8/14/2019 How to Speak So People Will Listen

1/4

How to Speak So People Will Listen: Tips for better verbal presentations.

By Pauline GravierFromPlanning, December 1992

Joe, a conscientious, informed planner, always gets his reports in before theyre due. His

presentations sound like commodities futures reports, and his audience looks half asleep.Frank, also a planner, hands in reports at the last minute, and theyre not always

complete. But when he speaks, people listen. He sounds as though he knows what hestalking about.

Clearly, Frank has an edge when it comes to plum assignments and even promotion. Hisadvantage is the ability to make highly effective presentations to public officials, citizens,

peers, and businesses. However, he didnt necessarily start out that way.

In 26 years of coaching thousands of people to be successful presenters, weve heard this

said many times: Some people are just natural speakers. And its true that some people

are natural speakers just as others are natural tennis players or singers. But anyone candevelop these skills. Even fear that paralyzes many of us when we must speak before a

group can be transformed into increased energy and used to great advantage.

The secret lies in a simple formula: A + P = C: Awareness of proven techniques plusfrequent practice equals consistent control. These are the steps to success.

Be prepared

First, you must decide where you are going. That means knowing who your audience

will be concerned citizens or city council members. Then think about what they wantto know how the proposed plan impacts their neighborhood or what kind of tax base

expansion can be projected.

The next step is to clarify your goal. Do you want to reassure the citizens, or do you

want to communicate data about the project to the city council?

Lets assume youre a planner for a coal company that is seeking a permit for a strip mine

in a rural area. Citizens are concerned about the mines environmental impact. The

company eventually intends to restore the sire as parkland. If you talk only about thegeology of the area, youll bore the audience and do little to allay their fears. You may

even create hostility. Instead you should be reassuring the citizens that the company will

be a good neighbor. Follow the two-step process: Know your audience, and define yourgoal.

Youll also have to decide whether to write out your presentation, rely on notes, orsimply wing it. The best approach is to write out first but to speak from an outline.

Winging it is like playing Russian roulette. One of these days, you are going to shoot

yourself in the head.

8/14/2019 How to Speak So People Will Listen

2/4

Writing out a presentation forces you to focus on the important points, cutting out

irrelevancies and ramblings. Its the first step. The easiest way to start is stream-of-consciousness. Let your thoughts flow without worrying about order or grammar. If you

would rather talk than write, use a tape recorder, then transcribe to paper or computer.

Then move segments around into a logical order. Dont worry about the introduction

until you have the major points down.

Added fillips

Now is the time to think about ways to zip up your presentation. Avoid jokes, which can

rebound and cause problems. Instead, think of humanizing your talk with anecdotes and

examples. This magazine offers many of both. In July, for instances, Sylvia Lewisbegan an article on growth management with an anecdote about a couple who got

thousands of signatures on a petition to overturn a local wetlands ordinance. It was an

effective story because it was so specific, giving the names of the couple and describingwhat they did.

Sometimes its a good idea to insert a reference to someone you know will be in theaudience: We owe a lot of credit to Jack Phillips for organizing the new Main Street

project. Also, consider including arresting statistics, particularly for an opening: Four

hundred empty apartments in 1989, 1,000 empty apartments in 1990, 1,500 in 1992.

Visual aids slides, maps, flowcharts, diagrams may not be appropriate. Dont make

the mistake of the planner who makes his entire presentation with his back to the

audience while pointing to details on the screen in front of him.

These guidelines are helpful in deciding what visual aids should be used and how:

Prepare the speech first. The choose visual aids. If visual aids were meant to do allthe communicating, you wouldnt need a presentation.

Cull the pile. The fewer visual aids, the more effective the presentation.

Simplify. A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but a chart with 1,000 words isntworth anything. The audience should be able to grasp a message in two or three

seconds. If you must use words, limit yourself to a few bulleted items.

Be creative. Overlays allow you to prepare original and colorful maps and graphs.

Slow down. Introduce each visual aid and point out salient points. Then remove itand comment on it. Dont switch to the next visual aid right away. If you are usingslides, use every other space in the carousel so you have some time to talk between

images. Cover maps that youve tacked up until youre ready to refer to them.

Eyes front. Visual aids dont need your attention; the audience does.

8/14/2019 How to Speak So People Will Listen

3/4

Practice

Now read your presentation aloud. Listen to yourself. Then ask these questions: Have Iachieved my goals? Are all my points relevant? Can I cut? Be ruthless. Dont use up

all the time allotted to your presentation.

After youve cut, its time to prepare a key word outline, which is what you will speakfrom. The outline should highlight your main points, with just enough words to keep you

on track. Now run through your talk again. All that practice will give you confidence inyour material and free you to establish rapport with your audience.

Once you feel confident about what you are going to say, you can focus oncommunication. These are some of the questions we often hear from people who are

nervous about presentations:

What should I do with my hands? The answer: Be natural. Dont try to be dramatic.Natural gestures reflect your personal style. Keep your hands out of your pockets

and dont cross your arms, which can suggest insecurity or hostility to your audience.

Where should I stand? Stand next to the podium so you can glance at your outlinefrom time to time. Standing behind the podium erects a barrier between you and the

audience. Dont sit down unless youre part of a panel where everyone is seated at a

table. In such a situation, make an effort to project energy by leaning forward whilespeaking and turning your head to the other speakers.

How does a speaker establish eye contact? Divide the room into several areas and

make eye contact with one person at a time in each area. Hold the contact until your

attention is recognized, at least four seconds. Then move on to a person in another

area. In a question-and-answer session, maintain eye contact with the questionerwhile the questions is being asked. Immediately after, however, turn to the audience,

using the same kind of eye contact as for the original presentation. That way, peoplewont feel left out.

When a question-and-answer session becomes heated, a simple technique can help.

Its called listening for a point of agreement. The rules are simple. First, find anhonest point of agreement. For example, I agree with you that we have a difficult

situation here, and that we need to do something about it. Next, enumerate the

pointes of agreement. Never add the qualifiers but, however, or yet.

Should I go to a speech therapist to get rid of my squeaky voice? The answer is no.You dont have to have a powerful or melodious voice to give a successfulpresentation. However, you cant afford a colorless voice. Watch your pacing

(speeded up for excitement, slow for importance) and inflection (emphasize important

words and phrases). Speak louder at some points, quieter at others. Use pauses like

commas to break up phrases and sentences or introduce thoughts. A long pauseallows your message to sink in.

8/14/2019 How to Speak So People Will Listen

4/4

How should I dress? Professional is the key word. Dont use the occasion of apublic presentation to try out a new fashion, and avoid distractions like flashy jewelryor loud ties. The main thing is to know your audience. A powerful blue suit may put

up barriers in a school auditorium but a sport jacket would be just right. Unbuttoned

jackets on both men and women suggest openness and honesty.

All of these suggestions will help you become a poised, confident speaker. Remember,

though, that sincerity shows: If you dont mean it, dont say it.