Create a Great
Presentation
Think of any project you want to accomplish: Getting started is probably the most difficult part of the entire process. The same applies to organizing speeches. Many people dread the process of writing and preparing a speech so much that they put it off until they find themselves two days from the actual day of the presentation—and panic sets in. Here is where some of you may have contemplated calling in sick and asking the group you will be addressing to find someone else.
However, guilt sets in and somehow you find the courage to get started, and you quickly throw together a speech or presentation. You deliver the speech the next day and manage to get through the event. Let’s be honest, how many of you have actually used this “do or die” approach? Many of you, I’m sure.
You have heard the expression “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Great presentations aren’t built in a day, either, unless you are trying to demonstrate how not to prepare a presentation. In most cases it fails and you say to yourself, I will never volunteer to give a speech again.
The problem with the hasty approach is that you set yourself up for failure and then try to convince yourself that this public speaking stuff is not for you. If you had a method to quickly organize your thoughts, a way to structure your speech, and additional time to practice (practice? you say. What’s that?), you would be the hit of the event. Lack of preparation, also known as waiting until the last minute, is one of the biggest contributors to the speech anxiety I discussed in Day 1. Remember from Day 1 that the number one thing you can do to help overcome your speech anxiety is to prepare. My seminar participants often ask me, “When should I start preparing for a presentation?” I always say to them, “The moment they ask you!” Here is an example:
Your boss comes up to you and says, “I would like you to prepare [there’s that word again] a presentation for the new staff members on Monday and give them an overview of what our group really does—goals, objectives, the whole nine yards. I really want it to be special, and I am counting on you.” Several thoughts race through your mind at this time. How can I get someone else to do this? Why couldn’t he have asked someone else? Why me? Before you realize it, you open your mouth and the words come blurting out: “No problem, I’d love to.” Somehow your mouth and brain did not talk to each other, and you find yourself agreeing! You then proceed to spend the rest of the week worrying about the speech, losing sleep over what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. Before you know it, you realize that tomorrow is the day, and you finally begin to prepare for your presentation.
This approach will not work.
The first step in creating a great presentation is to gather information. Following are examples of how I and another professional speaker gather information in preparation for presentations. Let’s see what the experts have to say.
Here are some tips from Tom Antion, a member of the National Speakers Association, a respected colleague of mine, and author of Wake ’Em Up!: How to Use Humor and Other Professional Techniques to Create Alarmingly Good Business Presentations. Tom, like myself, travels all over the world for speaking engagements. I recommend Tom’s Web site: www.antion.com.
Being able to find humor, stories, quotes, and other speech materials when you need them is very important. It is very frustrating to know you have a piece of material but can’t find it. An organizational system is essential to efficient preparation.
A file and cross-reference system helps you keep track of your material. Tom uses both a computer and a hard-copy filing system. Both have advantages, so don’t worry if you do not have a computer.
Keep separate files for each topic in your presentation and also for each part and category of a speech, such as “Response to Introduction” and “Openings.” Tom suggests you can do this on three-by-five-inch cards in a regular file box or cabinet if you do not have a computer.
Some information in Tom’s topic files may be duplicated in other topic files. For instance, some of his signature stories, personal stories that most professional speakers include about themselves in most of their speeches, are about Tom’s dog, Freeway. Tom uses Freeway stories to talk about customer service and to illustrate going the extra mile, reacting under pressure, or thinking quickly. Consequently Freeway stories show up in several of Tom’s topic files.
Using a computer has many advantages. When Tom prepares for a talk, all he has to do is open the file on his speech topic and select the information he wants to use. He then copies the material to another file named for the group to whom he will be speaking, such as “Rotary Club.” When traveling, Tom can take his speech reference information on a few floppy disks or a laptop computer so he can work on upcoming speeches or call up the files in case he gives another talk while on the road.
Keeping various stories in your database provides you quick access to stories that may fit the audience you are addressing. Many professional speakers complete a thorough audience analysis survey to learn as much pertinent information as possible. By having your stories properly indexed and stored on your computer, you can find everything with the click of a mouse and insert what you need in the appropriate section of your presentation. For example, if I’m talking to a group of insurance professionals, I use a story from the insurance industry. If I’m talking to a group of engineers, I use one of my own stories from my engineering days. I even clip stories from newspapers and write short summaries of the key points I want to use and store them on my computer as well. In addition, I make notes as to where I have stored the hard copy of the original newspaper article so I can easily go back and review it if I want to.
Tom also uses folders in a filing cabinet to store cartoons, clippings, and so on. He organizes overhead transparencies and other audiovisual material in binders by inserting them into three-ring document protectors. You can also use three-ring pouches to hold miscellaneous items such as pencils, pens, Scotch tape, and so on.
Even though the hard-copy filing method is slower than the computer, it has two big advantages.
1. The filing cabinet has never given Tom a general message saying, “Not enough memory,” or, “An error has occurred.” He has never had to sit with a technician for hours while the computer is being serviced. Never once has it been difficult to find a file. It even works well during a thunderstorm or power outage.
2. Having hard files and a big box of miscellaneous material forces you to search through material to find the piece of information you need. In doing this, you are reminded of many things you forgot you had collected. Maybe it’s time to review some of the old stuff.
I also use a filing system where I collect quotes and humorous stories, record personal anecdotes, and keep clippings of interesting magazine articles on a variety of topics. I arrange these files according to topics. Since I speak to organizations for various industries, I collect material about everything from aerospace to zoology, including information such as
• what challenges each industry is facing;
• significant changes in that industry;
• the latest rumors about that industry can be included in a presentation.
If I’m scheduled to speak to a corporation, I usually ask them to send me
• company newsletters, publications, or annual reports, so I can learn more about that company’s issues and outlook, as well as the corporate culture, before I speak to them. I do this thorough search several weeks or months before the actual presentation.
Before I leave for my presentation, whether it’s the day of the presentation or the evening before, I
• read national newspapers and skim for up-to-the-minute news I can use during my presentation.
When I arrive at my destination I
• buy a local newspaper and look up any local news I can also include in my presentation. Incorporating current events impresses your audience.
When you are gathering materials, the idea is to have more material than you will be able to cover in your allotted time. To be an authority in front of your audience, you should know at least ten times as much about your topic as the audience does. I also recommend collecting
• personal anecdotes that show your creative or humorous side. Also think about the times you made mistakes and how you can relate these mistakes to your topic. Be prepared to share your life experiences. Can you remember the time you made a fool of yourself? Can you laugh at that now? Turn childhood experiences into stories you can share with your audience.
A good way to start organizing stories about yourself is with your family. Include stories about your parents, your children, your pets, your neighbors. Think back to your childhood and school days. Jot down notes about experiences that have happened to you in your life, good, bad, and unusual; funny, dramatic, expected, and unexpected.
The idea is to gather as much material as you can and start to record and organize it into categories. The same approach works well when preparing your actual speech. The key is to collect as much data as possible, whether you use it or not.
For example, I keep a little notepad in my car or pocket so I can write down ideas that I might be able to use later. Take a small notepad and pencil when you are exercising. Some of the greatest ideas have come to me while walking on the treadmill or around my neighborhood. Having a spot to write down these ideas the minute you think of them is a plus. If you think you will remember them when you get home, think again.
Recording these ideas a few weeks ahead helps you better prepare for the speech. Try to write down how these ideas relate to the audience and your presentation. This proven method alleviates the pressure from having to start from scratch.
Genuine speech preparation means looking within yourself. You need to gather facts and arrange these facts in conjunction with your thoughts. It is not enough simply to collect ideas. You must also nurture and reflect on them and decide how to present the ideas in a unique, organized manner. I will go into more detail on the structure of your speech later in the chapter. Following are some tips to get you started preparing for your next speech or presentation. Whether you are talking to a small group or addressing a large auditorium of people, these tips will put you on the path to successful speech giving.
• A speech needs time to grow—prepare for weeks.
• Sleep on your topic, dream about it, and let your ideas sink into your subconscious.
• Ask yourself questions.
• Write down your thoughts.
• Keep adding new ideas.
Once you have determined the purpose (to expand your audience’s knowledge of eighteenth-century law) for delivering this speech, state the purpose in a sentence (write it down) and focus your speech around it. Ask yourself, How does this purpose relate to the audience? Write down your answers. Let your purpose drive your speech. A good speech title doesn’t hurt, either. Aim not only to inform your listeners, but also to persuade them. Here are a few Web sites that feature great speech titles from history:
• www.freedomvision.com/famousspeeches/home.html
• http://douglass.speech.nwu.edu/
• http://www.tamu.edu/scom/pres/archive.html
As you prepare each speech, choose a simple structure:
• Sequential. Will the material follow chronological order or how the events happened?
• Categorical. Will the speech be structured according to the categories? If so, will you talk about the most important category first or last?
• Problem and solution. Will your speech be designed to state a dilemma and then offer a device to address the problem?
• Contrast and comparison. Will your speech discuss similarities and differences between/among your main points?
Regardless of its length, your speech should contain the following main sections:
1. The introduction
2. The body
3. The conclusion
Let’s take a look at each of these three sections in detail.
• The Introduction. The introduction actually consists of three parts: the introductory grabber, the purpose, and the agenda. The introductory grabber is an opening— a pertinent quote or some shocking information or statistics. You can even start with something humorous. The purpose of the speech should focus on the benefits to the listeners. Most listeners want to know “What’s in it for me?” The purpose answers that question. The agenda highlights the points that you will cover in your speech.
• The Body. This is the meat of your speech or presentation, where you present and discuss the main ideas. The number of points you choose to discuss depends on the length of your speech. Here are some general guidelines on the number of main points you should discuss given a certain length of time.
| Time Limit | Main Points to Cover | ||
| 20 minutes | 4 | ||
| 30 minutes | 4-6 | ||
| 60 minutes | 6-8 |
If you remember in my sample speech in Day 1, I briefly discussed my wife, Joan; my son, Michael; and my daughter, Kelly. The level of detail was brief but to the point. I could easily have expanded on any of that information to make a longer speech. The structure would remain the same, but the level of detail would increase.
• The Conclusion. Your conclusion serves as a brief review and should leave the listeners thinking about what you said. It is usually divided into three parts:
1. The review. This section reiterates the purpose of the speech and highlights the answers to the audience’s question “What’s in it for me?”
2. The call to action. During this segment, tell the audience what to do with the information you’ve presented.
3. The closing grabber. This consists of your closing remarks and should leave listeners with at least one memorable thought.
Let’s take my short sample speech example provided in Day 1 and see how to identify the main message, objectives, purpose, central ideas, conclusion, and so on.
Here’s the introduction of my speech. See if you can find the purpose and agenda of this speech.
“Good morning. My name is Lenny Laskowski. I’m here today to tell you about my wife and kids. I live in Connecticut and have been married for twenty-five years to my wife, Joan. I have a son, Michael, twenty-one, and a daughter, Kelly, eighteen.”
I included a statement that provided the main purpose of my speech at the beginning of the introduction: “I’m here today to tell you about my wife and kids.”
I then gave a transitional statement that leads into specific details about my family. The transitional statement is, “I live in Connecticut and have been married for twenty-five years to my wife, Joan. I have a son, Michael, twenty-one, and a daughter, Kelly, eighteen.”
I then proceed to give a brief description or statement about my wife, my son, and my daughter—that’s the body.
Now examine the crux of my speech. You will see that the major portion of the speech focuses on my family.
“My wife is a learning disabilities teacher who was, I’m proud to say, the 1996 National Learning Disabilities Teacher of the Year.
“My son is a senior in college, majoring in business finance. Michael has always been a good, hardworking student. He also keeps himself in shape by working out daily. . . .
“My daughter, Kelly, started college this year and is majoring in business and political science. Kelly has been a dancer since the age of two. Her mother and I are thinking of starting a Web site to sell all her old costumes. She is a member of the USA tap team and is a two-time world champion in tap dancing! . . .”
I end the speech with a brief statement about my family.
“As you can probably tell, I am happily married and am very proud of both my kids.”
Remember, it is not always necessary to have long closings, especially with very short speeches. With all speeches you want to conclude by highlighting the main points, discussing each briefly and giving a synopsis of what the audience has learned.
For many people, developing speech content is a very difficult task. What will I talk about? How will I make interesting points? In my seminars I talk about the fact that getting started is the hardest aspect of preparing a speech and the main reason people procrastinate. Most people spend too much time worrying about how they are going to begin their speech. My advice is to plan your introduction last; focus on the body of the speech first.
Following are the steps I recommend for developing speech content. As an example, here is how I used these steps to help a client develop an educational speech entitled “Preparing Students for the 21st Century.” The objective of the speech was to identify the top ten skills students need to succeed in the twenty-first century.
1. Gather all the information possible on the subject. Also, look for little details you think may be useful. Try the Internet for resource material by typing key words related to your topic into several search engines. Take notes on your different resources, and group information into specific folders. For this particular speech I interviewed educators over the phone and gathered their thoughts and ideas on the skills students need to thrive in the new millennium. Since my wife, Joan, is a learning disabilities teacher with over twenty-five years of experience, I also asked for her opinions and input. Then we both sat down and listed the skills we wanted our own kids to achieve.
Here are some of the resources I found to expand my knowledge on the subject:
• An article by Robert Kizlik I found on-line titled “Connective Transactions—Technology and Thinking for the 21st Century,” www.adprima.com/connecti.htm. This article focuses primarily on the importance of mastering technology. It includes an example illustrating that without sophisticated technology, many modern surgical procedures would be impossible.
• After speaking with a contact I had at the National Academy of Sciences, I was given this article titled “Preparing for the 21st Century—Science and Technology Policy in a New Era.” The article discusses the goals of the National Academy of Sciences and zeroes in on the importance of mastering basic research skills and how people need a solid education in science, mathematics, and technology to prepare for today’s workforce.
• An informative article I found on-line titled “Skills Needed for the 21st Century” from the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, www.acce.org. The article discusses the specific knowledge, skills, and behaviors students need to succeed in the new millennium.
2. Analyze the information you have grouped or categorized to determine what information you want to use. How much material you use depends on the length of your speech. If you are asked to speak for five minutes, the amount of material you will use is considerably less than if you are asked to speak for thirty minutes.
3. Organize the information you want to present in coherent sequence. At this point don’t concern yourself with the length of your presentation. Rather, make sure that your speech follows a logical order. I sat with my client and we analyzed all the resource material to form a list of ten objectives for students.
4. Prioritize the most important points in your speech. Try to determine how long it will take you to talk about each point based on the information you have gathered. My client and I looked at the list we had developed in step three, and this helped us create a time frame and chronological sequence for his presentation. We then developed slide copy—one slide for each item in the list, with two or three points under each.
5. Fine-tune the organization of your presentation content with the following approach:
• Tell your audience what your presentation will cover.
• Highlight or “preview” a few main points to capture their interest.
• Begin your presentation.
• Conclude with summary points that you want your audience to remember.
Here is the list of ten objectives—the body of the speech—that my client presented, along with his main talking points.
1. Oral and written communication skills. Communication skills cover far more than spelling and grammar. Students need to develop the ability to communicate effectively with the entire world. In business communications that may include everything from internal memos to business letters to formal speeches and e-mail. As cyberspace grows and cable systems expand, digital communication provides instant global access. The Internet has truly made this a smaller world, a world in which we must become more diverse in the way we think, reason, and exchange information.
2. Critical thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. “Problem-solving skills” almost seems an ambiguous term. After all, no two problems are identical or require the same solution. Problem solving, then, requires a range of abilities that work in conjunction with one another, such as listening, communicating, critical analysis, research, and creativity.
We hear a lot these days about the need for critical thinking skills in the workplace, but we don’t hear a lot about how students can acquire these skills. I believe that courses in the humanities, such as literature, philosophy, composition, and history, which require written and verbal analysis, will provide ideal circumstances for our students to develop their analytical abilities.
While critical thinking is important, so is creative thinking, or what many refer to as “thinking outside the box.” Being able to identify, analyze, and construct a solution to a problem is a skill we all need to succeed. Individuals with imagination and ambition will discover that the greatest source of wealth will be the ideas in their head.
3. Ethical skills. Many of us have difficulty defining the term ethics, yet most education experts agree that we need to nurture a firmer commitment to ethics in students. To survive and prosper in the twenty-first century, students also need self-discipline, which entails an ethical code and the ability to set and assess progress toward their own goals. By introducing students to ethics through specific applications and in relation to specific fields, we can render a more relevant component of civil life that often remains unexamined and unexplored.
4. Use of computers and other technical skills. The use of computers and technology has become an important—indeed, practical—part of today’s workforce. Technology will most likely play a vital role in redesigning education systems in the twenty-first century. Commerce on the Internet is driven by computing and telecommunications technology. Experts predict that in 2007 the basic home computer will have 4,000 megabytes of RAM and 300,000 megabytes of storage. The Internet is bringing into every home an astonishing array of learning and commercial opportunities.
5. Teamwork skills. Job success relies on interpersonal, human relations skills and the ability to work as part of a team. Working together is an art that requires practice and expertise. Humanities courses can offer a range of opportunities for students to develop teamwork skills. The workforce of tomorrow will be more diverse than today. Our ability to develop interpersonal skills will continue to play a vital role, even with the surge in home-based businesses and increased emphasis on technology. Interpersonal skills will divide the workers from the achievers.
6. Adaptability and flexibility skills. In a fast-changing world students need a catalog of skills that are broad and deep enough to enable them to adapt to changing circumstances and to develop attitudes that encourage flexibility. Those students who learn to adapt as the business world changes will continue to succeed. Managing yourself in a world of uncertainty, opportunity, and rapid change will be the greatest challenge in the next ten years.
7. Conflict resolution and negotiation skills. It is essential that all elementary and high school curricula incorporate conflict resolution skills. The curriculum should provide skill-building activities that will give students practice in preventing, defusing, and avoiding conflicts. Students need to learn how to control anger, listen, and work toward a solution with their peers. These skills play a vital role in succeeding in many areas of life, including the workforce.
8. Conduct research, interpret and apply data. Schools need to offer ready access to the world of information through print, electronic, and face-to-face channels. These will provide students with opportunities to test their theories based on what they discover. The United States of America must continue to remain among the world’s leaders in every major area of research. A special emphasis must be placed on the development of human resources such as preparing scientists and engineers for a broad range of careers.
9. Multiple languages skills. Communicating effectively in more than one language is important as the marketplace becomes more international. The Internet has already made the world smaller. Speaking another language will be crucial for economic growth and world peace, as well as knowing, appreciating, and working with our global neighbors.
10. Reading and comprehension skills. Along with reading are listening, speaking, writing, and thinking skills. Reading is basic to all other areas of the curriculum. Reading is the foundation upon which all other skills are built. Without the right foundation students will have a more difficult time reaching their potential.
Writing a short, concise speech that is to the point is not always easy. Many times it’s necessary to write the speech and then go back and revise the speech to eliminate extra, unnecessary information.
Mark Twain, the famous author and speaker, was quoted as saying, “If you want me to give you a two-hour presentation, I am ready today. If you want only a five-minute speech, it will take me two weeks to prepare.” This is so true. A short speech that gets your message across effectively often will take more work than a longer speech, since the words you use need to be chosen carefully. I can remember that when I wanted to ask my parents for something, I would ramble on and on, and my mother would say, “Get to the point.” You may find that when you speak you tend to use a lot of extra words to say what you really mean. You need to learn how to eliminate your own verbal clutter and speak clearly.
These tips will help you become more aware of your speaking manner:
• Before you begin to speak, think about the words you want to use.
• Think about what you want to say before you open your mouth.
• When you find yourself saying ahs and ums (verbal clutter), stop yourself and repeat the sentence, this time replacing the ahs and ums with silence.
• Use the pause as an effective technique. Work hard at replacing this verbal clutter with a simple pause, and during these short pauses allow your mind to catch up and think about what you want to say next.
Practice some of these quick tricks in everyday speaking situations such as making a phone call or running into someone at a bank or store, but this time focus on replacing your verbal clutter with silence.
The secret to a great presentation is to tell a story. Think back to when you were a kid and your mother or father read you a bedtime story. Kids love stories, and so do adults. People love speakers who tell stories that apply to their message. These personal stories help drive your message home. To tell your “story” effectively, follow these steps:
• Begin at the end of your speech. As Stephen Covey says in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “Begin with the end in mind.” Think about that main message you want people to understand. Then gather the facts and information you believe are pertinent to your message. Recall personal stories when you were a kid, a teenager, or a young adult that you might use.
• Use examples your audience can relate to. For example, if you are talking about the latest advance in cardiac medicine, you may want to share a brief story of a patient who benefited from the technology or therapy.
• Practice telling your anecdotes as if you were telling the story for the first time. As you practice, experiment with different phrases and ways of illustrating your story or example. The best approach is to put yourself in the story and pretend you are the main character of the story. Pretend you are acting in a play, and do some role or character playing. Try to take on the personalities and characters in your story. Use actual names or fictitious names to help define the characters in your story.
• Practice each of your stories separately and record them. Get a good idea of how long each story takes. This can vary depending on the level of detail you use. First develop a long version and then a short version of your story. This will come in handy if you need to adjust your speech time. Figure out what kinds of gestures might be used to add some dynamics to your story, such as a change in your voice, how you will move, or whether sitting or standing would be more effective. I will go into storytelling in greater detail in Day 5, where I will discuss body language and voice.
Remember, tell them what you are going to tell them. You can’t do this until you have figured out what you will be talking about. Tell them—this is where the meat of your speech is—your stories, and tell them what you told them—this is where you do a quick review at the end, telling them what your stories were supposed to tell them, just in case they did not automatically figure it out for themselves.
One of the very last things you do when preparing and organizing your speech is to make adjustments in your timing. To do this effectively, make an audiotape or videotape of your speech and note how long each section of your speech took you to present. To record your speech at this point, set up your video camera or turn on your cassette recorder when you are ready and give your entire speech as if you were doing it for a live audience. It is amazing how many people never even record their presentations and use them as part of their practice. Many people never even practice their speech at all, and they wonder why they have too much speech left over at the end of their time allotment.
You will use this same taping technique throughout this book. For the purpose of this chapter, you need only record the start and end times for each section of your speech. Write down the times and keep your notes handy.
I recommend the following general time guidelines for each section:
• The introduction (10 to 15 percent)
• The body (70 to 80 percent)
• The conclusion (10 to 15 percent)
Let’s look at an actual example:
Say you are asked to give a speech with a 10-minute time frame. Using the higher percentages just listed, you should allow 15 percent of 10 minutes, or 11/2 minutes, for your introduction and 11/2 minutes for your conclusion. This leaves only 7 minutes for the actual body of your presentation. If you want a question and answer (Q&A) period at the end of your presentation, you need to allocate additional time for it. Let’s say you allow for a 2-minute Q&A session at the end of your presentation. You now have 8 minutes for your presentation. This brings you to your first reality check; with 11/2 minutes each for your introduction and conclusion, you now in fact have only 5 minutes for your content (body of speech)—not the 10 minutes you originally assumed.
Over my years as a professional speech coach, I have witnessed how most presenters do not use this simple math exercise when preparing their presentations. It is not a surprise to me when they actually run out of time or, worse, run well beyond their allotted time. They may have estimated ten minutes’ worth of material, but they did not allow the necessary time for their introduction, conclusion, or Q&A session.
Now here is step two. Seeing that you have only five minutes for the actual body of your talk, let’s also assume you will be using three stories you developed. The first question to ask yourself is, “Can I tell the three stories in the five minutes?” If not, consider using only two stories or maybe just one. Look at your videotape. Let’s say it shows that story one took three minutes, story two took four minutes, and story three took six minutes. That is a total of thirteen minutes! But you have allotted only five minutes. You have a few decisions to make at this point:
• If you really want to use all three stories, can you shorten them so their combined total is less than five minutes? Keep in mind you will also need to provide a summary of the main message for each story. Even if that summary is only twenty to thirty seconds, you will need at least one minute for summaries, leaving you really only four minutes.
• In this case, I suggest using only two stories, since most stories cannot be told effectively in less than two minutes. You now need to decide on which two stories to tell. I recommend you always include your personal story and present it last. You now have four minutes to use between the two stories.
• I suggest you keep the first story very short (only about one to two minutes) and allow yourself the two to three minutes for your personal story.
Assume that you will use story one and story three, your personal story. You see that initially it took three minutes for story one and five minutes to tell your personal story. You now need to cut each of these stories in half. Here is how you do this.
Go back and review the tape of each story and write down the main ideas discussed and the sequence of the ideas used in your original version. Notice the level of detail you used for each idea or section of your story. Decide if you can eliminate any sections or details altogether or determine how you can retell that section of the story in a more concise manner. If you haven’t noticed, this is a lot of work! I didn’t say it would be easy. Rerecord the story and see how your time has improved. Repeat this process for each story, paying attention to what parts of your stories can be told with less detail. Make mental or written notes during this process because you can use this information later when you are asked to give the same speech but are given more time.
The key is not to change the structure of your speech, but to reduce the level of detail. This is why it takes longer to prepare a shorter presentation than a longer one, because you need to constantly refine and rework your story, using fewer words and details but still keeping it intact. Rerecord your entire speech and address the timing again, making additional adjustments as needed. Remember, you will have to work harder at sounding natural if you are modifying personal stories that you are comfortable relaying in detail with no time constraints.
With every new speech I develop, I always prepare a ninety-minute version, a sixty-minute version, a thirty-minute version, and even a five-minute version. There are a couple of reasons why I prepare four different versions of my speeches. Often I’m asked to deliver a speech on the same topic to more than one organization or company. For instance, one client may ask me to speak for sixty minutes, and another client may want me to speak for only forty-five minutes. By having different versions of the same speech, I can easily adjust my presentation to fit the time allotment. Another reason is that many times the planned time slot for you to speak and the actual time slot available are different, such as when the presenter before you speaks too long.
I was faced with a similar predicament not too long ago when I was hired as the opening keynote speaker for a meeting being held in a hotel. My original presentation was scheduled for sixty minutes. Just before I was introduced, the fire alarm sounded and we all had to exit the building. Fortunately it turned out to be a false alarm. However, by the time we were allowed to reenter the meeting room, a half hour had passed. I was scheduled to end my speech at ten A.M.; it was now nine-thirty. I asked the meeting coordinator how she wanted me to proceed.
Since I was paid to give a sixty-minute keynote, I told her I could move forward with that presentation or give a shortened version. She asked me if I could deliver the shortened version and still motivate the audience. I gave a twenty-five minute version, which was not only a success, but helped put the seminar back on schedule. As a result, I was hired on the spot to come back the following year to give both the opening and closing keynote addresses because the meeting organizers knew I would exceed their expectations.
In Day 3 I will provide you with tools to help you relate to and analyze your audience so you can create a speech tailored to their needs and interests.