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Presenting in Tough Times

As a speaker, keeping the attention of an audience in any situation is challenging, but in time of war it is especially difficult. The minds of audience members are on family and friends, our fighting men and women, and they have an overall concern about security either in our community or in the world. What can we do as speakers to keep the attention of the audience on our topic and yet show respect for events far more important than any specific speech we may be delivering?

First, acknowledge but don't dwell on the war. Bring up the subject as it might relate in some way to your speech. If you are discussing leadership, you might mention the crucial role leadership plays in organizing troops in a foreign country. Making specific references requires your willingness to keep up with current events before you speak.

Second, make the reference early versus late in your speech. If you mention it early, the audience can mentally make note that you realize there are other events going on that we have our minds on. They are more likely to relax and give you full attention for the rest of the speech.

Third, don't get politically involved in your comments. Stay with the facts of the battles and events and avoid making political statements about the conduct of the war. This will show your respect for everyone's point of view and help maintain your credibility as a speaker.

In a keynote speech, be especially careful that the humor you use relates directly to the point of the speech. In serious times humor is still important, but the speaker must not be flippant or irreverent about the situation in which we are living. People like to laugh and relevant humor will be seen as a tool just as a visual aid or notes. But be careful about making people laugh simply for the sake of laughing unless your speech is billed as a humorous after-dinner speech.

Don't dwell on challenging times, but refer to them objectively and then move ahead with your speech.

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Keeping Your Speaking Well From Going Dry

If you speak a lot, there are times when you may feel your material is getting stale and you lose enthusiasm for your content. When that happens you need new material that excites you and thus makes your speeches more stimulating.

A fun way to do that is to pick a subject, hobby, avocation, culture, or sport about which you know nothing but are interested in knowing more. Then immerse yourself in it. Read all you can about it, talk to people who know about it, and experience it if possible. Inevitably you will fall upon an example or a statistic or a visual that will fit perfectly into a part of a speech you are preparing, or you will see the relevance to a point you have been making in previous speeches. This discovery will heighten your enthusiasm for the subject you have been speaking on and the audience will respond accordingly.

For example, a few years ago I discovered hummingbirds on one of our vacations out west. I was fascinated by them. I bought books about them and got feeders to place in our back yard. My wife planted flowers that supposedly would attract the beautiful birds, and I went on the internet to learn from others who knew about hummers. Soon we had two pairs of hummingbirds who made our back yard their home for the summer. I was hooked and it wasn't long until I began inserting material about hummingbirds in my speeches. I now have a story about how hummers use more of their potential than humans and how we as humans can learn from this tiny marvelous animal. I use pictures of the hummingbird in my PowerPoint presentations at appropriate places. This one interest has affected my speaking in a very positive way.