| You're
charged with energy and maybe a bit nervous. Too often
this can translate into talking too fast, maybe even a
rise in voice pitch until the best-intentioned speaker
sounds like Minnie Mouse.
Pay
attention to audience feedback. If one person reports
a problem with understanding you, this may be an individual
perception or opinion. But if several do, it's time
to time yourself.
Try
this test. First, tape-record a casual conversation
with a friend. Then compare the number of words per
minute to a tape recording of one of your recent speaking
presentations. Do you always speak quickly? Or just
when you're giving a speech? Was your presentation deliberately
speeded up to meet some time constraint? If so, were
you trying to include too much material? (That's a signal
to cut some information so the rest is more effective.)
If
you decide you need to slow down your delivery, start
before you even hit the podium. As you're putting together
your remarks, think about logical places to slow down.
It's okay to speak quickly as long as you leave yourself
room for pauses and silence. The faster you talk, the
longer your pauses should be. Give the audience time
to digest what you've just said. If you say something
really profound or suggest something like, "Consider
the proposal in front of you," you are asking the audience
to think. Give them time to do so.
Finally,
here's an excellent slow-down exercise. Practice reading
your speech aloud. Pause for one second at a comma,
two seconds at the end of a sentence, and three seconds
after a paragraph. (You can count the seconds the same
way you did as a child, saying "chimpanzee-one, chimpanzee-two,
chimpanzee-three" silently to yourself.) Then, breathe
and smile!
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. |