Twelve Tips for Talks

If you have to make a talk, presentation or attend an interview you may find these tips useful:

1. Keep comments positive
2. Practise so that your confidence increases
3. Work on your ‘ums and errs’
4. Never apologise or say “I’m sorry I don’t do this very often…” or something similar
5. Do not say “I’m nervous!”
6. Keep your head up and speak slowly and clearly
7. Beware OHP or Power Point Presentations (maximum of 3 points per slide) again practise is essential
8. Use 3x5 cards if you need an aide memoir – avoid loose pieces of paper
9. Keep your watch on - use a timer
10. Do not take Dutch courage or smoke prior to the event
11. Empty your pockets of loose change - avoid the distraction of jangling coins
12. Thank your audience or interview panel
    

Core Message Tip
Whenever we communicate, we convey a message. Otherwise the process is not communication, but simply making a noise. The art of good communication is to be able to convey the right message, in the right way, at the right time, to the right audience.

The essence of a message can always be distilled down to a core, being the precise detail that we wish to impart. The task of a great speaker, is to ensure that the "audience takeaway" is the same as the core message you planned.

There are several ways to create memorable messages. Try to think of words and phrases that are a little unusual, or conjure up an image. If your message is “seen” as a picture, it will be much more memorable. Groucho Marx used to tell a story about the value of words. He asked a little boy whether he preferred radio or TV.
“Radio” replied the boy at once “because the pictures are better”.

So, always try to conjure up an image in the mind of your audience. Engage their senses, stir their passions, and make your speech the one that they will remember.

The core message is the key.
For example, here's an extract from one of Churchill's great wartime speeches -

"We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France. We shall fight on the seas and oceans. We shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender."

Of the eighty-one words in this extract, only nine have more than one syllable. Only four have more than two. The power of that passage is immense. I felt it myself while just typing it, and I hadn't been born when it was delivered.


My friend Merryn Myatt, was on Radio 2 talking to Jeremy Vine recently. They were discussing public speaking. Merryn stated, "The standard newsreading speed (which everyone can grasp!) is three words to the second. That translates to 180 words to the minute, but bring that down to 150 per minute because you want to pause for laughter or dramatic effect. So if you're planning a 2 minute speech, you know to prepare approximately 150 words. That way, you never need a clock." This is an excellent method of measuring the length of a talk.

Remember that the greatest speeches are nearly always simple. So the pneumonic could be KISS - KEEP IMPORTANT SPEECHES SIMPLE!