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. Tollefson/Peterson UC Berkeley, 2000 source: