To Insure Success in Speaking: Anticipate

We all know that to be a careful driver on the highways, we need always to anticipate. When we see brake lights ahead, we anticipate some traffic problem and slow down. If we come to an intersection we look ahead to see if anyone is entering it before us. In like manner, to be an effective speaker we need to anticipate.

We need to anticipate with our notes. Always be a sentence or thought ahead so that you can look at notes as you are finishing a thought and thus do not have to pause to find your place in your notes.

Anticipate the response of the audience. Be prepared to pause for laughter or for the audience to take a moment to assimilate an important thought. Look for the smile or the pondering look so that you will know to stop for a moment.

Anticipate questions the audience may ask. Seek to think ahead about the types of questions which might be asked based on the content of your presentation. Consider any current issue that might relate to your topic that could create questions for you. If you are speaking on international travel, for example, be prepared for questions on SARS.

Anticipate the unexpected. Think about things that might go wrong and prepare for them. Know where the light switches and electrical outlets are. Know who is in charge of the public address system. Sometimes you may need to know how to turn off the music that is wafting through the hotel sound system before you speak.

Anticipate the emotional atmosphere based on the content of your speech. If you are about to share a touching story, you may want to slow down your rate of speech or use a softer tone of voice. If you are moving to an exciting narrative, you will probably seek to speed up the rate and incorporate more volume.

Anticipation will help you maintain a confident and competent manner in speaking. Few variables will create hesitancy or indecision in your speaking manner because you have considered contingencies ahead of time and are ready for them.

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Effective Use of the Hand Out

Have you ever missed the first few minutes of a speaker's presentation because you were occupied with looking through her handout? That's a typical problem that many of us have experienced. For many presenters the handout is essential for audience understanding, yet it is also one of the biggest sources of distraction during the presentation. How can we use handouts effectively in a presentation?

Ideally, tell your listeners at the beginning of the presentation that they will receive a complete handout on the presentation, product, or idea at the end of the speech and follow through with that plan. Realistically, this often can’t happen because the reason for the handout is to assist the audience in understanding the content of your presentation! They may need it while you are speaking. Assuming this is the case, here are some tips on how to best use the handout during the presentation so there is minimum distraction.

Only distribute materials that are needed at a given place in the speech. Handing out materials in sections will limit the audience from perusing parts of the handout that do not relate to what you are discussing. This method can also help in keeping the audience listening to you instead of daydreaming or thinking of their own plans after the speech.

Color-code materials which you want the audience to examine. Tell them to go immediately to the part underlined in blue, for example, possibly identifying the coded material by page number. Usually audience members will do what the speaker tells them, especially if the directions are very specific and prescriptive.

Include in the handout blanks for audience members to complete. We like to fill in blanks. Jeopardy! is one of the longest running television shows because audience members like to fill in the blanks as the contestants answer questions. If we see a blank on a handout we will listen so we can write in the answer or the appropriate statistic. If your presentation includes the cost of something, leave that amount blank and share it only when you want the audience to know what it is. They will listen for it because of their curiosity. Curiosity about the missing information will overcome a lot of the distractions handouts can cause when audience members have them during the presentation.

Whatever methods you use, be sure to have others pass the materials to the audience for you. Have them collated by table or row to insure easy and smooth distribution.

Handouts can be an aid and not a distraction when handled well.

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