Delivering a speech
The question of preparing for a speech is very similar to preparing for a presentation. This can be found elsewhere in the resources section of the website.
Let us assume that everything is ready for you to deliver your speech. Yet many speakers still trip up because they have failed to prepare themselves for the place where the speech will take place.
Imagine walking towards the stage and tripping over a loose TV cable, dropping your notes on the floor. Then you find that you forgot to number the pages and have to spend time working out which one went where. Then you reach the lectern and try to speak but the microphone is switched off and nobody can hear you.
It has happened and such speakers learn the hard way that a ‘recce’ of the venue is a must if you want to avoid the last of the potential pitfalls for a speaker.
A systematic approach to delivering a speech starts well before you enter the room to speak. One of the final acts you should do before speaking is to visit the venue and get a ‘feel’ for where you will be speaking.
The Room
As part of your mental preparation go and visit the room and see what it looks like. How big is it, does it have any alcoves where people may have difficulty seeing you and are there any poor listening angles. By getting to know the room this will help you to relax as familiarity sets in.
The Stage
Not every venue will have a stage, but if there is one then think where you will be sitting and work out how you will get to the podium. Check out for those loose wires that could trip you up and check out any stairs up to the podium. Are the stairs steep or even stable?
Walk on to the stage and get a feel for the room once more. Look in the direction of the audience. Can you see all of the room, are there some areas that are blind to you, how are the seats pitched?
The Lectern or Podium
Once you have walked around the stage and become familiar with the room then go and stand behind the podium. Is it high or low for you, is there lighting to light up your notes.
Is there a lip to stop the notes falling off? You may think this last comment is mad but there are an amazing number of podiums around the world where there is no lip and where speakers have to balance their notes carefully.
Get a feel for the lectern, where will you put your hands, how easy is it to turn the pages, is there enough room? Asking all of these questions beforehand will make you feel so much more comfortable and prepared when you come to make the speech.
Take one last quick look around the room from the podium and continue your investigation.
The lighting
In a full conference the lighting can be such that the speaker never sees their audience. They know that they are out there somewhere but the lighting is such that it looks just like a black hole.
If you are making a keynote speech then be sure that you are happy with the lighting. If you are not happy then ask for the awkward light or two to be re-adjusted.
If there isn’t enough light then ask for more, especially on the lectern to allow you to read your notes.
The Sound System
If you are speaking in a large hall or conference centre you want to be sure that the audience will hear you, or more to the point that your voice is not distorted.
Check out the microphones, make sure that they work and look to see what sort they are. If they are the small narrow variety then be sure that you have them quite close to your mouth, but the larger variety with a foam surround pick up noise much more easily and should be a good 10 to 12 inches away from the mouth.
If you can do so then always ask for a sound test and work out exactly how close you want the microphone to be before it ‘pee’s or sizzles’.
Having checked out the room and the equipment you are pretty much ready to make your speech. You have walked the route to the lectern and identified potential hazards. You have stood behind the lectern and worked out where you will lay your papers and turn them over. You have a feel for the room and how much you will see of the audience. By now you should be prepared, comfortable and relaxed.
The unknown has been eliminated – a major cause of the fear of speaking.
Eliminating the butterflies
However much you might try there is a reasonable chance that you will have ‘butterflies’ in your stomach as you are about to speak. The most urgent need is to prevent them from turning into full blown stage fright where you freeze.
Most of the problem is caused by your body pumping more adrenalin into the system than is helpful. This in turn causes breathlessness and can lead to panic.
Now that you know the problem is purely a matter of chemistry we can start to look for solutions.
There is a very simple exercise which you can do before going on stage to help you control your breathing and minimise the fear element. It is called PBR.
P = Pause. Stop and let your body go limp. Then let your memory go back and think about your most favourite and relaxing memory. It might be the birth of your first child, that romantic walk along a sun soaked beach or a breathtaking view from a high mountain point; whatever it is just let your mind linger over the memories. Then start the breathing exercise.
B = Breath. Take a deep breath in through the nose and hold for four seconds.
R = Relax. Then breathe out through the mouth. If you do this exercise three or four times you will start to feel the breathlessness and ‘butterflies’ calm down.
Before you say that you can’t do this in the middle of a crowded conference centre, you can. Just make sure that you don’t do it just as you are about to be called on, instead do the exercise a few minutes before.
PBR helps you to relax by slowing down your heart rate and as a consequence slows down the flow of adrenaline.
There is one complete DO NOT in the effort to relax you. Never resort to alcohol. It doesn’t help to calm nerves; it causes flushing and may yet cause slurring even when quite a small amount has been consumed.
Speaker Notes
Elsewhere we talked about the writing and preparation of your speech. We asked the question ‘Do I have to use notes to deliver my speech?’
The answer is that it is up to you. Obviously, if you are making a major policy or technical speech then it makes sense not to make mistakes and so notes are necessary. If it is a smaller meeting and you are confident of your facts then you may want to have just a few bullet points on a card in front of you.
The very confident speaker can deliver without notes, especially if the speech has been learnt. Others prefer to prepare only the bare facts of a speech in a form of skeletal structure and then fill in the ‘padding’ as they make the speech.
The most important point is that you are comfortable with the way in which you keep your memory or notes of what you are about to say.
In Cynosura we all have different methods and views on this subject. I use cards with bullet points for smaller presentations, but will use a written speech for the big policy speeches.
We would always recommend that you do use notes, because if you don’t and you make a mess of your speech then the audience will think you didn’t care enough to prepare (even though you may have learnt the speech by heart).
Notes say ‘I am well organised, I know my subject and this speech matters’.
If you use index cards then make them large enough to read, use bullet points, and print, do not hand write your notes. Always number them just in case you drop them and always lay them on a surface rather than holding them if possible.
For more formal speeches, use A4 paper (or letter in the US) that is at least 100gsm to stop it flopping about. Print on the top two thirds of the page only and remember to number the pages.
Because it can be difficult to read your notes when they are placed on a lectern we recommend that you use a clean typeface and good large letters. The best is Arial typeface at 16 point which is clean and clear to read. It is a good idea to put the first few words of the next page at the bottom. Never hand write your notes, always type them because when it matters most, if handwritten, you won’t be able to read them
Both for index cards and A4 paper you should always place them down on the lectern to the left and slide the top sheet to the right. Turning the sheets can be distracting to the audience and will be harder for you. Despite all the temptations never staple the sheets together because you will find it getting harder and harder during the speech to turn them over causing a lot of distraction for your audience.
Getting to the podium
There is one final set of checklists to go through before you are ready to complete your speech. Below is the sequence of events as you go to make your speech.
- Remember your body language, smile, look and be confident as you walk up to the podium.
- Don’t forget to take your notes with you, holding them to one side (clutched to the chest looks defensive).
- Step up to the lectern confidently and set out your notes in front of you.
- Look at the audience; find some smiling faces (there will be plenty) and smile back.
- Set your watch (especially if it is a timed speech) and place it on the podium so that you can keep track of time as your deliver your speech.
- Pause for a moment and then start speaking.
- Every audience wants you to do well. Where most bad speakers rush into their presentation you should take your time. Delivering your great opener slowly and deliberately can give more drama to the event.
- As the speech progresses vary your speed, volume and use pauses. Speak important phrases slowly so that the audience can easily absorb them and so that they show that you have given them greater emphasis.
- If you need your notes don’t worry. Stop, look down at your notes and find the section you want. Read it carefully to re-acquaint yourself with the speech and only then look up and carry on talking
- Don’t grip the lectern for ‘dear life’ but instead keep your hands lightly on the edge of the lectern at the sides or occasionally bringing them to the front as you ready to turn over a page.
- It is easier said than done but a good speaker will minimise hand gestures and keep hands at waist level. Flapping your hands around too much as you talk is highly distracting for the audience and they could end up watching your hands rather than listening to you.
- As you come to the end of your speech prepare to finish. Remember not to say finally more than once and come to a clean finish.
- Take one step back from the podium to show that you have finished your speech, smile and wait for the applause.
Having finished your speech remember to leave the stage as carefully as you arrived and take your notes. The same obstacles will be there ready to make a last minute fool of you in front of an applauding audience.
There are some very irritating gestures that some speakers use and which should be avoided. They include waving of hands, undoing and then doing up your jacket buttons, playing with your watch strap or bangle, wringing your hands, trying to speak like Winston Churchill when clearly you are not and rattling your notes over the microphone.
A final word
If you can, try to work up to the big event. At first get invitations to speak at small local groups. This will help you to build up your confidence and give you much valuable practice. Perhaps there is a public speaking club near you, if so then they would be another source for getting some practice.
Once you feel confident then spread your wings and do more adventurous events. The first time you speak to a large gathering you will have the dreaded butterflies but now at least you know how to control them.
Public speaking is something many of us are forced to do. Few choose to speak in public. The best speakers are not the over confident ones, nor are they naturally born into the art. The best speakers are those who do the preparation, make the effort and then go out and enjoy the experience.
There is a big difference between knowing the theory and making it happen. For help in implementing your communications practices email us now.
