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In one of my classes, two speakers gave excellent
five-minute talks, and I sat down with them afterwards
and discussed their approach to speaking, adding my own
observations.
One (whose speech dealt with enhanced child safety belts)
paced around the room, catching the eyes of everyone in
the audience, carrying a small photo of a child for each to
see (instead of a large viewgraph of the same photo, up on a
screen). The other (dealing with funding of the US space
program) stayed in one place but relied on the
authority of his numbers. The second *used* more numbers
than the first, but (I thought) he used them wisely.
Neither was afraid, both were confident in the strength of
their cases and their presence.
Here's what I learned from the ensuing discussion:
- Numbers can cost you the audience's
attention. Never you mind that the
engineer's primary product is usually numbers.
The human brain can only process a certain amount
of data at one time. Numbers don't automatically
conjure up images in a listener's mind. This means
that (engineer or not) you have to only present in
a speech the numbers that are the most critical to
your claim.
- break up the numbers; don't present them all at once
- explain the importance of each number presented at the
moment it's on the screen
- look for the "eye-opener"
The units of presented numbers seem
to mean something to the hearer as well. Some units
that seem to have strong effects on listeners include
- dollar values
- percentage rates (e.g. casualties, mechanical efficiency,
placements, etc.)
- unbelievable outliers (e.g. catastrophic failures)
- The speaker has other tools for engaging an audience
besides motion. The power of presence that comes with
self-confidence and mastery of material is the chief tool,
but nobody should sell eye contact or vocal intonation
short. :-) :-) :-)
Here are distracting behaviors commonly seen among students:
- slouching
- depending on a podium, etc. as a barrier (sometimes
accompanied by white-knuckled gripping)
- biased (or non-existent) eye-contact (e.g. at the floor,
at one member of the audience, etc.)
- monotones
- poor pacing (especially talking too quickly)
- inappropriate dress (e.g. baseball hats, bare midriffs,
excessive jewelry or body art, t-shirts with writing, etc.)
- excessive dependence on notes (e.g. reading instead of
speaking to the audience)
- lack of hand control (e.g. cracking knuckles, jingling
keys and change, etc.)
- lack of leg control (e.g. shifting weight between feet,
pacing without engaging audience, etc.)
- informality of address (e.g. "you guys," use of profanity,
inappropriate humor, etc.)
- stuttering (especially "ummm," "so," etc.)
- lack of segueways (especially starting and finishing the
speech) or any other source of "dead air"
- exploding letter sounds, such as when you say the letters
"p" or "t" too close to a microphone
- side conclusions, unrelated or marginally related to the
topic
- unreadable visual materials, such as photocopies of
photographs
- complex equations
- sales pitches
- "soft-pedaling," or trying to overlook critical details
that might be contrary to your argument
Although students engage in these behaviors regularly, it's
not unheard-of to see experienced professionals do the same
things in front of an audience. The difference is that
experienced professionals will subsequently wonder why
the audience didn't hear what they said. :-)
References
Toastmasters
International's Ten Tips for Successful Public Speaking
What You Can Do
- Practice in front of an audience of your own
before you face the real thing. Take their
criticism seriously but not personally.
- Practice in front of a mirror.
- Be honest with yourself. If
you would be distracted when someone else does
something you do, you are distracting others by
doing it yourself.
- Don't read the speech from notes.
Some people have difficulty memorizing a speech,
but anything you can memorize increases your freedom
to deal with the context.
- Seek feedback from the audience.
Even during the speech, it's important for you to
know you're being heard and understood.
- Students can work for a semester at their
campus radio station. This is a great way
to work on proper pronunciation.
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