‘What’s the biggest mistake speakers make?’ I was asked as I sat down for coffee with friends. With little hesitation, my neighbour quipped: ‘they don’t speak loudly enough!’
Wrong answer, as I tactfully proceeded to explain. You see, too many speakers get hung-up on the tactics, the ‘how to speak’ top tips easily downloadable from Mr Google. These include stand still, walk about, breath (obvious), use notes, don’t use notes, maintain eye contact (but don’t stare), use humour (but don’t tell jokes) – I could go one (but I won’t).
No, in my experience the biggest mistake is not having a clear objective to the speech or presentation. Why are you on your feet for 18 minutes and what outcome do you want? What will success look like, even beyond the warm applause and your survival?
Get the aim clear and the rest falls into place. Knowing the why will greatly help with the what and how of the speech. Content and eventual delivery.
So, if you want your clients’ speeches to truly reflect their communications goals, then you can help them. The PR who steps in and offers to look at a speech, better still write it, will be welcomed with open arms. But you’ll need a few tricks up your sleeve and that’s why I’m here to provide them.
Join me online for the PRCA workshop Speechwriting Made Simple. The aim is to make you a competent speech writer.
Learn more about our course here.