Were you asked to give a speech or presentation but do not seem to know where and how to start? Or are you expecting to be invited to give a talk one of these days but you do not know how to go about it when it comes? Or is speaking part of your job and you always struggle everytime you think about it because you know you have to prepare but do not know what to prepare?
In today’s article, let me share with you three important things you need to consider when preparing a speech or presentation.
One, target. In everything that you do, there has to be a target. In every speech or presentation you give, you have to identify your purpose. That is your target. Do you want to inform the audience about something? Do you want to inspire them and give a message of hope? Do you want to persuade them to adopt a proposal or agree with your position? Or do you simply want to entertain them? Once you are clear with your purpose or target, it will be easier to prepare your presentation.
Two, treasure. A speech or presentation is like a gift you will give to your audience. In that gift, there has to be a treasure. What is it going to be? What is the message you want them to remember? If you want to inform your audience, what are the things you want to inform them with? Is it going to be the ‘7 Keys to Achieve Your Aspirations,’ ‘3 Steps to File Your Leave,’ or ‘The Different Kinds of Investments.’ The treasure should be very clear and stated in one sentence. If it is not clear and cannot be stated briefly, then there is no speech yet. Keep working on it until the treasure is crystal clear.
Three, time. Know how much time is alloted to you. This is equally important. You might miss your target if you do not know how to use the time given to you wisely. The audience might forget the treasure you give them because you disrespected them by going way overtime. Anything that is too much is too much. So if you are given 5 minutes, please do not spend 50 minutes. If you are given 45 minutes, please do not just spend 4 minutes. If you are given 2 hours, please do not spend 3 hours. Know your time allotment and strive to stay within it. Time is also of the essence in delivering a speech.
There you have it! When giving a speech or presentation, remember these three and you already have the essentials to begin with. Start with your target. State your treasure. And stick within your time allotment.
Your audience will thank you for doing these.
(Do you want to learn more more about public speaking? Attend the SPEAK 2.0 on December 8 [1-5pm] in Baguio City. When you attend the seminar, you will also receive a FREE copy of Chris Dao-anis’ latest book ‘SPEAK: How to Craft and Deliver a Speech or Presentation w/ competence & confidence’. Register now at bit.ly/SpeakBaguio or text your name and email address to 0945-761-6577. Certificates and snacks will be provided.)
