|
|||
|
|||
Whether you chose to speak to a group of ten or to a group of a thousand, remember . . . the more you speak the more people will hear us. And once we can be heard, people will start listening. Education is the key and it is up to us to bring donor awareness to our own communities. I have compiled the following notes to help you prepare for your first speaking engagement. Included are some speaker tips and stagefright “busters” too.
Order of Preparation for a Speech
1. Decide on the purpose of your speech.
2. Gather your material.
3. Organize or outline your material.
4. Think about how you will “word” things.
5. Say your speech aloud. Practice in front of your family or your bathroom mirror.
Components of a Speech
The Intro
There are several ways in which to gain audience attention in an introduction.
1. Pay a compliment to the group.
2. Tell a story.
3. Use a quote.
4. Use a statistic.
5. Refer to a recent incident the audience would be aware of from the mass media. (Ex. “Have you seen the movie Kindness of Strangers?” or “How many of you are aware that Walter Payton had a rare liver disease?”)
6. Ask a question. (Ex. “How many of you have beepers? Aren’t they handy? And sometimes maddening? Well for some people, beepers connect them to the hope that an organ will soon be available to save their life. Can you imagine waiting to hear a beep that means so much?”)
The Main Purpose Statement
Now that you have the attention of the audience, tell them what you are going to talk about. (“I am here today to tell you about organ donation, dispel some of the myths you might have heard, and answer your questions if I can.”)
The Major Points
The rest of your speech is now organized with three main sections. Speak about each one before moving to the next. Talk about donation (which organs can be used, how many are waiting, etc.), dispel myths, and add a simple reminder for them about the “significant impact we each can make when we agree to share the gift of life.”
Fielding Questions and Drawing the Speech to an End
Rather than a formal conclusion, you could field questions. There is nothing wrong with saying “I don’t know” or “that’s a question of beliefs and we each have our own opinions” or whatever comes to mind if you can’t specifically and factually answer a question. When you need to end your speech or the question session, be sure to thank the audience for their attention and to those that made it possible for you to “have a chance to share information about the gift of life.”
Speaker Tips
Make sure you have enough material. Most organ procurement organizations and transplant support groups have material they will gladly give to help you prepare for your speech. Your local library and the web will also provide ample information. I find it to be helpful to quickly dispel myths first and I augment my points with the most recent statistics and facts that I can find.
Make it interesting. Tell a personal story. Remain positive in your message.
Make sure you are adaptable when speaking to different kinds of groups. There is a vast difference between speaking in a community senior citizen center and a gymnasium full of teens thrilled to be out of the classroom. The key to adaptability is anticipation. If you deliver a speech the same way twice, you are not communicating but rather, reciting. You may have heard of the saying “Don’t talk at me. Talk to me.” Communication is the goal in effective speaking. Just be open to making adjustments as needed.
An extra word here about teens. Occasionally teens enjoy asking questions or displaying poor etiquette for the mere purpose of shock value. There is nothing wrong with saying “what we discuss here is our reality. Humor is welcome, but not at the expense of those waiting for the gift of life or at the expense of those whose family supported their loved one’s decision of donation. I ask that you respect this time I have with you.” Trust me, it will work like a charm. Teens like to be treated like adults, right? A gentle reminder is not inappropriate and teachers/administrators will appreciate you ability to relate to their students. While I am on the subject of teens (and this happens with adults too) there are times when the volume level of the audience doesn’t allow clear communication. Sometimes it happens at the beginning of the speaking time after you have been introduced. Just WAIT until the audience “settles in” before you begin to talk. Stand, smile, look around the room and DON’T talk until you can be heard. With teens, you may hear the “ssshhhhh” police. Remember those kids? The ones who always said “ssshhhh” to the others? Let them do their work. Also, remember what I said about them being glad to be out of class? They will most probably treat you like royalty for that reason.
Never “thump” a microphone to see if it is on. If necessary to check it, click your fingers near it. Your audience will quickly tell you if the mic has been left off if you don’t realize it within your first few words. Don’t let microphone trauma throw you. Every speaker I know has at least a few stories about bad microphone situations. I honestly prefer speaking without a microphone, especially in small group situations. Why little hotel or restaurant meeting rooms provide lunch groups (such as ladies clubs) with a podium and a mic is beyond me. They usually have feedback problems and the sound is awful even without feedback. If you are using a hand held microphone and you experience feedback, be sure you have not traveled in front of the amp speakers. If that is not the source of the feedback, rely on whoever provided the sound system to correct it for you. Don’t be hesitant to ask for assistance if feedback wreaks havoc as you speak. Audience members will focus on the fear of a future feedback and stop listening to your message if you try to plow through without fixing a sound problem. I do prefer to use a hand held microphone in large audience situations. If using a microphone at a podium I adjust it to my “face area” before I speak and then I don’t touch it after that. I also try to not lean on the podium or shuffle papers loudly. I really feel a podium is a barrier between you and your audience. Inexperienced speakers tend to hide behind them rather than think of them as an elaborate stand for their notes. If you have a choice in a school gym situation, opt for the microphone you can move with as teens will follow you if you are more than a “talking head” at a formal podium.
Never memorize your speech. Never read your speech. Speak from an outline if you need some kind of reinforcement. An outline can consist of a few key words for each major point you wish to cover. Many inexperienced speakers feel that they may have a better result if they read their speech from a manuscript. I can guarantee you that if you choose this path, your audience will “turn off” the minute they see you carry your papers to the podium. I try to never carry more than one small index card. If I have to carry paperwork, then I do put it in a binder and put tabs on the pages for easy turning. I do not “speak” from the manuscript in that case, but rather, I use it as a supplement if the situation demands it. I still use my one index card as my guide. My binder is there to refer to during the time I field questions or if something pops into (or out of) my mind as I speak when I am trying to be specific on a statistic or law.
Audio visual aides can help but they can also hinder your results. If you choose to use overhead transparencies, be sure to check out visibility before your audience arrives. I find that teens get restless with overheads because they equate it to classroom instruction. I also find it odd to arrive at a huge high school auditorium with a dinky little fold up screen to use for transparencies. Keep in mind for those to be seen, sometimes it is necessary to turn off the lights and then the audience can’t see you as you speak nor can you see them. Additionally, low lights encourage sleepiness for some audiences. If you must use overhead transparencies, use them quickly and only when necessary rather than leaving the projector on throughout your speech.
Stagefright
Some people get stagefright due to a lack of self- confidence. They tell themselves “I am not an expert.” If you feel a lack of self confidence plays into your stagefright, tell yourself “I am qualified to speak about this topic. I can speak with authority because I am living this and I have researched what I am going to say.” If you focus on WHAT you are speaking about . . . WHAT you are trying to communicate . . . you will succeed. Don’t worry or think about your hair or clothes or trivial things. If you act like you have something of interest to share, your audience will be your partner in combating stagefright because you will be subliminally encouraging them to be interested. Think of this speaking engagement as a chance to eagerly share your views about organ donation and transplantation. Never say. “I know I can’t do this.” Instead, tell yourself “I can’t wait to tell them about this.” Act self-confident and you will be self-confident.
Stagefright feels worse than it looks. It is much more noticeable to the speaker. Never admit it or say, “I am so nervous . . .I’m sure I am not making much sense.” Your audience won’t be aware of your nervousness unless YOU tell them. So don’t. Take a breath if you have to in order to regroup your thoughts. Pauses are acceptable. Apologies aren’t.
Since you know that there are physical reactions to stage fright, you are also capable of realizing that your mental approach to them can do a lot to help you overcome them. In other words, you should expect to be nervous and have a physical reaction of some kind to that nervousness. Rather than saying “Oh, I can’t do this. My knees are shaking!” tell yourself, “Oh, my knees are shaking so that means I need to shift my weight.” Maybe your knees will shake all the way through your speech. If you ignore it, your audience will too. They probably won’t even see your knees shake. Be honest. You have seen lots of speakers in your life. Can you remember seeing anyone’s knees shake? Doubt it. But you do know that at least some of them did have shaky knees. You also know that they “survived” their speech as well. Some of those speakers had the right attitude and knew the tension causing the knees to shake could also spring them into a more energetic delivery. This is called “channeling” your energy and it will serve you to try it. Remember, your focus should be on what you are saying . . . communicating . . . to your audience. If you focus on your sweaty palms or faltering voice, you will have lost your chance to communicate effectively. Remember, stagefright feels worse than it looks and there are tricks to get past the symptoms.
What if your knees shake or your whole body shakes? Grab a stool if they have one and deliver you speech from the edge of the stool. Get up to walk around if you feel motivated to do so. A stool can act as a “homebase” for you. If a stool isn’t available don’t opt for a chair. A stool doesn’t have a back and a chair does so it has a different “grounding” effect. If your knees shake, just shift your weight or walk a few steps right or left if possible.
Don’t be afraid of eye contact. Look at the faces of your audience and make a connection as you speak. You will be able to determine which people have a positive reaction to your speech and draw them in even further by maintaining the personal connection of eye contact. I usually “sweep the room” and then pick a few people occasionally to speak directly to on major points. I do not attempt to “pick on” those who seem disinterested in order to engage them. They are better left alone and my energy is better spent with those who display positive feedback. If looking directly at audience members seems a bit scary at first, then look at the audience as a whole. Do make it your goal to eventually develop one-on-one eye contact as you do more speaking engagements.
Underwear? I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard “just imagine the audience is in their underwear” in order to get people past some basic stagefright. Talk about a button pusher for me! If a speaker is actually thinking about a sea of bodies in their BVD’s then that speaker is not focused on the importance of his speech. Just maintain your focus as to WHY you are speaking and that should be enough to help you overcome the butterflies.
What if your voice wavers due to stagefright? Just speak louder. It forces you to expel the oxygen to avoid sounding too nervous. Take three deep breaths before you speak too. Speaking more slowly will also help reduce breathing problems. These tricks also help if you become “tongue tied” or rattled. Just slow down and speak a bit louder.
“Practiced” gestures are from the old school of thought. Don’t worry about gestures. Worry more about extraneous movements due to nerves such as constantly shifting your weight or waving your hands without meaning. Your gestures will occur naturally as you speak. Body language you display will also affect your outcome. Don’t pace. Don’t play with your hair, or glasses, or jewelry. (In fact, don’t wear jewelry if it draws attention . . .such as dangling earrings or bracelets.) Never chew gum, but breath mints are good if you finish them before you speak.
Expect nervousness and stage fright during your first few speeches. Stage fright will disappear but nervousness is good because it brings energy and enthusiasm when channeled correctly. You will gain more self-confidence as you deliver more speeches. Remember . . . the more you speak the more people will hear us. And once we can be heard, people will start listening.
PBCer Karen Payne Luna is a retired speech communications educator with over twenty years experience in training speakers to overcome stagefright. Feel free to email Karen at THEATR@aol.com if you need more help in overcoming stagefright or simply want to learn more about effective speaking skills.
