The Well-Spoken Woman (19 page)

Full-Text Script

The advantage of having the full text is that you can focus on delivery because the burden of figuring out what to say is lifted. The words are in front of you, and you can deliver the presentation the way it was written without major deviation or digressions. This approach is a must if you are concerned about leaving something out or in a formal situation when every word counts. However, a full text is not meant to be read word for word. Once the speech is written, you will want to reformat it so that it is easy to see and doesn't prevent you from making eye contact with the audience. It should resemble the teleprompter copy shown in the example below. Notice the margin width. The margins are wide so the eye doesn't have to scan across the page. Rather, with practice you can quickly glance down and scoop up chunks of information. This will prevent you from looking like you are overly dependent on your script.

The font should be as large as you need it to be. Double-space the lines and indent all paragraphs. Avoid using all CAPITAL LETTERS. Uppercase and lowercase are more familiar and thus easier to read. The words should start at the top of the page and only run about two-thirds of the way down. The closer the words are to the bottom, the farther your head must dip so you can read them, and you lose eye contact with the audience. There will likely be many more pages, so number them.

Notice that the sample page has delivery cues embedded in the text. These cues are reminders for specific techniques; for example, pause, smile, or pick up the pace. All commands should be placed in parentheses so you don't inadvertently read them aloud. Words in bold or underlined are places to use inflection or add emphasis with a pace or volume change. Once you have the full-text script formatted, then you will want to practice with it aloud several times before the day of the event.

Use standard 8½-by-11-inch sheets of white paper. Water-resistant paper is available for outdoor events when weather may be an issue. Never staple the pages together because it makes them more difficult to
turn. Experiment with the pages in a three-ring binder. This is when a three-ring binder can come in handy. The weight of a binder allows you to place it at the top of the lectern so you don't have to look down as far to see the pages. Insert the pages into clear plastic sleeves so they turn more smoothly. The sleeves are also helpful if you are concerned about wind or rain.

The Outline

The outline is a good option if you are familiar with what you are going to say and just need prompts to help you remember order, flow, and key points. The outline ensures that you are prepared, and it provides the flexibility to add or subtract material. Most speakers use an outline after they've given a presentation several times. They start with a full text and then reduce it to an outline when they feel confident with the material.

The outline used during the presentation will likely be very similar to the original outline used to develop the speech. Example speech outlines are provided in
chapter 7
. In addition to the main points and supporting material, you may want to indicate where you'll add a story or a statistic. The format should incorporate a large font with plenty of white space, similar to the teleprompter layout.

Note Cards

Five-by-eight-inch note cards are useful for a few bullet points, an outline, or a full text. Full sheets of paper can be cut and pasted to fit or reformatted on the computer. The cards are stiffer than regular paper and are thus easier to hold and less distracting. Note cards are especially handy when you want the session to be interactive and you want to be able to stand closer to the audience. Only use full-size typing paper when speaking at a lectern, however. Be careful not to wave the cards around while gesturing; hold them in the hand you are not using to gesture. Glance at them now and then to refresh your memory. Be sure to number them so you won't panic should you drop the stack.

Teleprompter

As Diane Sawyer delivers the evening news from the anchor desk, watch her eyes. Sometimes you can see them moving back and forth ever so slightly. News anchors rely on the teleprompter, and the nearly invisible eye movement is not distracting. Some speakers resist the teleprompter, believing that the use of what was once facetiously called the “sincerity
machine” makes them appear less genuine. There isn't much difference between reading words from a piece of paper and reading from a screen. The trick to using the teleprompter is not to look as if you are reading every word. The setup involves two textbook-sized clear screens on either side of the presenter positioned about six feet away. The speech text is projected onto the screens from monitors on the floor beneath the screens. Rehearsal will allow you to get the hang of it and avoid looking like a mechanical doll.

PS Step 5: Visual Aids

Which do you remember best, names or faces? Most people who are hardpressed to recall a name can readily remember a face. A study conducted at Harvard University found that audience retention can be increased by as much as 40 percent with the use of visual aids such as slides, flip charts, props, and video.
⁷
Visuals also help polish the image of the presenter. Audiences view speakers with well-constructed visuals as more professional, persuasive, interesting, and prepared. Presenters get themselves in trouble, however, when they overuse or misuse what are intended to be aids, not crutches. Poorly planned, dull visuals can drag down a presentation.

PowerPoint

For some presenters, PowerPoint (PPT) is the crutch of choice, and in some organizations the use of the software is mandatory. An advantage to PPT slides is the ease with which you can add pictures and illustrations. The dark underbelly is that all text must fit into template slides consisting primarily of headers and bullet points. Thus, the template controls what information will fit or how it must be skewed to fit. The limitations of the technology led one Marine Corps general to declare that “PowerPoint makes us stupid.”
⁸
Essays have expounded upon how it oversimplifies complex ideas, reduces dialogue, and stifles creativity.

The poster child for how bad PPT can be is a slide that was intended to depict the US military's strategy in Afghanistan. The one-frame diagram looked more like a huge bowl of spaghetti and meatballs than a coherent
outline of troop movements. The drawing was so outrageous, it caused some commanders to forbid the use of PowerPoint for any presentation on military strategy. One general was quoted as saying: “Some problems in the world are not bulletizable.”
⁹

Unlike the military, other organizations have mandated the slides for board meetings, sales talks, and training exercises. If PowerPoint is de rigueur in your workplace, avoid the common mistake of beginning the speech-preparation process with the creation of slides. This can waste time as you struggle to make what you want to say fit into a limited format. Outline what you want to say and only then decide if the use of visuals is appropriate to clarify your points. Visuals are meant to support explanations, not give them.

If you elect to use PowerPoint, design the slides to look like highway billboards, which can be read by drivers going fifty-five miles per hour. The use of multiple colors is risky. Yellow fades out, and some audience members may be color-blind and thus unable to distinguish between red and green. ALL CAPITALS IS DIFFICULT TO READ, as are fancy, unfamiliar fonts and
italics.
Don't forget to use spell check and to proof-read carefully.

Flip Charts and Erasable Boards

Don't presume that high-tech visuals will be more effective than a flip chart or erasable board. Low-tech can be the way to go for training scenarios because the tools are more interactive than slides. Some rooms are not set up for electronic displays, and charts and boards don't require extension cords or connector cables. Hardly anything can go wrong with a low-tech approach, especially if you bring your own supply of fresh markers. A great trick with the flip chart is to write down the entire presentation in advance. Do it with a light pencil, and no one in the audience will be able to see it. Charts and boards are not effective, however, in more formal settings or with large groups. They are difficult to see in rooms with more than forty people or in an auditorium with theater-style seating.

Props

Did you see Oprah's “fat wagon”? It was a prop the TV hostess used to show how much weight she had lost. A red wagon filled with a sixty-sevenpound mound of lard was wheeled onto the studio set to dramatically illustrate a successful diet. Three-dimensional props are creative and memorable. A well-selected prop can tell a story more effectively than words. The introduction of something novel while you are talking also focuses the audience's attention on what you are saying.

Props have been used in the theater and movies to illustrate story lines and enhance the characters' personalities. The word
prop
comes from the
theatrical term “company property.” Some are as well-known as the character that used them, like Dorothy's ruby-red slippers in
The Wizard of Oz
and Laura's figurines in
The Glass Menagerie.
Simple props can be arresting. During her maiden congressional speech, newly elected Senator Dole held up an oddly shaped sweet potato. The potato couldn't be sold because of its shape, even though it was edible. It was an effective example of how food is wasted that could feed the hungry.

Multimedia

Multimedia presentations incorporating video and other visuals are more common and easier to use now that they can be run off of a computer. All visuals should tell a story that is germane to a main theme. Check to make sure the format of your material is compatible with the technology available at the event site. Always test for picture and audio quality. Most computers have weak speakers, so you will likely need additional amplification. Be careful about the running time. Video has to be well produced if it runs longer than a couple of minutes. Think twice about showing a lowproduction piece with grainy pictures.

Handouts

A supplementary handout should not be the outline or text of the speech. Handouts are takeaways that embellish what was discussed during the presentation and provide additional information. They can include detailed graphs, charts, and spreadsheets that are not readable when projected onto a screen. Audiences can forget as much as 90 percent of what is said, so handouts help people recall and apply details. Handouts are more likely to be read if they are well designed.

Let the audience know at the beginning that you have prepared materials so they can decide whether or not to take notes. Distribute the handouts at the end of your presentation unless you want the audience to read while you're talking. Inevitably they won't follow along but will skip ahead. Handouts can be shared at the beginning if there are exercise sheets to fill in; this is an effective approach for training seminars. When speaking to a
group larger than two hundred people, the logistics of producing and distributing handouts may be prohibitive. It might save time and resources to send supplementary information electronically.

UNPLUGGED BUT NOT UNSCRIPTED

There are situations when going with the flow can create a magical moment. Jazz musicians instinctively know when to break into a riff that will thrill listeners. The ability to improvise can save the day when the unexpected happens. Letting go of inhibitions and exploring an unforeseen opportunity can reap tremendous rewards. In these situations, audiences sense vulnerability and cut the speaker some slack. When you pull it off, they doubly appreciate your ability to react, and if it doesn't go perfectly, at least you get credit for trying. Near the end of Elizabeth Dole's convention address, she let pass an opportunity to seize a spontaneous reaction. From the back of the hall, a faint chant broke out, but Dole quickly hushed the crowd. The unplanned, unscripted response might have been a high point if Dole had allowed the enthusiasm to build to a crescendo. Instead, bound to the script in her head and mindful of the tight time schedule, she pressed on with her memorized remarks.

Improv is the skill of knowing how to respond to what is happening in the moment. Actors and comedians rehearse techniques to think on their feet by learning how to anticipate, react, and adjust. Improv is not about crossing your fingers and winging it. The rules of the road employed by improvisation troupes will boost your confidence about being spontaneous and your ability to carry it off. These techniques help you make informed decisions about when to change direction for greater effect.

 

• Stay in the moment:
  Don't allow your mind to race ahead. Focus on what has just happened and allow yourself to respond spontaneously to the unexpected.
  
• Acknowledge aloud the unexpected:
  There is no sense pretending the lights have not gone out or someone has not just fainted. Take a moment to allow yourself and the audience to adjust. If someone has taken ill, that takes precedence. Keep in mind that no one is blaming you if something goes wrong, so don't get stuck on what could have or should have been.
  
• Unscripted isn't necessarily unprepared:
  You did your homework. You know the topic and the audience. Allow yourself the luxury of digressing when an interesting, relevant point pops into your head. Feel free to expand on an area of expertise with a good story.
  
• Move on:
  Once a distracting moment has passed, the audience will turn back to you. It is up to you as the presenter to get the program moving again. A technique that improv actors use to prevent getting stuck in awkward dialogue is to say: “And, yes…” They use the phrase to keep the dialogue flowing. No matter what is thrown at them, they verbally agree with it and go forward.
  
• Accept help:
  When an airline passenger falls ill, it always seems as if there is a doctor onboard. Same is true for public speaking. Often someone in the room knows how to fix the computer glitch. Audience members will jump in with an insightful comment or even a touch of humor. Be sure to thank them!
  
• Go with your gut:
  Eventually, you will begin to trust your instincts.