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Turn
Your Association Leaders Into Media Stars
Public Speaking Skills for Association Leaders
First published in Western Association News
by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE
Many of your Association leaders don't look forward to meetings
because they are uncomfortable speaking. Yet, whether they
are running meetings with your association, opening conventions,
or leading board retreats, they need to speak comfortably
and confidently to promote their industry's point of view.
You can help them look and feel their best, using these tactics.
Start by anticipating each presentation three ways -- mentally,
physically, and logistically.
MENTALLY
You're going to spend a lot more time preparing than you will
speaking. As a general rule, invest three hours of preparation
for a half hour presentation, a six to one ratio. When you've
become a highly experienced speaker, you may be able to cut
preparation time considerably in some cases, but until then,
don't skimp.
Part of your preparation will be to memorize your opening
and closing -- three or four sentences each. Even if you cover
your key points from notes, knowing your opening and closing
by heart lets you start and end fluently, connecting with
your audience when you are most nervous.
PHYSICALLY
You're in the final minutes before you're going to speak.
Suddenly you realize that your stomach is doing strange things
and your mind is rapidly going blank. How do you handle this
critical time period?
First, find a private place and do some warm up exercises:
a. Stand on one leg, and shake the other. (If you're wearing
high heels, take them off first.) When you put your foot back
on the ground, it's going to feel lighter than the other one.
Switch legs and repeat. You want your energy to go through
the floor and out of your head. This sounds quite cosmic;
it isn't. It's a practical technique used by actors.
b. Hold your arms over your head, wrists and elbows loosely
bent, and shake your hands...fast.
c. Warm up your face muscles by chewing in a highly exaggerated
way. Do shoulder and neck rolls. Imagine that you're eye level
with a clock. As you look at 12, pull as much of your face
up to 12 as you can; now concentrate on 3, then down to 6,
and finally over to 9.
All these exaggerated movements make it easier for your movements
to flow more naturally during your talk.
A wonderful preparation technique for small meetings is to go
around shaking hands and making eye contact with everybody beforehand.
For larger meetings, meet and shake hands with people in the
front row at least, and some of the people as they are coming
in the door. Connect with them personally, so they'll be rooting
for your success. We as speakers are rarely nervous about individuals,
only when faced with the thought of an audience. Once you've
met the audience or at least some of them, they become less
scary.
Try not to sit down too much while you're waiting to speak.
If you're scheduled to go one an hour into the program, try
to sit in the back of the room so that you can stand up occasionally.
It is hard to jump up and be dynamic when you've been relaxed
in a chair for hour. (Comedian Robin Williams is well known
for doing "jumping jacks" before going on stage to raise his
energy level.) Sitting in the back also gives you easy access
to the bathroom and drinking fountain. There's nothing worse
than being stuck down front and being distracted by urgent bodily
sensations.
LOGISTICALLY
Go to the room where you'll be speaking as early as possible
to check out the environment. If you will be speaking from a
stage, try to go early in the morning when no one is there and
make friends with the stage. Notice the entrance. Will you be
going up or down stairs? How many? What distance will you have
to cover between the time you are announced until you reach
the mike? What impediments might be in the way (mike cords,
curtains, chairs, easel displays, other people?) Once you've
become comfortable with the environment, you can concentrate
on your audience.
Now focus on all the good will you'll be cultivating with your
talk. Aren't you getting a warm feeling just thinking about
that?
(695 words)
Patricia Fripp CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based executive
speech coach and professional speaker on Change, Customer Service,
Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She is the author
of Get What You Want! and Past-President of the National
Speakers Association.
We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint
or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and
contact information is included. PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800-634-3035,
http://www.fripp.com
Check out Patricia's learning materials http://www.fripp.com/publicspeakingresources/
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© 1995 - 2010 Patricia
Fripp, CSP, CPAE - A Speaker For All Reasons - All Rights Reserved. |
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