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Market Your Business by Speaking to Professional & Service Organizations by David
W. Richardson, CSP You've
just been called upon to make a speech before a business
organization or a chamber of commerce group, or perhaps be a speaker
at an up and coming trade show or convention, or, if you're lucky,
maybe it's just a social group such as the Lions, Kiwanis, or Rotary
. . . this time. A
close friend of mine called me recently asking for ideas and
specific techniques on how to make a good speech.
Like many prominent business
people, he secretly hoped that he could duck the event . . . but no
such luck. We
ultimately put together a speech that made him look like a real pro.
Among
the greatest fears experienced by mankind such as the fear of death,
the fear of heights, etc., the fear of speaking before a group rates
number one on the list. It
is for that reason that many accomplished, professional
businesspeople simply try to avoid accepting speaking engagements
before groups. Most
people harbor the fear that they will not be seen favorably in a
verbal presentation before a group.
This fear often results in great stress and nervousness.
Many times when the fear consumes the speaker, his or her
point is totally lost. A
speaker should recognize that fear and some nervousness is natural.
It's okay to have butterflies . . . as a matter of fact, it's
good to have them . . . the key is to train them to fly in
formation. To
begin to control that fear you must have a well-written or outlined
speech. The trouble
with well-written speeches is that someone has to read them.
There's nothing worse than poring over notes during your
speech, reading it to your audience.
Despite
that fact, this is precisely what so many "occasional"
speakers invariably do. Once
you being to read the speech you can rest assured that the audience
will leave you . . . not physically (hopefully it's not that
bad) but certainly their attention will drift. Just
think for a minute about all those times you listened to an
individual reading a speech. Did
you enjoy it? It's like
hearing a canned sales pitch over the telephone -- only worse!
The audience/speaker relationship is all wrong and thus there
is simply very little, if any, communication. Notes A
favorite technique of many occasional speakers is to have notes
written on 3 x 5 cards. The
theory is that you have each essential thought clearly marked on one
individual card. The
cards then are meticulously arranged in order for your talk so that
as you finish talking about each point, you merely slide the card to
the back of the stack and go on to the next one.
Clever? Sure!
And as a magician, I like card tricks as well as anyone! I
will never forget the day I watched a speaker as he fiddled with the
cards on the podium until in one fleeting movement they cascaded
onto the floor. Since
he had failed to number them, his prepared speech ended there. One
or two cards -- fine. Or
even a couple sheets of paper.
The point is, spend your time in the preparation . . .
Rehearse! Rehearse!! Rehearse!!! Your
Topic
Make
sure your speech is about a subject with which you are very
familiar. Dale Carnegie
said, "Speak about that which you have earned the right to
speak about and you will be successful."
Several
years ago I was asked to be the keynote speaker at a high profile
state convention. During
the morning session they wanted me to speak about sales and
motivation . . . in the afternoon they wanted me to speak about
business financial planning. Sales and motivation, great . . . that's my area of expertise
and I can give them a great speech. But,
business financial planning???
I can hardly balance my own checkbook.
How can I possibly give a credible presentation on business
financial planning? Whereas
I had earned the right to speak about sales motivation, I had not
earned the right to talk about financial planning.
At my recommendation they brought in a partner from a public
accounting firm who did an excellent job. In
developing your talk, plan to use interesting stories, anecdotes, or
metaphors to illustrate your points.
Personal experiences are great; so are stories that keep the
audience hanging on every word.
Strategically you insert your points and your speech becomes
powerful. Audiences are
always interested in reality and feel that they are being admitted
to an inner sanctum when a speaker uses an actual incident from his
or her wealth of experience. Opening In
planning your speech it's as important to have a strong opening as
it is to have a well thought out text.
Your object is to win your audience over, get them to feel
good about you. Their
thoughts should immediately be "hey, this is important".
Some
speakers feel compelled to open with a story or a joke.
I have no qualms with this; in fact, I normally do it myself
-- but only when it ties in with the subject matter.
To be effective it must be told well, be appropriate, and
most importantly be in good taste or the audience can quickly be
lost. There
are some openings that should be avoided because they are dull,
overused, and, if anything, will turn your listeners "off"
instead of "on". Don't
say, "I'm going to talk about . . .", "My topic for
today is . . .", "I've been asked to address . . .",
"The point I would like to make is . . .", "I would
like to touch briefly upon . . .", "I will present in
great detail . . ." Wow!
If I had to listen to that speech I think I'd find some other
way to occupy my mind. Well,
what about that speech you have to give?
The bottom line is, do you have a real passion for your
subject? Do you have a
real passion to share so that your audience becomes a participant
with you as you speak about the subject? Put
all of these ingredients together and you will have a speech that
will be memorable and worth listening to. Got
a big speech coming up? Having
a difficult time getting it organized and rehearsed so you can
deliver it? Call Dave,
one of America's top speech coaches, for a free twenty-minute
consultation at 480-451-8808. To
Schedule a Speaking Engagement or
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