You've
been chosen (or drafted) to deliver a speech. No time...Don't
panic...Fripp is here!!!
WHAT
DO I TALK ABOUT?
Start
by asking yourself three questions:
1.
Who is my audience? (What do I know about the corporate
culture or collective personality of the group?)
2.
What do they want or need to know from me?
3.
How long can or should I talk?
HOW
DO I OUTLINE MY TALK?
There
are two basic outlines that work well for both beginning
and advanced speakers alike.
THE
PAST-PRESENT-JOURNEY FORMULA:
Tell
your audience a three-part story.
This
is where I was.
This
is where I am.
This
is how I got here.
It's
a simple format that helps you tell the audience who
you are and why you are qualified to speak on the topic
you've chosen.
Here's
an example of how effective the outline can be. A successful
Realtor was asked to deliver a 25-minute presentation
for the local Board of Realtors. I coached her to open
like this: "Twelve years ago, before I went into the
real estate business, I had never sold anything but
Girl Scout cookies, and I hadn't done that well. Last
year, I sold $13 million in a slow market, selling homes
that averaged $100,000 each. Today, I'll tell you how
I built my business." Right away, the audience knew
exactly what she was going to talk about, and they were
eager to hear her story!
THE
Q&A OUTLINE:
The
members of your audience probably want to know the answers
to the same kinds of business questions you're asked
at parties or professional functions. You can start
with, "The five questions I'm most frequently asked
about investments (or whatever your product or service
is) are--"
Pose
the first question to the audience and answer it for
them in a conversational manner, just as you would a
potential customer or someone you meet at a party. Even
though you've never made a speech before, you've certainly
had a lot of experience answering questions in your
field.
HOW
DO I START TO WRITE MY SPEECH?
That's
easy. To begin with, don't. Gather and organize your
ideas, plan and polish, but don't write it down word
for word. For now, just jot an outline with key points
and ideas on a note pad.
As
you brainstorm for effective material, don't worry at
first about where it will go. This process benefits
from some downtime. Start in plenty of time if you can,
and keep your note pad handy. With time, you'll find
your ideas fitting into a natural sequence. I suggest
you stand up and start talking and tape-record your
comments rather than write word for word. Listen to
the flow, then jot the outline after you have heard
how it sounds. When it flows naturally from a strong
foundation, you can take notes, but you may find you
do not need to look at them.
Patricia
Fripp CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based professional
speaker on Change, Teamwork, Customer Service, Promoting
Business, and Communication Skills. To learn more about Patricia, as
well as save 20% when you order her audio/video programs
Million Dollar Words: Speaking for Results, Preparing
and Presenting Powerful Programs and/or Confessions
of an Unashamed, Relentless Self-Promoter, go to YourSuccessStore.com. |