Public Speaking - Making it look easy (1)

There is no doubt that as a leader, sooner or later, you are going to have to speak to a congregation / audience.  You may have to address members of the community to ask for donations, deliver a Bible address, or simply give a thank you speech to your team members. 

Are you ready for it? 

Have you noticed how some speakers seem to be able to address an audience in such a relaxed and competent manner that it seems to be no effort at all? 

Well, they didn’t get like that by chance.  Even accomplished speakers have to follow some important principles in preparation and delivery. 

Here is the first of a number of posts on the issue, starting at the beginning; the preparation.  Most people who are nervous about presenting in public are much more relaxed when they have prepared well. 

Preparing the Mind

But even as you begin the preparation of your material, preparing the mind is also important.  Consider these important mind preparation questions:

Question	Preparation of the Mind
Who am I speaking to?	Imagine you are speaking to just one person, the stereotypical member of the audience.  What are his/her interests, needs, understanding of the subject, educational level, sense of humour, etc? (If you don’t know him/her find out.)  This will influence both what you say and how you say it.
What is the occasion?	Imagine yourself in the room at the event. The occasion will influence the style, degree of formality, use of humour and much more.  If you’re not sure it is OK to ask the organisers of the event about these things.
How long am to speak for?	Be prepared to not say some of the things you want to because of the limitations of time.  With experience you will work out the relationship between the length of your notes and the time it takes to deliver them, but if you are new to it, you may actually have to time speaking it out loud.
What is the purpose of your address?	Ask yourself “What do I want to be different after I have spoken?” (Eg: the community members will be seriously thinking about donating, the congregation will be challenged to live a more effective spiritual life, my team members will know that they are appreciated.) Everything you say and do in your presentation should contribute to this goal.
Will my knowledge of the subject be up to the task?	If you are not very familiar with your subject (working with it on an almost daily basis) you must research, research and research.  Typically accomplished speakers spend about an hour research for every hour in preparation, and about three to six hours research and preparation for a 20 minute address.
Are all the arrangements going to be OK?	Get there early enough to check the data projector, where you will stand, the microphones, etc.  If you emailed you presentation, take a spare copy on a USB drive.   Sometimes, despite your best efforts, some or all of these things can go wrong.  When this happens be gracious and professional.  It’s a sure way to win the sympathy, support and admiration of your audience if you display grace under pressure.
Will the audience understand who I am, what I do, and why I am here?	Provide the organiser with a short bio of yourself, and with a new audience, spend a minute introducing yourself, your role and your organisation.

Preparing the Material

If you are preparing a Bible address, there are some special rules that you will help you, but more of that later.  For now, let’s look at general public presentations.  Here is just one approach of many. 

1. Whatever you’re speaking on it’s always a good idea to start with prayer.  You want to be able to acquit yourself well and faithfully reflect the message you and God want to get across.
2. Work out in a single sentence the essence of what you want to say, a central statement.  Write it in the centre of a piece of paper in landscape orientation.
3. Around the central statement write thoughts and ideas that support the central statement and expand on it.  An icebreaker / introduction, the use of humour, illustrative material and a strong close are all important elements to include.
4. Re-arrange your material in a linear form.  Make sure that the progression is logical, linear and definitely not rambling.  Expect to have to leave some material out – not because it’s bad material, but it does not serve the bigger picture of presenting in a logical way.  By the way, logical does not mean lack of passion.  If you are passionate about your material you will be more engaging, but it must always be logical.
5. Prepare your slide presentation to underscore or explain your address, making sure that the slides are simple, uncluttered and actually enhance (rather than distract from) what you are saying. 

My next post will assist you with some pointers on how to deliver your presentation.