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…”
