Public Speaking Tips: Weekend Review [2010-06-26]

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Six Minutes weekend reviews bring the best public speaking articles to you.

This review features topics including:

• summer book recommendations;
• adding meaning to statistics;
• speechwriting strategies;
• handling hecklers;
• slide color choices;
• apologizing to your audience;
• introduction etiquette;
• and more!

From the Six Minutes Archives

Two Years Ago from Six Minutes…

• Wrap Your Naked Statistics in a Warm Blanket of Meaning
  Examples which illustrate the importance of adding meaningful context to the statistics you offer your audience.

Recently on Six Minutes…

• 27 Hot Summer Reads for Speakers
  The most popular books being read by Six Minutes readers — maybe one or two can be part of your summer reading?
• 8 Speechwriting Lessons You Can Learn from Songwriters
  Easy techniques you can use to make your speech sing, from guest author Peter Jeff.

Speechwriting

• Rhett Laubach offers a strategy to design your presentation called W5.

1. Why is this information being presented to me?
2. When will I need to use this information?
3. What do you want me to do now to engage in your presentation?
4. Where have I experienced this?
5. Who is an example of what you are telling/teaching me?

• Olivia Mitchell suggests opening your speech with your conclusion.

It seems natural to structure your presentation with the conclusion at the end of your presentation […]. But most of the time […] it’s more effective to tell your audience your conclusion near the beginning of your presentation.

• Denise Graveline lists ideas for giving anniversary speeches:

• Connect the anniversary date to something special on the same day in history, and let it suggest a theme
• Use the year and your topical theme
• Sprinkle in unrelated-to-your-topic events, too
• Generate some laughs and a sense of shared experiences

Delivery Techniques

• Sarah Gershman suggests a simple tip: open your speech and let the audience stretch!

It’s a simple, but brilliant idea that instantly raises the level of energy in the room.

• Frank Damelio offers 5 tips on handling heckers in the video below.

1. Stop the attack before it starts.
2. Don’t give them a chance to preempt you.
3. Stop the monopolizer before he starts.
4. No dead time.
5. Give them no fuel to attack by being likeable.

[If you prefer, you could read the advice.]

Visual Aids

• Eric Albertson explains why complementary colors are effective on slides.

[…] using complementary colors to achieve a powerful effect is not a new technique.  Colors that sit across from each other on the color wheel (complementary colors) have high contrast […]

Need to help your audience focus on a particular option?  Consider using a contrasting color to help draw the eye.  The greater the contrast, the easier it will be for your audience to know where to look.

Speaker Habits

• Lisa Braithwaite urges you not to apologize to your audience.

Don’t apologize, even if it’s in your mind! The audience will sense your discomfort, and you can’t expect them to feel good about your message if you don’t.

• John Zimmer reminds you to wait for your introducer to be seated.

Whenever you are introduced by another person, have the courtesy and the poise to wait until that person is seated before you begin speaking. It might seem like a long wait to you, but in reality it will only be a few seconds.

[…] You will appear calm and in control, and will make a good first impression. And your audience will not be distracted by the movement of the person who introduced you.