You have just been asked to give a
business speech. After initially feeling honored to be selected to give
a speech – the anxiety sets in.
What do I say?
How long do I talk?
What are the right things to say and what
should I avoid at all costs?
How do I engage the audience and leave
them with a memorable impression?
How do I deliver the speech with
confidence?
This book is part of a S.O.S. (Special Occasion Speech) series. Through our proven process we will help save you from the SOS distress signal you feel right after someone asks you to give a business speech. Each one of the SOS books has a very narrow scope. This particular book was written to help non-professional speakers deliver business speeches of all kinds like a pro. We recognize that this type of speech is very unique and won’t happen very often. Therefore we provide you numerous examples of how others have approached similar speeches.
While the focus of this book is on business speeches, we bring you through a proven step-by-step process that will provide you with a framework for preparing and delivering any type of speech. We have compiled all the tools and tips to make your speech a memorable one.
From the Publisher
Anyone who has ever played a sport has learned a process. They
have learned the rules of the game, winning strategies and a way
of playing the sport. There are different ways to approach the
game, but the fundamentals are the same. The same is true with
public speaking. The same discipline and effort that you see
athletes give to their sport, you should be giving to public
speaking. Just as though we were bringing you through the five
stages of a golf or tennis swing, we'll show you that there are
five distinct stages when going through the development and
delivery of a speech. We have coined the term PODIUM Notes
because people use notes as a crutch (or when they're in a
crunch) - hopefully now you will just use the PODIUM process.
PODIUM Notes provides you a template or a framework for
approaching a speech. The acronym PODIUM stands for:
Preparing: How to effectively prepare for a business speech
As Yogi Berra said, "If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else." We will share with you how to craft an end outcome that you can work towards. We will also share with you some of the best research sites where you can gather background material for your speech. Finally we will provide you with some logistical strategies to make sure you are fully prepared for the day you are to deliver the speech.
Overcome: How to overcome your fear of public speaking
Research has shown that one of the worst fears that people have is standing up in front of an audience and giving a speech. A February 2001 Gallup poll found that 40% of adults have a fear of public speaking. Some people are fine when it comes to giving a business speech on a topic that they know, but are less confident when it's time to give a retirement speech or a speech on a topic they are less familiar with. Wherever you sit in the spectrum, we can aid you through a systematic approach to overcoming your fear or lack of confidence in delivering a speech. In this book you will learn that the most important thing you can do to eliminate your fear is something you already do well!!!
Develop: How to develop your speech
A business speech is very different from a wedding speech, which is different from a eulogy. Although the PODIUM Notes process still applies, the structure and development of the speech is much different. We will provide you with development outlines to help you with any type of business speech or toast. With the framework in hand, you'll be better able to organize your thoughts and research. Many speeches or presentations require that you put together some visuals to reinforce your message. Most of us do not develop PowerPoint presentations every day and as a result, slides that we develop often look unprofessional and usually only serve to distract the audience. We also will provide you some tips on how to develop professional looking slides by organizing your data, using the correct font and color schemes and other strategies used by professional designers.
Interest: How to make the speech interesting Have you ever been thoroughly engaged by a speaker? What was it that attracted and retained your interest? I am willing to bet that it was how they brought in interesting anecdotes, quotes, jokes or other types of speech content to help add color to the topic. I am also willing to bet that you may not remember the speech very well but you do still remember the story or quote that they used. We will show you some great resources and tips that professionals use to add interest to any type of speech. We have gone through the Podiumnotes.com database and selected some great business speech material, thereby saving you countless hours in research.
Unrehearsed: How to deliver a speech and without looking like you had to rehearse it
We will show you how to look unrehearsed when you give a speech. One of the major mistakes people make when they deliver a speech is to become too formal or mechanized in their approach. When they speak, they are a mere resemblance of their former self. If you are giving a speech to some of your colleagues, they know your mannerisms, they know your speaking style, and they have certain expectations about your speech. We will provide you with some practice (and practical) techniques that will help you deliver a memorable speech in your own style.
Measure: How to take measure of both your audience and the speech
The last step in the PODIUM Notes process is called Measure. We will talk about two forms of measuring your success. One is when you are actually giving the presentation and the second applies after you have finished your speech. Many speakers have learned to give their speech well, but they can only do it one way. They are afraid to change it midstream. We will show you techniques on how to be prepared to make changes to your speech at a moment's notice. The trick to this step is taking measure of your audience and gauging their reaction to what you are saying. We will also provide you with some tips on how to get candid feedback after the speech and also how to prepare a file for your next big moment!!!
Excerpts from the book:
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Quotes
“I would like to begin my
discussion today with a quote from Queen Elizabeth II during her
address to both Houses of Parliament in 2003. She said, ‘Change
has become a constant; managing it has become an expanding
discipline. The way we embrace it defines our future.’ This is a
particularly appropriate quote for my topic today because change
is a constant in our business.”
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History
“Tomorrow marks the 75th anniversary to Black Thursday, October 24, 1929. It is called Black Thursday because it was on this day that the New York Stock Exchange crashed, heralding the end of the "Roaring Twenties" and the beginning of the Great Depression, an inflexion point in the markets.
It’s important to point out even in adversity that great things can happen. In fact, sixteen of the 30 corporations in the Dow Jones industrial average trace their birth to recessions. People like Walt Disney lost an acting job as a movie extra and started his cartoon company in a Hollywood garage. Tech titans William Hewlett and David Packard joined forces in Silicon Valley during the Depression. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft during the 1975 recession. Other companies like IBM, GE, Merck and 3M were all founded during recessions.”
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Anecdotes
“During the fiftieth anniversary of D-Day in 1994, one documentary featured a very unique sequence of interviews. The commentators spoke with two men who were a part of the Normandy invasion in 1944. One was a soldier who fought on the ground. Reflecting back on that time he said, ‘I was convinced there was no way we could possibly win.’ The other interview involved a pilot who saw things much differently from his vantage point in the air. He said, ‘I was convinced there was no way we could possibly lose.’
You are the pilots in our organization, the navigators of our future.
I hope you leave here today with the right perspective - we have
a solid company with a bright future and a great team.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Analogies
I was recently intrigued by an article describing NASA’s research efforts to program F-18 jets to automatically fly in formation similar to the V formation you see geese flying south using. The first line of the story was, “You can’t beat Mother Nature when it comes to flight.” The article described some scientific findings as to the reason the birds fly in that formation. . There were 5 scientific facts there research uncovered.
Fact 1: Apparently, as each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.
I believe that people who are part of a team and share a common direction can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the strength and trust of one another.
Fact 2: Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone, and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front.
We want to be flying is the same direction together and be willing to accept a colleague’s help as well as give ours to others. We have steadily increased interdependency around the group, and we want to continue to do so.
Fact 3: When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position.
Everyone in this room represents the senior leadership of the firm. Sometimes you will be leading projects or initiatives and other times you will be supporting them. As with geese, the success of the partnership is dependent on the individual success of each of you working as part of a team.
Fact 4: The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
The people in this room are the stewards of the company and we need support and leadership from this group in order to take the company forward.
Fact 5: When a goose gets sick or wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it is able to fly again, or dies. Then they launch out on their own, with another formation, or they catch up with their flock.
We too need to stand by each other in difficult times as well as when
we are strong.
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Trivia
It is easy to look back and see we were living in interesting times:
· Jeff Bezos, billionaire founder of Amazon, was named Time Man of the Year in 1999. Prior to this award Amazon had 12 consecutive quarters of losses
· At Yahoo’s market cap peak it was valued higher than Disney, Viacom and Sears combined
· In 2000, Enron won Fortune Magazine’s award for the most innovative firm – for its fourth year in a row
Don’t get discouraged if your first year sales are low - listen to these examples:
Dismal first-year sales of famous
products:
1. VW Beetle (U.S.)--sold 330 first year.
2. Liquid Paper--sold 1,200 bottles first year
3. Cuisinart--sold 200 first year.
4. Remington typewriter--sold 8 first year.
5. Scrabble--sold 532 first year.
6. Coca-Cola--sold 25 bottles first year. (For total of $50;
supplies and advertising ran $70.)
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Location
Search through the internet for interesting facts about where the meeting is going to be held and try to tie them into your topic. Here is an example of an introduction which could be used in Phoenix:
“As you look behind me you see an important symbol - one of a Phoenix. It is important for us for two reasons. First, it is important not to forget the past and to remember how successful our firm has been. We have a great past. We have had great success. We …
But the Phoenix has another important meaning for us today. Although the meaning of the phoenix varies slightly from culture to culture, the story is roughly the same. When a phoenix gets old and prepares to die, the phoenix then settles in a nest and is consumed in a burst of flames. Rising out of the ashes, a new phoenix is born, carrying with it all the knowledge of the old.
Most of us know the Phoenix is a symbol of rebirth. This is a time for
us to renew our company. We will carry with us the knowledge
and lessons of our history but it is time for us to move
forward. Over the next few days we are going to talk candidly
about some of the challenges and opportunities we have facing
this organization and look for ways for us to solve them.”
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Movies
An example how a movie analogy can be used in a business setting is with the movie The Perfect Storm:
“Many of you will remember the movie in 2000 called The Perfect Storm.
In October of 1991 a storm stronger than any in recorded history hit the coast off of Gloucester, Massachusetts. This "Perfect Storm" — so called because it was three storms combined into one — created an almost apocalyptic situation in the Atlantic ocean, where boats encountered waves of 100 feet (30 meters) — the equivalent of a ten-story building. These storms are some of the strongest and most terrifying manifestations of nature's strength.
I felt our industry has been in a perfect storm recently when…”
