indianapolis. When I opened a speech there,
I commented how kind the people in Indiana
were, as even the police wanted to personally
welcome me to their fine state.
There is a school of thought that says you
should open with a joke, but let’s just
say your opening should make people smile.
Please remember that humor should always be
clean and not offensive.
The Speech Itself
You have practiced from your outline and you
know your talk cold; now let it happen. Look
down at your outline when you need to be guided
to the next point, but do not panic if you
lose your train of thought. Remember, you
are standing in front of a group of people
who are pulling for you to succeed. If you
have a temporary lapse, do what I do: Look
at the audience, take a visible breath and
say, “I bet this has never happened
to you, but I just forgot what I was going
to say.” The audience will laugh, which
then gives you a moment to find your place.
As for the ending, it’s time to leave
a final impression. For technical talks, you
may opt to end with a compliment for your
audience, saying something like, “Thanks
for bearing with me. I’ll stick around
for questions but make them easy because my
brain is as fried as yours.”
If you have just presented a motivational
talk, consider finishing with a brief story
about someone you consider a hero. It may
be about a historical figure or someone with
an unrecognizable name who has done something
that has moved you.
Practice your ending story more than any other
segment of your talk because it is the portion
of your speech that leaves the important last
impression. You want to leave your audience
members feeling as if they have gained something
from your words and thankful they came to
hear you speak.
Anne L. Anastasi, CLTP, is the author
of Fearless Public Speaking (iUniverse, Inc.),
which can be found at www.troonmanagement.com.
