EDITORIAL FEATURE
Public Speaking –
The Power of Preparation
By Pam Terry
O
ne of the most powerful ways to
improve your public speaking and
to reduce nervousness is by simply preparing beforehand. You can
virtually eliminate anxiety and become a
“natural” and confident speaker by being
prepared.
Benjamin Franklin said “By failing to prepare,
you are preparing to fail.” So true!
We’ve all ‘winged’ it a few times and you
can do that, but there are several things
that can go wrong. Because you’re not
prepared you’re likely to be nervous, ramble, lose your place, or, worse, lose your
audience, and without preparing, your
presentation could be too short and,
worse, too long.
Preparation is KEY. Here are the main
elements, then, for effective preparation:
Step 1 - Identify your objectives
What are the objectives for you and your
audience? Do you want to gain people’s
trust, have them buy something at the
end, get on your mailing list, etc.? What
do you want the audience to gain? Usually, a public speaker wants to make people’s lives better in some way. Become
crystal clear about what your objectives
are and not only will they guide you, they
will also build your confidence and help
you in creating your introduction and
close.
Step 2 – Begin your outline.
Your outline has 4 parts – your objectives (step 1), an introduction, the body
and your close. Your introduction and
close will be tied to your objectives. You
should have no more than three main
points. You can have as many sub points
as time will allow.
What are the objectives for you and
your audience? Do you want to gain
people’s trust, have them buy something at the end, get on your mailing
list, etc.? What do you want the audience to gain? Usually, a public speaker
wants to make people’s lives better in
some way. Become crystal clear about
what your objectives are and not only
will they guide you, they will also build
your confidence and help you in creating your introduction and close.
Step 3 – De