How to Make Your Speaking Easier and More Effective

How to Make Your Speaking Easier and More Effective


Audience Analysis

Remember that the members of the audience are supposed to be the beneficiaries of your communication.
Don't make too many assumptions about your audience. But you do have to make some.
Figure out the basics. Who are these people?
demographics (age, ethnicity, gender mix, etc.).
predispositions (hopes, fears, positives/negatives, level of interest).
knowledge of/experience with subject/me.
In what kind of setting will they receive this information?
large lecture hall or small seminar room or classroom.
lighting and sound issues.
time of day.
Take into account the "me, here, now."
Picture yourself as a member of the audience and ask "How does this message affect me, here, now?"
Me, here, now translates into what you as a sender have to offer your audience/receivers—what they will be able to understand, accept, support, consider important—because it matters to them.
Establish cognitive / behavioral objectives for your audience:
What do I want my audience to know?
What do I want my audience to do
Openings, and Closings

OPENINGS. Stay away from the predictable (Good morning..., Today, I'm here to talk about...). Instead:

Begin with a provocative question, anecdote, or current event—and how it relates to the content.
Ask the audience a question
Set up a problem—and promise that they'll have all the tools for a solution by the end of the class.
CLOSINGS. Many speakers simply talk until the end of the time or beyond it—and say, "I see we're out of time." Instead:

Plan a rhythm for your speaking—plan to end with content 5 minutes early, so you can summarize, raise questions.
Set aside a time for questions—and structure that time.
Preparation

You probably can't cover everything you want to in a talk or speech.

Decide what is essential, what is important, and what is helpful (what would be nice).
Cover the first; try to cover the second; forget about the third.
Release a little control over the material and rely on the textbook or a list of supplementary readings for the nonessentials.
Set objectives.
What do you want to have accomplished at the end of the speech?
What do you want the audience to know at the end of the speech?
Plan a speech to cover less than the allotted period.
It takes some time to get going.
Questions always take up more time than you expect.
Divide the speech/talk into discrete segments and follow the standard speech structure.
Divide it both in terms of time and in terms of material.
Try for roughly equal blocks, each one on a topic.
Unlike in a piece of writing, you should tell them what you'll say, say it, and tell them what you've said.
Speak from notes or an outline, rather than a complete text.
It's too tempting to simply read, rather than lecture, from a complete text.
Reading also creates a barrier between speaker and audience.
Writing up an entire speech is very time consuming.
A written speech often becomes a fossil that never gets updated.
Delivery

Be conversational; speak naturally; be yourself (or your best self).
That self may be formal, "laid back," understated, or hyper. Use those traits; don't fight against them.
Talk about the material; don't lecture about it.
(Talking is easier if you don't read verbatim.)
Vary your pacing and voice.
Gauge audience reaction, and
Repeat critical points immediately if you sense the necessity.
Use your voice to underline and italicize the important points.
Pause before new points.
Use transitional statements to move to the next idea.
Use gestures to emphasize points.
Consider gestures to be a mirror of your voice.
Adjust your gestures to the size of the room.
Look at the audience.
Try to cover all parts of the room by dividing it into four quadrants.
If direct eye contact makes you forget your place, try looking just over a student's head, or between two students (They won't see the difference).
Use language to create pictures.
Use metaphors, analogies, and similes.
Observe the techniques of others.
Try out in your own talks techniques you admire in others.
Like any skill, delivery is not innate, but must be learned
Credibility & Commitment

Although speaking isn't theater, we do know that audience find concepts, knowledge, skills, and ideas most accessible and credible from someone they consider . . . well, not dull.

Think about antecedent image—perception is often stronger than reality.
Credibility is enhanced by:
Your own sense of comfort and confidence presenting material.
Your enthusiasm and interest in teaching.
Your research and own ideas.
Commitment is enhanced by:
Relating your own experience, ideas, and feelings.
Taking the first person approach, not separating yourself from your subject.
Relating your "passion" for your subject.
Delivery is tied to both commitment and credibility:
An old UCLA study of effective presentations analyzed 3 elements (verbal, vocal, visual). Here's what it found was important in establishing credibility/believability:
Verbal (words you say): 7%.
Vocal (how you sound when you say them): 38%.
Visual (how you look when you say them): 55%.
Your energy and intensity will move your audience—and help you (them) reach your objectives.
Building Interaction

Learning takes place best in an active, not a passive environment.
Interaction is a continuous way to
Assess the me, here, now.
Determine whether or not your content is understood.
Share the responsibility of learning more equitably and appropriately.
How to build interaction?
Have questions prepared—begin with relatively easy, accessible ones.
Work to get everyone involved, even in large groups.
Ask the audience to consider issues with the person sitting next to them/jot down ideas, questions, concerns.
Discuss as a larger group.
Move yourself!
Don't scurry back and forth, but don't get locked into one position.
Handling Questions

Explicitly request and encourage questions.
The audience will see that you have a genuine interest in what they're thinking.
Be aware of how your behavior and comments can set the tone for questioning.
A negative response (e.g., "We've already covered that") discourages further questions and may make the audience think you don't really want questions.
Make sure everyone hears the question.
Repeat it if necessary.
But don't make a habit of simply repeating every question.
Ask the audience if they heard the question; then ask the person to repeat.
Clarify questions.
Say, "Do you mean that . . . ," or "I'm sorry, I don't understand the question," rather than "Your question isn't clear."
Answer questions as directly as possible.
Address your answer to the whole audience.
Ask whether you have answered the question.
Be diplomatic when people raise tangential, overly complicated questions, or persistently ask questions just to be asking.
Ask them to stop by after the presentation or to contact you.
If a someone is simply confused, say, "Let me go over this point a bit more slowly."
Getting Feedback

Get regular feedback.
Ask the audience to spend the last five minutes of class writing down the most important thing they learned that day or one question they have as a result of the talk.
Or ask them to write down questions they still have.
Use eye contact as a tool for continuous feedback.
If you notice people with questioning looks, stop what you're doing and ask if you need to clarify.
If you get no response, go ahead and clarify.